Curious about buying and keeping Madagascar Golden Silk Orb Weavers

[GoldenOrbGirl8]

Hello everyone!

I am currently a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana, and will not be back in the US until June 2014. When I first moved here, I discovered a female and male Madagascar Golden Silk Orb weaver spider in my backyard and fell madly in love. I thoroughly enjoyed observing them before and after work. I even made a small bracelet out of some of the impressive golden silk from the web! (But I didn't collect nearly enough silk to make an impressive bracelet as I didn't want to destroy their home.) Sadly, I haven't seen any more golden orb weavers since.

Anyway, my question is...does anyone know if it is possible to purchase Madagascar Golden Silk Orb Weavers in the US? When I come home I'd really like to rear that type of spider as a hobby, both because it is my favorite spider and also because I'd like to collect more of its golden silk. I'd have a lot to learn about keeping them, as the only spider I've ever kept as a pet was a lazy Chilean Rose Haired Tarantula (the lovely 8-legged therapist who turned me from an arachnophobe to an arachno-admirer!) Anyway, any advice would be great! Thanks! - Chelsea

Here's a photo I took of the ones that lived in my backyard here in Botswana (see how tiny the male is?) -

 

[jecraque]

I've seen some shops that have Nephila seasonally, but you'd be hard pressed to find one at this time of year. If you're really enamored with the Madagascan species (subspecies?) you might have a harder time. If you're open to any from that genus, you should have no trouble at all.

The difficulty people usually run into is lack of adequate habitat--if it's non-native, you certainly can't keep it in your backyard, but they're tough to keep indoors because you can't just stick them in a Mason jar with a leaf and a twig. If you're crafty, you could build your own frame for them, or just keep them "free-range" in a room. I've had a few Argiope that way.

 

[Cydaea]

I knew a guy once who kept several nephila ' free range' in his home. They would just have a web in a large plant or between a bookshelf and the wall, and as long as they're well fed and the web stays intact they stay put.
I kind of want a nephila but unfortunatley it would soon become a cat-snack.

 

[Gilberator]

Wow.....a free range orb weaver. I honestly would have to keep checking on it to make sure it is there at night haha! Hope you can figure something out but count me out!

 

[Moonfall]

With my weaver I used a large enclosure with lots of anchors for webbing and she did really well.

Free range would be neat too but my cats would eat it.

 

[jecraque]

Goodness, do you people not have a spider room yet that is off-limits to cats? lol... get with the program!

 

[Moonfall]

I have a rodent room..but there are no doors to it. xD I keep most of my animals down there, rats, mice, frog, widow... only a few get privilege of living with me upstairs. Right now it is my T, my little dog (of course) and my ferrets. My bird is here a lot too but lately has shown preference to the higher activity level downstairs so he is down there at the moment.

 

[McGuiverstein]

Free range would be neat too but my cats would eat it.

Haha I'm in the same boat. Stupid cat eats everything. Then subsequently throws up all over the house. I've given up on decorative plants..

P.S. Interesting thing about how this particular animal throws up: It scares him. So he proceeds to run backwards away from his vomit.. as he's throwing up.. Thereby creating a nice segmented line of vomit throughout the room. Sorry, you probably didn't want to be so intimately familiar with my cat's vomiting habits..

 

[Rebecca74]

That web is like the finest spun gold. Just beautiful!