Brown Widow Enclosure

[LadyShia77]

Hello all. I got my first brown widow, a sub-adult, about a week ago. I have my western black widow in a jar type enclosure where she stays mostly webbed around the middle with her sticks and leaves. I couldn't find much on brown widow husbandry/enclosures online so made her a similar enclsoure as my black widow, including sticks and such to web up. Unfortunately, she is wanting to stay just under the lid so that whenever I open the enclosure, it rips her web and makes it difficult to feed her. Can I see your brown widow enclosures to get an idea of a better one for her? They can be diy or one from a vendor. I just need something she can safely make her web in and that I can feed her in. I usually just drop a small mealworm or hornworm into their webs. Thank you for any and all assistance.

 

[Godsmack1934]

I've been keeping black widows for a while, so if I had to guess it'd be pretty similar, if you're wanting her to keep off the lid I'd recommend keeping her in an enclosure made of something she can't climb and make the lid or top inaccessible Walmart has some plastic enclosures that are ment for tarantula transporting that should work pretty well.

 

[LadyShia77]

I've been keeping black widows for a while, so if I had to guess it'd be pretty similar, if you're wanting her to keep off the lid I'd recommend keeping her in an enclosure made of something she can't climb and make the lid or top inaccessible Walmart has some plastic enclosures that are ment for tarantula transporting that should work pretty well.

I used a repurposed snack storage jar for my black widow. She does really well in it, although, she could web up higher if she so chose. Idk what's making my brown widow want to hide near the top under the lid. I have a few smaller repurposed food storage container that I used to use for jumpers, but not sure if those would be a good idea. I made those to be more on their side instead of the bottom like the bigger one my black widow is in.

 

[Godsmack1934]

I used a repurposed snack storage jar for my black widow. She does really well in it, although, she could web up higher if she so chose. Idk what's making my brown widow want to hide near the top under the lid. I have a few smaller repurposed food storage container that I used to use for jumpers, but not sure if those would be a good idea. I made those to be more on their side instead of the bottom like the bigger one my black widow is in.

Maybe she's just uncomfortable or stressed being in a new place assuming you recently got her.

 

[LadyShia77]

Maybe she's just uncomfortable or stressed being in a new place assuming you recently got her.

I've had her for about a week and a half now. She may be feeling too exposed.

 

[Godsmack1934]

I've had her for about a week and a half now. She may be feeling too exposed.

Maybe, you could give her a chance to get settled in and used to you, as long as she's eating she should fine. I think you're right about her feeling too exposed though.

 

[LadyShia77]

Maybe, you could give her a chance to get settled in and used to you, as long as she's eating she should fine. I think you're right about her feeling too exposed though.

That's the problem. I wouldn't be so concerned if I could make sure she ate. So far, I haven't been able to feed her because her web tears when I open the lid to her enclosure. There usually isn't enough web left to hold her food.

 

[Godsmack1934]

That's the problem. I wouldn't be so concerned if I could make sure she ate. So far, I haven't been able to feed her because her web tears when I open the lid to her enclosure. There usually isn't enough web left to hold her food.

I see how that's a problem, I'd say offer her food every week or so and try to damage the web as little as possible, and look for corpses of the pray and if you don't see any then maybe think about trying a new enclosure.

 

[LadyShia77]

I see how that's a problem, I'd say offer her food every week or so and try to damage the web as little as possible, and look for corpses of the pray and if you don't see any then maybe think about trying a new enclosure.

I'll try to look into doing that. The silly thing likes to attach her web to the lid itself, though.

 

[Godsmack1934]

I'll try to look into doing that. The silly thing likes to attach her web to the lid itself, though.

I have a male widow that did that for a while but eventually took it off the lid and made a new web right under the lid.

 

[LadyShia77]

I have a male widow that did that for a while but eventually took it off the lid and made a new web right under the lid.

Hopefully, my girl will eventually do that.

 

[Godsmack1934]

Hopefully, my girl will eventually do that.

