Are these two jumpers Phidippus johnsoni? And do they look healthy?

[DeanG]

I'm technically arachnophobic and don't know anything about spiders as pets, but I've made a sort of peace with all the 8-legged critters that show up on my patio because they eat the bugs that pester my plants, and I've even grown to consider some of them cool. Recently, a little jumping spider showed up in my kitchen window, and I decided to let him stay because he's actually cute, and seems to mind his own business. I say "him" because I believe it is a male red-backed jumping spider due to our location and his physical description (could also be a Phidippus clarus, because they are found here, but I don't think the markings are correct). Can anyone tell me which one he is and if he looks healthy, or does he need extra bugs around in his diet since he's indoors? (first 3 images are Hank)

Next up, I found another jumper hiding inside a padlock I was using to lock my gate at night. I believe it is a female of the same species as the fellow in the window, and she seems to be pretty happy in her little house. I've started calling these two Hank and Peggy, lol. (last image is Peggy) I plan to leave Peggy outside and just try to keep her from getting eaten by birds. Hank might become a pet since I have to move in a couple of months and don't want to abandon him if he's still around (can someone suggest a good enclosure for a jumper?) Are these guys in fact Phidippus johnsoni? Do my spiders look healthy and happy? Thanks in advance.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

These are both johnsoni. Males always look more slender than females - he doesn't look like he needs any help finding food. I'm not sure what "happy" looks like for a spider, but they both appear well-fed and not particularly stressed out.

 

[DeanG]

These are both johnsoni. Males always look more slender than females - he doesn't look like he needs any help finding food. I'm not sure what "happy" looks like for a spider, but they both appear well-fed and not particularly stressed out.

That's as good a definition for "happy" as any. I appreciate the help. I think he must have found a snack because I haven't seen him yet today.

 

[The Snark]

Northern Calif, Oregon and Washington, especially near the coast, seems to very heavily populated with these jumpers. Going out through the fields to the horse corrals in the early AM my boots would be sprinkled with black and red dots. I'd get to worrying how many I accidentally squashed.

 

[DeanG]

Northern Calif, Oregon and Washington, especially near the coast, seems to very heavily populated with these jumpers. Going out through the fields to the horse corrals in the early AM my boots would be sprinkled with black and red dots. I'd get to worrying how many I accidentally squashed.

I can only imagine. I have never previously been a fan of spiders, mostly encountering black widows (who get evicted immediately) and little brown jumping spiders (not sure which species) around western NV and Central CA. Now in SF Bay Area... I've seen these little guys around the patio before, but this is the first time one has moved in and made himself at home. And the girl living in the lock is also a new tenant...that lock has been out there for quite a while, but hasn't been inhabited for long. I wouldn't want to kill these cool little jumpers, though I have no issues dispatching the Noble false widows that try to move in.

 

[The Snark]

@DeanG In and around Berkeley in fields and parks I would bet there is a sizeable population of them, what with Berkeley having a moratorium on pesticide use / abuse. Go out in the early AMs. They seem to like dew covered grass.

 

[DeanG]

Do you happen to know what other kinds of jumping spiders are common around here? None of the jumpers I ever saw as a kid were colorful.

 

[The Snark]

Do you happen to know what other kinds of jumping spiders are common around here?

These are the people you should be asking. I'd bet their bio students are out on field excursion dozens of times a year. https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/

@DeanG I did that once at Berkeley. Went to the office, asked where the environmental science offices were, strolled over, found someone who looked like a prof, introduced myself as a wildland fire fighter and asked about the local fauna. I was invited into a class, introduced to the students and got inundated with info.

 

[DeanG]

Update: Two nights ago, I swatted a moth in my pantry so I set it in the window for Hank. I didn't see him grab it but I stepped out of the room for a minute and by the time I got back, the moth and Hank had both disappeared and I haven't seen him since. I imagine he's webbed up somewhere sipping on his moth but I haven't figured out where exactly he's nesting. I don't move stuff around the window so I don't accidentally squish him. I suppose he'll be back when he's hungry again, and if not, it was cool to have him around for a minute.

