Getting my first non-tarantula spider

[Minty]

Other than one captured house spider, I've never kept an Araneomophae spider. I'd like to keep a few species (I'd also be interested in getting a trapdoor spider). So, I have a few questions.

How different are they to keeping tarantulas? Are they faster? More defensive? More bolty?

What's their lifespan like? I've heard it's shorter. I'm aware it'll be species dependent, but are their lifespans shorter in general.

Are there any differences in setting up their enclosures?

Do they eat more often or less?

Is there anything I need to know about their moulting cycles, their premoult, that is different to tarantulas?

Which species would you recommend?

 

[pannaking22]

Other than one captured house spider, I've never kept an Araneomophae spider. I'd like to keep a few species (I'd also be interested in getting a trapdoor spider). So, I have a few questions.

How different are they to keeping tarantulas? Are they faster? More defensive? More bolty?
Yes and no. It really depends on what you're interested in. Certain groups will be a lot faster (Sparassidae, Ctenidae), while others will be of similar speed. There are some you can get that are very laid back with extremely easy care (Eresidae are for good this).

What's their lifespan like? I've heard it's shorter. I'm aware it'll be species dependent, but are their lifespans shorter in general.
Variable again. Some are short lived (1-3 years), while others can live just as long as tarantulas (Kukulcania are very long lived)

Are there any differences in setting up their enclosures?
Variable again. Requirements will be dictated by the spider, but in general, true spiders don't need as much space because for the most part they don't get as large. You can definitely use tarantula setups as a baseline though and modify them as you see fit. True spiders fortunately fall under terrestrial and arboreal as well.

Do they eat more often or less?
About the same. Some groups like to be fed more often, but others can actually go many months between meals and not have any problems.

Is there anything I need to know about their moulting cycles, their premoult, that is different to tarantulas?
Molting and pre-molt are faster in true spiders.

Which species would you recommend?
Latrodectus, most Eresidae, Heteropoda venatoria (if you don't mind speed), Salticidae. Would not recommend any Araneidae or Deinopidae because they need lots of space and tend to not do as well in captivity. Lycosidae seem pretty robust, but I don't have much experience with them, so I can't really say. Ctenidae can also be a good option, but some have medically significant venom.

 

[Minty]

How different are they to keeping tarantulas? Are they faster? More defensive? More bolty?
Yes and no. It really depends on what you're interested in. Certain groups will be a lot faster (Sparassidae, Ctenidae), while others will be of similar speed. There are some you can get that are very laid back with extremely easy care (Eresidae are for good this).

What's their lifespan like? I've heard it's shorter. I'm aware it'll be species dependent, but are their lifespans shorter in general.
Variable again. Some are short lived (1-3 years), while others can live just as long as tarantulas (Kukulcania are very long lived)

Are there any differences in setting up their enclosures?
Variable again. Requirements will be dictated by the spider, but in general, true spiders don't need as much space because for the most part they don't get as large. You can definitely use tarantula setups as a baseline though and modify them as you see fit. True spiders fortunately fall under terrestrial and arboreal as well.

Do they eat more often or less?
About the same. Some groups like to be fed more often, but others can actually go many months between meals and not have any problems.

Is there anything I need to know about their moulting cycles, their premoult, that is different to tarantulas?
Molting and pre-molt are faster in true spiders.

Which species would you recommend?
Latrodectus, most Eresidae, Heteropoda venatoria (if you don't mind speed), Salticidae. Would not recommend any Araneidae or Deinopidae because they need lots of space and tend to not do as well in captivity. Lycosidae seem pretty robust, but I don't have much experience with them, so I can't really say. Ctenidae can also be a good option, but some have medically significant venom.

Thanks for the response.

I'm not sure if I'm able to obtain Latrodectus in the UK, without a DWA licence. I'll look into the other species though.

 

[NYAN]

Other than one captured house spider, I've never kept an Araneomophae spider. I'd like to keep a few species (I'd also be interested in getting a trapdoor spider). So, I have a few questions.

How different are they to keeping tarantulas? Are they faster? More defensive? More bolty?

What's their lifespan like? I've heard it's shorter. I'm aware it'll be species dependent, but are their lifespans shorter in general.

Are there any differences in setting up their enclosures?

Do they eat more often or less?

