Best Beginner 'True' Spider?

[Sluggo]

I ordered a Kukulcania from Bugs in Cyberspace! I believe it'll be shipping out on Monday! I'm so excited!

 

[Ungoliant]

I'm most interested in spiders that sit in wait in their webs, but I have come to realize that choices in that category are typically narrowed down to Orb Weavers which I know most people have a very hard time keeping. I kept a False Black Widow (Steatoda grossa) for nearly half a year before she finally kicked the bucket, and I really enjoyed our time together, especially watching her maintain her web!!

The easiest web-dwelling spiders to keep are:

• Kukulcania
• Theridiidae, such as Parasteatoda, Steatoda, and Latrodectus
• Agelenidae (funnel weavers, grass spiders, etc.)

I would not recommend orbweavers to new keepers, as they need a lot of space and don't always thrive in captivity.

I'm also interested in terrestrial spiders who hunt for their own food as opposed to waiting for something to walk by!

Consider jumping spiders (Salticidae) or wolf spiders (Lycosidae).

Right now I even have a fishing spider (Dolomedes triton) that was found as a stowaway.

 

[pannaking22]

I went outside and found about a million grass spiders - are they worth keeping at all?

If they interest you then they're definitely worth keeping. Personally they don't interest me so I haven't tried. But I think as long as you give them lots of areas to attach webbing too they'll probably be content enough.

That said, nothing wrong with starting off with a Kuk! Fantastic genus.

 

[Towerchick]

Oh that's very good to know! I have a large glass jar that I kept my Steatoda grossa in by laying the jar on its side (The metal lid has tons of air holes poked in it and it's larger than a regular mason jar, so it provides plenty of room!)

I'm going to go on another spider hunt today, so hopefully I'll find something interesting! I'll keep everyone posted with what I find (if I find anything!)

Sluggo- have you had success with keeping spiders in glass jars? I've found that they have a hard time crawling up the walls.

On a side note, I know that you said cellar spiders creep you out, but I think they're actually one of the most enjoyable spiders to keep. Super simple and watching them take down their prey is really cool. I actually just had one of mine that I caught a few weeks ago (she started to look gravid a few days after I caught her) lay her eggs tonight!

 

[Sluggo]

Sluggo- have you had success with keeping spiders in glass jars? I've found that they have a hard time crawling up the walls.

On a side note, I know that you said cellar spiders creep you out, but I think they're actually one of the most enjoyable spiders to keep. Super simple and watching them take down their prey is really cool. I actually just had one of mine that I caught a few weeks ago (she started to look gravid a few days after I caught her) lay her eggs tonight!

That's very cool!
And yes I have had good luck! I usually line a good area of the sides with various sticks and sheets of bark so the spider can adequately climb and then I leave one side totally open so I can look in on them! If you tip the jar on its side, theres less of a chance of the spider attaching its webbing to the actual lid although this required that I build my own stand for it so it didn't roll all over the place!

 

[cardboardghost]

I just found a black widow with an egg sac outside in my yard. I put her and the sac in a plastic deli cup with some tiny holes punched in the lid for ventilation. I don't have any interest in keeping the spider or the egg sac and I'd prefer to not have to dispose of them. Would anyone be interested in taking them off my hands? Completely free --just pay for the shipping. I live in the Delmarva area (Mid-Atlantic region) of the United States.

 

[BenLeeKing]

Oh come on, not one person has mentioned a jumping spider yet?
Phidippus audax & Phidippus regius are regularly available, and are very easy yo keep.

 

[Wayfarin]

Yeah I'm avoiding things that are dangerous like Black Widows and Brown Recluse, even though they're native to my area and admittedly very cool. (Connecticut, USA)
I know that there are lots of wolf spiders in my area, albeit, most of them are smaller species and I'm not very confident in feeding tiny spiders! My False Black Widow was even a struggle for me.

Do you know if you could feed isopods to spiders? I've been thinking of adding some to a small terrarium that I have.

