What on earth can I feed my cellar spider?

GiantVinegaroon

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
1,389
I found one in my kitchen and now have it in a jar. I tried offering a bug about the size of my thumbnail, but apparently their silk is incredibly weak and it kept breaking free. Would moths work? Or should I resort to tiny nats and crane flies. Also, are they sexually dimorphic?

Pic from google:
 

pitbulllady

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
2,290
Pholcus phalangiodies will eat just about anything, but most of the ones around my house seem to prefer other spiders, as do their relatives, the "Spitting Spiders"(Scytodes sp.). I've seen them capture and eat spiders much larger than themselves, but I've fed captive specimens small Parasteatodas and small leaf hoppers and moths. They are really fast when it comes to overtaking something in their web and getting it wrapped up, and their venom seems to be especially potent against other inverts. I really have not noticed much sexual diamorphism in these; males and females look basically alike, except that males are generally smaller and more slender. The one in the photo is a male, as evidenced by his enlarged pedipalps.

pitbulllady
 

crpy

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
2,567
yep ,they like spiders, like Pitbullady said common house spiders are easy good food
 

Singbluemymind

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 18, 2008
Messages
456
i had one that i caught at work for awhile and all it would eat was other little spiders so i let it go in my basement:D
 

GiantVinegaroon

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
1,389
Pholcus phalangiodies will eat just about anything, but most of the ones around my house seem to prefer other spiders, as do their relatives, the "Spitting Spiders"(Scytodes sp.). I've seen them capture and eat spiders much larger than themselves, but I've fed captive specimens small Parasteatodas and small leaf hoppers and moths. They are really fast when it comes to overtaking something in their web and getting it wrapped up, and their venom seems to be especially potent against other inverts. I really have not noticed much sexual diamorphism in these; males and females look basically alike, except that males are generally smaller and more slender. The one in the photo is a male, as evidenced by his enlarged pedipalps.

pitbulllady
HOW CAN YOU SEE THE PEDIPALPS!?!?!?! OH MY GOSH THE HEAD IS SO SMALL
 

halfwaynowhere

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
601
i have one i keep in a tiny critter keeper. I just give her a cricket or two every now and then. Sometimes i'll toss in a moth if i can catch one. but she does fine on crickets. their wrapping gets better with experience. Spidey originally wrapped her food kind of loosely, not very skilled. Now she works with such precision and skill, its amazing.
 

Tegenaria

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Messages
749
I know many hate these but i think theyre cool. Yet to meet one in the flesh.
 

buthus

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Messages
1,381
A cool way to keep these is to put a big about to burst gravid female into a large enclosure and let the family grow. As long as they are given enough food they will live communally.
 

GartenSpinnen

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2005
Messages
1,407
I have so many in my basement its rediculous! I probably got a 1000 down there! Will sell them for .50 a piece {D
 

GiantVinegaroon

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
1,389
well it ate a small spider i found in my bathroom. looked like Steatoda in body shape but idk......the final ID i made was "Cellarspider dinneri" {D
 

GiantVinegaroon

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
Messages
1,389
A cool way to keep these is to put a big about to burst gravid female into a large enclosure and let the family grow. As long as they are given enough food they will live communally.
do they establish a hierarchy or do they just all live together? there's like 30 in one corner alone in my basement. do they have like alpha males and such?
 
Top