My Spider

My Spider

Postby SlaSh007 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:54 am

Hi guys, I'm from pretoria and i work for BMW Motorcycles. We had a customer ride his bike here yesterday and just when we wanted to start the service, out crawled the most beautiful spider i've ever seen from under the seat. The guys wanted to kill it but i wanted to keep it. I was wondering if anybody could tell me how to identify the sex of the spider. It's a rain spider and i've done oodles of research and have now landed up at this site... I have given it water in the form of cotton balls and toilet paper balls so i know it won't dehydrate... We originally put it in a Jar that was used for sugar and it seems to enjoy the sugar alot, i think, cause it keeps dragging its legs through its fangs and "licking" its legs (i know it has no tongue, but that's what it looks like). I have it in a tank now and am growing rather fond of it. I am an absolute newbie at this so all the advice and help you give will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much
I don't wanna die young and beautiful... I want to slide into my grave sideways all wrinkled and bleeding screaming, "WOOHOOOO, What a ride!!"
SlaSh007
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:46 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Bushbaby » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:16 am

I am not 100% sure, but I think males do not grow as big as females. How big was it (ball park figure would do).

Are you working at Bavarian Motorcycles?? Do you still have it at work, or did you take it home? It would probably like some insects better than suger. It might be making it feel sticky, which is why it's trying to clean itself? Just a suggestion.

Good luck with the spider anyhow. Just remember, it would rather be in the wild ;)
http://www.snakebiteassist.co.za
http://www.reptileexpo.co.za
http://www.boaconstrictors.co.za
User avatar
Bushbaby
SA Reptiles Admin
 
Posts: 10592
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:04 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby SlaSh007 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:40 am

Yeah i do work at bavarian motorcycles... do you own a beemer or just know the dealership? it's sitting in my office and i'm only getting the tank this weekend when i go visit the parentals in witbank. What sort of insects? beetles? i know i'm a newb and it propably would be happier in the wild but i'm the selfish type and i'd love to have something like that around cause they interest me no end... thank you so much for the advice though... anymore? i'm hungry for knowledge
I don't wanna die young and beautiful... I want to slide into my grave sideways all wrinkled and bleeding screaming, "WOOHOOOO, What a ride!!"
SlaSh007
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:46 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Bushbaby » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:43 am

Beatles should be fine, flies, moths, crickets, pretty much anything.

It's fine if you prefer to keep it for a while, but if it seems to not be eating, etc, then rather release it.

They are pretty easy to keep, have kept one or two myself, but never put 2 in the same bottle / area. You will end up with one (trust me on this). lol

I knew several people who have worked at Bavarian over the past couple of years. I must say the upgrade looks great!! Much better than the old building.
http://www.snakebiteassist.co.za
http://www.reptileexpo.co.za
http://www.boaconstrictors.co.za
User avatar
Bushbaby
SA Reptiles Admin
 
Posts: 10592
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:04 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby SlaSh007 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 11:54 am

yeah, i get to sit in the office upstairs all day! woohoo! but would much rather prefer to be in the hub of it all in the workshops, but oh well. the abdomen and head measure in at roughly 4cm and the front legs are also roughly 6cm... the advice is really appreciated and i promise that i will release it into the wild if it doesn't eat. I read though that most spiders in captivity die due to dehydration though so i'll make sure it has plenty of water. If you PM me and let me know who you know/knew here then i'll let you know if they're still here or not. I've read alot and they said that when spiders first encounter 1 another they see each other as food LOL.. So yeah i understand that 1... Can you handle them? are they venomous? sorry for all the questions, i just really wanna know more. So can you tell if its male or female? i hear if its female then if you put it with a male you need to get it out there real quick after mating...
I don't wanna die young and beautiful... I want to slide into my grave sideways all wrinkled and bleeding screaming, "WOOHOOOO, What a ride!!"
SlaSh007
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:46 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Bushbaby » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:02 pm

I don't know too much about them, but they are not venomous as far as I know. They are pretty fast though.

It sounds like it is a pretty big one, so possibly a female, but as I said, I'm not an expert as far as reptiles go.
http://www.snakebiteassist.co.za
http://www.reptileexpo.co.za
http://www.boaconstrictors.co.za
User avatar
Bushbaby
SA Reptiles Admin
 
Posts: 10592
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:04 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby SlaSh007 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:08 pm

reptiles you say LOL... nice, its an arachnid ;) but you knew that... thank you so much for the advice!! most spiders aren't very active but this 1 is crawling around, cleaning itself and just be very "proactive" it seems
I don't wanna die young and beautiful... I want to slide into my grave sideways all wrinkled and bleeding screaming, "WOOHOOOO, What a ride!!"
SlaSh007
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:46 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Bushbaby » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:10 pm

