caring for a dark fishing spider?

[JonIverson]

Had a reasonably sized one hanging out around the base of my shed. Tried for three nights for a capture and it would just scoot under the shed, but I got smarter last night and used a different container. Success. Is it possible to keep these and what to feed them? So far, I have it in a small food container. I placed a cricket in there today, but no interest taken so far. I know they normally go for fish and such, but no ponds, lakes, or streams anywhere near my shed, in fact it has been quite dry for the last couple of months. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[darkness975]

Had a reasonably sized one hanging out around the base of my shed. Tried for three nights for a capture and it would just scoot under the shed, but I got smarter last night and used a different container. Success. Is it possible to keep these and what to feed them? So far, I have it in a small food container. I placed a cricket in there today, but no interest taken so far. I know they normally go for fish and such, but no ponds, lakes, or streams anywhere near my shed, in fact it has been quite dry for the last couple of months. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Is it male or female ?

The common name "fishing spider" is misleading as they are not exclusively found next to water nor do they feed exclusively on fish. In fact, dolomedes tenebrosus is the least aquatic of the "fishing spiders."

 

[egyptiancrow]

yes you can definitely keep them, but id use a pretty big enclosure since they get big and also like to move around. post some photos, and we can help id it and give you better care tips.

 

[JonIverson]

Attached is an image. To be honest, unlike the simplicity with the black widow, I don't know if this one is male or female. I believe it may have eaten the cricket I placed in the container, but not sure until I remove it later.

 

[darkness975]

You'd definitely need a good size enclosure and a little pond wouldn't hurt. Those larger reptile water dishes work nicely.

 

[JonIverson]

I tried a pond in the form of a spare cat feeding dish, but she/ he never took to it. It usually hung out at the top of the enclosure on the wooden top I made. Finally, this week, I took some quick video of it and let it go around the same area I found it.