Thanx for the possitive Karma, whatever that is...

I pulled sac 3 today, had a distinct feeling that the female is neglecting it somewhat. Suspended it in it's original state to continue full term before I open it.

Sac 4 is absolutely humongous in M balfouri terms. It is still in perfect condition and still with the female. I honestly hope sac 4 has something viable...

It will be cool if a few guesses are ventured... no prizes for the closest guess...

Hello,
I just hatched the second egg sack from my two girls.

the first one yield only about 20 babies the second one yield 32-33 babies.

I am having trouble keeping the slings, they are dying off.
Can I get some advice on the proper care for the slings???

thanks

francisco
fjtorresvw@hotmail.com

wow what a pleasure it must be to successfully breed such rare T's

"Bitter sweet" would be a better description after this season I think. It is not that difficult to get them to mate, and eventually drop an egg sac, but I am still stumped as to why the slings do not survive. I threw away unfertilized eggs, under developed eggs and eggs with legs, not to mention the first and second instar spiderlings that died, in total 274 down the proverbial drain. From the eight egg sacs I had this past breeding cycle, I have two slings left.

At the moment, one female is still sitting on the 9th egg case of the season. Rather late than never I would say. According to studies done by David St'astney in the UK, it's best to leave the egg case with the female full term. He had losses of up to 95% when removing the egg case at 21 days or so, where he had a much higher survival rate when leaving them with the mother. He leaves them for about six months, at which time they still feed together happily. It has always been considered that M balfouri would be communal, it has not been tried in the hobby due to the price of slings. I will leave this egg case with the mother and see what happens. It is now day 25. If 6 survive, it would be a huge improvement.

So in conclusion, the season has been a good learning experience, but that is all. These are the most magnificent Tarantulas to keep and truly a privilege to work with.