jumping spider enclourse size

[egyptiancrow]

As for "do you even keep jumpers" I have 100 right now.
Phidippus texanus, phidippus regius, phidippus otiosus, phidippus audax, paraphidippus aurantius, attulus fasciger, platycryptuns undatus, hentzia mitrata, hmm am i missing anyone? Eris militaris. i think thats all the species i have.
crushing the MOUTH doesnt crush the HEAD and they still twitch

 

[CRX]

Dyskinetic Syndrome ( My findings so far )

www.reptileforums.co.uk

View attachment 414583 View attachment 414584
if you dont know how dangerous crickets are, idk where youve been.

I am well aware of DKS. I lost my entire collection of Ts to it around 2011-2012, that put me out of the hobby for a long time. It literally killed every single one. As far as I know, that was because of it going around at that time. I haven't heard of DKS from crickets in several years. And yes, they can bite, but for some spiders crickets are the only option and since starting again a couple years ago I haven't had issues with using them.

 

[CRX]

As for "do you even keep jumpers" I have 100 right now.
Phidippus texanus, phidippus regius, phidippus otiosus, phidippus audax, paraphidippus aurantius, attulus fasciger, platycryptuns undatus, hentzia mitrata, hmm am i missing anyone? Eris militaris. i think thats all the species i have.
crushing the MOUTH doesnt crush the HEAD and they still twitch

Fair enough.

 

[DeanG]

whats there to like? jumping spiders need cross ventilation, top to bottom is awful, the doors are too big, its heavy and expensive, the build encourages uneducated people to use heat lamps which can kill their spiders, its hard to use substrate with and keep clean


zillas are made of hot garbage, but expensive, theres tons of gaps and loads of jumping spiders escape from them, i pretty much hear this happening every single day. you can add a bunch of stuff to close the gaps, but pretty much any spider too big to escape is too big for the zilla micro anyway, and who wants to modify it so much instead of spend 5-10 more dollars maybe on a better enclosure? the panels warp over time and then the gaps just get bigger and bigger.

I just ordered this 6"x6"x9" enclosure for my female P. johnsoni (I believe she is fully grown - photos for reference). Do you think it's too big for her? It is acrylic and made specifically for spoods so I imagine it was designed to provide ventilation and minimize escape gaps, but I'll check it over anyway. I'm constructing a custom interior for her using a DIY mini-dollhouse kit and a walnut hide, but she currently resides inside of a padlock hanging on a gate, so she probably doesn't have too many decor demands, lol. Her current diet, to my knowledge, is whatever garden bugs get too close and pantry moths I feed her as a snack. I'm probably going to get her mealworms and keep supplementing with bugs I catch around the house (we live in Berkeley and there is a pesticide moratorium, so I'm pretty sure the wild bugs here are relatively safe for her). I appreciate any advice you might have regarding the enclosure or the things that are going into it (including the spood), because I only decided to make her a pet after I saw her get stalked by a bird and now I'm worried about her. Her house is exposed to the sky and so is she when she's hanging out on top of it all day. Plus, as it gets warmer here, that metal padlock is going to get hot and she might get cooked.

Leggy Peggy is my first pet spider, so I want to be the best caregiver I can be for her. She's still very shy, and I'm still slightly nervous that she will jump on me without warning, but I'm getting over that because I know even if she bites me, it will more likely itch than hurt (though I'd rather not have that happen to my face). Warming up to spiders in the first place has been a process for me, but meeting Peggy has been the thing I needed to get over the "ick" factor... watching her eat bugs I've left for her and being able to play with her like a cat is absolutely fascinating, and now I'm more curious than anything regarding her other 8-legged neighbors.

 

[egyptiancrow]

I just ordered this 6"x6"x9" enclosure for my female P. johnsoni (I believe she is fully grown - photos for reference). Do you think it's too big for her? It is acrylic and made specifically for spoods so I imagine it was designed to provide ventilation and minimize escape gaps, but I'll check it over anyway. I'm constructing a custom interior for her using a DIY mini-dollhouse kit and a walnut hide, but she currently resides inside of a padlock hanging on a gate, so she probably doesn't have too many decor demands, lol. Her current diet, to my knowledge, is whatever garden bugs get too close and pantry moths I feed her as a snack. I'm probably going to get her mealworms and keep supplementing with bugs I catch around the house (we live in Berkeley and there is a pesticide moratorium, so I'm pretty sure the wild bugs here are relatively safe for her). I appreciate any advice you might have regarding the enclosure or the things that are going into it (including the spood), because I only decided to make her a pet after I saw her get stalked by a bird and now I'm worried about her. Her house is exposed to the sky and so is she when she's hanging out on top of it all day. Plus, as it gets warmer here, that metal padlock is going to get hot and she might get cooked.

