Cellar spider enclosure idea

[CladeArthropoda]

Say we get a good sized tank, several gallons idk. But instead of a natural environment, we make it look like a little living room. The substrate can be either carpet or hard tile, and there will be little replica furniture like chairs, table, couch, lamp, etc. And you can just collect random cellar spiders from your house and put them in here, they will get comfortable. If there is carpet inside, perhaps you could even allow a population of carpeet beetles in there, both to make it more likely and as extra food for the cellar spider(s).

What do you guys think?

 

[Tbone192]

I personally like the idea. I currently have a Philodromus.vulgaris but its enclosure is set up like a garden, with fake plants. I'd like to see how living room set like that turns out. Keep this post updated if you end up setting this up.
Remember to be ethical and follow lawful guidelines in your region when collecting specimens. Happy hunting!

 

[CladeArthropoda]

I personally like the idea. I currently have a Philodromus.vulgaris but its enclosure is set up like a garden, with fake plants. I'd like to see how living room set like that turns out. Keep this post updated if you end up setting this up.
Remember to be ethical and follow lawful guidelines in your region when collecting specimens. Happy hunting!

Well, considering cellar spiders are cosmopolitan and already live in everyone's houses, it should be no problem. If that's not legal and ethnical, I don't know what is!

 

[Tbone192]

Well, considering cellar spiders are cosmopolitan and already live in everyone's houses, it should be no problem. If that's not legal and ethnical, I don't know what is!

I don't think you'll have any issues collecting cellar spiders, especially in your own home. Just try to ID a genus if not a species.
A) makes it way easier to care for, as you have good sense what it is.
B) prevents the collection of medically significant or at risk species.
C) it can be very interesting to learn about a new genus/species
Take care and keep us updated on the cool project.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

That's hilarious, & along the same lines of a concept tank I had years ago, fixing up this shack I bought...but mine was going to be that old wood shingle as a background, with an old plywood eve & rusty gutters as a lid; my goodness, the wildlife that inhabited that stellar "investment" was astounding. Bats, snakes (in the attic, no joke), mice, rats, moles & voles, & just about every species of spider extant in NY occupied that joint by the square inch; that place provided a happier home for wildlife than it ever did for its human inhabitants, that's for damn sure...

DO IT, I'll bet it'd be one of the most eclectic terrarium set-ups ever devised...

 

[Williama918]

This is an awesome idea. You could depending on tank size cut a dollhouse. To use as external display around the tank. The furniture that comes with the house could be used inside. Would be a really cool set up.

 

[Charliemum]

@The Snark you taught me about cellar spiders maybe you could help with this?

 

[The Snark]

The Snark you taught me about cellar spiders maybe you could help with this?

Not much I can add that others have mentioned.
But, going by observation: They prefer a humid environment though they will tolerate just about anywhere. They prefer things cooler and tend to move down the walls during the hot season. In other words, cellars are their ideal habitat.
In general, they are second to none in a league all their own of gregarious, inoffensive, adaptable and as hardy as a spider can get. They can go for months just feeding on an occasional gnat or fruit fly. Undisturbed by food or mating they enter a torpor state automatically and may not move for a month or two. Just leave their web undisturbed and they will stay put for year upon year. If food is abundant they will slowly expand their web a little at a time, a thread here and there. They cohabit, and males will attract harems. They never predate each other.
The only down side is they are deadly for other spiders, especially salticids rappelling into their webs or stray cobweb weavers. In their web they are the boss and no other species of spider can cope with them.

Tidbits. No sticky webs. All about wrangling with those super long legs and tying up their prey. Other spiders can't get past those legs and their generous webbing. You can move them about. Remove the edge of a web, just an inch or so every week and they will rebuild on the other side. Patience is a virtue. It took me three months to get one to move out of the dish rack onto an adjacent wall.

Keeping them. You don't really need a top on your enclosure. Once they settle in, make a web, slowly cut the web away from the top and eventually remove it. They usually stay in their web once it's established. Then feeding them, a piece of fruit, say an apple slice, dropped in their tank once a month that attracts gnats or fruit flies. Normal ambient humidity in a house is sufficient but you can spritz a little moisture in every few weeks. And of course, you don't need any furnishings in the enclosure.
Encourage other pholcids into the tank if possible, and they will build adjacent and share some webbing. Might get a harem or two going. Just leave the offspring to their own devices. If they over run the house and drive you bats you have the nuclear option, a vacuum.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

Not much I can add that others have mentioned.
But, going by observation: They prefer a humid environment though they will tolerate just about anywhere. They prefer things cooler and tend to move down the walls during the hot season. In other words, cellars are their ideal habitat.
In general, they are second to none in a league all their own of gregarious, inoffensive, adaptable and as hardy as a spider can get. They can go for months just feeding on an occasional gnat or fruit fly. Undisturbed by food or mating they enter a torpor state automatically and may not move for a month or two. Just leave their web undisturbed and they will stay put for year upon year. If food is abundant they will slowly expand their web a little at a time, a thread here and there. They cohabit, and males will attract harems. They never predate each other.
The only down side is they are deadly for other spiders, especially salticids rappelling into their webs or stray cobweb weavers. In their web they are the boss and no other species of spider can cope with them.

Tidbits. No sticky webs. All about wrangling with those super long legs and tying up their prey. Other spiders can't get past those legs and their generous webbing. You can move them about. Remove the edge of a web, just an inch or so every week and they will rebuild on the other side. Patience is a virtue. It took me three months to get one to move out of the dish rack onto an adjacent wall.

