# Jumping Spider refuses to eat



## Nyogtha (Nov 19, 2014)

Hello,

I caught quite a large sized p. johnsoni (0,5 inch +) a few months back. She was pretty plump and had quite a large sized abdomen when I first put her in her enclosure. I believe she was taking food for quite a few weeks, but I'm not entirely sure if she was finishing them off or just killing them. 

Where I live, the only food I have access to is small crickets, but I have a feeling she really doesn't like them at all. I placed her on my bed yesterday and tried to feed her a cricket I had squished the head of, but she didn't wan't to take it and kept backing away. I've tried small crickets, crickets about her size, and everything I could get my hands on, but still she doesn't want them.

Her abdomen has shrunk a lot and she looks kind of dehydrated now even though I mist her enclosure and everything and have given her a water dish.

I never got a picture of her before but this seems to be the closest I could find to her when I first caught her:






Whereas this is an actual picture of her I took the other day, sorry for the low quality.







It almost looks wrinkled in a way, and is actually smaller than it looks in the picture above. I don't know how to re-hydrate her at all because I of course cannot force water into her mouth. But I don't know, it's kind of worrying me. Anyone in BC or Canada know of anywhere to get alternate types of invert food (moths, fruit flies, etc)? Should I just keep trying to keep her hydrated and hope one day she'll take something? It's kind of upsetting, but letting her go is no option because she would freeze to death with the weather now.

Thanks for taking the time to read lol, any help is appreciated.


----------



## Smokehound714 (Nov 20, 2014)

Take a bit of paper towel, wad it up, and soak it in water, then toss it in.

  Are you giving her a dark cycle at night?

  Avoiding food is a sign of dehydration in many arachnids, especially jumpers.


----------



## 14pokies (Nov 21, 2014)

im having having the same problem... my gf found a 1/2in regal jumping spider about 3 weeks ago. i have it in a 2in tall vile with vertical bark and slightly moist coco fiber. i tried feeding her a fruit fly 3 days after we took her in and nothing. i tried a small cricket a few times and nothing. ive been chalking it up to the fact its winter so she is probably in dormant mode. i have her in my t room now but have thought about putting her in the garage so her metabolism slows down and she can over winter. should i be housing her different maybe smaller pray items.. ne suggestions?


----------



## Smokehound714 (Nov 22, 2014)

Look above.  Are you two giving them a proper day night cycle?  Misting alone does not give them.adequate hydration.

 They really do need a wadded up paper towel for moisture.

  are you repeatedly handling them?  When an arachnid is badly stressed it will not eat.

  Do they have enough room?  These spiders truly suffer in pill containers and DO become depressed, they need to roam about.

  Do you provide them with a hide?  They need on..


   I've yet to get a response.  They prefer larger prey as adults, btw

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## 14pokies (Dec 3, 2014)

Smokehound714 said:


> Look above.  Are you two giving them a proper day night cycle?  Misting alone does not give them.adequate hydration.
> 
> They really do need a wadded up paper towel for moisture.
> 
> ...


 Sorry yes the spider has a day/night cycle. About 2 days ago I rehoused her into a 32 oz deli with bark hot glued to the top inside and half way around the sides and extending down a half in above the substrate which is moist coco fiber in a large peanut butter lid hot glued to the deli lid. I inverted the cup so the lid is the base and the cup itself lifts of so she could web without me disturbing her when I need to feed and water.(this is how I keep my smaller avics also) She has started a web behind a piece of bark that curls up and out, I offered her 2 crickets today that are a little smaller than her but not by much and she still won't eat..she follows them around and then loses interest. I don't handle Her at all. There is a lot of cross ventilation and I mist her daily..she's in my brood case that is 80day and night sometimes it dips to 78 if I crack the window in the room. 
  Is there anything I should change?


----------