Leggy Peggy is my first pet spider, so I want to be the best caregiver I can be for her. She's still very shy, and I'm still slightly nervous that she will jump on me without warning, but I'm getting over that because I know even if she bites me, it will more likely itch than hurt (though I'd rather not have that happen to my face). Warming up to spiders in the first place has been a process for me, but meeting Peggy has been the thing I needed to get over the "ick" factor... watching her eat bugs I've left for her and being able to play with her like a cat is absolutely fascinating, and now I'm more curious than anything regarding her other 8-legged neighbors.

Its definitely too big. Johnsoni in particular arent a big species to start with. That said if you really pack it with stuff, its not the worst problem to have, but if shes elderly or has trouble finding her meals, youll need to downsize accordingly depending.

i dont recommend wild caught food at all, because pesticides are only one of many problems. mold, bacteria, parasites and predation- do you know all the creatures that parasitize spiders? if you feed her a parasitic fly by accident, then shes a goner after that. crickets can give a horsehair worm which is 100% death for a small spider like her. the chances are low, but not that low- ive seen at least 40 cases of parasitized jumping spider, nevermind any other issue, in the last 8 months, due to wild caught food.

she needs store bought food if you commit to keeping her alive and well
try not to mind what youve already fed her. as its technically "natural" to possibly eat a parasite or bacteria. but try to get some small mealworms or fly spikes for her in the future. You might want to check out this guide too for any basic info for her

Spider care 101!

Lots of great firsthand info and accounts here http://kozmicdreams.com/spidercare.htmGreat newbie info herehttps://www.mypetjumpingspider.com/getting-started/ Here's the rundown that I give to people, which has a lot of the same info but my own additions! - Rue Morgue Enclosure- Any clear co...

docs.google.com

Let me know if you have any other questions! feel free to message me too.

 

[DeanG]

Its definitely too big. Johnsoni in particular arent a big species to start with. That said if you really pack it with stuff, its not the worst problem to have, but if shes elderly or has trouble finding her meals, youll need to downsize accordingly depending.

i dont recommend wild caught food at all, because pesticides are only one of many problems. mold, bacteria, parasites and predation- do you know all the creatures that parasitize spiders? if you feed her a parasitic fly by accident, then shes a goner after that. crickets can give a horsehair worm which is 100% death for a small spider like her. the chances are low, but not that low- ive seen at least 40 cases of parasitized jumping spider, nevermind any other issue, in the last 8 months, due to wild caught food.

she needs store bought food if you commit to keeping her alive and well
try not to mind what youve already fed her. as its technically "natural" to possibly eat a parasite or bacteria. but try to get some small mealworms or fly spikes for her in the future. You might want to check out this guide too for any basic info for her

Spider care 101!

Lots of great firsthand info and accounts here http://kozmicdreams.com/spidercare.htmGreat newbie info herehttps://www.mypetjumpingspider.com/getting-started/ Here's the rundown that I give to people, which has a lot of the same info but my own additions! - Rue Morgue Enclosure- Any clear co...

docs.google.com

Let me know if you have any other questions! feel free to message me too.

Oh, wow. I thought I had read somewhere that Johnsons were on the bigger side for jumpers, which is why I decided on a larger enclosure than the 4x4x8. The interior I have planned is going to take up a lot of space with several platforms, so maybe not too bad. I was going with the thought of "bigger is probably better but not too big." I have no idea how old she is, but I can definitely get something smaller if necessary in the future.

I had no idea about the parasites but I did know that there are things she should not have/should be fed with care because they are likely to hurt her. I was already planning to supplement with store bought mealworms and maybe small roaches (now I'm wary of crickets), so I'll just skip the wild snacks instead and make those the main supply. I was thinking the things she's already eating were ok for her, but I don't wanna kill her out of accidental ignorance...

Thank you for your help!

 

[egyptiancrow]

Oh, wow. I thought I had read somewhere that Johnsons were on the bigger side for jumpers, which is why I decided on a larger enclosure than the 4x4x8. The interior I have planned is going to take up a lot of space with several platforms, so maybe not too bad. I was going with the thought of "bigger is probably better but not too big." I have no idea how old she is, but I can definitely get something smaller if necessary in the future.

I had no idea about the parasites but I did know that there are things she should not have/should be fed with care because they are likely to hurt her. I was already planning to supplement with store bought mealworms and maybe small roaches (now I'm wary of crickets), so I'll just skip the wild snacks instead and make those the main supply. I was thinking the things she's already eating were ok for her, but I don't wanna kill her out of accidental ignorance...

Thank you for your help!

of course! And yeah, it isnt terribly oversized, itll depend on the individual as well
If you ever snag some photos of her nice and close up, i can try to guestimate her age and current condition

 

[DeanG]

OK....I just grabbed a bunch of angles out of my gallery (oldest pic is about 2 weeks old, most recent are last). My camera is caca, so hopefully these are clear enough to be useful. (I feel bad for hijacking the thread but I couldn't add images to a DM for some reason.) I adore this little spider so there are tons of pics, but she's been very shy so most of the images are zoomed in a bit (except for recently....there's a picture with my finger next to her for size reference, but also because it was the first time I could get that close).

