DIY enclosure for a Phidippus Audax

[Nomad177six]

I'm just curious what people think about this enclosure i made out of 2 big plastic jars i bought from Wal-Mart that were originally filled with cheese balls. I cut the top off of one and the bottom off of the other and slid them inside each other to make a two story mansion for my little guy. I do know in most cases front opening enclosures are best for jumping spiders because they almost always build their hammocks on the very top.

But my P Audax can't climb the plastic sides to get to the very top, so this is not an issue for me. But i have provided a small little house towards the very top that i am hoping he will use. It has a small branch that curves from its opening all the way down to the bottom. It's made from a small plastic square shaped bottle that i washed out and cut the top off of. It's difficult to see because it's also clear. I have seen him go inside of it a few times so hopefully he wil make it his home. I have also added plenty of ventilation even though it's probably hard to see in these pics.

But anyways he has a ton of space for jumping and climbing and swinging around and he is VERY active now with all of the extra area he has for exploring.

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas that can possibly improve my homemade spooder mansion, fell free to let me know.

Oh yeah and also i have a video on YouTube that is too big for me to upload here and it's only one minute long. In the video my spider is chasing my hand trying to get on but I'm still just a little bit too much arachnophobic to pick him up yet. Anyways in the video he does this funny ducking movement and then drums his pedipalps real fast and I'm curious if anyone knows what those weird actions were all about?

So anyone interested can just get on YouTube and search the title (Jumping spider tries hitching a ride) and watch my video of Jack chasing my hand. My YouTube name is Nomad and it's my only video but i hope to make some more. Thanks to whoever reads all this and Happy Spoodering. Spoodering? Is that a thing?

 

[SpookySpooder]

Spoodering is definitely a thing.

Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

 

[Nomad177six]

Spoodering is definitely a thing.

Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Awesome!! Well I'm very glad to be spoodering. I have never been a fan of most spiders but this little bold jumper and his HUGE personality has stole my heart.

 

[SpookySpooder]

That's cute. I remember when I was a young one, these bold jumpers were what got me into collecting spooders.

I used to collect them near my home off the side of the freeway bridges, where the city plants all their decorative shrubs and bushes.

They definitely have a ton of personality. They're also pretty intelligent and curious. I've had a few that learned to recognize and differentiate between feeding tongs and fingertips.

Oh and they have great eyesight for spiders. They can see you the moment you enter the room.

Anyway I wanna ask:

- Do you plan on adding some substrate? (to hold humidity and add a natural feel for your spider)
- What are you using to provide a source of drinking water?

 

[Nomad177six]

That's cute. I remember when I was a young one, these bold jumpers were what got me into collecting spooders.

I used to collect them near my home off the side of the freeway bridges, where the city plants all their decorative shrubs and bushes.

They definitely have a ton of personality. They're also pretty intelligent and curious. I've had a few that learned to recognize and differentiate between feeding tongs and fingertips.

Oh and they have great eyesight for spiders. They can see you the moment you enter the room.

Anyway I wanna ask:

- Do you plan on adding some substrate? (to hold humidity and add a natural feel for your spider)
- What are you using to provide a source of drinking water?

Yes the amount of personality i see in this one and others in videos is just mind blowing and yes i have been thinking about getting some substrate but i have read that for this species it is optional and as much as i want to make his home as comfortable and natural feeling as i can. I have a small thing holding me back.

The way i have his enclosure slid together works great because it's very light weight and there are humps or like bulges in the plastic jars that kind of lock them in place when i slide them together and it makes a great seal as long as i don't squeeze it at all from the sides. So i just grab it from the top whenever i move it and i worry that substrate might make it just a little too heavy on the bottom half and it may come apart if i forget and grab it from the top.

This is a real easy fix though if i just put a strip of gorilla tape around the outside where the pieces connect but then it interferes with my view. If you're wondering what my reason would be for moving my enclosure, it's because i like to move him over near my sliding glass door each day for a couple hours of natural sunlight. But yes i do want him to have substrate but don't feel its an emergency.

I have learned from this though, and i hate this thought but after he passes away. I will either melt the two pieces together or maybe even just super glue them. I really should have done that to beging with. I plan to perfect this little DIY project though because i love the height and size of this enclosure and i think he does too.

As far as water, i bought a little spray bottle from the dollar store and i mist one side of his enclosure every morning and a little bit on one of the flowers. I have noticed that whatever fabric it is that they are made of holds moisture pretty good. Sometimes when i think of it and if I'm right there i will give a little squirt again in the afternoon too.