Hognas are around here and a really nice size, but they're so hard to find and rare, I wouldn't bet on finding one. Is the best time for wolf spider hunting at night?
I went around today to look for some hiding under bark and such in my yard, but only found slugs, flatworms, and teensy spiders.
I'm going to go back out tomorrow to see what I can find - The only kinds of spiders I'm not keen on keeping are cellar spiders - they give me the heebie jeebies!

It's a shame that you don't like cellar spiders, since THEY ARE the best beginner spiders.
They are not dangerous, and they do eat isopods, in addition to practically any invertebrate you feed them. Not all spiders are that unfussy.
They won't hospitalize you like black widows can or even bite you 99% of the time. Most of them can't bite.
You usually don't have to look for them to find them. You probably have some pet cellar spiders already that you didn't ask for.

Oh come on, not one person has mentioned a jumping spider yet?
Phidippus audax & Phidippus regius are regularly available, and are very easy to keep.

Not mentioning all of the wild jumping spiders that are easy to find and collect. I lived in Connecticut, and there are a ton of jumping spiders, often showing up inside the house on the walls. I live in New Hampshire now, and there are still a ton of jumping spiders. There are so many jumping spiders here that I could probably find a male and a female of the same species and breed them!

Good to know! I think I'm going to hunt around for somewhere to snag a Kukulcania or Black Widow! (or if I find another Steatoda Grossa, I'd happily keep one of them again!)

I regret not being able to comment sooner, but I personally do NOT suggest the black widow as a beginner spider! Potentially dangerous spiders comprise less than 1% of Connecticut spiders, and since a vast array of harmless species are more easily encountered, choosing to keep a highly venomous species is needless.
Even if you are only mildly allergic to venom, anyone with a compromised immune system should not keep a dangerous spider as a "beginner" spider. On the contrary, black widows are the opposite of a "beginner" species. A "beginner" species is a spider that can escape and bite you, or someone you love, if you make a mistake. Male black widows, of course, aren't that dangerous, but who keeps male black widows at pets?
Even ordinary spiders can harm people who are sensitive to venom. But any spider is better than a black widow, except maybe a brown recluse.
I know you don't like cellar spiders, but they are probably the most harmless and best beginner species. American house spiders, related to black widows, are another good choice, and aren't likely to kill anyone who isn't a small invertebrate stuck in a web.
Kukulcania are not particularly dangerous, but are extremely rare, if present at all, in Connecticut.

 

[CRX]

This thread is 2 years old bro.

 

[Biollantefan54]

I regret not being able to comment sooner, but I personally do NOT suggest the black widow as a beginner spider! Potentially dangerous spiders comprise less than 1% of Connecticut spiders, and since a vast array of harmless species are more easily encountered, choosing to keep a highly venomous species is needless.
Even if you are only mildly allergic to venom, anyone with a compromised immune system should not keep a dangerous spider as a "beginner" spider. On the contrary, black widows are the opposite of a "beginner" species. A "beginner" species is a spider that can escape and bite you, or someone you love, if you make a mistake. Male black widows, of course, aren't that dangerous, but who keeps male black widows at pets?
Even ordinary spiders can harm people who are sensitive to venom. But any spider is better than a black widow, except maybe a brown recluse.
I know you don't like cellar spiders, but they are probably the most harmless and best beginner species. American house spiders, related to black widows, are another good choice, and aren't likely to kill anyone who isn't a small invertebrate stuck in a web.
Kukulcania are not particularly dangerous, but are extremely rare, if present at all, in Connecticut.

This is an old thread but I think care wise, a black widow is about as easy as they come. Care wise, it’s a beginner spider, but venom wise, there are other options. Widow spiders have a extremely strong venom which makes feeding very easy as prey doesn’t escape easily. But yeah, old thread

 

[Wayfarin]

This thread is 2 years old bro.

Unfortunately, I didn't have an Arachnoboards account then. But at least other people reading this thread can hear about my suggestion.
Black widows are certainly undemanding spiders. They just aren't beginner-friendly due to their venom. For beginner-friendly venom, almost any other species would be a better option.