I also included images of the hide I got her and the interior I'm building. Here's my plan: after a bit of research, I found this little DIY music box-dollhouse thing that was the perfect size - only a couple of centimeters smaller in all directions, so it fills it up quite a bit. It is actually almost the same diameter as the enclosure interior with enough room near the top to put in the hide and space at the base to put some cushy turf in case she falls. I won't be using the rotating base because of the potential to squish or hurt her, but I like the 360-degree visibility and the platforms have lots of space for easier hunting (but not too much). Of course, I'll be adding some things for her to climb around on like some silk fish tank vines and maybe some moss hanging along the side of the house so she doesn't have any issues getting to her hide. (I might connect the lights but I haven't decided on that yet.) Since it's all build-it-yourself, I don't have to include the accessories if they make things dangerous or difficult.

Your thoughts about this setup? Aside from the size of the enclosure and feeding considerations, does anything else stand out as being a potential issue?

 

[hibiscusmile]

I use a 4 x 4 x 7 or the smaller one on my site, they cannot escape & the screen is stainless stell. I feed my spiders blue bottle flies or house flies, they seem to be fine with this diet. I sometimes put in pupae so they hatch within a few days, which gives me a feeding break.

 

[FlameGecko90]

I use a 4 x 4 x 7 or the smaller one on my site, they cannot escape & the screen is stainless stell. I feed my spiders blue bottle flies or house flies, they seem to be fine with this diet. I sometimes put in pupae so they hatch within a few days, which gives me a feeding break.

He's 1cm and I currently have him in a 32oz deli cup. But someone told me he would get much bigger so will he have to stay in the cup the rest of his life? Someone else also told me I shouldn't put him in the tank I've got as he would be too small for it.

 

[egyptiancrow]

OK....I just grabbed a bunch of angles out of my gallery (oldest pic is about 2 weeks old, most recent are last). My camera is caca, so hopefully these are clear enough to be useful. (I feel bad for hijacking the thread but I couldn't add images to a DM for some reason.) I adore this little spider so there are tons of pics, but she's been very shy so most of the images are zoomed in a bit (except for recently....there's a picture with my finger next to her for size reference, but also because it was the first time I could get that close).

I also included images of the hide I got her and the interior I'm building. Here's my plan: after a bit of research, I found this little DIY music box-dollhouse thing that was the perfect size - only a couple of centimeters smaller in all directions, so it fills it up quite a bit. It is actually almost the same diameter as the enclosure interior with enough room near the top to put in the hide and space at the base to put some cushy turf in case she falls. I won't be using the rotating base because of the potential to squish or hurt her, but I like the 360-degree visibility and the platforms have lots of space for easier hunting (but not too much). Of course, I'll be adding some things for her to climb around on like some silk fish tank vines and maybe some moss hanging along the side of the house so she doesn't have any issues getting to her hide. (I might connect the lights but I haven't decided on that yet.) Since it's all build-it-yourself, I don't have to include the accessories if they make things dangerous or difficult.

Your thoughts about this setup? Aside from the size of the enclosure and feeding considerations, does anything else stand out as being a potential issue?

if theres any fabric or unsealed wood, it will mold. bugs and corpses can definitely hide in a lot of cracks there too. it would probably be cheaper and better to modify a more empty container to start with. the size seems ok enough.

 

[DeanG]

if theres any fabric or unsealed wood, it will mold. bugs and corpses can definitely hide in a lot of cracks there too. it would probably be cheaper and better to modify a more empty container to start with. the size seems ok enough.

That makes a lot of sense. It's a wood structure with fabric and paper stickers. I still have enough stuff to deck out the container without using the structure, so I'll just go with that and build the house for fun, lol. I could seal the whole thing for moisture but that doesn't fix the issue of hiding bugs and stuff.

This is so helpful.... thank you!

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Its definitely too big. Johnsoni in particular arent a big species to start with. That said if you really pack it with stuff, its not the worst problem to have, but if shes elderly or has trouble finding her meals, youll need to downsize accordingly depending.

i dont recommend wild caught food at all, because pesticides are only one of many problems. mold, bacteria, parasites and predation- do you know all the creatures that parasitize spiders? if you feed her a parasitic fly by accident, then shes a goner after that. crickets can give a horsehair worm which is 100% death for a small spider like her. the chances are low, but not that low- ive seen at least 40 cases of parasitized jumping spider, nevermind any other issue, in the last 8 months, due to wild caught food.

she needs store bought food if you commit to keeping her alive and well
try not to mind what youve already fed her. as its technically "natural" to possibly eat a parasite or bacteria. but try to get some small mealworms or fly spikes for her in the future. You might want to check out this guide too for any basic info for her

Spider care 101!