Peggy was out hunting bugs yesterday and after she got used to me being there, she let me take a few pics. She's pretty shy so I try not to bother her too much, but I hope she'll warm up a little and let me take more photos. (the pic quality sucks at high zoom, but it was the best I could get)

 

[DeanG]

Another update: Still no Hank. I hope he comes back.

I was spraying my patio with a biologic enzyme that we use to neutralize dog pee, and accidentally splashed a couple of drops onto Peggy's house. The enzyme is supposed to be non-toxic to critters but I didn't want to take a chance that she would be thirsty and drink it, so I ran over to dry them off. Sure enough, she popped her little head out and was about to go for it when I got there, but she just watched me dry off the drops with my sleeve. I then put a drop of clear fresh water next to her hole and she drank that instead. She was very tolerant of my presence today and even posed, but she did a little behavior that I'm not sure was meant to be an aggressive display, or if it's something I'm misattributing: she raised the front part of her abdomen over her head like a cat arching its back, but she wasn't looking at me (instead, over the edge of the lock) and she didn't keep it like that after she looked over the edge and came back up. (The third and fourth pic show when she was arching her back up and peering over the edge.). I'm totally fascinated by her, and she seems to be getting used to me as well. Maybe she'll have some babies and I'll be able to bring a couple with me when I move.

(I'll likely keep updating with pic dumps and stuff because these are my first spiders....and I have observations/questions...)

 

[DeanG]

Update: I guess this thread is gonna turn into a spider diary, lol. It rained last night and I got really worried about my little hoppers. I think Hank has moved along. There's a big gap to the outside between the screen and the window casing. Probably how he got in, as well. But that's okay, I'm glad I got to meet him. I've been getting to know Peggy in his absence. Her house is kind of exposed to the elements in its location, but the inside of it has a place that I think she can retreat to and stay dry. I haven't seen her yet today, but it's been cold and drizzly. I'm still worried because there's supposed to be a heat wave coming next week and I fear that the metal will get too hot and cook her. I'm wondering if I could/should move the whole kit and caboodle to the inside of my plant shelter where she can eat all the fungus gnats she can catch and stay dry without getting too cold or warm. Or maybe I should just get her an enclosure and make her an indoor spidey? She doesn't scramble away if I go out when she's sunbathing and usually peeks out of her hole to watch me if she's inside when I'm outside cleaning up.

I found a giant moth in Hank's window yesterday morning, so I left it for him but by the afternoon I figured out he wasn't around to get it. I bopped its head and took it out for Peggy. I held it in the tweezers outside her hole to catch her attention, then when she came out I set it on the gate for her to hunt. She is just the cutest little instrument of (insect) death: First, she spied it from above, then she inched closer and closer over the rounded side of her hide. She hung over the edge and stared at it for quite a while, and then when she felt good and ready, she finally launched herself onto the moth and dragged it underneath her house to eat it. I had to leave for a while but she was still sucking on it when I came home. I went back out to check on her in the evening and she was inside...the moth was mostly drained and she's probably round as a pea at this point. I never thought I'd have so much fun with a spider, but here we are. (again, sorry about the crappy cell phone camera)

 

[DeanG]

Came home from a week away at my aunt's and Peggy is still hanging out. She's doing great.... I've fed her a couple of little pantry moths and she's getting chubby. She doesn't hide as much and I was able to get some better pics while she was eating. We were actually "playing" earlier: she was chasing a reflection of light off my screen (like a cat) and also a piece of grass I wiggled around by her.

 

[DeanG]

I bit the bullet yesterday: I have an enclosure on the way for Peggy after I saw a bird land on the fence across from her. She was so badly startled that she backed up against the gate and put her front legs in the air, then fled into her hole once the bird flew away. She wouldn't even come back out for a fresh moth. I'm worried that something is going to get her now, so I'm just going to bring her inside. I got a 6x6x9 acrylic enclosure with a mesh top and a front-opening door for her, and I'm making her a custom interior. I'll keep feeding her the moths I catch in the pantry, and other things like mealworms and crickets too. Thank God my wife doesn't mind my weird hobbies, lol.