Oh and about their eyesight, i know they have good vision but i wasn't real sure how far. Anyways i will look over now and then and he is just sitting on a leaf or a flower and looking directly towards me and i wonder, can he actually see me? Like is he really staring at me right now? Then because it happens so often i'm like yeah he is definitely staring at me. I hope he is thinking nice things while he looks at me. It is somewhat creepy and cute all at once.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Yes. In a lab study, they found these spiders have a vision range of up to 5m. That's a solid 15 feet! It can definitely see you. It's probably wondering what you're doing. Given the chance, it might travel to where you're sitting.

They are quite curious little spooders.

You don't need substrate. These rarely ever patrol the ground level in nature. Substrate just helps hold moisture so you don't need to mist as often.

Some advice for you:

Please do not place the enclosure in direct sunlight. The spider does not need to tan, and the sunlight could potentially cause a greenhouse effect in your enclosure and cook it alive. This species needs light to hunt--but it doesn't need to sunbathe. Just keep the temperature consistent in your room.

Use a water dish. I do not know what your plants are made of, but a lot of fabric plants are dyed and treated. Whether or not it's safe or will leech over time, I don't know. But better to be safe than sorry right? You can keep misting the sides, but I'd consider adding a bottle cap or something as an alternative source of water.

Consider a smaller enclosure!
It looks like you put a lot of work into making yours look nice, but this species does not really need that giant space. A smaller container would allow your spider to find food and water easier. But it isn't necessary in this case, just a suggestion.

Take a look at some other enclosures, you'll see they don't need that much space. However if the extra space doesn't seem to be a problem, don't make it one right?

Here's one example

 

[Nomad177six]

Yes. In a lab study, they found these spiders have a vision range of up to 5m. That's a solid 15 feet! It can definitely see you. It's probably wondering what you're doing. Given the chance, it might travel to where you're sitting.

They are quite curious little spooders.

You don't need substrate. These rarely ever patrol the ground level in nature. Substrate just helps hold moisture so you don't need to mist as often.

Some advice for you:

Please do not place the enclosure in direct sunlight. The spider does not need to tan, and the sunlight could potentially cause a greenhouse effect in your enclosure and cook it alive. This species needs light to hunt--but it doesn't need to sunbathe. Just keep the temperature consistent in your room.

Use a water dish. I do not know what your plants are made of, but a lot of fabric plants are dyed and treated. Whether or not it's safe or will leech over time, I don't know. But better to be safe than sorry right? You can keep misting the sides, but I'd consider adding a bottle cap or something as an alternative source of water.

Consider a smaller enclosure!
It looks like you put a lot of work into making yours look nice, but this species does not really need that giant space. A smaller container would allow your spider to find food and water easier. But it isn't necessary in this case, just a suggestion.

Take a look at some other enclosures, you'll see they don't need that much space. However if the extra space doesn't seem to be a problem, don't make it one right?

Here's one example

Thanks for all the tips and no i most definitely don't put him in direct sunlight. Just next to the window. About the watering and the color dye, that's a very good point that i didn't think about. So yeah i will definitely mist only the side of the enclosure from now on for sure. The water dish idea would just be kind of a pain though and i have also read a lot about accidental drowning.

As for the size of the enclosure. I actually like that it's big and tall and isn't like all of the others. Believe me I've seen them. I have watched countless hours of YouTube spider videos. Is the size of mine necessary? No, but neither is the size of the apartment i live in. I have been locked in a cell before and yeah its livable but i prefer my apartment or a house i can move around in. If he was a tarantula or a trapdoor spider or one that never really moves, then it would surely be useless space but he seems to take advantage of every leaf and flower in there.

Feeding shouldn't be too much of an issue. I have given him a mealworm before with a pair of chopsticks and he took it no problem. So if he can't find or catch his food for some reason. I will either hand feed him or maybe even add in a food dish of some kind i guess But i don't think he will have much problem. It will be fun to watch and find out though.

Oh and about the study they did. Was it the one where they glued the spider inside of a little plastic thing and scraped a tiny hole in the back of its head and inserted a wire and tested the reactions when they put a fly on the screen in front of it? If so, i saw that study and it was a little hard to watch but they did gain some good info from it though. I must have not heard the part about distance i guess, if that's the same study you are referring to.

 

[SpookySpooder]

No, I believe that must have been a different one you saw. Not sure where you found such a gruesome experiment but they have done quite a number of studies on arachnid cognition and vision.

The one I'm referring to is a multiple part study where they had colored houses and stakes, and allowed the spiders to pick a home. They would then wait for the spider to hunt and then move the home somewhere else and leave a differently colored one in it's place. The spiders would almost always recognize the color differences, and leap toward the colored homes they selected which were placed in incrementally increasing distances.

