Funny question, how big are baby Ts?

[Tabitha]

I am a novice and never bred Tarantulas, Ive bought a few Brachypelma slings recently, they are usually about the standard 10 mm dls.
I was wondering, when I buy one of these, how many moults have they had, has it indeed had any? I don’t know.
So actually how big is a Brachypelma when it emerges from an egg sac and following on from that..how big is an egg sac?
Thanks for any info!

 

[ilovebrachys]

I am a novice and never bred Tarantulas, Ive bought a few Brachypelma slings recently, they are usually about the standard 10 mm dls.
I was wondering, when I buy one of these, how many moults have they had, has it indeed had any? I don’t know.
So actually how big is a Brachypelma when it emerges from an egg sac and following on from that..how big is an egg sac?
Thanks for any info!

I think we need @Phil to answer this one

 

[Phil]

I am a novice and never bred Tarantulas, Ive bought a few Brachypelma slings recently, they are usually about the standard 10 mm dls.
I was wondering, when I buy one of these, how many moults have they had, has it indeed had any? I don’t know.
So actually how big is a Brachypelma when it emerges from an egg sac and following on from that..how big is an egg sac?
Thanks for any info!

at 10mm DLS it will have had either 1 or 2 'true' moults, other terms include 'Instar' and 'L1' (or L2 if second moult).

Basically it is the number of moults AFTER the 'eggs with legs' stage. After the eggs with legs stage, they moult and become miniature tarantulas with the ability to hunt and kill prey (and each other).

The eggsac can contain up to 500 or so eggs for most brachy species. I recently moved 403 L1 B. albopolisum (nicuraguan) into their separate enclosures. Somewhat ime consuming ....LOL

 

[ilovebrachys]

at 10mm DLS it will have had either 1 or 2 'true' moults, other terms include 'Instar' and 'L1' (or L2 if second moult).

Basically it is the number of moults AFTER the 'eggs with legs' stage. After the eggs with legs stage, they moult and become miniature tarantulas with the ability to hunt and kill prey (and each other).

The eggsac can contain up to 500 or so eggs for most brachy species. I recently moved 403 L1 B. albopolisum (nicuraguan) into their separate enclosures. Somewhat ime consuming ....LOL

See I knew it @Phil your the man with all the answers to all the questions we wanted to ask lol

 

[Phil]

See I knew it @Phil your the man with all the answers to all the questions we wanted to ask lol

stop it....you will make me blush.

 

[Tabitha]

Thanks @Phil that’s incredible, thank you, I kept mantids and deaths head moths etc but didn’t know you can also use instar for Ts, that’s brilliant info too, I never knew the egg sac would have so many.
I was reading about a species of T and it said mom will bring food back for the babies to start off with until they then go off on their own? They have their own reserves from their egg though?
And how big would one egg be?
403!
Thanks for the info, appreciate it!

 

[Phil]

Thanks @Phil that’s incredible, thank you, I kept mantids and deaths head moths etc but didn’t know you can also use instar for Ts, that’s brilliant info too, I never knew the egg sac would have so many.
I was reading about a species of T and it said mom will bring food back for the babies to start off with until they then go off on their own? They have their own reserves from their egg though?
And how big would one egg be?
403!
Thanks for the info, appreciate it!

yep, a lot of babies will feast on prey that mum has brought back. the eggs are best deceibed as the size of the the little polystyrene beads inadvertently bean bag (a bit smaller actually but couldn't think of anything of the top of my head that size...about 2 to 4 mm)
No problem. If you need any B albopolisum you where to find them....LOL

 

[Tabitha]

That’s amazing, I hardly believed reading that mom would bring back prey,
And the eggs are much bigger that I imagined, thank you, that’s great info, but I’m afraid I may pass on an albo, I have Pandora the mini bulldozer!
Now whenever I see a bean bag with polystyrene beads I’ll think of tarantula eggs!

