Hi, I wondered if anyone knows the expected lifespan of the Phidippus comatus?
For the Phidippus regius I have read estimations all the way from 10 months to 3 years, but I can find hardly any info on the comatus online.
My wonderful Cadenza passed away today :'(
I got her on the 23rd March this year, so have had her about 6 months. The shop was unclear about what L/size she was when she arrived; she was a baby but bigger than her sibling Albus. She laid her first phantom eggsack on the 9th of June, and proceeded to lay 2 more, which I assume meant she had become a mature female. On the 13th August I noticed she no longer sat right up at the top of the enclosure as jumpers usually do, and was struggling to climb. So I moved her to a smaller, more crowded enclosure (with more fake plants near the bottom) to prevent her falling far. She has made a few web hammocks near the ground, but as recently as last week I did see her all the way at the top of the enclosure every now and again, sat on the podium there, so I hoped her climbing issue wasn't as bad as I first feared. Her eating slowed down but she ate last week and seemed to take a mealworm once every few weeks.
Today I found her hung near the bottom of the enclosure, but in a really weird position, as though her neck was bent. I thought she would move eventually, but hours later I realised she hadn't, and when I have opened the enclosure she is limp and pretty clearly dead, although strangely not in a death curl. Her head looks like it's almost severed, but her abdomen isn't deflated.
I will post pictures if anyone thinks it could help determine the cause of death.
With all her phantom egg sacks, seeming to slow down with her climbing and the fact the comatus species is smaller fully grown, than the regius, I am wondering whether she was just an old lady really quick and comatus don't live as long? However 6 -7 months (I assume she was at least a few weeks old when she arrived) still seems like a really short time and I am worried I did something wrong
Her enclosure was lightly misted daily, and she was under a plant grow light for around 12 hours per day.
For the Phidippus regius I have read estimations all the way from 10 months to 3 years, but I can find hardly any info on the comatus online.
My wonderful Cadenza passed away today :'(
I got her on the 23rd March this year, so have had her about 6 months. The shop was unclear about what L/size she was when she arrived; she was a baby but bigger than her sibling Albus. She laid her first phantom eggsack on the 9th of June, and proceeded to lay 2 more, which I assume meant she had become a mature female. On the 13th August I noticed she no longer sat right up at the top of the enclosure as jumpers usually do, and was struggling to climb. So I moved her to a smaller, more crowded enclosure (with more fake plants near the bottom) to prevent her falling far. She has made a few web hammocks near the ground, but as recently as last week I did see her all the way at the top of the enclosure every now and again, sat on the podium there, so I hoped her climbing issue wasn't as bad as I first feared. Her eating slowed down but she ate last week and seemed to take a mealworm once every few weeks.
Today I found her hung near the bottom of the enclosure, but in a really weird position, as though her neck was bent. I thought she would move eventually, but hours later I realised she hadn't, and when I have opened the enclosure she is limp and pretty clearly dead, although strangely not in a death curl. Her head looks like it's almost severed, but her abdomen isn't deflated.
I will post pictures if anyone thinks it could help determine the cause of death.
With all her phantom egg sacks, seeming to slow down with her climbing and the fact the comatus species is smaller fully grown, than the regius, I am wondering whether she was just an old lady really quick and comatus don't live as long? However 6 -7 months (I assume she was at least a few weeks old when she arrived) still seems like a really short time and I am worried I did something wrong
Her enclosure was lightly misted daily, and she was under a plant grow light for around 12 hours per day.