A cry for help! I disturbed the egg sac - what now?

[Robert Sleaford]

Hi all,

This is the first time I've attempted any breeding with my Ts, as a result my inexperience may end up being my downfall:


I noticed that my female Avic avic had sealed herself into the hollow log I keep in her tank, I assumed that she was fed up with the male she has been cohabiting with for the past 1.5 months. So I tore away a little piece of web and had a peak to check she was ok. I noticed behind her a reasonable amount of eggs (I'm guessing 50) and that she hadn't made a sac yet to keep them in.

Today she has built the sac and is holding tight.

This is the first time for her and me. Is the disturbance of a sneaky peak likely to cause any problems, i.e. will she eat the eggs or discard them? Would it be better for me to pull the sac now (only built yesterday) to be safe? Is this a risky tactic?


Any advice or reassurance would be great, I'm kicking myself for my schoolboy error.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... Is the disturbance of a sneaky peak likely to cause any problems, i.e. will she eat the eggs or discard them? Would it be better for me to pull the sac now (only built yesterday) to be safe? Is this a risky tactic? ...

Tarantulas are not hamsters. It's my impression that they generally are not likely to destroy their eggsac if the disturbance isn't really dramatic. Simply put everything back as close to the way it was without further actually disturbing the pinktoe's nest. Walk away quietly. Everything's going to be all right.

I have the distinct impression that most female tarantulas won't destroy their eggsac unless the eggs are dead and begin to putrefy. These creatures are survivors. They ordinarily wouldn't let something as trivial as a small shake up upset them that much.

This is especially true in your case because Avics are generally very good mothers.

[Phil Rea]

I would tend to agree. Just keep disturbance to a minimum from now on