More Ethel Webster!

[Miss Lily]

Yesterday, Ethel Webs finally came out if her web hammock after 11 days. I hadn't seen her at all in that time. I was told yesterday that she is wild caught, so I may end up with a fertile egg sac and a LOT of baby spiders at some point! Even though I rarely see her, I find her so fascinating, and am kind of attached to her now! As much as the thought of babies fills me with fear, I also think it would be really cool to raise some baby 'Websters'!! Here's a few more pics taken yesterday. She's so cute with her fuzzy butt, lol!

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

You are so brave and she is kinda cute

 

[Miss Lily]

Here's a little video of her! She really is a cutie!

 

[Twitchet]

She is just so adorable, like some strange little fluffy toy, o.k so if she has babies put me down for a couple of hundred won't you
Hoping you saw the one on Facebook with the man hand feeding the spider a roach, couldn't believe it, so sweet!
Hoping Ethel is feeling o.k. now.
How would of thought it eh? We are calling a spider 'cute and sweet', how times change !

 

[Miss Lily]

Yep, I saw that video! I don't see me being that brave! Well, today I had a peek in her tube and it looked like two 'lumps' in there - one was her and the other I have no idea. I first thought it was a stray woodlouse from the bottom of her cage, but on shining a torch in there it looks like its thick webbing. I really hope it isn't an egg sac, but if it is, I'll just have to deal with that!! Yep, using the words 'spider' and 'cute' in the same sentence is something i thought I would never do!

 

[JacksJill]

Her face has a certain Ewok quality. Very cute.

 

[absolutbill]

Would the babies be small enough to escape that enclosure? Like in the middle of the night when you were sleeping, and infested your house? Just want to give you nightmares like I've had for the past couple of weeks following Ethel

 

[Miss Lily]

Would the babies be small enough to escape that enclosure? Like in the middle of the night when you were sleeping, and infested your house? Just want to give you nightmares like I've had for the past couple of weeks following Ethel

Thanks for that thought! Yes, they will be about fruit fly size I think. First they hatch as 'eggs with legs' and start emerging after the first moult. I hope I would notice before many, if any escaped.

 

[Twitchet]

I was looking at youtube with a man that keeps Phidippus and he purposely lets some go in his house ( he was in U.S so were possibly ones he had collected) and he said they are not a trouble and rid your house of bugs AND the nasty long legged spiders!
So wouldnt be all bad- Think about it Tiff-
Release jumping spiders to eat the bugs and nasties-
Then release the geckos to finish off the jumping spiders ,
I don't know what next though

 

[Miss Lily]

I suppose they would be useful unintended pests, lol! I would feed them to the geckos though and not sure Pixie could eat them either. She's getting braver now - seen her out 2 days running. I just think she's so bloody cute, even her bulbous rear doesn't bother me. I really want another one!

 

[Miss Lily]

She's been out for a sunbathe on top of her tube, then she went underneath it and pooped, lol! She's so cute!

 

[Miss Lily]

Yesterday she came out to see what I was doing when I misted her cage. At one point I thought she was going to climb on the top of her cage... Cue another sweaty moment, lol! I am pretty sure she's laid some eggs in her 'hammock'.

She has also somehow lost one of her pedipalps which I'm quite sad about. They have two of these fluffy structures covering their fangs. Shes lost some of her floofiness.

 

[Twitchet]

How long will it be before eggs hatch- any idea?
I'm sorry she's lost a pedipalp, what's she been up to? Could she of caught it on the sticky tape? it's very odd to lose it all of a sudden,poor girl- She's still adorable and She's still pretty floofy!

 

[Miss Lily]

I don't know how she did it. I can only think it was when she dropped out of the lid. It was there on 3rd but gone by the 5th before I even put her tube in. The shop first posted about her on 2nd December and she's not laid until now. I don't know if they are able to retain spermicide and if they can, for how long. My hope is that they are infertile and she will throw them out or eat them.

 

[Miss Lily]

Yes, I have been told from photos I managed to get that its an egg sac. Oh the joy!! Looks like I got a lot more than one spider for my money! Someone on facebook said I could remove the sac and she'll be fine. It takes around 4 weeks or so to hatch and we are a week in. Then I guess it'll be a couple more weeks before they emerge. I really don't know whta to do! Part of me wants to go ahead and let them hatch but part of me doesn't!

 

[JacksJill]

Release jumping spiders to eat the bugs and nasties-
Then release the geckos to finish off the jumping spiders ,
I don't know what next though

I know what's next.
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a bird,
How absurd! to swallow a bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a cat,
Imagine that! to swallow a cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a dog,
What a hog! to swallow a dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a goat,
Just opened her throat! to swallow a goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow!
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,
I don't know why she swallowed the fly,
Perhaps she'll die.

There was an old woman who swallowed a horse,
She's dead—of course!

 

[Miss Lily]

 Omg! That's hilarious!

 

[Twitchet]

Tiff was from the Isle of Wight
But Spiders they gave her a fright
But bought one she did
That spider she hid
Till the next day and oh what a sight!

Ethel was that spiders name
But with an egg sac she came
'Oh What to do!
with a thousand or two
of spiders' Tiff did proclaim.


Any more verses?

 

[Miss Lily]

Omg!  That's hilarious!

 

[absolutbill]

When she got Ethel we though her crazy
And that her priorities were a bit hazy.
But buy Ethel she did
Though I would have hid,
And stuck with just buying a daisy.