interested in keeping some household spiders; looking for resources and advice

[wilderpup]

Hi there!

I checked for recent threads covering this topic; forgive me if I missed one! But basically, I’m a recovering arachnophobe, and im seriously considering keeping some of the spiders I have in my house in a more formalised way than just sort of tracking where they’re at. (I will probably also keep doing that, but my house has cats, roommates, and dogs, which can be a bit hazardous to any spiders who occasionally hunt in eating or accidental squishing range. Also, my spouse is diabetic and some of these individuals are quite mobile, especially now that it’s getting warmer; in particular, there’s a couple of long-legged sac spiders who occasionally wander into our bedroom, so it might just be better for everyone if they exist somewhere that doesn’t have as much potential for mutually disastrous accidental human contact.)

Anyway, my main problem with doing this is that there’s not a lot of information generally on some of these species, and there’s even less care and keeping guidance available. Most of the useful information I’m finding is threads on this board, and threads are organic so I feel like i might be missing some basics. I also understand that these are pretty simple animals to care for and that the rule of thumb is to emulate the atmospheric conditions and landscape constraints (e.g, providing verticality for climbing species or anchor points for web spinners) of hte spiders’ ideal habitat.

My main two questions are thus:
- does anyone know of any resources (especially textual, my partners have relatively limited capacity for watching spider videos, but I’ll take anything.) This probably includes sources on the information about these spiders generally, esp anything less pest-control oriented

- My main logistical concern is basically feeding, particularly feeding fast-moving and/or ground-hunting species that might be interested in escaping. Are there any feeding techniques or enclosure features or similar that are particularly useful when it comes to managing these species? (And similarly, are there any enclosure features that LOOK like they might be useful but end up being more trouble than they’re worth?) I’ve had some leopard geckos before, including one who was blind and had to be tong-fed her mealworms, so I’m not a complete newbie to things like feeder insects)

I also know that like, decorative objects placed in enclosures can be vectors for illness and mites, so if there’s guidance on choosing and/or sterilizing objects in a way that won’t harm a spider, that would also be appreciated.

Species I’m dealing with are mostly long-legged/yellow sac spiders, false widows, jumpers, and crab spiders. (I’d really like a flower-dwelling crab spider eventually, but i feel that might be a bit advanced for first spider, if i can find one.) If it goes okay, i may eventually try wolf spiders, but those are really probably my limit re: size (and they might be past some of my other limits; i know they’re speedy escape artists, so I might go in a diff direction). I’m really only interested in true spiders rn, particularly ones that can survive in the ambient conditions of my house and that can be reasonably released should i need to move with short notice. I’m also open to suggestions of species that were particularly rewarding or interesting to keep (i know ymmv) or that i should keep an eye out for in my area (I’m in Minnesota, USA).

(Also, I am very aware that these species can become defensive somewhat easily and that they have POTENTIALLY medically-significant venom. I am extremely disinterested in touching spiders or coming in physical contact with them; these are soft-bodied, rupture-prone animals, and several of these species probably cannot perceive me as an entity at all. Physical contact is likely to be very very stressful for them (and me, albeit for different reasons, lol.) I will do what’s necessary to keep them to the best of my ability, and that is part of what’s motivating me to seek y’all’s advice: i want to handle them as little as possible, and— when it is necessary— i want to do what handling is logistically necessary for their care in ways that involve as little stress for all of us as possible. (Advice in that direction is also very appreciated.)

Mostly, my interest in keeping them is that I like to look at and watch these spiders, maybe draw them; I have plenty of mammals around to meet my contact needs. It just brings me great (and kind of surprising) joy to like, know where they’re at and know that they’re relatively healthy, so i don’t want to just blanket put them all outside when i find them, but it would also probably be a good idea to mitigate some potential hazards associated with human proximity for all parties involved, lol.

 

[wilderpup]

Bonus; a couple of pics. The jumper found its way back outside again on its own fairly quickly; the sac spider is an individual who has been hanging around since the winter; the false widow unfortunately got eaten by one of the cats, which is part of what’s motivating me in this direction lol.

 

[katamari]

I'm probably biased here, but I think jumpers are a great place to start. They're very cute, curious, intelligent, non-aggressive, active, visible, create fascinating web structures, very tolerant to being handled, hardy and some ospecies have already adapted to life in close proximity to humans. They have excellent vision and when you observe them, they will frequently turn to observe you right back. In my experience they are also the spider that tends to win over arachnophobes (including my partner - a lifelong arachnophobe until recently).

