Two days after the first moult, and two weeks since hatching, the spiderlings that have so far moulted are now catching and eating their prey (small fruit flies). They seem to be waiting for the flies to come within reach and then just grabbing them, or they catch them if they have got caught in the fine silk 'communal' threads that the spiderlings hang around on. The prey is wrapped before eating, and the remains dropped to the floor when they are finished.

Today I noticed the first moult had occurred since emerging from the egg sac twelve days previously. The body shape post moult has changed into a miniature version of the adult. The abdomen is now longer and thinner and the legs also appear to be longer.

No food has been taken, but I have occasionally misted their jar with rain water.

Spiderlings! Exactly 3 months to the day after laying, the first of the two egg sacs hatched. About 20 spiderlings emerged from a small hole in the egg. Unfortunately I missed the actual hatching, but it happened sometime in the evening of the 17th August.

The spiderlings dispersed slightly within the jar and created a series of fine silk threads which they hung around on. I didn't want to disturb them by trying to measure them, but these little guys are tiny, about 2-3mm in body length. I popped some small fruit flies in with them, but they showed no signs of hunting or feeding.