# What on earth can I feed my cellar spider?



## GiantVinegaroon (Aug 8, 2008)

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:


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## pitbulllady (Aug 8, 2008)

_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

Reactions: Informative 1


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## crpy (Aug 8, 2008)

yep ,they like spiders, like Pitbullady said common house spiders are easy good food


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## Singbluemymind (Aug 8, 2008)

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


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## GiantVinegaroon (Aug 8, 2008)

pitbulllady said:


> _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


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## GiantVinegaroon (Aug 8, 2008)

Singbluemymind said:


> 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


i dont need anymore in my basement.  i counted over 30 of them in just one corner of the basement!


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## halfwaynowhere (Aug 8, 2008)

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.


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## Tegenaria (Aug 9, 2008)

I know many hate these but i think theyre cool. Yet to meet one in the flesh.


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## buthus (Aug 9, 2008)

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.


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## GartenSpinnen (Aug 9, 2008)

I have so many in my basement its rediculous! I probably got a 1000 down there! Will sell them for .50 a piece


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## GiantVinegaroon (Aug 10, 2008)

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_"


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## GiantVinegaroon (Aug 10, 2008)

jadespider1985 said:


> I have so many in my basement its rediculous! I probably got a 1000 down there! Will sell them for .50 a piece


my cellar spiders are better than yours :}


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## GiantVinegaroon (Aug 10, 2008)

buthus said:


> 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?


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