Sunday, January 12, 2020

Second Batch of Bantua Babies!!!

So this post should have come out a couple days ago, but alas, complications arose, ensued, were overcome, so let me just start by saying, we've got more Bantua sp. "Namibia" babies!!! 😁

One of my females just gave birth, like I have been expecting them to, since it's been a little over three months since I gave them a significant boost in airflow, which I assumed would make them all start gestating normal broods. Just a couple days ago, the night of the 10th to be exact, I opened up their enclosure and right at the top was a little first instar Bantua nymph! 😄 I rushed to check the rest of the enclosure, and found several more nymphs, but once again, the litter appears to have been a small one, the total I've been able to find so far is five... 😕

However, I've been asking around, and according to data compiled from four other breeder's, apparently anywhere from 5-15 nymphs is considered the norm with this species, with the females' first litters usually containing only half a dozen offspring, (their second litters are usually larger, with 10-15 nymphs being the norm). So then, the amount of offspring I've received from my past litter, (6) and this one, (at least 5), may actually be normal, (for my females' first litters at least).

This begs the question though, did I even NEED to add more ventilation in the first place? I originally thought the small litter size from my first brood was due to lack of adequate ventilation, which is why I added more... However, this recent birth happened almost exactly when I thought it would, based on my assumption that the females would have started gestating properly immediately after the airflow was increased, which seems to insinuate that increased airflow was necessary for proper gestation.
So either; A) The first birth was an abnormality from my first mature female and increased airflow was needed to get the other females to gestate properly.
Or B): The airflow didn't need to change at all, and for some reason my other females are taking around six months to finish gestating instead of three like my first female, and the timing just happens to correlate with my prediction of them giving birth around this time...

I don't know which one is correct, if all my other females that look gravid start popping within the next week or so, I'd assume the first scenario is the right one. If not, then there's probably something wrong with my husbandry, OR my first batch of individuals was screwed up somehow by being shipped, (in which case their newly mature and just birthed offspring should reproduce in a more normal fashion). Time will tell I suppose... 🤔

However, I have some sad news regarding this latest brood of nymphs... While checking up on them initially and counting them all, it appears I accidentally SMASHED and killed one of the first instars between two pieces of decor... 😭 I very rarely accidentally smash my pet inverts, so it's always a quite disheartening event, and to have done it to one of my much anticipated Bantua babies is a real slap in the face... 😢 On the bright side, there are at least four more perfectly healthy offspring from the same litter still alive in the enclosure, and hopefully many more are on the way!

Here are some pics of one of the cuties:






So dang cute, and I admit I hadn't really noticed the orange spots and borders on the sides of first instars until now! 😊 I hope these new babies are the first of many coming this month, and that they have as high as a survival rate as my first batch of babies did! (100% survival rate so far!). 😁

Anyways, that's gonna do it for this post, I hope you guys enjoyed, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time! 😉

3 comments:

  1. There's good ol' Invertebrate Dude for ya, pioneering the way with Bantua sp. in the US!

    Definitely an interesting journey so far, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out. Hopefully this species gets established in the US front of the hobby soon.

    Thanks,

    Arthroverts

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha well I'm trying at least! 😁

      Thanks, fingers crossed many more babies are on the way, it's all been a bit trial and error to far, (as always it seems), but things definitely seem to be moving in a positive direction! 😄 Here's to Bantua becoming firmly established in the US, along with other African Perisphaerinae in the future! 🥂🤞

      Delete
    2. These guys are practice for Cyrtotria, Compsagis, and, most importantly, Pilema! 😁

      Delete