The study concluded that they can see their houses and distinguish the shape and color from at least 10 feet away. Probably like 6-8 years ago when I saw it first. These jumpers are very heavily studied and for good reason. They're pretty cool spiders.

Anyway my advice is just advice. You don't need to follow every bit of it if you don't feel like it. As long as your animal is well taken care of that's all that really matters.

The size of the enclosure and how you choose to provide care is all up to you. I'm not trying to tell you that you're doing it wrong. I'm sure you're doing great.

Where did you read that spiders drown accidentally? For the most part, it's really hard for a spider to drown. Especially in a shallow dish with a lip on it. My jumper uses a water bottle cap that's bigger than his entire body, and I've seen him just sitting in the middle of the dish floating on the water.

 

[Nomad177six]

No, I believe that must have been a different one you saw. Not sure where you found such a gruesome experiment but they have done quite a number of studies on arachnid cognition and vision.

The one I'm referring to is a multiple part study where they had colored houses and stakes, and allowed the spiders to pick a home. They would then wait for the spider to hunt and then move the home somewhere else and leave a differently colored one in it's place. The spiders would almost always recognize the color differences, and leap toward the colored homes they selected which were placed in incrementally increasing distances.

The study concluded that they can see their houses and distinguish the shape and color from at least 10 feet away. Probably like 6-8 years ago when I saw it first. These jumpers are very heavily studied and for good reason. They're pretty cool spiders.

Anyway my advice is just advice. You don't need to follow every bit of it if you don't feel like it. As long as your animal is well taken care of that's all that really matters.

The size of the enclosure and how you choose to provide care is all up to you. I'm not trying to tell you that you're doing it wrong. I'm sure you're doing great.

Where did you read that spiders drown accidentally? For the most part, it's really hard for a spider to drown. Especially in a shallow dish with a lip on it. My jumper uses a water bottle cap that's bigger than his entire body, and I've seen him just sitting in the middle of the dish floating on the water.

That's funny about your spider floating on the water and i don't remember if i read the drowning thing somewhere or if i saw it in a youtube video. I may have actually read it on here somewhere. I have read and watched so much lately that i can't keep track. But yeah i don't use a dish because i was worried about that. Wherever it was they said that spiders breath through the bottom of their abdomen and could drown easily. I don't remember what they are called so for lack of the correct term, i will say the spiders nostrils or openings to their lungs are underneath their abdomen.

Also the gross video i saw of that study was actually on YouTube. That i do remember and it was done with either a P Regius or a P Audax. I don't know which for sure. I just know it looked like my little guy and it was sad to watch. The male regal looks really similar to my male audax so it was one of the two. I would really like to see the study that you mentioned. It sounds really interesting.

Also i appreciate your advice and i don't think you're telling me I'm doing anything wrong. I'm always open to learning more. I am a very new spider owner if you haven't already figured that out. But yeah i really like mine and only want him to be happy and okay.

Honestly I have always been pretty arachnophobic and i use to think the only good spider was a flat one. Because of Jack and so many of the awesome videos i have seen, i am really getting pretty hooked on jumpers. I have always been EXTREMELY fascinated by ALL spiders though, even as somebody with arachnophobia.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Honestly I have always been pretty arachnophobic and i use to think the only good spider was a flat one. Because of Jack and so many of the awesome videos i have seen, i am really getting pretty hooked on jumpers. I have always been EXTREMELY fascinated by ALL spiders though, even as somebody with arachnophobia.

Ouch, not cool bro. RIP to every poor spider who was just trying to get away from your foot.

Anyway, spider won't drown if you decide to leave him a dish to drink from. They breathe through what are called book lungs on the underside of their abdomen, so as long as a spider's abdomen isn't submerged in water it can't drown. They also float, because the little hairs on their body repel the tension of the water surface.

Arachnids are really cool. I hope your experience with this jumper resolves your fear of them.

 

[Nomad177six]

yeah RIP to all of them and yes Jack is really helping a lot with my fears and because of him i do see them differently now. I even almost got myself to hold him but not quite yet. It did make for a cute video though and speaking of videos, i just came across the one i told you about. I was actually hoping to find the one that you mentioned.

But anyways if you're interested in the study they did it's on YouTube and here is the link to the video

if you choose to pass on watching it, i don't blame you but since i came across it again i thought I'd share. Though it is sad and hard to watch, i guess the information they gained is good. I won't be watching it again though that's for sure.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Gross. Sometimes I wonder if the science we do is even necessary, but how else would you learn these things... I GUESS.

Here is some info you might find interesting

The vision study I was talking about was done by NatGeo I think. It's been so long I forgot.