I'll stop pouring over jumpers, but theres just so, so much cool stuff about these guys.

If you're just getting started you might also be interested in checking out the YouTube series "These are the Spiders in Your House" by Travis McEnery, which goes into great detail about common spiders in North America.

 

[wilderpup]

I'm probably biased here, but I think jumpers are a great place to start. They're very cute, curious, intelligent, non-aggressive, active, visible, create fascinating web structures, very tolerant to being handled, hardy and some ospecies have already adapted to life in close proximity to humans. They have excellent vision and when you observe them, they will frequently turn to observe you right back. In my experience they are also the spider that tends to win over arachnophobes (including my partner - a lifelong arachnophobe until recently).

I'll stop pouring over jumpers, but theres just so, so much cool stuff about these guys.

If you're just getting started you might also be interested in checking out the YouTube series "These are the Spiders in Your House" by Travis McEnery, which goes into great detail about common spiders in North America.

Thank you for response!

Jumpers are pretty high on my list; for them, I'm mostly waiting to find a brilliant or a zebra jumper. That should only be a matter of time, tho, now that it's warming up. I'm also a little less worried about keeping them; I've got some friends who've kept them, and there are caresheets and similar resources around. :3 Though the less commonly kept species also interest me, so if their care varies significantly that's definitely information i'm going to try to track down.

I LOVE McEnery's videos; he's probably the main reason I've been able to turn my arachnophobia around at all. I really appreciate his citation practices and how freely he makes his resources available! his are the videos with which i am testing my partners' spider patience lmao.

Glad to know i'm thinking in some decent directions!

 

[goofyGoober99]

I was going to recommend McEnery's videos as well

Keeping spiders you find in your house is great because you don't really need to worry about temperature or humidity lol. It's also very fun to learn about your local species.

So far I've kept a Cheiracanthium inclusum, a bunch of Parasteatoda tepideriorum, a Salticus scenicus, some Pholcus phalangioides (I wanted the ones in my house to survive the winter lol), and an Eratigena agrestis (could have been a different species but idk).

There's a lot to say for every type of spider you mentioned but the most basic stuff is to figure out how the spider lives in the wild (do they live primarily on the ground, do they prefer to be higher up etc) and their basic behaviour (do they build a web and sit in it and wait for prey, are they active hunters etc).
From there you can get a good idea of what shape/size the enclosure should be.

All spiders need water in some way or another so you need to figure out if a water dish or spraying some drops on the side of the enclosure/webbing works better.

For food you just need to consider the size difference between the prey and the spider. Most spiders (with the exception of jumpers) won't usually go for prey that's bigger than them.
Captive bred food is usually better since you never know what wild insects have come in contact with.

 

[wilderpup]

I was going to recommend McEnery's videos as well

Keeping spiders you find in your house is great because you don't really need to worry about temperature or humidity lol. It's also very fun to learn about your local species.

So far I've kept a Cheiracanthium inclusum, a bunch of Parasteatoda tepideriorum, a Salticus scenicus, some Pholcus phalangioides (I wanted the ones in my house to survive the winter lol), and an Eratigena agrestis (could have been a different species but idk).

There's a lot to say for every type of spider you mentioned but the most basic stuff is to figure out how the spider lives in the wild (do they live primarily on the ground, do they prefer to be higher up etc) and their basic behaviour (do they build a web and sit in it and wait for prey, are they active hunters etc).
From there you can get a good idea of what shape/size the enclosure should be.

All spiders need water in some way or another so you need to figure out if a water dish or spraying some drops on the side of the enclosure/webbing works better.

For food you just need to consider the size difference between the prey and the spider. Most spiders (with the exception of jumpers) won't usually go for prey that's bigger than them.
Captive bred food is usually better since you never know what wild insects have come in contact with.

Thank you! Extremely pragmatic advice, exactly what I need rn, I really appreciate it!

the biggest specimen was wandering close to where I don’t want (probably-)her to be today, so I went and caught her; I guess I’ll be putting together a little enclosure and reading everything on how to transfer a fast-moving little guy who can walk up the walls of her temp container. No threat displays until after she’d been captured and carried for a bit, and I think that probably has a lot to do with the fact that her enclosure was getting moved around a lot (fair!). There are holes in the temporary enclosure for air; most in th lid and then some on the sides

I thought she’d eaten the two other individuals that were near-ish to where she was hanging out, but one of them emerged once she was captured (same species, likely, but they were both much smaller than her).