Is there anything I need to know about their moulting cycles, their premoult, that is different to tarantulas?

Which species would you recommend?

True spiders are lots of fun! Many true spiders can be very fast, but tarantulas can also be pretty fast. Huntsman and wandering spiders are speed demons, but Loxosceles, lycosidae and others can also be pretty quick. Lifespan depends on the spider species. Latrodectus can live 1-2 years on average, but sicarius can live 10-15 and certain trapdoors can live longer than that. The longest lived spider is a Australian trapdoor spider I believe. Certain species can be more defensive, such as phoneutria, and others can be more skittish, like huntsman. In general, they tend to want to sit and rely on camouflage or their hiding spot before doing any of that. The enclosure depends on the species, but it’s the same idea as with tarantulas. I feed all my true spiders every 1-2 weeks, so there isn’t too much of a difference with that. As for molting, many species will need vertical spots to hang off of in order to molt properly. True spiders also molt more often. I would recommend any huntsman, latrodectus species, Loxosceles species, lycosids and dolomedes right away. There’s other good ones though.

 

[WildSpider]

Other than one captured house spider, I've never kept an Araneomophae spider. I'd like to keep a few species (I'd also be interested in getting a trapdoor spider). So, I have a few questions.

How different are they to keeping tarantulas? Are they faster? More defensive? More bolty?

What's their lifespan like? I've heard it's shorter. I'm aware it'll be species dependent, but are their lifespans shorter in general.

Are there any differences in setting up their enclosures?

Do they eat more often or less?

Is there anything I need to know about their moulting cycles, their premoult, that is different to tarantulas?

Which species would you recommend?

How different are they to keeping tarantulas? Are they faster? More defensive? More bolty?
Yes and no. It really depends on what you're interested in. Certain groups will be a lot faster (Sparassidae, Ctenidae), while others will be of similar speed. There are some you can get that are very laid back with extremely easy care (Eresidae are for good this).

What's their lifespan like? I've heard it's shorter. I'm aware it'll be species dependent, but are their lifespans shorter in general.
Variable again. Some are short lived (1-3 years), while others can live just as long as tarantulas (Kukulcania are very long lived)

Are there any differences in setting up their enclosures?
Variable again. Requirements will be dictated by the spider, but in general, true spiders don't need as much space because for the most part they don't get as large. You can definitely use tarantula setups as a baseline though and modify them as you see fit. True spiders fortunately fall under terrestrial and arboreal as well.

Do they eat more often or less?
About the same. Some groups like to be fed more often, but others can actually go many months between meals and not have any problems.

Is there anything I need to know about their moulting cycles, their premoult, that is different to tarantulas?
Molting and pre-molt are faster in true spiders.

Which species would you recommend?
Latrodectus, most Eresidae, Heteropoda venatoria (if you don't mind speed), Salticidae. Would not recommend any Araneidae or Deinopidae because they need lots of space and tend to not do as well in captivity. Lycosidae seem pretty robust, but I don't have much experience with them, so I can't really say. Ctenidae can also be a good option, but some have medically significant venom.

Everything pannaking22 said but I might add on to recommended species.

My first true spider was a Steatoda sp. (Steatoda grossa I believe) and it was a very good intro spider in my opinion. They are very hardy and cool to look at. They are quite similar to Latrodectus. One thing that's nice about Steatoda grossa is, if you get a female, they don't have a bad life span for a true spider. Females can live up to 6 years (males 1 to 1.5 years). Cool tidbit is that supposedly a Steatoda grossa was the model for the super spider in Spider-Man (2002).

Salticidae are indeed nice pets and interesting to care for. These are a definite recommendation.

I would agree that Araneidae might not be such an easy one for the beginner. If you get the right enclosure though, at least Araneus diadematus can be really pretty easy to care for. I have about a dozen right now and I have some inside enclosures and some outside enclosures. For the one's outside enclosures, I have a building outdoors that I keep these guys in. I put them in a spot up on the wall that looks like it will be out of the way. They will anchor their web to the ceiling and the wall and anything else nearby that is in just the right spot. They can move from this location though so that's the downside. My one stayed in a corner of the building for about a month or so and one day got disturbed and has since moved to the middle of the building. The enclosures I've had the best luck with at this point are made out of mini cinnamon bun containers: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/my-araneus-diadematus-enclosures.310030/

Eratigena atrica are easy to find in the UK I believe. These also make great pets in my opinion. They're not too difficult to keep. In my opinion, a water dish is a great help for this species.

