I have many plans Marula, but that later. The parental behavior I have witnessed thus far makes me beleive I can leave them as long as I want. The environs are not suited for this though. I will probably remove them on 3rd or 4th instar. Ten will be into a communal and the rest, well I have a list...

There is no doubt. I am not removing them out of fear of cannibalism or motherly appetite, but purely because the enclosure would not allow a huge community. With "huge" I mean comfortable living conditions for the number of slings in this batch. I could quite easily count forty, without the ones clambering up and down the burrow. The number will actually become available once I rehouse the mother, and of course the slings.

Started to molt into second instar on Thursday 19 June 2010...

It is a bit strange how the spiderlings would "seclude" themselves to molt. They are normally bunched in groups, yet they go off to a separate area of the webbing to molt in private. A few chose the outside of the burrow while others must have molted, or are busy molting inside the burrow. The mother does not seem fazed by any of this and hunts whatever I introduce.

The ones that have molted did not increase much in size, but I suppose they will be stronger for the next cycle...

Nope...

Waiting for them to molt to third instar. I must admit, I have not seen any of the babies for a week or so now. They seem to be hiding somewhere down the burrow. The mother comes out now and then, usually takes a cricket down with her. I must presume she is still feeding them, because the last time I saw a baby, its abdomen was nice and round. I refuse to beleive that the mother has done them any harm, it is not like M balfouri to turn on their young.

Image of some second instar slings, one busy molting...

This the second egg case, and it is HUGE. I was surprised to see her away from the sac, but I have learned the hard way, THEY KNOW BEST...

I turned the enclosure around, suspecting the family to be close to the heat source in stead of outside... This is what I found...


A minute later, the mother moved away from the side, into the darkness of her burrow...