Cross orb weaver help.

[Swellbow]

Hello, new hear. I've been on this page before looking up info about tarantulas but today I'm looking for info about my Cross orb weaver friend. She moved into my house last August and proceeded to start spinning her web on one of my plants, she's been there ever since and I'm happy to say she's doing great.
I've been feeding her twice a week, either a cricket or a roach but sometimes I wonder if that's too often. I have looked into it on Google pretty extensively but it's hard to find good concrete information about it.
I also have heard overfeeding can effect certain spiders lifespan in a negative way so I worry about that.
So really I'm just looking for info about how often I should feed her. As of lately I have been thinking about switching to once a week which I'm sure is still plenty.
It's, like with watering plants. I worry I will either give her too much or not enough. So any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[magouilles]

there are no specific answers for your question because you shouldn't follow a strict feeding schedule
the right way to go is to look at your spider's abdomen size
a healthy spider should have an abdomen 1.5-2x larger than it's carapace for tarantulas but for some true spider species that have a much smaller carapace like Latrodectus sp. you could go to 3 maybe 4x bigger without issues
feeding a cross orb weaver once a week sounds fine but you should really monitor its abdomen size
if you could join a photo also it would help to assess if it is currently overfed or not

 

[TheraMygale]

true spider species that have a much smaller carapace like Latrodectus sp. you could go to 3 maybe 4x bigger without issues

interesting.

i am glad you mentionned a “bigger” size, because in the wild, these spiders have huge abdomens.

it helps to look at wild photos of these spiders in their elements. Its puts proportion into perspective.

good advice.

captive spiders will always get more food then wild. And the prey we give is usualy well fed too.

 

[Swellbow]

there are no specific answers for your question because you shouldn't follow a strict feeding schedule
the right way to go is to look at your spider's abdomen size
a healthy spider should have an abdomen 1.5-2x larger than it's carapace for tarantulas but for some true spider species that have a much smaller carapace like Latrodectus sp. you could go to 3 maybe 4x bigger without issues
feeding a cross orb weaver once a week sounds fine but you should really monitor its abdomen size
if you could join a photo also it would help to assess if it is currently overfed or not

there are no specific answers for your question because you shouldn't follow a strict feeding schedule
the right way to go is to look at your spider's abdomen size
a healthy spider should have an abdomen 1.5-2x larger than it's carapace for tarantulas but for some true spider species that have a much smaller carapace like Latrodectus sp. you could go to 3 maybe 4x bigger without issues
feeding a cross orb weaver once a week sounds fine but you should really monitor its abdomen size
if you could join a photo also it would help to assess if it is currently overfed or not

I have a video I took last week. Now I'm worried I might be overfeeding her because her abdomen is getting pretty big.
Thanks for the reply, like I said its hard to find good info for about em and I have so many questions, that's why I came here.

 

[magouilles]

I have a video I took last week. Now I'm worried I might be overfeeding her because her abdomen is getting pretty big.
Thanks for the reply, like I said its hard to find good info for about em and I have so many questions, that's why I came here.

that is definitely a very well fed cross orb weaver, just slow down on feeding for some weeks
overfeeding will not reduce its lifespan without an actual cause such as abdomen rupture or impaction, it only leads to higher risks of those things happening so just don't feed it for some time until it gets back to a healthy size and things should be good
good luck

 

[Swellbow]

that is definitely a very well fed cross orb weaver, just slow down on feeding for some weeks
overfeeding will not reduce its lifespan without an actual cause such as abdomen rupture or impaction, it only leads to higher risks of those things happening so just don't feed it for some time until it gets back to a healthy size and things should be good
good luck

Ok, thanks a lot! That's one thing I was worried about, I know some species the more you feed em the more it lessens their lifespan. I switched to bigger prey recently too (roaches) I started with small crickets, then moved onto large, and now I'm onto roaches. I've read that they like more soft bodied prey but she has no problem munchin down the roaches. Hah She usually eats just about the whole thing.
Also I kinda figured if she wasn't hungry that she would just wrap it up and save it for later but I guess that isn't the case?

So should I just not feed her for a couple weeks? And, like I said I was feeding her twice a week up until recently but it did feel, like a fat roach twice a week might be a bit much so I switched to once a week. I swear she gets bigger every time I feed her.

