Jumping spiders are captivating creatures known for their intelligence, agility, and striking appearance. More and more, people are discovering the joys of keeping these miniature arachnids as pets. If you’re intrigued by the idea of welcoming a jumping spider into your home, you’ve come to the right place. This guide, crafted by a seasoned enthusiast, will provide you with all the essential information you need to ensure your jumping spider thrives in its new environment.
Why Jumping Spiders Make Great Pets
Jumping spiders stand out in the spider world thanks to their remarkable cognitive abilities and engaging personalities. Unlike many of their reclusive relatives, jumping spiders are known to be curious and interactive. Each spider boasts a unique temperament, making them fascinating companions to observe and care for. While some may be timid at first, others are bolder and more inquisitive, readily exploring their surroundings and even interacting with their keepers. Their generally docile nature also means bites are rare, typically only occurring if they feel directly threatened. In the rare event of a bite, it’s often described as a minor pinprick, with minimal to no venom injection, more of a warning than a serious attack.
Catching Your Jumping Spider Pet
One of the unique aspects of jumping spider ownership is that you can often find your pet right in your own vicinity. These spiders are widespread, frequently found both indoors and outdoors, especially in sunny spots. Inside homes, they are often seen near sun-drenched windows, while outdoors, they favor sunny locations like brick walls and fences. They are sun-lovers because warmth helps them energize and move quickly. You’ll notice they are less common on cloudy or rainy days when they are less active.
The safest and gentlest method to catch a jumping spider is by using a cup or a small container. Approach the spider calmly, holding the cup in front of it. Gently guide the spider into the cup using your other hand to coax it forward. Avoid grabbing or prodding the spider, as this can frighten it. Allowing the spider to walk into the container minimizes stress and the risk of a defensive bite. This gentle approach should be used whenever you need to handle or relocate your pet spider.
Setting Up the Perfect Habitat for Jumping Spiders
Creating the right home is crucial for the well-being of your jumping spider. While a small container can suffice, providing ample space allows your spider to exercise and exhibit its natural behaviors. A space of about one cubic foot or larger is ideal, especially if your spider will spend most of its time in its enclosure. Sufficient space for jumping and running is essential for their physical health; lack of exercise can lead to weakness and a shortened lifespan.
Ventilation is key to a healthy habitat. Ensure the enclosure has adequate airflow, but the openings should be small enough to prevent escape. While you can decorate the habitat with branches and leaves for a natural look, keep in mind that elaborate decorations can make it harder to locate your spider, especially when they create their silken resting sacs within foliage.
For simplicity and practicality, many keepers find that a slightly crumpled napkin or paper towel works wonderfully as a substrate. Jumping spiders readily build their resting sacs within the folds of paper towels, finding them just as comfortable as more complex setups.
Sunlight is important, but moderation is vital. Direct sunlight in a glass or plastic terrarium can rapidly overheat the enclosure, potentially harming or even killing your spider. Position the habitat where it receives indirect sunlight or partial sunlight for about 4-5 hours daily, ensuring there’s also a shaded area within the enclosure, like within the folds of a napkin, where the spider can retreat from direct light. Jumping spiders thrive in temperatures between 68-85 degrees Fahrenheit (20-29 degrees Celsius), which aligns with typical indoor room temperatures.
Feeding Your Pet Jumping Spider
A proper diet is essential for the health and longevity of your jumping spider. Generally, you should aim to feed your spider every 2-3 days, although they can survive for up to a week without food. When it comes to prey, variety and safety are key.
Avoid hard-shelled insects like beetles and pillbugs, as they are not preferred and can be difficult for spiders to consume. Ants are also unsuitable prey as they can bite and inject formic acid, which is harmful to spiders.
Ideal food choices include flies and small crickets, which are readily accepted and provide the necessary nutrients. Moths are another good option, and like flies, pose no risk of biting your spider. Some keepers have also reported success feeding webworms and silverfish. If you choose to feed crickets, select sizes no larger than 1.5 times the spider’s body length to prevent the cricket from potentially harming the spider.
Interestingly, jumping spiders can exhibit individual food preferences. Some may consume the legs of crickets first, while others prefer the head or abdomen. Some spiders may show a stronger preference for flies over crickets, or even kill flies without eating them, seemingly to eliminate the buzzing annoyance.