 

[Phil]

That’s amazing, I hardly believed reading that mom would bring back prey,
And the eggs are much bigger that I imagined, thank you, that’s great info, but I’m afraid I may pass on an albo, I have Pandora the mini bulldozer!
Now whenever I see a bean bag with polystyrene beads I’ll think of tarantula eggs!

but smaller don't forget. I will try and think of some tiny balls for you.. That sounds wrong on a lot of levels! LOL....somewhere between cous cous and the bean bag balls anyway...ha ha

 

[MrKrowe]

but smaller don't forget. I will try and think of some tiny balls for you.. That sounds wrong on a lot of levels! LOL....somewhere between cous cous and the bean bag balls anyway...ha ha

Deeper and deeper he digs the hole ... lol

 

[Tabitha]

but smaller don't forget. I will try and think of some tiny balls for you.. That sounds wrong on a lot of levels! LOL....somewhere between cous cous and the bean bag balls anyway...ha ha

What are you like !?!
O.k Got it, somewhere between small polystyrene balls or large cous cous! There must be some alternative we can think of!
Thanks again, but the next lot of eggs or egg babies you have I’d love to see them. I am wording things carefully!
I have two Davis pentaloris, one confirmed female and I have hopes I might get a Male , as I’d love to try and breed them, never done anything like that before.

 

[menavodi]

That’s amazing, I hardly believed reading that mom would bring back prey,
And the eggs are much bigger that I imagined, thank you, that’s great info, but I’m afraid I may pass on an albo, I have Pandora the mini bulldozer!
Now whenever I see a bean bag with polystyrene beads I’ll think of tarantula eggs!

In 1997 I had Chilobrachys nitelinus and watched the female catching a cricket and holding it above the ground. Within minutes it was covered with her babies. She did bite the cricket in half and let the spiderlings eat... I had never seen it before and have never seen it since. Would not mind finding some nitelinus and try all this again.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Thought I would toss up some pictures of babies...

Eggs with legs

1st instar

Molting to 2nd instar

2nd instar and eating ready for distribution. About a 3/8" this side of the pond.

 

[Phil]

What are you like !?!
O.k Got it, somewhere between small polystyrene balls or large cous cous! There must be some alternative we can think of!
Thanks again, but the next lot of eggs or egg babies you have I’d love to see them. I am wording things carefully!
I have two Davis pentaloris, one confirmed female and I have hopes I might get a Male , as I’d love to try and breed them, never done anything like that before.

LOL.....the Davus Pentaloris are on the cous cous side if the size scale. they are tiny.

 

[Tabitha]

In 1997 I had Chilobrachys nitelinus and watched the female catching a cricket and holding it above the ground. Within minutes it was covered with her babies. She did bite the cricket in half and let the spiderlings eat... I had never seen it before and have never seen it since. Would not mind finding some nitelinus and try all this again.

Thanks for that, incredible story, I was always terrified of spiders for so many years but it’s awesome to learn about them, it really does increase my respect and interest in them.
Shows amazing parenting skills from a creature we might not expect it to have.
Good luck in finding some more nitelinus.

 

[Tabitha]

Thanks so much @Arachnoclown that first picture is amazingly beautiful, I had no idea, you can see eyes and palps, thank you so much for posting and showing the different stages, in the third picture you can even see first Instar, molt and also maybe newly molted second Instar?
I have a much better idea now, when I receive a little sling, what it’s life has been so far.
I do love those little leggy eggs!

 

[Tabitha]

LOL.....the Davus Pentaloris are on the cous cous side if the size scale. they are tiny.

Thanks Phil! Cous cous it is , they sound so sweet! and I think it would be an exciting new phase for me if I tried so watch this space!

 

[Phil]

Thanks Phil! Cous cous it is , they sound so sweet! and I think it would be an exciting new phase for me if I tried so watch this space!

I will indeed

 

[Phil]

Thanks so much @Arachnoclown that first picture is amazingly beautiful, I had no idea, you can see eyes and palps, thank you so much for posting and showing the different stages, in the third picture you can even see first Instar, molt and also maybe newly molted second Instar?
I have a much better idea now, when I receive a little sling, what it’s life has been so far.
I do love those little leggy eggs!

you can see the same progression here on the B albopolisum of mine. Uber cute ain't it?

 

[Tabitha]

I will indeed

Thanks Phil and yes, I did get a few more, 2 klaasi, 1 auratum, 2 cyriocosmos elegans and a smithi! All slings.