P. Cancerides egg sack help!!!!!!

suntiger117

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 16, 2013
Messages
1
Last night-this morning my p. cancerides laid a sac! I bought her around february 20th and I knew she was gravid, and she finally did! I am very new to this whole egg sac dilema, and I was wondering if anyone has tips on what I should do.... How long until I pull it? What kind of incubator should I make and what specific conditions for it? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

ARACHNO-SMACK48

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 29, 2013
Messages
284
Im no expert but I have done my research since I have recently bred a pair of T. stirmi and am expecting a sack at some point. First off, youtube is a great resource for this kind of information (robc, Jon3800, etc.)

So here is a basic summary of what you are going to have to do:
To start you have two choices. You can leave the egg sac with the mother and allow her to care for the sack or you can remove the sack from the mothers inclosure after 30 or so days (different people will tell you to remove the sack sooner or later). If you choose to leave the sack with the mother there are it seems that there are alot of things that can go wrong such as mold etc. Some people have success with this method while others do not. If you remove the sack you will need to time it so that the slings are EWLs, 1st, or 2nd in stars. The slings will be dependent solely on your care so you will have to make an incubator (which is not overly difficult) but then you will have to make sure you are keeping proper temps and humidity. Keep in mind that, to my knowledge, slings in these stages require higher temps (mid 80's) and high humidity. It sounds complicated but it really isn't.

In short, I would wait 30 days and then remove the sack from the mothers enclosure, carefully open it and put all of the slings in an incubator made from a tupperware container filled with water with pantyhose stretched and rubber banded over the top. Carefully place the slings ontop of the pantyhose. Keep the temps in the mid 80's and the water in the container should take care of the humidity. Then place this container inside a larger container to prevent escape once the slings molt out into 2nd instars. You will likely want to separate the slings at 2nd instar because this is when cannibalism often begins to occur.

Last step.... this is an important one... you have to be sure to send some slings my way lol

Here is a video showing how to build an incubator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKdgIt_CUlc
 

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
Many of us pull ball sacs at around 30 days (I never pull hammock sacs). at 30 days you should have EWL's or 1st instars. I put them in a 16 oz deli cup with pin hole size airholes around the upper sides (none in the lid). I put a slightly moist paper towel in the bottom, set the sac on it, and gently open it. Remove any black/dead eggs and slings. I give a small fine misting on the paper towel before it gets too dry. The moisture/humidity gives them a drinking source and helps with molting. They'll darken and shed. You don't want mold, or it to be too damp in there as they can drown easily. At 2nd instar they get fur; they'll be lean and fast. After a week, they'll be able to start eating. Some species start cannibalizing at 2nd instar, some don't.
 
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