I could really use some advice on what to do here.
I found a jumping spider in the corner of my room, and she’s guarding what looks like an egg sac. My girlfriend suggested I just put her outside, but I felt bad and wanted to protect her and the eggs. So I carefully moved her into a deli cup setup with some ventilation holes, a stick, and a small plant. I’ve also been lightly misting it to keep some moisture in there.
Right now she’s just staying with the eggs, which I’ve read is normal. I’ve been thinking about getting flightless fruit flies, but I also heard that moms sometimes don’t eat while guarding eggs, so I’m not sure if that’s necessary.
My main dilemma is what to do long term. I’d like to keep the mom if possible, but I don’t think I can realistically take care of a bunch of spider babies. Ideally, I’d release the babies once they hatch but I’m not sure how that works since the mom might leave with them.
So I guess my questions are:
Should I just release the mom now instead of keeping her in a container?
If I keep her until the eggs hatch, is it okay to release the babies separately?
Is it better overall to just release both the mom and eggs together and let nature handle it?
If I do keep her, what’s the best way to care for her while she’s guarding eggs?
I want to do what’s best for her, not just what I want, so I’d appreciate any guidance.