In warmer months, you can catch flies using a fine-mesh butterfly net. Alternatively, pet stores commonly sell small crickets year-round. Large crickets should be avoided as they can be intimidating and potentially harmful to jumping spiders.
To feed your spider, simply place the insect into the enclosure and observe the hunt. After the spider has finished eating, remove any leftover insect parts to maintain hygiene within the habitat.
Providing Water for Jumping Spiders
Jumping spiders require very small amounts of water, provided in a specific way to ensure their safety. Spiders breathe through book lungs located in their abdomen, not through their head. Excess water on their abdomen can interfere with respiration.
Therefore, avoid providing water in dishes or puddles, which can also pose a drowning risk. The best method to hydrate your spider is to lightly mist one side of the enclosure with a spray bottle every few days. Alternatively, you can drip a few water droplets onto the side of the enclosure. The goal is to provide small, accessible water droplets without creating standing water.
Cohabitation and Breeding of Jumping Spiders
Generally, jumping spiders are solitary creatures, and it’s recommended to house each spider individually. Housing multiple females or males together will likely lead to aggression and potentially fatal fights.
Introducing a male and female for mating requires careful consideration. Even when provided with ample food, females may sometimes attack and kill the male, even before mating occurs. If breeding is your goal, it’s best to introduce them only for a short period, a few days or less, and separate them after mating is observed or suspected.
Female jumping spiders can store sperm for up to a year. A wild-caught female may already be mated and could lay eggs even without subsequent mating. If you have a female and wish to breed her, monitor her for several months to see if she produces an egg sac. If she does lay eggs without a male, they will likely be infertile.
Understanding Your Adult Jumping Spider’s Life and Aging
As your jumping spider matures, you may notice fascinating changes. If it had orange markings as a juvenile, these might turn white with subsequent molts (shedding of their exoskeleton). Male jumping spiders often develop longer and hairier front legs as they age. Jumping spiders typically molt 5-6 times from infancy to adulthood.
As jumping spiders age, the tiny hairs on their feet, crucial for gripping surfaces, wear down. This can lead to decreased climbing ability and reluctance to jump. This is a natural sign of aging. To accommodate an aging spider, provide soft, easily accessible surfaces like napkins lining the enclosure and even some of the sides. This offers better footing and cushioning in case of falls. Switch to feeding them softer-bodied prey like flies or pre-killed crickets, as they may become less able to handle live, biting insects. Even with the best care, jumping spiders have a relatively short lifespan of about one to two years.
Caring for Jumping Spider Egg Sacs
If you’re fortunate, your female jumping spider might create an egg sac. This silken structure, resembling a thick resting sac, will house her eggs.
To care for an egg sac, maintain a slightly humid environment by lightly misting the outside of the sac with water about once a week, being careful not to spray directly into any openings. Monitor for emerging spiderlings, which typically occurs 2-4 weeks after the eggs are laid. Baby spiders molt once inside the sac before emerging. Allow the spiderlings to leave the sac naturally, which can take up to a month. Avoid handling the delicate spiderlings; instead, gently blow them into a container if you need to move them. It’s generally safe to leave the mother spider with the egg sac. Continue to offer her food and water during this period.
Dealing with Unfertilized Egg Sacs
It’s important to note that a female jumping spider may lay unfertilized eggs even without mating, particularly if kept for a long time without a male. These sacs and eggs may appear normal initially but will eventually dry up, and sometimes the female will consume them. If you observe a large resting sac being built, it might indicate egg-laying, but fertilization is not guaranteed without a male.
Raising Baby Jumping Spiders
Raising a large number of baby jumping spiders is challenging due to their cannibalistic nature. Releasing them in a safe outdoor location during mild weather (early morning or evening, in a shaded area with shelter) is often the most practical approach. Avoid releasing them in direct sunlight as young spiderlings are highly susceptible to dehydration.
If you choose to raise some spiderlings, they require very small food. Flightless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) available from pet stores or online suppliers are ideal. These tiny flies are easy for spiderlings to handle and provide essential nutrition. Initially, you can house a small group of spiderlings together, provided you supply ample fruit flies to minimize cannibalism. Separate them into individual containers as they grow and begin to mature. Avoid feeding baby spiders ants or hard-bodied insects.
Jumping spiders, with their engaging personalities and relatively simple care needs, can make wonderful and fascinating pets for those willing to learn about their unique requirements. With proper care and attention, you can enjoy the captivating world of these miniature hunters right in your own home.
