# How long do Yellow Sac Spiders live?



## Tarantula155 (Apr 26, 2013)

I caught one recently. It is somewhat small, not big(not full size). 

I want to keep it, but not sure how long the species live?

Has anyone here on ArachnoBoards kept yellow sac spiders? If so, how long did they live?


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## Smokehound714 (Apr 27, 2013)

Not very long.  At the most, possibly 2 years if fed infrequently.  But that may be a stretch.


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## aSpiderificGirl (Apr 27, 2013)

I keep yellow sacs.  Very cool spiders, but won't hesitate to give you a bite, so don't handle them.  It's awesome to watch them construct their sac and actively pursue their prey.  I've had most of mine live for around 1 or 2 years.  The females usually last about 2 years.


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## Ciphor (Apr 29, 2013)

aSpiderificGirl said:


> I keep yellow sacs.  Very cool spiders, but won't hesitate to give you a bite, so don't handle them.  It's awesome to watch them construct their sac and actively pursue their prey.  I've had most of mine live for around 1 or 2 years.  The females usually last about 2 years.


Mine are never defensive at all. I'm sure a few here and there are, you might just be unlucky lol. I agree on age though, they live about 2 years. Longest I've had a female go was 31 months. Males die within 4 months of maturing in my experience.


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## Tarantula155 (Apr 30, 2013)

Ciphor said:


> Mine are never defensive at all. I'm sure a few here and there are, you might just be unlucky lol. I agree on age though, they live about 2 years. Longest I've had a female go was 31 months. Males die within 4 months of maturing in my experience.


Well I will hope to have the female for the next year or so. 

However, the other day I was feeding her and she nipped my finger. Without hesitation. It felt like a little prick. What's strange is I never bothered her, she just jumped out of her tube like sac and bit me. 
No doubt that these species are aggressive. They are fierce and brave.


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## Ciphor (Apr 30, 2013)

Mysterious said:


> Well I will hope to have the female for the next year or so.
> 
> However, the other day I was feeding her and she nipped my finger. Without hesitation. It felt like a little prick. What's strange is I never bothered her, she just jumped out of her tube like sac and bit me.
> No doubt that these species are aggressive. They are fierce and brave.


Spiders can have different temperaments just like people. I'm saying this only to keep things accurate for other readers. Yellow Sac Spiders are not a defensive spider, certainly not aggressive as no spiders are considered aggressive. A good example of an aggressive predator is centipedes.

Your Sac spider has a bad attitude, possibly, or you may have inadvertently made your finger appear like prey; the species as a whole however will not bite unless provoked.


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## Cursed Lemon (Apr 30, 2013)

I dunno, man. I hear more stories about yellow sacs being irritable than otherwise.


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## Ciphor (Apr 30, 2013)

Cursed Lemon said:


> I dunno, man. I hear more stories about yellow sacs being irritable than otherwise.


I've heard lots of stories too. I've heard stories of people waking up to a black widow sucking on them, heard of hobo bites that led to amputation. I even heard about a guy who got bit by a European cross spider who died at the hospital.

There just stories, and there is never a shortage of them surrounding arachnids. I've handled and kept many varieties of sac spider. Never been bit, seen a couple ill tempered ones, as I have with most species of spider.

You think the yellow sac spider has a bad rap, try being a hobo spider. Some goof who didn't know Latin translated the hobos scientific name (_Tegenaria agrestis_) to mean aggressive house spider. You ask 9 out of 10 people and they will tell you how extremely aggressive they are, yet I've handled close to 500 hobos and never been bit.


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## Tarantula155 (May 1, 2013)

Ciphor said:


> Spiders can have different temperaments just like people. I'm saying this only to keep things accurate for other readers. Yellow Sac Spiders are not a defensive spider, certainly not aggressive as no spiders are considered aggressive. A good example of an aggressive predator is centipedes.
> 
> Your Sac spider has a bad attitude, possibly, or you may have inadvertently made your finger appear like prey; the species as a whole however will not bite unless provoked.



Yeah I agree with your point. 
I love how everyone thinks woodlouse are super aggressive, however I have never been bit. I hold them all the time, they are certainly more defensive than your average spider. But never had a problem. Not to mention, woodlouse fangs are huge.

The yellow sac spider took down a cricket it's size. I'm guessing it was either really hungry or maybe it just has a attitude? Who knows, but everytime I stick something in the container she rushes out as if there was prey. She even bit a pen like 5 times!


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## Ciphor (May 1, 2013)

Mysterious said:


> Yeah I agree with your point.
> I love how everyone thinks woodlouse are super aggressive, however I have never been bit. I hold them all the time, they are certainly more defensive than your average spider. But never had a problem. Not to mention, woodlouse fangs are huge.
> 
> The yellow sac spider took down a cricket it's size. I'm guessing it was either really hungry or maybe it just has a attitude? Who knows, but everytime I stick something in the container she rushes out as if there was prey. She even bit a pen like 5 times!


Oh ya spiders will attack a pen for sure. The shadow it creates in their vision can be very prey like. I use chop sticks to get bite reactions with a lot of wild spiders. My giant house spiders will go ape on a chop stick poking their web, but I put a finger on there and they cowardly run for their funnel.


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## Basementdweller (Apr 14, 2022)

I think a lot of it has to do with handling near their nest, they may have eggs in there and will just attack anything that moves, where if you engage with them while they are hunting they will just walk across you looking for prey like you are any other surface. At the end of the day their brain is just a knot of nerves and any perceived behaviour is all instinctual. I've had a few generations in my basement apartment and I love watching them hunt. Maybe had one bite me once when I rolled over on it in my sleep, but that's life. Mild swelling, gone within the day. A beautiful species.

Reactions: Like 1


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