 

[Nomad177six]

Gross. Sometimes I wonder if the science we do is even necessary, but how else would you learn these things... I GUESS.

Here is some info you might find interesting

The vision study I was talking about was done by NatGeo I think. It's been so long I forgot.

Yeah i agree. Not only was it gross gross but it was heartbreaking gross. I don't even want to know what type of things are done in the name of some science... Okay thanks for the info. Maybe i can find it somewhere. I would much rather watch it than the one i shared with you.

Oh and in the process of my search i found another video by those same scientists that showed that jumping spiders can actually hear too. But i won't send that video because in the beginning of it they mention and show the gross part of the first experiment they did. So i ended up seeing that thing again right after i told you i would never watch it again. Talk about crazy huh.

I didn't know that i could post YouTube videos on here before that last one. So since i shared that bad video, I'll leave you this funny one of me running away from my spooder Jack because I'm still too chicken to hold him
https://youtube.com/shorts/BqsbWdpem2Q?feature=share

If you notice in the beginning he ducks and then vibrates or drums his pedipalps. I can't help but wonder what he is trying to say by that.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I know all too well the kind of horrors research laboratories and industrial science have perpetrated. I had to quit my first career that I got a degree for because I could not stomach the ethical ramifications of what that industry does. Look into how they bleed horseshoe crabs for their sweet, sweet blue blood. Or don't, perhaps your life will be more blissful in ignorance.

Instead read the article I linked. They explain a little bit about how they drum and what the signals could mean. No spiders were hurt in the making of this study.

Funny choice of music. I can't stop laughing at how your giant fingers are so afraid of this teensy little spider. Give the spood a ride! He's not throwing up any threat postures! He won't bite ya!

I tried to find that documentary for you, but everything is behind a NatGeo paywall now. Even the articles. I found at least 6 studies done by NatGeo on jumper vision, spatial cognition, color recognition, memory retention.

They really have studied jumpers a lot! Too bad they won't show it to us for free!

 

[Nomad177six]

yeah i laugh at my scared fingers too. It's a hard program to break. Going through all of your life being afraid of them and then trying to convince yourself to let one climb on you is quite the challenge so far. I have gotten a little high five or fist bump from him once though, so that's some kinda progress i guess. I'm not seeing any link or article anywhere that you mentioned.

 

[SpookySpooder]

You quoted it. Go above and click "Here is some info you might find interesting"

You know what you can do as a sort of exposure therapy? Go find a spooder in the Pholcidae genus, they call them Daddy Long Legs or Cellar Spiders. They're large, creepy, fast, but don't bite humans. Grab a couple of those and handle them and see where that takes you.

You can also handcuff yourself to a chair and let the jumper walk all over you, after an hour of freaking out you'll probably get over it.

Just kidding btw, don't do that.

 

[Nomad177six]

You quoted it. Go above and click "Here is some info you might find interesting"

You know what you can do as a sort of exposure therapy? Go find a spooder in the Pholcidae genus, they call them Daddy Long Legs or Cellar Spiders. They're large, creepy, fast, but don't bite humans. Grab a couple of those and handle them and see where that takes you.

You can also handcuff yourself to a chair and let the jumper walk all over you, after an hour of freaking out you'll probably get over it.

Just kidding btw, don't do that.

That hand cuff idea sounds like a good way for me to give myself a heart attack and 10 strokes all at once. The daddy long leg idea might or might not help because it's the one arachnid i used to pick up as a kid and was never afraid of. I don't know what my problem is with spiders. I can pick up ANYTHING but spiders. Snakes, lizards, frogs, mantises, creepy crawlies of any kind. Just not spiders.

I did one time during a night of drinking hold my friends tarantula and even allowed them to let it sit on my head for a picture. Man i must've really had some serious liquid courage that night because there's no other way I'm letting that happen any other time. I have no idea what species it was. All i know is it was big and brown. It had probably a 5 or 6 inch leg span i guess. It was as big or bigger than my palm and i have pretty big hands. It was a really calm and chill tarantula and they also had another one that was smaller and black but they said it's too aggressive to even think about holding.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Whaaaaaaat?

How can you be afraid of a cute little jumper but ok with a giant T on your head?

Glad you didn't freak out and toss the spooder 10ft into the air and killing it. But if you let a giant T sit on your head, drunk or not, I doubt you have a real phobia. Stop being a Tyson chicken nugget about it.

 

[Nomad177six]

Whaaaaaaat?

How can you be afraid of a cute little jumper but ok with a giant T on your head?

Glad you didn't freak out and toss the spooder 10ft into the air and killing it. But if you let a giant T sit on your head, drunk or not, I doubt you have a real phobia. Stop being a Tyson chicken nugget about it.