I discovered a cross orbweaver spider had taken up residence on the outside of a window so I started to watch it and even started to feed it crickets. Everything was fine until about two weeks ago when the weather started to get colder. She stopped making her web and she stopped eating. I tried to feed her a cricket using some aquarium tongs and she wouldn't take it, she had done so in the past though. Anyway, the weather is getting colder and I decided to catch her and put her in a terrarium that I have. I sprayed some water near her and she drank some of the water droplets, so I took that as a good sign but she still will not make her big web and she will not eat. Any ideas on how to get her to eat? Also any ideas on how to get her to build her web?
Cross Orbweaver help
- Thread starter ace106
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Orb Weavers are difficult to keep in captivity. They need a large area with their idea of a "proper" set up to spin. I've gotten them to web in captivity by accident in the past, ironically. Some other keeps have intentionally.
See here
Thanks for the reply. I had already watched that video. The person in that video said they're using a 12"x12"x24" terrarium. The one I'm using is 18"x18"x24" and the spider he had is larger than the cross orbweaver I'm housing.
I should add that my cross orbweaver did eat quite a lot in the past couple of weeks/months when she was outside, and she grew rather large. I'm not sure if that is playing any role in why she is refusing to eat now but that probably wouldn't explain why she stopped making her web even when she was outside. I attempted to give her more water tonight and she drank the water drops right away. So I'm puzzled about what to do to get her to eat.
p.s. My cross orbweaver didn't like the smooth glass walls so I covered the two glass sides and back glass wall with paper towels so now she can walk around with much more ease instead of basically staying on the top mesh only.
I should add that my cross orbweaver did eat quite a lot in the past couple of weeks/months when she was outside, and she grew rather large. I'm not sure if that is playing any role in why she is refusing to eat now but that probably wouldn't explain why she stopped making her web even when she was outside. I attempted to give her more water tonight and she drank the water drops right away. So I'm puzzled about what to do to get her to eat.
p.s. My cross orbweaver didn't like the smooth glass walls so I covered the two glass sides and back glass wall with paper towels so now she can walk around with much more ease instead of basically staying on the top mesh only.
Cross orbweavers aren't hard to care for compared to agriope species and larger orbweavers. I have several of them. But they are an extremely short lived species. The orbweaver will need a square enclosure at least 3x+ it's size. A little bit of foliage and some texturing on the sides of the enclosure to make it easier for it to climb. Cross orbweavers actually do best with smaller prey items more often. It destroys their web less, especially in the beginning.
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It is unlikely that she will live much longer, even though you have brought her inside from the cold. They naturally die in the fall, after creating their egg sacs. You mentioned that this one had grown rather large recently, so it could be that she has a belly full of eggs. If so, she may create an egg sac in the cage. If she does, be warned - newly hatched orb-weavers are tiny. They can go right through ventilation holes or standard screen tops!
I've tried to bring in orb weavers, too, but have had mixed results at best with them. While I have not brought in Araneus diademata I have tried Araneus gemmoides and Eriophora ravilla - and both refused to web for me, despite being in large screen-sided cages or large mesh pop-up butterfly cages with ample ventilation and lots of long, branched twigs to use for attachment points for webs. Pretty much all they did was pick a dark corner and sulk. They did, however, make egg sacs. I ended up turning the mothers loose because without a web, they wouldn't eat and I didn't want them starving to death on me. I also put the cages (with the doors removed) outdoors so that when the egg sacs hatched, the spiders were able to disperse into the yard and garden.
I had better luck with both Argiope argentata and Argiope trifasciata. They would make their webs and would eat - but did not do so good at web maintenance. As the webs got older and rattier - particularly after catching several rounds of moths, flies, crickets, or other feeders - they developed large gaps that the bugs could just fly right through. The webs were no longer effective for catching prey, but the spiders would not repair them. I ended up going in with a stick and taking down the entire web, after which they would rebuild a fresh new one.
I've tried to bring in orb weavers, too, but have had mixed results at best with them. While I have not brought in Araneus diademata I have tried Araneus gemmoides and Eriophora ravilla - and both refused to web for me, despite being in large screen-sided cages or large mesh pop-up butterfly cages with ample ventilation and lots of long, branched twigs to use for attachment points for webs. Pretty much all they did was pick a dark corner and sulk. They did, however, make egg sacs. I ended up turning the mothers loose because without a web, they wouldn't eat and I didn't want them starving to death on me. I also put the cages (with the doors removed) outdoors so that when the egg sacs hatched, the spiders were able to disperse into the yard and garden.