I have only kept Pardosa sp. but I'm guessing that in general Lycosidae are a good family to keep. I highly recommend a water dish for these guys. The Pardosa sp. I've kept have probably been my thirstiest true spiders. I've seen Hogna sp. also appear to benefit from having water dishes.

 

[basin79]

You're in for a right treat with spiders. There are loads and loads available that are so different from one another.

I own quite a few spiders (see My Spiders thread). For me you can't go wrong with a female Gandanameno sp. I have 3. 2 adults and a juvenile. Really easy to keep, get to a good size and quite long lived 3+ years.

 

[pannaking22]

I always forget about Steatoda/Parasteatoda, thanks for adding that @WildSpider Those guys make for good pets too. Care and everything is the same for Latrodectus, but you don't have to deal with the venom.

 

[Joogvanhedel]

I still have to catch a Steatoda grossa, there awesome..

 

[BenLeeKing]

Pholcidae (cellar spiders) like Pholcus phalngioides are also a joy to keep~
Just recently started keeping them, and I would say they are defiantly worth it! They also don't need much space, mine just lives in a small tall tank on my work desk~
Here's one in my garage:

 

[basin79]

Pholcidae (cellar spiders) like Pholcus phalngioides are also a joy to keep~
Just recently started keeping them, and I would say they are defiantly worth it! They also don't need much space, mine just lives in a small tall tank on my work desk~
Here's one in my garage:
View attachment 290236

Pholcidae (cellar spiders) like Pholcus phalngioides are also a joy to keep~
Just recently started keeping them, and I would say they are defiantly worth it! They also don't need much space, mine just lives in a small tall tank on my work desk~
Here's one in my garage:
View attachment 290236

I have these living loose in my house. Fantastic for keeping the flies down although they are buggers and sometimes I find them feeding on the other spiders that share my house.

 

[BenLeeKing]

I have these living loose in my house. Fantastic for keeping the flies down although they are buggers and sometimes I find them feeding on the other spiders that share my house.

Yeah, the one in my picture is actually living just a few inches away from a Steatoda grossa... Hofully she didn't wader too day off from her web. Or I might just relocate the Pholcus, I check when I get home.

 

[SonsofArachne]

The various huntsman spiders probably the best starter for a T keeper (at least they were for me). They are fast and bolty - I overcame this by keeping slings in a 32 oz deli rather than a vial like you would a T.

 

[Minty]

Do any of you keep a trapdoor spider?

 

[WildSpider]

Do any of you keep a trapdoor spider?

I kept a couple for a short time (and would like to do more with them in the future) and then released them. @RezonantVoid is a great one to talk to about trapdoors.

 

[Minty]

I kept a couple for a short time (and would like to do more with them in the future) and then released them. @RezonantVoid is a great one to talk to about trapdoors.

I think these appeal to me the most. They were my favourite spiders as a kid and I always wanted one. Childhood me mistakenly thought that they were a type of tarantula.

 

[WildSpider]

I think these appeal to me the most. They were my favourite spiders as a kid and I always wanted one. Childhood me mistakenly thought that they were a type of tarantula.

They're one of my favorites too . I think I've read before that where I live, the Antrodiaetus pacificus (Folding Door Trapdoor Spider) is the most closely related spider we have to a tarantula which is pretty cool.

 

[RezonantVoid]

i believe i was summoned trapdoors are IMO some of coolest spiders in the world. Alot of them sport strong metallic sheens that very few Ts can even compete with, they are the longest living of any spider group, show higher levels of intelligence than many Ts (i have no reference for this other than personal experience, but i can assure you they act noteably more sophisticated), and alot are night active and not necessarily pet holes. My first spider was one, definitely easy to keep.

heres a few of mine

 

[SonsofArachne]

Trapdoors are something I want to get too, at least one to see how they are.

 

[basin79]

Do any of you keep a trapdoor spider?

I have a Liphistius cf. ornatus. Absolutely phenomenonal little thing. Came as a tiny tiny sling. Still small now but a lot bigger.

 

[RezonantVoid]

when i get time ill post a brief guide to keeping them for you, it seems a few people want to know about them