false widows

[Ninjaaa23]

what size would an adult false widow be
also are they easy to care for

[Kare]

Originally Posted by Ninjaaa23

what size would an adult false widow be
also are they easy to care for

Sorry I dont care for them, they are wild in our walls, but Steatoda nobilis are approx 1-1.5cm. Dont think there are any that are remarkably bigger. The coolest looking one is the S.Grossa but think that is closer to 1cm full grown than 1.5

[Ninjaaa23]

i dont have any in my house which is a shame but im getn a T from virginia cheeseman anyways so its only an extra £3
im after Steatoda grossa

[Danhalen]

If you want a false widow, then keep an eye out for Steatoda paykulliana (rcf). Closest you can get to owning a mactans without a DWA. A bit more potent than most false widows but pretty straight forward to keep.

[strictly_scales]

False widows are very simple to keep- mine lives in a cricket tub in my Reptile Room- the bite hurts like hell- it's probably the most painful bite I have recieved from anything so far.

Trouble I had is that I originally caught an adult female, who had mated prior to capture. I began by removing the egg sacs and incinerating them, but she kept on producing them. When I finally dismantled my Reptile Room (to make a new one) I found probably about 60 adult False Widows and a number of nests, so I had to bug-bomb the room.

They are, however, pretty cool spiders.

[andy2086]

Not sure which subspecies my 3 are but they're really easy to look after and are doing really well in this country.
My 3 females are about 1.5cm legspan & it's cool to watch them wrap their food up in silk!



They usually hang under a branch or plant but here's a rare momonet on top

[_TiMiSdRuNk_]

I've been keeping them for a very long time, and when i got my first one i was advised to not give them any water at all, keep them bone dry, and i've not had one die on me since...

[Ninjaaa23]

Originally Posted by _TiMiSdRuNk_

I've been keeping them for a very long time, and when i got my first one i was advised to not give them any water at all, keep them bone dry, and i've not had one die on me since...

so i take it they just get moisture from prey then
amd i pressume room temp would be adequate

[GRB]

Originally Posted by Danhalen

If you want a false widow, then keep an eye out for Steatoda paykulliana (rcf). Closest you can get to owning a mactans without a DWA. A bit more potent than most false widows but pretty straight forward to keep.

rcf form puykulliana? Never heard of that one before - surely just a hobbyist label as it doesn't appear in any of the reference works I can think of.

I'm just amazed people pay for Steatoda; imagine how much they'd pay for the real sexy UK species!

[bobby]

Whats this?