Attaching pics, incl some I may draw later

 

[The Snark]

Try Pholcids. No need to have a terrarium. Just turn them loose in the house. Harmless decorations and cohabitants.

 

[TheraMygale]

the only household spiders for me, are jumpers. However, i only catch them outdoors. I like our local orb weavers, garden spiders and wolf spiders.

you replicate how you find them. Thats the easiest way to keep them.

when you pic what you want, then its easier to search the board. There are many keepers here, who keep household spiders.

 

[Motherofspiders112707]

I'm probably biased here, but I think jumpers are a great place to start. They're very cute, curious, intelligent, non-aggressive, active, visible, create fascinating web structures, very tolerant to being handled, hardy and some ospecies have already adapted to life in close proximity to humans. They have excellent vision and when you observe them, they will frequently turn to observe you right back. In my experience they are also the spider that tends to win over arachnophobes (including my partner - a lifelong arachnophobe until recently).

I'll stop pouring over jumpers, but theres just so, so much cool stuff about these guys.

If you're just getting started you might also be interested in checking out the YouTube series "These are the Spiders in Your House" by Travis McEnery, which goes into great detail about common spiders in North America.

I second this notion. Jumpers were my gateway into the hobby and I was so good at taking care of them that my mom caved and got me a tarantula. Besides the T’s, jumpers are one of my favorite spiders. I have to have at least one in my collection because they’re such sweeties.

I don’t have any experience with false widows as all the ones I found were too small for my liking, but I did have one living under my spooder shelf until I tried moving it and accidentally killed it. It’s a wet specimen now I do have a black widow though and he was probably my luckiest find yet. He’s fairly docile in nature, never had any issues with him. Im not nearly as concerned as I used to be when misting him because he runs away from the hatch when I open it, so I think a false widow would be the same.

I recommend trying to find a wolf spider! They’re fast and feisty but just as cute

 

[darkness975]

Hi there!

I checked for recent threads covering this topic; forgive me if I missed one! But basically, I’m a recovering arachnophobe, and im seriously considering keeping some of the spiders I have in my house in a more formalised way than just sort of tracking where they’re at. (I will probably also keep doing that, but my house has cats, roommates, and dogs, which can be a bit hazardous to any spiders who occasionally hunt in eating or accidental squishing range. Also, my spouse is diabetic and some of these individuals are quite mobile, especially now that it’s getting warmer; in particular, there’s a couple of long-legged sac spiders who occasionally wander into our bedroom, so it might just be better for everyone if they exist somewhere that doesn’t have as much potential for mutually disastrous accidental human contact.)

Anyway, my main problem with doing this is that there’s not a lot of information generally on some of these species, and there’s even less care and keeping guidance available. Most of the useful information I’m finding is threads on this board, and threads are organic so I feel like i might be missing some basics. I also understand that these are pretty simple animals to care for and that the rule of thumb is to emulate the atmospheric conditions and landscape constraints (e.g, providing verticality for climbing species or anchor points for web spinners) of hte spiders’ ideal habitat.

My main two questions are thus:
- does anyone know of any resources (especially textual, my partners have relatively limited capacity for watching spider videos, but I’ll take anything.) This probably includes sources on the information about these spiders generally, esp anything less pest-control oriented

- My main logistical concern is basically feeding, particularly feeding fast-moving and/or ground-hunting species that might be interested in escaping. Are there any feeding techniques or enclosure features or similar that are particularly useful when it comes to managing these species? (And similarly, are there any enclosure features that LOOK like they might be useful but end up being more trouble than they’re worth?) I’ve had some leopard geckos before, including one who was blind and had to be tong-fed her mealworms, so I’m not a complete newbie to things like feeder insects)

I also know that like, decorative objects placed in enclosures can be vectors for illness and mites, so if there’s guidance on choosing and/or sterilizing objects in a way that won’t harm a spider, that would also be appreciated.

Species I’m dealing with are mostly long-legged/yellow sac spiders, false widows, jumpers, and crab spiders. (I’d really like a flower-dwelling crab spider eventually, but i feel that might be a bit advanced for first spider, if i can find one.) If it goes okay, i may eventually try wolf spiders, but those are really probably my limit re: size (and they might be past some of my other limits; i know they’re speedy escape artists, so I might go in a diff direction). I’m really only interested in true spiders rn, particularly ones that can survive in the ambient conditions of my house and that can be reasonably released should i need to move with short notice. I’m also open to suggestions of species that were particularly rewarding or interesting to keep (i know ymmv) or that i should keep an eye out for in my area (I’m in Minnesota, USA).

