My Spider....
 

For those of you who've been following the excitement of my impending spider egg sack opening....

Well a couple of days ago, I noticed she wasn't in her nesty bit hugging the egg sack... she was sitting outside underneath. Only the night before, she'd come out and had a walk and then gone back in. I took pics of her walking around and then going back in to the nest.

I left her for the day but it seems she died. :( Perhaps she just didn't know how to do it, or whatever.

Are you getting Charlotte's Web vibes here?

Anyway, I was left with a dead spider hanging below the nest and a sac of baby spiders as yet unopened by their mother... :( I was considering just vacuuming them all out of the corner of the room or something.

I got up this morning and the sack seems to be covered by tiny black things. I have no idea what's happening and will have to get up there to see if the babies are out or whether something more ominous has occurred.

Keep tuned in for more excitement.

Re: My Spider....
 

I'm no David Bellamy, but the tiny black things, would they not be the baby spiders?

Re: My Spider....
 

I'm thinking they might be but I can't get close enough to see....
and I thought she was meant to open the egg sack... .

Re: My Spider....
 

I'm no David Attenborough but I thought that too!!

Re: My Spider....
 

That didn't happen in Charlotte's Web though, so maybe not . . . but then again, I'm no Jacque Cousteau.

Re: My Spider....
 

I need to get up there a bit closer but my desk is in the way.... I need something long .... broom, maybe.

Don't want to hurt the precious babies....

Re: My Spider....
 

Whoo Hoooo!

They're moving!

Man, that outer web stuff she put round the area really is tough stuff!

Re: My Spider....
 

My god . . . this is more exciting than when the Hindenburg went down!!

"No not the broom . . ."

"Oh The Humanity!"

Re: My Spider....
 

more importantly - do you want to scatter them all aound your lounge room?

Re: My Spider....
 

You were there? :sneaky:

Re: My Spider....
 

No . . . I was listening on the radio!

Re: My Spider....
 

They're all hanging on to the egg sack.

I think they might be eating it.

Hang on, I'll take a pic.

I don't really worry too much if they do scatter round my lounge room. There's about 200 of the tiny things, and they're really really small... No doubt many of them won't survive either.

I think my mass outdoes theirs on a huge scale so I can't say I'm unduly worried. :D

Re: My Spider....
 

Isn't this about the time they should be sailing away in the wind on their threads? I wonder if you're born inside whether you still have that instinct. I'm pretty sure that the mum usually dies and they hatch without help.

Re: My Spider....
 

It's called Ballooning, apparently. Huntsmen don't do it. They usually transfer to the mother for a few weeks and she walks them around the place.

I can't put them outside now... it's cold and raining. They'd never survive.

AND NOW THEY DON'T HAVE A MOTHER!!! SHE'S DEAD!!!

OMG! 200 ORPHANS!!!




Equally I don't know how I'd get them down from up there.... .

Re: My Spider....
 

You mean the 'radiogram'.... ?