All I want for Christmas is another egg sac, and they aren’t obliging.
- Vera ate another husband. Again. She’s the voracious jaws of death, and all I can hope for is that the poor doomed fellow inseminated her before getting sucked dry. Vera is hugely bloated right now, having consumed a large male and a smorgasbord of flies.
- The other pairs of spiders are much more placid and are coexisting well, but no eggs yet. I did notice that one of them had molted, so maybe they’re too young? Have I set up a Blue Lagoon scenario here?
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All of the spiders (except those sacrificed to the bloodthirsty Vera) are looking healthy and active, and are quite swift in demolishing flies presented to them.
So I’m just waiting. Waiting waiting waiting. Don’t they realize I’ve got plans for their progeny?
See it from Vera’s point of view. Seems like an environment of limited prey. A male becomes a rival.
Give her the illusion that food is plentiful, and she’ll have a biological imperative to procreate, instead of hoarding calories. Surround her environment with HD video of thousands of insects crawling all around.
Have I set up a Blue Lagoon scenario here?
More like “Black Widow ” Does Vera look like Theresa Russell ?
I think “male” would have been more apt than “husband”. The term has less baggage and it’s an anagram of “meal”.
What I did this time was flood the vial with over a dozen flies, plus a male.
Her solution was to kill and eat them all.
That was in case the male wanted any of the flies for himself.
Just a basic suggestion which you probably had considered but i will suggest it anyway: They should be under a photoperiod that would convince them it is summer.
Also, if the containers are small, then perhaps the males can’t court at a safer distance by plucking on strands of web, or whatever they do, gradually coaxing the female into accepting their approach. Close quarters might cause cannibalism.
What marcoli wrote. You’re their weakly-godlike alien. The light cycle is a lever to pull.
(I imagine you’ve mulled this, being a Mad Scientist and all)
PS it will be interesting to see whether Vera ‘s lineage is notably androphagic.
They are currently on a 14/10 light/dark cycle. I have timers, I have lights, I had them all set up for the fish, too.
The vials are relatively roomy, and the spiders are small. Most of them are living comfortably in pairs, I think it’s more of an age-related thing — Vera is huge compared to her mates, and when she decides to chow down on every moving thing in range, males are just more fodder.
Vera sounds like quite the impressive killer; like a teeny-tiny Shelob. I hope she can find a male worthy of her deadly genes!
Spider birth celebration
https://www.gocomics.com/wizardofid/2018/12/05?ct=v&cti=739840
One possessing the trait of gigantism?
There’ll be a Shelob ruling Minnesota before you know it.
Reading about Vera reminds me of the Borg. “Resistance is futile, you WILL be assimilated.”