(Also, I am very aware that these species can become defensive somewhat easily and that they have POTENTIALLY medically-significant venom. I am extremely disinterested in touching spiders or coming in physical contact with them; these are soft-bodied, rupture-prone animals, and several of these species probably cannot perceive me as an entity at all. Physical contact is likely to be very very stressful for them (and me, albeit for different reasons, lol.) I will do what’s necessary to keep them to the best of my ability, and that is part of what’s motivating me to seek y’all’s advice: i want to handle them as little as possible, and— when it is necessary— i want to do what handling is logistically necessary for their care in ways that involve as little stress for all of us as possible. (Advice in that direction is also very appreciated.)

Mostly, my interest in keeping them is that I like to look at and watch these spiders, maybe draw them; I have plenty of mammals around to meet my contact needs. It just brings me great (and kind of surprising) joy to like, know where they’re at and know that they’re relatively healthy, so i don’t want to just blanket put them all outside when i find them, but it would also probably be a good idea to mitigate some potential hazards associated with human proximity for all parties involved, lol.

Look up some of my threads on caring for my Latrodectus. You likely are not looking to keep widows (yet) but the care is basically the same for Steatodas and other cobweb weavers you find around your home.

 

[goofyGoober99]

Try Pholcids. No need to have a terrarium. Just turn them loose in the house. Harmless decorations and cohabitants.

I love having Pholcids around. They do a wonderful job dealing with all the insects I don't want to have inside.
Got a couple massive ones roaming the ceilings rn.

 

[wilderpup]

I’ve got a few pholcids (are they considered true spiders now? They weren’t when I was a kid, but I know the layout of taxonomy has changed quite a bit since then, with new information!). Anyway, I love them! They stay high up; I’ve got a few that have set up very high beside windows I can’t reach, and their webs would imply that those are very active locations! Excellent roomies; very polite and useful!

Wolf spiders scare and fascinate me in equal measure; I want to catch one, but I’m not sure I’ll be brave enough to try! And i’m afraid of it escaping when I feed.

I very much intend to catch some jumpers. They also frighten me less; as a kid I loved spiders, but as an adult I lived in this very shambolic house in the woods that was falling apart, and removing several wolf spiders from my bed and then finding more when I laid down really changed that math for me lmao. So wolves may be beyond my capacity to care for, but if I can be brave enough I’d love to try. I’ve always thought they were very cool, even when I didn’t want to share as much of my habitat with them, lol. (I currently live in a repurposed building that used to have a slight nature-y function, so there’s exterior landscaping that has been established for decades; these spiders now in my house (to significantly more manageable degrees) are probably members of populations that have been here longer than I’ve been alive. It’s pretty cool.) anyway, the jumpers stayed an exception through my fears; I wasn’t keen to (and am still reluctant about) touch(ing) them, but I’ve always enjoyed sharing space with them and watching them hunt.)

I will very much check out that thread on lactodetrus! I am very fond of cobweb spinners; widows are already on my list, once I’ve gotten a bit more experience. And in the meantime, there’re some local cobweb spinners I’d love to try, whose care will probably be somewhat similar! Thank you!

I rehoused the long-legged sac spider I managed to capture (and if anyone has resources for capturing and transferring spiders specifically, I’d love to know!), and she seems to be doing well. I offered her a mealworm and I THINK she took it (it burrowed for a day? But now I can’t find it and the day I noticed I couldn’t find it, she was a lot more opaque and slightly larger, which I think means she ate it.) she’s got a sleep sac set up and she seems relaxed when exploring her enclosure, if that makes sense? Like, walking around tapping things with her front legs at a leisurely pace, rather than frantically running around.

Including some pics and also some pics of wild spiders I didn’t try to capture because idk what i can feed to spiders that small. (Maybe ants, but I’d have to catch them myself and I’d be worried about the introduction of pathogens. My local stores don’t stock much more than mealies and waxies, though)

tangentially unrelated, im really enjoying the spider photography, so I may continue doing that. I got a digital magnifier and some lenses to play with (these photos were not taken with them, tho.)

 

[katamari]

I hate giving out advice when there are more knowledgeable people here, but I can confidently share some basic tips regarding Phidippus jumpers such as Bold jumpers (P. audax) and Regal jumpers (P. regius) in particular if that helps.

