Matron the Parson spider

She also says that she's done sitting on her eggs (5th clutch) because her babies have finally emerged.

Matron says hi

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They're in temporary containers for now. The juvenile Parson spider will need another meal in the morning and a bit more water since its bum is still rather small, but it's getting there! The crickets it will eat are very small (1/8"), so there's no risk of overfeeding with another.

Rescued 2 spiders today -

First 2 pictures: mature female Wolf spider (maybe Gladicosa sp. or Alopecosa sp. ?)

Last 2 pictures: juvenile Parson spider, who was in bad shape but had a meal and some water and is looking much better!

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I don't like to acquire spiders from the wild - live and let live & let nature take its course. These spiders were acquired from the hallway next to my door, which is unfortunately a death zone for many larger species spiders that find themselves there. They get vacuumed up by maintenance regularly.

Spring is here which means invasion of the spiders!

I've been blessed with 2 new Wolf spider girls, with tentative IDs of Trochosa sp. and Pardosa sp.

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She deserved a good chance at life and I did my best to provide that, rather than an unfortunate end via maintenance's vacuum. She got to safely let me know how much she wanted to end me, and in return she got food and water and love. I will miss her greatly 💔

(She's alive in this picture - can't bring myself to photograph her tiny curled body)

No matter the type or size of creature, the love one can old for them is limitless. I mourn her like one would mourn a cat or dog. She meant a lot to me, and I loved her with my whole heart. I will bury her soon.

Sunflower passed away. I gave her 5 more months of life than she would have had. I loved her very much. Sweet, rage-filled Sunflower, I will miss her and her desire to end my life because I had the audacity to exist in her general vicinity. 💔🕷️

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I heard about how feisty OBTs are! Sunflower is doing her best impression of them

After Sunflower's first cricket, she would not let me put water in and was very aggressive. When I saw Matron was uninterested in her cricket (Matron still looks healthy - her bum was a fine size), I gave Sunflower the cricket, and then Sunflower let me put water in.

Matron: "oh hi : ) no i'm not hungry today, i'm going back to sleep, thank you for the water"

Sunflower: "I will END YOU, GIVE ME THE CRICKETS"

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Matron is still mostly hiding, so no new pictures of her. But Sunflower is as feisty as ever. Usually spiders run away from problems, but Sunflower goes towards them to try to make them worse (she sees my hand sometimes and wants to attack).

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I had the audacity to give Sunflower water last night. She raced around her enclosure trying to attack, and then sat like this facing me before going to drink. Meanwhile Matron casually crawled out of her hiding spot and meandered around.

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I'm planning on moving Sunflower to a different enclosure so she has more leg room, as I want her to be cozy and occupied with things other than pondering eviscerating me.

Sunflower is doing well. The dip in her bum concerns me a bit, so she will get more water and a meal soon. Matron is also doing well, but she's still hiding in a spot in which it's difficult to photograph her.

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Sorry that I have not posted pictures of the girls in over a week - I had to move them to a warmer place in the home, and it is harder to photograph there. Matron & Sunflower are doing well! Will get more pictures soon!

Matron and Sunflower just hanging out.
Matron moved her egg sac, as she was offended by her previous meal. Very protective of her clutch.

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Yeah they're apparently highly nutritious, and I read that they're generally not good to use as a sole food source because of how fattening they are. That, plus the protein of crickets and whatever is in fruitwalks, seem to be a perfect recipe for egg making.

Sunflower enjoying a cricket snack after having laid a 2nd egg sac today. The first one hasn't even hatched yet! And she laid it right next to the other. She was full of waxworm, and then waxworm turned into eggs.

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Matron is still egg sitting like a good mum, and Sunflower has her legs hooked around her egg sac webbing.

Matron got a cricket snack, and Sunflower (who is full of yummy waxworm) had some water twice (she was very thirsty).

I love my girls.

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I adore her speckled bum. Her markings on her backside are lovely

Took these lovely shots of Sunflower last night.

She is such an aggressive spider. Some of her behaviours reminds me of some aggressive tarantula species. I love her.

Her eggs are coming along nicely! She stands guard constantly.

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3 of Matron's children. Parson spider babies are very cute and energetic. Waiting until they are a bit more grown before separating all of them.

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I fed her many small cricket snacks over the last week - not enough to overfeed, but enough to assure she was nourished.

I'll let her egg sit for a couple of days before I introduce food again, since last time she spent a couple of days adding more web to the egg sac, & I don't want to stress her.

Matron made another egg sac yesterday.

She was moving a bit slow in general & was hiding all day yesterday. I was worried she might be getting up in age.

I checked on her, making sure she was still doing well, and...

" Hi, I made egg :) "

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I have no idea what this behaviour means. She does not try to re-pursue prey after doing this (unless the prey moves into her web again). This specific instance, she did it after becoming aggressive towards the feeding tweezers. Seems to be related to aggression in some fashion.

Sunflower (adult female American Grass spider) has done this several times now. Tends to occur after failing to find an escaped food, when going back to her spot & 'gives up' in her search, & vibrates her abdomen a few times before settling.

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She did have her front legs up but I wasn't able to get a picture of that before she moved. She kept her teeth bared, however.
It'll be a few days before I feed her again, since she looks full now. Happy to have provided her (and Matron) much cricket protein.

This is what it looks like when Sunflower (American Grass spider) wants to end my life. I love her.

[she was mad at the feeding tweezers & attacked them. I feel bad for accidentally stressing her out, but I hope her small cricket snack helped]

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