My pet black widow

I have so much fun feeding her but, as you can see, she's a bit of a slob with all the debris left on her body. In her defense, eating moths can be rather messy so it's not all her fault.

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Get a picture of it biting you.

uhm.... how shall I put this.... mmmm... oh yes...

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH​HHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!​!!

*ahem*

sorry 'bout that, I'm better now.

Nice photograph. You have a pet one of these, why?

Actually, very nice pic, I like how some of the legs go off-frame. Provides a nice composition, methinks. How big is it? Size of a penny? Dime? Kernel of corn?

Thanks for the kind words. As it sits in that photo, she would measure around 40mm from end to end. I think she's got a bit more growth left in her, or at least I hope so.

As for how I wound up having a black widow as a pet, well, I found her in my friend's backyard and we thought it would be fun to watch it eat other insects. So I put her in a jar and started feeding her. She was about half her current size at the time.

Rumjungle wrote:
I have so much fun feeding her but, as you can see, she's a bit of a slob with all the debris left on her body. In her defense, eating moths can be rather messy so it's not all her fault.

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You're kidding, right?

What? You mean because it's poisonous? If that's the case, don't worry. It's not like I let her hang out on my shoulder or anything. Widows are actually kind of shy and won't bite unless you tried to squish it or something. If left to themselves, they just want to hang out, eat, and possibly reproduce.

However, this one may be a lesbian as she doesn't seem to pay any attention to the male widow that I threw in with her.

uhm... how do you know it's a girl? (I don't have any idea, myself)

I knew a guy who had lots of pet spiders. He had upwards to 20-40 spiders. He had a "bird-eating" tarauntula, too! It molted and he brought the 'skin' into the office. It was the size of an average dinner plate!!! he LOVED spiders... the kicker to me was that he has a phobia of storms!!! (I love storms!)

For this kind of spider, only the females get to be this size (males are much smaller). Also, the little red markings are also a female trait.

Holy...! Now THAT's a big spider. Bird eating tarantula, eh? That's just nuts...although I'd love to see it in action.

However, this one may be a lesbian as she doesn't seem to pay any attention to the male widow that I threw in with her.[/QUOTE]

All Black Widows hate men. They kill there mate after conception. I bet most woman would just love to that to there men

I have a bunch in my yard if you want them. Got both kinds. Dead and soon to be dead. Have 2 1/2 acres if you want to swing by with some jars! The only ones I kill are right next to the house where the kids play. Got enough stuff in the rest of the yard to worry about. Serious... your photo is really awesome. Nice colors, focus and DOF.

Thanks, Rick, for the compliments and the offer. I haven't been bitten yet so I better not push my luck with any more widows.

I hope she isn't pregnant. I was sitting at the computer in my room years back and started finding little spiders all over the place. I started killing them with a tissue and was shocked as I found them EVERYWHERE. After my killing spree, I did some exploration and found a female Black Widow behind my computer tower. Black Widows creep me out now.

I know what you mean - that's why I'm keeping it outside. However, there're no egg sacs yet and she doesn't seem to like boys all too much so I guess I'm safe for now.

Nice photo subject you should get some of her eating.

They mate and often time kill their mate then store sperm for years. I had a Widow for 3 years and she laid 4 sets at different times. THOUSANDS of tiny spiders. That would be a good picture.

As long as you don't keep it in your bedroom . On a side note, I tried lighting one fire living between a juniper bush and my grandmothers garage with an aerosol can and a lighter. I ended up lighting the bush on fire, scaring the pants off me. Thankfully, the hose was near by. No luck with these guys.

I didn't comment earlier, I do like the photo of your pet. What lens for the shot?