Hopefully

 

[darkness975]

Hello all. I got my first brown widow, a sub-adult, about a week ago. I have my western black widow in a jar type enclosure where she stays mostly webbed around the middle with her sticks and leaves. I couldn't find much on brown widow husbandry/enclosures online so made her a similar enclsoure as my black widow, including sticks and such to web up. Unfortunately, she is wanting to stay just under the lid so that whenever I open the enclosure, it rips her web and makes it difficult to feed her. Can I see your brown widow enclosures to get an idea of a better one for her? They can be diy or one from a vendor. I just need something she can safely make her web in and that I can feed her in. I usually just drop a small mealworm or hornworm into their webs. Thank you for any and all assistance.

I use 32 oz deli containers. Flip it upside down for a couple days and she will gravitate to the "top" which is really the bottom and set up shop there. By the time you flip it right side up again she will reorient but already be comfortable in that area.

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

Brown widows like to be under something so if you give her a little area with a "roof" she might switch to using that. I keep all kinds of widows and I find that most will web up the and hang out up high if they have access. I use the little canisters from Walmart with a bit of fake plants. As long as I have about a two inch gap from the lid they usually just build around the plant. I have a video on YouTube that shows the ones I use... here.

 

[LadyShia77]

I use 32 oz deli containers. Flip it upside down for a couple days and she will gravitate to the "top" which is really the bottom and set up shop there. By the time you flip it right side up again she will reorient but already be comfortable in that area.

Brown widows like to be under something so if you give her a little area with a "roof" she might switch to using that. I keep all kinds of widows and I find that most will web up the and hang out up high if they have access. I use the little canisters from Walmart with a bit of fake plants. As long as I have about a two inch gap from the lid they usually just build around the plant. I have a video on YouTube that shows the ones I use... here.

Thank you for these tips. Will definitely give them a try.

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

That is the container I use. And below is my "widow wall"

 

[LadyShia77]

View attachment 468845

That is the container I use. And below is my "widow wall"
View attachment 468846

I was thinking about putting her in a smaller enclosure and you make me feel good lol. A lot of my spoods are in those types of enclosures. I believe the one she's in now is a bit bigger than the one in the top pic. I turned the enclosure on its side in hopes she would change the location of her web. Unfortunately, she's still choosing to be right at the opening.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Brown widows like to be under something so if you give her a little area with a "roof" she might switch to using that. I keep all kinds of widows and I find that most will web up the and hang out up high if they have access. I use the little canisters from Walmart with a bit of fake plants. As long as I have about a two inch gap from the lid they usually just build around the plant. I have a video on YouTube that shows the ones I use... here.

You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing about how widow spiders like to hide underneath things. Many years ago I had several black widows (4 Lactrodectus hesperus from California; 1 L. mactans from Texas) housed in the tall 32 fl. oz. plastic condiment containers and solved the problem of them hiding out around the lids by putting cork bark and a rolled up plastic leaf at the bottom. Similar to how most house arboreal tarantulas, but with a shorter piece of cork bark. Sure they webbed up the entire container, and hung around the top, but they all ran down underneath the cork bark after a tap on the lid. Made it much safer to feed and water them. LOL

 

[LadyShia77]

You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing about how widow spiders like to hide underneath things. Many years ago I had several black widows (4 Lactrodectus hesperus from California; 1 L. mactans from Texas) housed in the tall 32 fl. oz. plastic condiment containers and solved the problem of them hiding out around the lids by putting cork bark and a rolled up plastic leaf at the bottom. Similar to how most house arboreal tarantulas, but with a shorter piece of cork bark. Sure they webbed up the entire container, and hung around the top, but they all ran down underneath the cork bark after a tap on the lid. Made it much safer to feed and water them. LOL

I'll have to see if I have any pieces of cork bark that would work. I tried the same leaves that were in my western black widow's enclosure, but they were a no go for my brown widow. Thank you for the tips.

 

[CRX]

View attachment 468845

That is the container I use. And below is my "widow wall"
View attachment 468846

I think its funny how many of us use the exact same fake leaves lmaoo