Lots of great firsthand info and accounts here http://kozmicdreams.com/spidercare.htmGreat newbie info herehttps://www.mypetjumpingspider.com/getting-started/ Here's the rundown that I give to people, which has a lot of the same info but my own additions! - Rue Morgue Enclosure- Any clear co...

docs.google.com

Let me know if you have any other questions! feel free to message me too.

I'm curious about these parasites, are you saying you've seen a bunch of captive jumpers fall prey to horsehair worms after being fed wild insects?

What kind of flies parasitize jumpers, tachninids? Have you actually seen flies that parasitize jumpers after being fed to them or had fly larvae emerge from jumpers? Usually such flies have to attach or inject eggs into their host so I don't see how that would be an automatic death sentence since a jumper fed a fly in an enclosed space would normally kill it before it gets the chance. A parasitic fly that targets jumpers sounds quite interesting

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

double post

 

[egyptiancrow]

I'm curious about these parasites, are you saying you've seen a bunch of captive jumpers fall prey to horsehair worms after being fed wild insects?

What kind of flies parasitize jumpers, tachninids? Have you actually seen flies that parasitize jumpers after being fed to them or had fly larvae emerge from jumpers? Usually such flies have to attach or inject eggs into their host so I don't see how that would be an automatic death sentence since a jumper fed a fly in an enclosed space would normally kill it before it gets the chance. A parasitic fly that targets jumpers sounds quite interesting

yes ive seen hundreds of jumpers dead on the floor of their enclosure as their owner asks "what is this thing" and its a horsehair worm. its not just wild crickets though, i feel that sometimes they get into crappy pet store crickets too.

and of course for jumpers its 100% death. ive heard some wolf spiders and Ts can survive a horsehair worm. but a jumper is too small, it explodes their abdomen and kills them.

mantisflies and plenty of other flying insects can or will try to parasitize and YES ive seen dead pet jumpers full of wiggly larva because someone put some random bug in the enclosure for it to eat. though they dont die bc of it i see plenty of jumping spiders being dragged in the wild by parasitic wasps who will then take it back to the nest and lay eggs inside it. the problem is the layperson doesnt know insect identification or about parasites at all and so feeding wild comes with tons of risks. though there are some people who will know the difference, like me, the more you know the more you know its just not a safe gamble at all.

lots of wild caught flies, though not parasitic, also contain poison and excess bacteria, viruses, etc, from feeding on feces and corpses. this is ok for the fly but when transferred to the spider it can kill them too. esp bugs that have ingested pesticide and somehow lived. this is the same reason some people dont use rat poison, as it can have an effect on birds of prey, stray cats, dogs, and even scavengers.

** also i will note that usually these insects would probably NOT prey upon the spider if given the option, but when put into the enclosure, it no longer does and so thats how this often happens**

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

yes ive seen hundreds of jumpers dead on the floor of their enclosure as their owner asks "what is this thing" and its a horsehair worm. its not just wild crickets though, i feel that sometimes they get into crappy pet store crickets too.

and of course for jumpers its 100% death. ive heard some wolf spiders and Ts can survive a horsehair worm. but a jumper is too small, it explodes their abdomen and kills them.

mantisflies and plenty of other flying insects can or will try to parasitize and YES ive seen dead pet jumpers full of wiggly larva because someone put some random bug in the enclosure for it to eat. though they dont die bc of it i see plenty of jumping spiders being dragged in the wild by parasitic wasps who will then take it back to the nest and lay eggs inside it. the problem is the layperson doesnt know insect identification or about parasites at all and so feeding wild comes with tons of risks. though there are some people who will know the difference, like me, the more you know the more you know its just not a safe gamble at all.

lots of wild caught flies, though not parasitic, also contain poison and excess bacteria, viruses, etc, from feeding on feces and corpses. this is ok for the fly but when transferred to the spider it can kill them too. esp bugs that have ingested pesticide and somehow lived. this is the same reason some people dont use rat poison, as it can have an effect on birds of prey, stray cats, dogs, and even scavengers.

** also i will note that usually these insects would probably NOT prey upon the spider if given the option, but when put into the enclosure, it no longer does and so thats how this often happens**

Mantisflies parasitize spider egg sacs, not the spiders themselves.

The instances of jumpers bursting with larvae after being fed wild bugs seem more likely to be wild caught spiders that were already parasitized unless they were definitely cb... it would have to be very specific fly that is capable of parasitizing jumpers, and statistically its much more likely for such a fly to track down a host in the wild than happen to be caught, fed to a jumper and successfully parasitize it.

More than anything i'm just intrigued by the biology of a fly that targets jumping spiders since it must have some interesting adaptations to do so without being eaten.