Beginner spiders and sources...

[gambite]

Yes, I know, another beginner's thread....

I am looking for display spiders, something that looks really nice. I read in some other threads that Steatoda triangulosa is a nice one, and I love the look of them. Are there other good looking spiders that live a fairly long time, arent particularly dangerous, and can be kept easily, but wont infest my dorm if it gets loose? Would anyone be willing or able to send me a few for a low price? Like... maybe a male/female pair? At this time of year, its hard to find anything alive from all the weather fluctuations, and I am never good at finding things in the wild.

 

[tin man]

most of the ornamental species are pretty mean, but they look good

 

[What]

Look into orb weavers, they make great display spiders and can be had for a decent price.

 

[Widowman10]

orb weavers are great, but not too good if space is an issue (i guess i'm talking about some of the really big weavers). i second the S. triangulosa, that was going to be my original vote. good colors, hardy, makes a good display spidey overall. that is, if you don't want any widows...;P widows are just the best in every category

 

[David_F]

i second the S. triangulosa, that was going to be my original vote. good colors, hardy, makes a good display spidey overall. that is, if you don't want any widows...;P widows are just the best in every category

S. triangulosa are nice looking spiders but they're small. I used to like letting them live "wild" in my bedroom to pick up any spare crickets but the few times I kept them in jars they got boring really fast.

Widows are the best, IMO, as well. They get pretty large, can be kept in nice display tanks, and as long as you know the females you keep aren't gravid, or you can remove eggsacs as soon as they are dropped, they're safe to keep.

Although, I did see some Nephila clavipes kept at a bug zoo, free-range, so-to-speak, that were really cool. Those might be fun to try out.

 

[Widowman10]

Widows are the best, IMO, as well. They get pretty large, can be kept in nice display tanks, and as long as you know the females you keep aren't gravid, or you can remove eggsacs as soon as they are dropped, they're safe to keep.

yeah, widows are just the best choice. and gambite, as long as you use basic human common sense, the widow will not be dangerous. just use long tools and be smart and you will be perfectly fine. i think you will hear the widow vote from many people. you can't go wrong and you won't regret it (most likely ). i would seriously think about it. like i said, they aren't "particularly dangerous" unless you don't use common sense.

 

[froggyman]

what about s.paykulliana??

looks better than some widows and not dangerous

btw which university in MD are you a student at Gambite??

 

[gambite]

Widows do seem to be the best option but.... is there a second best? Its one thing for me to be keeping tarantulas and scorpions, which cant really hurt anyone, but keeping widows sounds like a little too much responsibility. I have a roomate, and on more than one occasion has he or his friends come back a little intoxicated and 'joked' about letting my animals out. Or what if one just got away from me while feeding or something? And then there are my parents! :8o
(I go to Washington College, btw)

Also, about where to find these guys.... anyone have some to spare?

 

[Widowman10]

Widows do seem to be the best option but.... is there a second best? Its one thing for me to be keeping tarantulas and scorpions, which cant really hurt anyone, but keeping widows sounds like a little too much responsibility. I have a roomate, and on more than one occasion has he or his friends come back a little intoxicated and 'joked' about letting my animals out. Or what if one just got away from me while feeding or something? And then there are my parents! :8o
(I go to Washington College, btw)

the thing with widows is that once they make their webs/homes, they hardly ever go anywhere else. they would much rather stay put in their web than to run around the floor or get out of their cage. none of mine want to get out. widows require so little care it's ridiculous. a good cricket once every few weeks and that's it. many of my widow cages have (for ease and "safety" of feeding) a little hole, or door at the bottom (away from the widow) that i can just slip the food in. the widow finds it pretty quickly. all that to say, they are really not that much responsibility, heck i would get a widow before a T living in a dorm and all with friends... too much more to worry about with a T. and besides, they need to not be stupid when they get drunk- if they would let out any T, scorp, or widow, i think they would be sorry...

Also, about where to find these guys.... anyone have some to spare?

they are everywhere. plus, people always have them for sale...

 

[David_F]

Widows do seem to be the best option but.... is there a second best?

Yep. Loxosceles spp. Easy to care for and safe to keep with a bit of common sense.

Also, about where to find these guys....

Like Widowman10 said, you should be able to find some pretty interesting spiders around you. Guess it might be a bit late in the year, though I did find a nice little jumping spider in my bedroom last night. When spring rolls around you should be able to get your hands on a lot of cool spiders. Latrodectus variolus is supposed to range all the way to Canada so you could find those; Steatoda spp. and Parasteatoda (formerly Achaearanea) tepidariorum are just about everywhere I think. Lots of other things to find though (lycosids, agelenids, pisaurids....)...just depends on what interests you.

If you're looking for spiders now, you should be able to find them through different dealers. Tarantulaspiders.com, gherp.com, spiderpharm.com...probably more. I know I've seen nice, not-so-common spiders at those places. Saw some Steatoda paykulliana in the classifieds, too.

They're out there. Good luck.

 

[Widowman10]

Yep. Loxosceles spp. Easy to care for and safe to keep with a bit of common sense.

haha, love it

Like Widowman10 said, you should be able to find some pretty interesting spiders around you. Guess it might be a bit late in the year.

actually, i just found a huge female 2 days ago. and it's been snowing for a week now and yes, she was "outside" (by outside, i mean in a garage that is about 40 degrees F), they might be kinda cold, but a little time in some warm air perks them right up

if you look hard enough for them, you will find them!

 

[Venom]

Honestly, Gambite, I wouldn't recommend a widow spider for anyone without plenty of experience in dealing with true spiders. If all you want is an enjoyable, nice-looking true spider, there really are better options.

As has been said, Theridiidae ( of which Latrodectus is one ) really aren't that active. They literally just "hang around." If you want a more interesting pet, I'd recommend a wolf spider. They are large--anywhere from 1 - 4 inches, have huge appetites, and CAN be held, with some caution. Plus, feeding them is really fun--they POUNCE on prey, and will even chase prey items down if they run. I had a Rabidosa punctulata that was just psycho-voracious. Arctosa are even crazier! Wolf spiders will either stay in the open, hide in /under a retreat ( like a piece of curled bark ) or dig, depending on the species. All are hungry monsters ( there's a reason they're called "wolf spiders" ). A species of Hogna, Rabidosa, or Lycosa would be great for you. They are cheap if you want to buy online ( check gherp.com ), and found everywhere if you want to catch some. I can give you tips on where to find / catch some, if you'd like.

And as really is important for beginners: they are all harmless.


Other interesting spiders to consider would be the:

nursery web spiders ( Pisaurina ),

fishing spiders ( Dolomedes, which don't actually require water to hunt--they can be kept pretty much like wolfspiders )

hackled-mesh weavers ( Amaurobius, Callobius ),

grass spiders ( Agelenopsis ),

funnel weavers ( Tegenaria ),



I can give you advice on any of these, if you wish.

 

[Widowman10]

therids and wolfs are very different, both very exciting! venom gave some good suggestions. if you don't want a web builder like a cobweb, i would definitely go with a dolomedes or a hogna something-or-other. anything from those groups are simply amazing. but IMHO, still can't beat widows ;P