I have read that ones that live in parts of Europe where they don't face harsh winters can live up to two years! So my goal is to have her live as long as her big ole spider butt can. Hah She's about 5 months old now and she def still has some molts left in her.
The last time she molted she did it right there in front of me! Which made me feel super special because the last two times she hid somewhere to molt but not this time, that makes me feel special because I know they will only molt in an area where they feel safe, so the fact that I was able to sit there and watch her entire molting process makes me feel, like she trusts me.
It was definitely awesome to watch too, I have never seen a wild spider, like that molt.
It sure was nerve racking though!!
I had to step away a few times because I was getting so full of anxiety.
I was just super nervous something would go wrong, like she would get stuck or something and then I'd just have a heart attack cuz I'd have no idea what to do or how to help her. But thankfully all went well.
I know she is prob do for another molt too and I almost hope I'm not home to see it happen. It's so stressful! Hah

But yeah, I guess I will skip a few feedings and then go back to once a week.
So my schedule will be one fat roach a week, I also mist her web with water almost every night. I usually give a small test misting at first because I can tell she is thirsty by if she holds her legs out to catch droplets, then if she does that I'll give a few more light sprays.
If I notice she kinda scrunches up after my test misting I won't spray her anymore because from what I have gathered that means she's not thirsty at the moment.

Ohh, one more question you may know the answer to.
As of now I only give her bottled water because I know tap water can kill certain insects and such, I learned that lesson the hard way with a praying mantis buddy I tried to take care of over winter a few years ago.
I didn't learn about the tap water being bad till it was too late.
I cried my damn eyes out for that guy, I named em Terry and he was the best. He lived in my huge spider plant in my room, I didn't have to keep him in a container or anything.....
Ok, sorry, I'm rambling. Hah But do you know if tap water is ok for my orb weaver buddy? It's just sometimes I run out of bottled water and I don't want to give her tap if it's bad for her.

Ok, thanks again, sorry about the rant, I tried some new coffee today and I can tell the caffeine content is pretty high...hah

 

[TheraMygale]

I give tap water to all my tarantulas. And praying mantises.

mantises arent meant to live forever and can be full of parasites if wildcaught.

depends on whats in your water.

if you just have one spider, bottled water wont rack a bill.

but many people have too many to just use bottled water.

for feeding, not sure bigger prey is the way to go. It just prolongs premolt.

 

[magouilles]

Ok, thanks a lot! That's one thing I was worried about, I know some species the more you feed em the more it lessens their lifespan. I switched to bigger prey recently too (roaches) I started with small crickets, then moved onto large, and now I'm onto roaches. I've read that they like more soft bodied prey but she has no problem munchin down the roaches. Hah She usually eats just about the whole thing.
Also I kinda figured if she wasn't hungry that she would just wrap it up and save it for later but I guess that isn't the case?

So should I just not feed her for a couple weeks? And, like I said I was feeding her twice a week up until recently but it did feel, like a fat roach twice a week might be a bit much so I switched to once a week. I swear she gets bigger every time I feed her.

I have read that ones that live in parts of Europe where they don't face harsh winters can live up to two years! So my goal is to have her live as long as her big ole spider butt can. Hah She's about 5 months old now and she def still has some molts left in her.
The last time she molted she did it right there in front of me! Which made me feel super special because the last two times she hid somewhere to molt but not this time, that makes me feel special because I know they will only molt in an area where they feel safe, so the fact that I was able to sit there and watch her entire molting process makes me feel, like she trusts me.
It was definitely awesome to watch too, I have never seen a wild spider, like that molt.
It sure was nerve racking though!!
I had to step away a few times because I was getting so full of anxiety.
I was just super nervous something would go wrong, like she would get stuck or something and then I'd just have a heart attack cuz I'd have no idea what to do or how to help her. But thankfully all went well.
I know she is prob do for another molt too and I almost hope I'm not home to see it happen. It's so stressful! Hah

But yeah, I guess I will skip a few feedings and then go back to once a week.
So my schedule will be one fat roach a week, I also mist her web with water almost every night. I usually give a small test misting at first because I can tell she is thirsty by if she holds her legs out to catch droplets, then if she does that I'll give a few more light sprays.
If I notice she kinda scrunches up after my test misting I won't spray her anymore because from what I have gathered that means she's not thirsty at the moment.