Oops, meant spiders. I think its the sugar that is making it active. lol
http://www.snakebiteassist.co.za
http://www.reptileexpo.co.za
http://www.boaconstrictors.co.za
User avatar
Bushbaby
SA Reptiles Admin
 
Posts: 10592
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:04 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby SlaSh007 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:28 pm

:lol: probably... sugar highs tend to do that to people...
I don't wanna die young and beautiful... I want to slide into my grave sideways all wrinkled and bleeding screaming, "WOOHOOOO, What a ride!!"
SlaSh007
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:46 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Spoon » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:56 pm

SlaSh007 wrote:but oh well. the abdomen and head measure in at roughly 4cm and the front legs are also roughly 6cm...

Sounds about the right size to be female.
SlaSh007 wrote:the advice is really appreciated and i promise that i will release it into the wild if it doesn't eat. I read though that most spiders in captivity die due to dehydration though so i'll make sure it has plenty of water.

We have tons of rain spiders in our garden and I kept one for about 4 months that had lost some of its legs. They definitely need lots of water I provided a big (2.5cm) bottle lid filled with water and it drank from that. As for food buy some crickets from the pet store they love them. They are venomous and you can't handle them I tried to pick it up once and its pretty much like getting stung by a bee or maybe a bit worse. They're very pms'y spiders don't touch them and they're "cheeky" they generally stay and fight rather than run away. We had one living over our doorway for a while and when you walked underneath it it would adopt an aggressive stance until you passed.
SlaSh007 wrote:i hear if its female then if you put it with a male you need to get it out there real quick after mating...

Yeah the males are good for a shag and a snack and thats it ;-)
This is a good website for you to check out http://www.museums.org.za/bio/spiderweb/spar.htm
Incidentally we have seen one of the wasps mentioned in this site attacking a rain spider the spider didn't stand a chance :(
Spoon
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 680
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:09 pm
Location: Randburg

Postby Dentech » Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:59 pm

The male's pedipalps are bulgy at the tips and are longer than that of a female, but as you can't compare the two, if the pedipalps look "clublike", then it is probably a mature male, and it won't live long. It most probably doesn't eat the sugar, but is trying to get the sticky stuff off it. It will eat crickets that you can get from a petshop, as other insects might be full of pesticides. Apparently they aren't too venomous, but you might have an allergic reaction-you never know with any kind of venom. They are mostly too defensive to handle anyway. When it lifts it's front two legs, and sometimes waves them around - that is the defensive position, and when you try and pick it up then, it will probably bite you.
Dentech
SA Reptiles Honorary Member
 
Posts: 293
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2005 10:27 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Spoon » Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:00 pm

Oh and if you intend to keep the creature for a bit read this as well
http://www.museums.org.za/bio/spiderweb/keeping.htm
Spoon
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 680
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:09 pm
Location: Randburg

Postby Spoon » Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:02 pm

Dentech wrote:They are mostly too defensive to handle anyway. When it lifts it's front two legs, and sometimes waves them around - that is the defensive position, and when you try and pick it up then, it will probably bite you.

What he said!!! I made that mistake once and only once :oops:
Spoon
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 680
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:09 pm
Location: Randburg

Postby SlaSh007 » Fri Aug 18, 2006 2:38 pm

:D Awesome! Thanks guys! I'm not allergic to bees or anything of the sort actually so yeah, but i'll take the advice and not get too friendly. I was hoping that if i manage to actually adopt this 1 and keep it alive then i could move onto a "friendlier" spider like a baboon/tarantula, what do you think?
The male's pedipalps
the whaa?? i'm newb man, sorry but i have no idea what that is... but i'll do some research... thanks so much!!! i think its a girl, well i hope it is cause they live longer... and yeah, men usually are only good for a shag and a meal, but in humans i think they meal comes first ;)
I don't wanna die young and beautiful... I want to slide into my grave sideways all wrinkled and bleeding screaming, "WOOHOOOO, What a ride!!"
SlaSh007
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:46 am
Location: Pretoria

Postby Irock » Fri Aug 18, 2006 2:44 pm

Yeah, I was bitten by a rainspider (I am 99% sure it was one) and had a delightfully painful swelling on my leg...lol
~Meg~

1.0 Normal 1.0 Anery Motley 1.0 Butter 0.1 Ghost Motley 1.1 Reverse Okeetee 0.1 Caramel het hypo 0.1 Ultramel het caramel 1.0 Hi Red Blood 0.1 Amel hurricane motley het caramel 0.1 Amel stripe Poss. het anery ?.? Lavender
Irock
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 565
Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:07 am
Location: Centurion

Next

Return to Other invertebrates

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

cron