I had better luck with both Argiope argentata and Argiope trifasciata. They would make their webs and would eat - but did not do so good at web maintenance. As the webs got older and rattier - particularly after catching several rounds of moths, flies, crickets, or other feeders - they developed large gaps that the bugs could just fly right through. The webs were no longer effective for catching prey, but the spiders would not repair them. I ended up going in with a stick and taking down the entire web, after which they would rebuild a fresh new one.
So why do so many people have issues with Araneus? I thought the harder to care for species was Agriope sp, it's one reason I have tried them yet. My araneus species I have kept have all webbed for me within 4 days, and then with continuing feeding of d. hydei the webs easily grow large enough they do fine. I feed 3 hydei every feeding, and about every other day. I also occasionally will toss in a young slightly crippled surinam roach. They do good webcare... I provide air flow but actually very little, and keep humidity more increased. I only mist once the enclosure dries out completely which with even a light mist can take a couple days. I have an Araneus Diademata and Araneus Gemmoides and both have been with me for 2 months+ and both are eating and still creating and repairing webs.
She has only been indoors for about 3 days now. I was expecting a quick turn around in her behaviour due to her now being warm instead of the rather cold outside conditions she was experiencing.
I doubt she will produce an egg sac as I would be surprised if a male got to her. I said she was outside of a window but it's a balcony window and rather high up too. She grew rather large about 2 months ago when I started feeding her crickets as I was over feeding her due to not knowing that she didn't need to eat very often.
Now if she doesn't produce an egg sac, and she is no longer experiencing cold whether, will she still die in the fall? I thought I read somewhere online that these spiders can live longer in captivity than the one year or so they get outside.
Due to her no longer eating or building her web outside, I thought she might have made an egg sac and was preparing to die. I checked her hiding area outside for an egg sac and I couldn't see one anywhere. So after about 10 days went by where she didn't eat or build a web, I figured that maybe the cold temperatures were to blame so I decided to bring her in. Sadly she will not eat or build a web but she will drink water.
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Spiders do not need to mate to make an egg sac. If they have not mated, the eggs will be infertile - but they will still lay them.
While it may be possible to get orb weavers to live a little longer by protecting them from the cold, they don't live a great deal longer. If you can entice her to start making webs and eating, you may be able to prolong her life by a few months.
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More than likely she will die naturally and there is not much you can do about that.
But when I said the proper set up for spinning i meant the organization of the decorations arranged in a certain way. It is difficult to explain but essentially I have found that they will spin with certain enclosure set ups but not others. Sticks and such for anchor points seems to be the lesser factor, much more emphasis appears to be on how they are set up.
My experience ; take it for what it's worth.
But when I said the proper set up for spinning i meant the organization of the decorations arranged in a certain way. It is difficult to explain but essentially I have found that they will spin with certain enclosure set ups but not others. Sticks and such for anchor points seems to be the lesser factor, much more emphasis appears to be on how they are set up.
My experience ; take it for what it's worth.
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I'm going to point at the duo of quite small orb weavers out on the porch right now. Several hundred branches and twigs in all directions and these two have rebuilt their webs a couple dozen times between the power line, the phone line and the porch railing. A total span of around 20 feet with orbs less than a foot across.
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I wonder if they can sense the distance from side to side and maybe they refuse to web if they judge that the distance is not sufficient like it would be outside to affix the web. As if they can figure out that (to them) it would not be structurally sound.
It is getting pretty chilly here now so there really are no webs left until the spring, but next year I will examine orb web set ups more closely and look for certain "safety line" anchor points.
Kind of reminds me of steel beams and such that humans use for structural support of buildings.
My guys don't necessarily always make their orb webs. It depends on how old they are and the size enclosure they are in. But technically they don't need an orb web to be able to catch. The orb web from what I have seen is the best way to catch food when prey may be larger and when it may be scarce so they have to catch anything and everything if possible. Sometimes my guys literally just make lots and lots of specific strands in corners and I drop food in and they eat just as well and drink just as well. They do normal resting positions in day and night. Two of my weavers have strands all over their enclosures. If you want them for purely the orb webbing affect they need a very large and very tall enclosure. If you want them because you like them, then you'd be surprised how adaptable they are and how little the orb web is actually needed when food is regular.