First things first - whatever species you plan to keep, figure out your feeder plan first. If you can't find a reliable food source locally (fruit flies, crickets, mealworms, roaches, etc) that is appropriatefor your spood, then plan on either ordering some or starting your own colony of feeders. I don't recommend relying on wild caught prey for multiple reasons - primarily because it's unreliable and potentially unsafe (you don't know if wc prey is free of insecticides or parasites). For jumpers I suggest small crickets with the occasional mealworm. Both are relatively easy to source locally, order online, and/or maintain a small colony as feeders. If you need something smaller, flightless fruit flies (D. hydei or D. melanogaster) are probably your best bet.

Once you've figured out sourcing food, you can move on to the fun part - setting up the enclosure.

The size of the enclosure depends on the size of the jumper, and though a lot of people say "the bigger the better" I've actually found my jumpers seem happiest in smaller enclosures with some natural features, and places to hide and anchor webs to. Giving them a massive enclosure to explore is great, but its not required and can actually make it harder for them to locate prey, or even be overwhelming to them (such as with mature jumpers who don't get around as well and are more prone to losing their grip and falling). This is very much a personal preference, but I don't tend to go for enclosures any larger than a 32oz deli cup for my jumpers, and they don't move into that size enclosure until they are adults. I have deli cups in 2oz, 5.5oz, 16oz, and 32oz sizes that they grow into as they get bigger, stepping up in size as needed.

With Phids, they will build their webs at the top of their enclosures like 99% of the time (though there are exceptions - esp with smaller slings). This means you want an enclosure that opens from the bottom, or from the front/middle. This will keep you from disturbing/destroying their web every time you open the lid, and makes it easier to access their enclosure without them being right at the opening ready to jump out and explore every single time. An upside down deli cup is a great choice.

You can use substrate if you like, but it's not required and can be a pain in the butt sometimes. A paper towel base provides a soft landing spot, a high contrast background for prey items, helps regulate the moisture/humidity between waterings, and is easy to replace when a spood has pooped on it a ton (which they will). Also if you design your enclosure without substrate, you can hot glue things in place and freely tip your enclosure at any angle that is useful (including upside down) without upsetting your spider or their habitat. This makes a lot of other upkeep tasks like feeding, cleaning, removing/rehoming, etc way easier.

You'll get varying advice on Temps and humidiy. I can't say what's best in your particular situation, but if you're keeping them indoors at normal comfortable Temps & humidity, you probably don't have to worry about it too much.

Their enclosures do require adequate cross-ventilation though, and I like to have generous pinhole sized airholes at both the top and bottom of the enclosures.

My jumpers very much appreciate having a good light source. They get indirect sunlight through a window during the day, with a very short window of direct sunlight in the cool morning (which they love). This would prob be sufficient, but I also keep a full spectrum LED light bar over my spoods as well. They absolutely love direct sunlight outdoors, so I try to give them as much as I feel is safe in their enclosures. I also have an incandescent desk lamp I switch on when it's gloomy and rainy out.

I water all of my phids once every 2 days, by spraying a fine mist of water on one half of their enclosure walls. I prefer to do this in the evening when it evaporates slower. Tho most of my jumpers don't appreciate being sprayed directly, they absolutely love watering time. If they aren't already active when I water them, they are typically out exploring within minutes afterwards. It can be a good time to offer food as well.

As for feeding, jumpers *can* be a bit finicky. Most will require a live/moving prey item to trigger their prey drive. Other people have reported success with offering prekilled prey to their jumpers, but I've not had much luck myself. They definitely prefer something they can hunt, which they do using their incredible vision and excellent stalking & ambushing skills.

Feeding schedule varies based on the spider. If your jumper is small enough that its eating fruit flies or pinhead crickets rather than small crickets, mealworms, bluebottle flies/spikes etc, you can prob expect to be giving them a small meal of a couple fruit flies every 2-3 days. For medium-large jumpers feeding on small crickets and other appropriate size prey (i stick to prey about the size of the spiders abdomen, not much larger), they might only eat once every 5-7 days, sometimes even less frequently (especially if they are going into pre-molt).

A special note if you're planning on catching a jumper in the wild - if it's a mature female, there's a very good chance it has already mated and will start producing viable egg sacs while in your care. Be prepared to deal with this before it happens. Especially if you take on a WC specimen near the end of the warm season when you can't safely just release them back outdoors.

I'm trying to think of anything else to add, I may update later. Sorry this info isn't organized very well, I wasn't planning on it being so long. If you have more specific questions about phids (especially P. audax) I'll do my best to answer.

Hope that helps you get started!