OMG It Happened!!

[CeeJay]

She laid eggs!!! I can't believe it. From Feb 1 to mid March I was pairing my Spider female and Pastel male. I got locks until the 6th pairing. After that I thought it had begun. She started to get really huge then about 10-12 days later she shed. I thought I was going to have eggs around mid May. Memorial day comes, no eggs. Midway through June, no eggs. I gave up. She went off feed, she looked thin. I thought I should leave her alone for a bit since she wasn't eating.

Two weeks ago I had her out because her tank was a mess. She looked normal. No weight gain at all (i did weigh her). Last night I attempted to feed her but I thought to myself I better check to make sure she isn't shedding. I lifted up her hide and saw something large and white. I freaked out. How the heck did this happen without me noticing? Fortunately I purchased an incubator months ago but I had no substrate. I rushed to home depot and bought a huge bag of vermiculite (its all they had). I got home and put the egg box together. Now the hard part. Pulling off the eggs.

This freaked me out because I have seen dozens of videos and just about every time the female goes nuts. I put on some gloves and began to uncoil her. She wasn't letting go. I kept my eyes on her head the whole time. I started with the tail but as soon as I got it loose she tightened back up. I went for the mid section next. Much easier. She was really good. Didn't try to bite at all. I put her in a separate tank and transferred the eggs to its new home. After that was done I cleaned her, the tank, hide box, and water bowl. What a night

Here is a pic of her on the eggs. She ended up laying 3



Here are the eggs in the container. Much larger than I thought.





My incubator temps are 89 degrees with the humidity at 99%. That is good right?

Also is it ok to offer food to my girl or should I wait a few days?

I can't wait until September. Exciting stuff. Thanks for reading my long story.

[jben]

congrats! crossing fingers for some bees!

[snakesRkewl]

Congrats!

Your temps/humidity are fine, I wait a day or two before offering.

[CeeJay]

congrats! crossing fingers for some bees!

Thanks. Yes!!!! I hope so. Odds are really low but if I get one bee, one spider, and one pastel I'll be thrilled. I am nervous too because I want 100% hatch rate. I would hate to see something happen to the little guys. I feel like they are my kids..hahaha!

[CeeJay]

Congrats!

Your temps/humidity are fine, I wait a day or two before offering.

Thanks. Should I go with smaller than usual size since she's lost a lot of weight? I usually give her medium size rats. I am thinking small rats for the first couple of weeks.

[snakesRkewl]

I am thinking small rats for the first couple of weeks.

Good choice

[JenEric Reptiles]

congrats ! good luck and dont forget the press and seal!

[merdcme]

nice suprise, congrats and good luck!

[Ben.L]

Nice one! Hope you get a nice bee

[KeXx]

Congrats!

I have a big Pinstripe female I've been waiting for also, and I thought she was due i late May - still nothing! I hate when they do that! If she hasn't laid until the end of August I'll give up on her.

Fingers crossed for Bees!