Tarantula Eggs Just layed, help please

Allright, i've got a freind who purchased a tarantula from a biological supply company. He's had her for about 3 months now adn she just layed eggs today. Could she have stored male gametes and fertilized the eggs just a few days ago? Do they need to be fertilized by a male now or does internal fertilization occur? Is there a chance that the eggs are fertile and will develop? If they do develope how should we prepare for spiderlings?

I have no clue on the breeding habits of tarantulas so any and all help will be gladly accepted.

Thanks

forgot to add species- i'm pretty sure she's a rose hair

thanks again

That sounds neat. Sorry but I don't know squat about tarantula reproduction. Try this site: The Venom List It's a site about arachnids mainly and I bet someone there will know the answers you seek.

Originally Posted by tandy4000

Allright, i've got a freind who purchased a tarantula from a biological supply company. He's had her for about 3 months now adn she just layed eggs today. Could she have stored male gametes and fertilized the eggs just a few days ago? Do they need to be fertilized by a male now or does internal fertilization occur? Is there a chance that the eggs are fertile and will develop? If they do develope how should we prepare for spiderlings?

I have no clue on the breeding habits of tarantulas so any and all help will be gladly accepted.

Thanks

Here's the short version.
If she was recently collected, its very possible the eggs are viable. Male tarantulas inseminate the female via a small opening located between her book lungs on her underside. She stores this sperm in her spermathica.
When she droppes the eggs into the webbing that makes the sac she combines the sperm with the eggs. I've had viable eggs from a female that had been bred 13 months before.

The eggs could be infertile. Generally, a female will care for an eggsac for about three/four weeks before discarding it if it not good. If it is a good sac, the female will continue to care for it. Babies are usually ready to emerge in 60-70 days.

Most keepers of tarantulas will pull the eggsac after 30 days and set it up in a delicup.

There is a large community of tarantula and scorpion keepers at http://www.arachnopets.com/ Do a search for eggsacs, read through the archives, join, then post your situation. Lots of good folks there to help. Good luck. You have some time. John

Usually as a rule of thumb if the sac is flat and becomes round after 5-15 days it is a viable sac.
A lot of imports are gravid on capture and some of these imports will take some time to lay a sac ,up to a year.
Just be patient and be ready to feed 200-500 slings . rosies are slow growers and tolerable of less than favorable conditions.
I have some slings that are a year old and are dime size in leg span
take care and good luck

I checked on the eggs again today and they're gone. I guess she ate them and they werent viable. Could she have moved teh sac or buried it?

thanks a lot for the help guys

No ...more than likely she ate them, this means they were not fertile.
She did not want to waste all the good nourishment the bad eggs would provide.
Did her abdomen get larger?? if so she ate them if not she discarded them which is not likely