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Hello fellow spider lovers!
Been a while since I was on here but I am in need of some pointers and maybe some sense
To cut a long story short, over the last few years I have bought 4 P. metallica slings. Out of the 4, one is definate female, 2 matured into males and 1 is still unknown (probably a male as I seem to have that luck recently!)
So, I know few people have had breeding success with them in the UK and I am a complete novice when it comes to breeding but I thought what have I got to lose?
So, I threw (not literally, of course) one of the males in with the female for a few weeks. When the second matured, I swapped them.
Late last year I realised I had not seen the female for some time and it appeared she had holed up in her bamboo tube.
After another week or so I removed the male and there was still no sign of the female. She had closed up the top of her tube with web and that was that. I simply thought she was coming up to a moult so just left her alone.
I can't remember the exact date she plugged herself in but it had to have been end of November, maybe earlier.
I really didn't want to disturb her but was worried about her so one day in Jan I quietly lifted the bamboo out and checked. She was sat there looking very plump.
Obviously this was quite exciting because she hadn't eaten (I don't think) for at least a month and yet she was looking quite portly. Anyway, I put the hide back and left her alone again.
There's still no sign of her and I again dared to have a very quiet look today and she's now completely cocooned herself in as the bottom of the bamboo is webbed shut now, too.
So. What do you guys think? Gravid?
I have tried to keep her temps up but our house is so damn cold over the winter so she's had a few degrees drop over the last few months. I have been spraying from time to time but not soaking the substrate, I have tried to get some to saturate through the web at the top of the bamboo in case she's taking some moisture from that.
Anyway, let me know what you think...
Cheers
Been a while since I was on here but I am in need of some pointers and maybe some sense
To cut a long story short, over the last few years I have bought 4 P. metallica slings. Out of the 4, one is definate female, 2 matured into males and 1 is still unknown (probably a male as I seem to have that luck recently!)
So, I know few people have had breeding success with them in the UK and I am a complete novice when it comes to breeding but I thought what have I got to lose?
So, I threw (not literally, of course) one of the males in with the female for a few weeks. When the second matured, I swapped them.
Late last year I realised I had not seen the female for some time and it appeared she had holed up in her bamboo tube.
After another week or so I removed the male and there was still no sign of the female. She had closed up the top of her tube with web and that was that. I simply thought she was coming up to a moult so just left her alone.
I can't remember the exact date she plugged herself in but it had to have been end of November, maybe earlier.
I really didn't want to disturb her but was worried about her so one day in Jan I quietly lifted the bamboo out and checked. She was sat there looking very plump.
Obviously this was quite exciting because she hadn't eaten (I don't think) for at least a month and yet she was looking quite portly. Anyway, I put the hide back and left her alone again.
There's still no sign of her and I again dared to have a very quiet look today and she's now completely cocooned herself in as the bottom of the bamboo is webbed shut now, too.
So. What do you guys think? Gravid?
I have tried to keep her temps up but our house is so damn cold over the winter so she's had a few degrees drop over the last few months. I have been spraying from time to time but not soaking the substrate, I have tried to get some to saturate through the web at the top of the bamboo in case she's taking some moisture from that.
Anyway, let me know what you think...
Cheers
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