She's so fat that I know she's well-fed, but I also have a little niggling thought that she might also be gravid, and it makes me a bit nervous. If she has a bunch of babies, I don't know if I'll be able to take care of them all. I suppose I can let them eat each other or release them outside if it happens, so at least there are options. For whatever reason, I never see anyone on here with Johnson jumpers, so I don't suspect I could sell the slings if I got them that far.

Oh well. Worries for another day. For now, enjoy some more pics of Leggy Peggy having lunch at her house.

 

[CRX]

Great updates OP! If you're concerned, I would just bring her inside right now before her new enclosure arrives. I would not want to risk anything happening to her, Even if all you have is a little plastic cup or something, its still better than being at risk outside.

 

[DeanG]

Great updates OP! If you're concerned, I would just bring her inside right now before her new enclosure arrives. I would not want to risk anything happening to her, Even if all you have is a little plastic cup or something, its still better than being at risk outside.

Thanks! I hope you enjoy them...I'm mostly on here just talking to myself because I don't get many replies. This is kind of my spider diary now, lol.

I certainly don't want anything to happen to my new little friend, but I feel mostly okay with her being out there for a few more days because I'm literally out there every couple of hours to clean up after my dogs, which is why the birds usually keep their distance from my patio. She's never very far from her hidey-hole, so she can dive in when she feels scared. I don't really have anything to keep her in that she couldn't escape from, and I'm not sure if moving her too many times will stress her out? I don't know if spiders die from stress like fish do, but I worry about doing the wrong thing and accidentally killing her out of ignorance, you know?

 

[CRX]

Thanks! I hope you enjoy them...I'm mostly on here just talking to myself because I don't get many replies. This is kind of my spider diary now, lol.

I certainly don't want anything to happen to my new little friend, but I feel mostly okay with her being out there for a few more days because I'm literally out there every couple of hours to clean up after my dogs, which is why the birds usually keep their distance from my patio. She's never very far from her hidey-hole, so she can dive in when she feels scared. I don't really have anything to keep her in that she couldn't escape from, and I'm not sure if moving her too many times will stress her out? I don't know if spiders die from stress like fish do, but I worry about doing the wrong thing and accidentally killing her out of ignorance, you know?

Spiders of course get stressed, but they aren't like fish with the water temperature and stuff. It worries me you say a few days. I know you think everything is fine, but we cannot predict whats gonna happen in the natural world. She could get screwed over by some random weather event, or a random bird passing through or even a bigger spider. I would do my best to find some kind of safe container to keep her in temporarily.

 

[Slappy]

Love the pics and the King of the Hill names lol

 

[DeanG]

Love the pics and the King of the Hill names lol

Thank you! It was one of my mom's favorite shows. Sadly Hank moved on after a couple of days, but it was cool to see him while he was here. I hope he found a girlfriend.

These two jumpers showed up at my house on the anniversary of my mom's passing, and for some reason, I fell in love instead of freaking out like normal, lol. Mama loved nature.... spent all her time in her yard making it a sanctuary for all kinds of wildlife. She wasn't actually the biggest fan of spiders, but she knew they were vital to the environment. She called all the spiders in her house "Spider-Dude" and let them hang around if they were inconspicuous. And one of her favorite stories to tell people about me as a kid actually involved a spider: one day, when I was about 10, Mom and I were riding our 4-wheelers around out in the NV desert and we saw a huge wild tarantula cross the trail in front of us. We stopped and hiked over to get a better look, and when we were only a couple of feet away, she told me, in an awed and very serious tone, that she heard desert taratulas could "jump about 6 feet." Well, apparently I noped out of there so fast that she didn't even see me; one second I'm next to her, the next I'm sitting on my quad yelling "LET'S GO MOM" about sixty feet away, lol. <This part always made her laugh so hard she could barely get the words out, which usually got everyone else laughing.> I feel like this was meant to be a reminder to look closer at the things that are worrying me in life and realize that they may be wonderful opportunities to learn and grow. I guess nature really is our mother, always teaching us.

 

[PhoenixFyre]

Great story! Although terrestrial T's can jump, they usually don't.