House Spiders

[guitarkyle]

So, I've never really kept a true spider before but I really would like to. It's rare I come across an orb weaver or jumping spider near my house, so I decided I want to keep a house spider. Only problem is I really have no idea how to feed them since the webs they usually spin have gaps in them and crickets fall right through (usually). Oh and I've had an extremely bad experience with flightless fruit flies (they were everywhere in my room 'cause they got out) so that's kind of out of the question. Also, any tips on set up? I have a small kritter keeper, not sure if that's a good size or what. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[davisfam]

Well, first of all.. Welcome to the fascinating world of True Spiders. You will never stop learning so be prepared for an overload of fun and beneficial information. It’s tons of fun to keep True’s especially considering the large variety among the group.

As far as feeding, I would stick with basic crickets of different sizes; sizes that comply well with the size of your spider. Be careful with the size difference; feeding a very large cricket to a small spider could risk injury to the spider. For example, larger crickets have been reported of actually “kicking” through the abdomen of smaller attacking spiders in an effort to get away or fight back. Please, be cautious. Also, please remember VARIETY when it comes to feeding your True spider. Since your keeping a spider in captivity, it has become detached from it’s normal eating habits and is now under a controlled environment. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to make sure ALL of your specimens are getting the needed and proper nutrients. No, you can’t give them what ’Mother Nature’ can but by changing up their food from time to time helps tons. For example, try small/medium sized mealworms which are super juicy and VERY easy prey for most all species of spiders. Other meals ideas could include cockroaches, moths, woodlice, or other types of worms. There are many more options, I just don’t feel like listing them all, lol. BTW, don’t worry if the prey falls through the webbing and to the floor of the spider’s ’home’. I promise you that your spider WILL feast whether the spider has to go down to get it or the prey gets caught in the webbing. Heck, our Wolfiie spiders have had to chase some of their prey around their ’homes’ before catching it but this is just how Wolf Spiders hunt; they are ground spiders. This would be a great beginner species and many different species are native to North America so it is pretty likely you’ll find one but if possible, be quick.. Winter season is approaching and spiders will become more scarce. Most spiders eat only living or newly killed food and majority of spiders are not picky about their victim. Although, some spiders have important preferences while some express hunting techniques that make them have a particular kind of kill. For example, many different species of spiders won’t eat woodlice however spiders in the genus Tegenaria (House Spiders) will eat woodlice.

As far as housing goes, always make sure you have a few things before taking on the responsibilities of owning a True spider. First of all, you will need a container preferably made out of glass or plastic, most spiders cannot climb smooth surfaces and as a beginning, this is a characteristic you want. Luckily, House spiders are included in that list. The size needs t0 be wide in length, the height doesn‘t matter considering your spider cannot climb the walls, it’s needs more ground room to explore! For the inside, I would put about an inch or more of substrate that covers the entire floor of the housing unit. Disinfected sticks, large pieces of bark, and other outdoor/natural pieces can be used for décor; just make sure to disinfect to avoid any spread of fungus or bacteria. For water supply, we use the cap to a pop bottle with a cotton ball; set this firmly into housing unit after soaking with water, of course. After all is complete, you MUST HAVE a spray bottle filled with water for misting purposes. This is where the purpose of the substrate comes into play, your spider needs to have a certain amount of moisture in it’s cage to be in a proper environment. Each day, mist the substrate lightly a few times giving it a light wet coat on top and make sure to keep the cotton ball filled with water as well. Don’t over water the spider’s home; if you see that it’s still pretty wet from the day before then just skip the misting process for that day. Well, I think that’s pretty much it from what I can think of at the moment. I hope that helps, Good Luck! :razz:

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/the-general-feeding-habits-of-the-spiders-844335.html