Ohh, one more question you may know the answer to.
As of now I only give her bottled water because I know tap water can kill certain insects and such, I learned that lesson the hard way with a praying mantis buddy I tried to take care of over winter a few years ago.
I didn't learn about the tap water being bad till it was too late.
I cried my damn eyes out for that guy, I named em Terry and he was the best. He lived in my huge spider plant in my room, I didn't have to keep him in a container or anything.....
Ok, sorry, I'm rambling. Hah But do you know if tap water is ok for my orb weaver buddy? It's just sometimes I run out of bottled water and I don't want to give her tap if it's bad for her.

Ok, thanks again, sorry about the rant, I tried some new coffee today and I can tell the caffeine content is pretty high...hah

I second what was said above, I also give tap water to all my tarantulas and true spiders and never had issues
I live in a big city where the tap water is honestly not that great on top of that and it never killed any of my bugs and spiders
You can avoid feeding for a couple weeks easily, spiders are opportunistic eaters and will not stop eating by themselves if not in premolt

 

[Glorfindel]

nice to see an orb weaver making itself at home in the potted plant.
thanks for taking such good care of this very pretty house spider.

 

[Swellbow]

nice to see an orb weaver making itself at home in the potted plant.
thanks for taking such good care of this very pretty house spider.

She blessed me with her presence about 5 months ago and I feel very privileged to have her as my roommate. I'm cool with all my house spiders, I even feed some of the other smaller guys because I always feel bad for them when winter come because I know their food source gets low. I have names for most of them too. Hah My orb weavers name is Tomato, I named her that because at first I wasn't sure how to feed her but as most people know if you leave fruits or vegetables out fruit flies will magically appear. Hah So I put some cherry tomatoes under where her web was and sure enough the flies came, then I would just go poke the tomato with something and the flies would fly up and right into her web. I had an almost 100% success rate. Then I moved to crickets as age got bigger but that's how she got her name.
It's kinda funny because I refer to her as "tomato spider" sometimes and people are, like "what's a tomato spider? I've never heard of that,,?" Hah

 

[Charliemum]

Awwww this is so sweet to see
As ppl have said she's a big girl lol , you can see on your vid where she is struggling to move herself into position as she webs because she's big . That's not a bad thing btw she is clearly adored but I would stop feeding for a little while either that or move bk to much smaller meals till she decreases in size a little, just watch her if she looks a little small offer food if she doesn't don't it's a simple as that with all spiders.
As for water they would usually be outside in rain snow n whatever else is chucked at them over winter, I would not worry about watering her it won't hurt her just a fine mist occasionally should be OK.

It's an amazing thing your doing for Tomatoe, your giving her the best start she could possibly get , just keep at it, she is clearly thriving in your care .

 

[darkness975]

If I give my tap water to my pets they'd be dead in a week from all the heavy metals and chemicals.

When you see them with obese level absomens in the wild don't forget they feed as much as they can and females will be gravid with eggs.

 

[The Snark]

If I give my tap water to my pets they'd be dead in a week from all the heavy metals and chemicals.

Considering the amount of pollutants found everywhere these days, coupled to us being in the middle of farming country where herbicides and pesticides are sprayed by the thousands of gallons, not exagerating... I've just changed the filters on our municipal water supply. 6 high density carbon block filters (chemicals) and 2 ion exchange filters (assorted toxic metals removal). @HooahArmy has given our water system a marginally safe rating.
Whatever happened to the days of my childhood where I could drink ordinary tap water?

 

[darkness975]

Considering the amount of pollutants found everywhere these days, coupled to us being in the middle of farming country where herbicides and pesticides are sprayed by the thousands of gallons, not exagerating... I've just changed the filters on our municipal water supply. 6 high density carbon block filters (chemicals) and 2 ion exchange filters (assorted toxic metals removal). @HooahArmy has given our water system a marginally safe rating.
Whatever happened to the days of my childhood where I could drink ordinary tap water?

The tap water where I am is so toxic I am displeased I have to shower in it.

 

[The Snark]

The tap water where I am is so toxic I am displeased I have to shower in it.

Water filtration is, or can be, quite cheap. If you have a low flow shower head, a carbon block and catalyst filter which will remove most chemicals and toxic metals can cost as little as $50. You may have to replace the cartriges regularly. Around here, both cost less than $15.

 

[darkness975]

Water filtration is, or can be, quite cheap. If you have a low flow shower head, a carbon block and catalyst filter which will remove most chemicals and toxic metals can cost as little as $50. You may have to replace the cartriges regularly. Around here, both cost less than $15.

The company itself is under scrutiny if that is any indication.