Keeping them. You don't really need a top on your enclosure. Once they settle in, make a web, slowly cut the web away from the top and eventually remove it. They usually stay in their web once it's established. Then feeding them, a piece of fruit, say an apple slice, dropped in their tank once a month that attracts gnats or fruit flies. Normal ambient humidity in a house is sufficient but you can spritz a little moisture in every few weeks. And of course, you don't need any furnishings in the enclosure.
Encourage other pholcids into the tank if possible, and they will build adjacent and share some webbing. Might get a harem or two going. Just leave the offspring to their own devices. If they over run the house and drive you bats you have the nuclear option, a vacuum.

If I have a little piece of carpet lining the bottom of the tank, is it sufficient to establish a population of carpet beetles that can feed the spiders?

 

[gabrieldezzi]

Say we get a good sized tank, several gallons idk. But instead of a natural environment, we make it look like a little living room. The substrate can be either carpet or hard tile, and there will be little replica furniture like chairs, table, couch, lamp, etc. And you can just collect random cellar spiders from your house and put them in here, they will get comfortable. If there is carpet inside, perhaps you could even allow a population of carpeet beetles in there, both to make it more likely and as extra food for the cellar spider(s).

What do you guys think?

honestly, i love the idea, i’d say run with it!!

 

[ArynAlba]

Say we get a good sized tank, several gallons idk. But instead of a natural environment, we make it look like a little living room. The substrate can be either carpet or hard tile, and there will be little replica furniture like chairs, table, couch, lamp, etc. And you can just collect random cellar spiders from your house and put them in here, they will get comfortable. If there is carpet inside, perhaps you could even allow a population of carpeet beetles in there, both to make it more likely and as extra food for the cellar spider(s).

What do you guys think?

I love this! Such a fun idea--and you can even look up ideas for DIY mini furniture by looking for doll's house DIYs or even jumping spider enclosure ones. I've seen some jumping spider owners making little cat-themed enclosures (with mini cat trees and the like) for their jumpers. I love that the mini replica furniture would even have a secondary effect of making the cellar spider look enormous, haha.

 

[The Snark]

If I have a little piece of carpet lining the bottom of the tank, is it sufficient to establish a population of carpet beetles that can feed the spiders?

No idea. But if the prey doesn't enter their webs and is easily able to be wrangled they will ignore them. All the carpet would do otherwise is collect poop and other filth. That might not be a bad thing. Sort of like being able to instantly change out your substrate when it gets stinky and grubby.
You can always reach into a pholcid web as long as it doesn't get severely damaged and they will just build it back. Just move real slowly so they don't panic and drop out of the web. They will just retreat to a corner of the web and wait it out.

 

[Charliemum]

No idea. But if the prey doesn't enter their webs and is easily able to be wrangled they will ignore them. All the carpet would do otherwise is collect poop and other filth. That might not be a bad thing. Sort of like being able to instantly change out your substrate when it gets stinky and grubby.
You can always reach into a pholcid web as long as it doesn't get severely damaged and they will just build it back. Just move real slowly so they don't panic and drop out of the web. They will just retreat to a corner of the web and wait it out.

Thank you Snark I knew you were the right person to tag on this thread your always much better at explaining things then me .
To the op I can't wait to see what you do with your viv , I hope you keep us updated on it, the spiders and what you eventually decided to do for their food

 

[The Snark]

I hope you keep us updated on it, the spiders

I'll second that, and don't forget pictures!

 

[CladeArthropoda]

No idea. But if the prey doesn't enter their webs and is easily able to be wrangled they will ignore them. All the carpet would do otherwise is collect poop and other filth. That might not be a bad thing. Sort of like being able to instantly change out your substrate when it gets stinky and grubby.
You can always reach into a pholcid web as long as it doesn't get severely damaged and they will just build it back. Just move real slowly so they don't panic and drop out of the web. They will just retreat to a corner of the web and wait it out.

Carpet beetles can fly, so they will end up in the webs. Also, how large of prey can cellar spiders take down anyway?

 

[Charliemum]

Carpet beetles can fly, so they will end up in the webs. Also, how large of prey can cellar spiders take down anyway?

They take down house spiders I know that, found more then one big male in the webs the past couple of months, they will take large meal worms too, I have a couple of females I like to feed occasionally, they will take them straight from my tongs np, suppose it depends on the size of the spider though, as adults will take most things down, tiny slings aren't as brave.

 

[The Snark]

Carpet beetles can fly, so they will end up in the webs. Also, how large of prey can cellar spiders take down anyway?

I agree with @Charliemum . Pholcids have trouble capturing small maneuverable prey like mosquitoes. So a little larger and clumsier the better. They seem quite capable of wrapping therididae of just about any size.

 

[CladeArthropoda]

They take down house spiders I know that, found more then one big male in the webs the past couple of months, they will take large meal worms too, I have a couple of females I like to feed occasionally, they will take them straight from my tongs np, suppose it depends on the size of the spider though, as adults will take most things down, tiny slings aren't as brave.

Are silverfish good prey?

 

[Charliemum]

Are silverfish good prey?

I honestly couldn't say I have never used silverfish as pray so I have no idea if they would work, sorry.
Can I ask why so determined on an alternative food supply instead of the usual worms flys or crickets?

 

[CladeArthropoda]

I honestly couldn't say I have never used silverfish as pray so I have no idea if they would work, sorry.
Can I ask why so determined on an alternative food supply instead of the usual worms flys or crickets?

I want keep up with the household theme. Also I want free feeders.