has anyone kept a wolf spider? pic, too.

[Ginevive]

A friend of mine recently saved a wolf spider that their roommate was going to kill, and has been keeping it in a kritter keeper. As luck would have it, I found a huge (assumed) female of the same type today when I was overturning logs outside. I have her setup in a container with some undergrowth. I tossed in a superworm to see what would happen, and she grabbed it up instantly. I plan on keeping her, to observe.

Anyone ever keep these? I am pretty fascinated by her, and plan to keep her around.

[Mike41793]

I'm waiting to find a nice big one to keep. I've been looking around outside.

Yours is nice!

[Ginevive]

Thanks! Finding it was a reward for bringing in our garbage cans today; lol. There's a bunch of old firewood piled next to them (our landlord is not really a strict house manicurist; lol.) I thought "hm.. I wonder if there are any toads or snakes under there?" And so I did what any other 30+-year-old woman would do: I looked. Some fast centipedes made a hasty retreat (they are fast!!) but when I saw this girl, I had to run inside and grab a deli cup. I almost lost her, but luckily the foundation of the house is secure, and I managed a capture. If I was lazy (as I normally am) and waited for the other tenant to bring in the cans, I would not have her.

[Mike41793]

I gotta stop being lazy and go look harder lol.

[3skulls]

Got this one today. I'm betting she is gravid

She gave me about 30 babies a few weeks ago.


They are fun to keep.

[Ginevive]

Oh; pretty!! I love their egg-laying and baby-rearing behavior. They make a neat packet for the eggs, and carry it around until they hatch. Then, the babies latch on for a ride wherever mom goes until fall, when they spin threads of silk that catch the wind and fly away. That'd be interesting to watch! (I'd think that you'd have to do something in fall to allow the babies to fly away.. unless you wanted a bunch of babies; rofl.)

[Ginevive]

Oh; I just read the part about the babies. Did you keep the eggs separate?

[3skulls]

Here is a video of a Wolf Spider laying her eggs and making the sac.
She did this the first night I got her home. 6 part video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl9ul2EpZYQ&sns=em

I just let the mom do her thing.
The last one, I walked into the bug room and started seeing little baby spiders everywhere. :p
I was waiting for them to start leaving the mothers back and missed it.

[Ginevive]

Awesome!! I wonder if mine will do that.

[3skulls]

Her abdomen looks pretty big. She just might be gravid.

Good luck.