Jumping Spider Feeding Question

Reptiloso

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
19
I was thinking about keeping jumping spiders, can i feed them ants? Like, one at a time, so that i wouldnt put them in a dangerous situation or something?
 

revilo

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
173
hi,

flies, bees, moth, butterflies, crickets, caterpillars,...all this is working fine. ants i never tried.
why you want to feed ants ?

bye, oli
 

Reptiloso

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
19
well, i guess ants are easier to acquire get where i live and i can get them right when i need to.
 

revilo

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
173
hi,

aha.
just give it a try - but with not so big ants at first. jumpers have a very potential toxin to their prey and because this they are hunting dangerous insects like , for example, bees without problems (our little ones here in germany do this with bees three times bigger), but better try it out carefully...
i believe that your jumper maybe is not very interessted in ants.
but i'm interessted if...;)

bye, oli
 

sygdom

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
56
I have a question that is somewhat related. I have a MF Phiddipus audax and she has been acting very strangely for the past couple of months. She hasn't eaten anything at all and she hasn't built a retreat. She just kind of wanders around. I will throw Crickets in there and she will watch them but never stalk or attack them. It's almost like she has dementia or something.
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
5,438
They really are attracted to things that move and climb. I've had a few WC P. audax that I fed mostly small night bugs and little moths that were attracted to the porch light at night and houseflies. They really go nuts for houseflies, I think it's all the herky-jerky movement.
 

bugmankeith

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 4, 2006
Messages
2,730
I agree they mostly feed on flies. You could buy fruit flies to make it easier on you so none escape.
 

davisfam

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
287
Our Jumper (P. audax) LOVES flies and prey that tends to move/climb around a lot, as Moltar mentioned, before being eaten! :p
 

ZergFront

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
May 2, 2009
Messages
1,956
I guess you can try but if the ant is big enough to see alright, Maybe you can pull out or smash the stinger. Also, maybe only put in a couple until the spider finishes them off or decides to leave them(had little luck feeding ants except for maybe the stingless winged ones - future queens and drones)
 

davisfam

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
287
Ants will bite, and they spray acid.. :eek:
THANKS soo much for letting people know about this when feeding spidiies ants. Most spidiie owners don't know this information and make the mistake of feeding ants to their specimens. For example, last year.. I thought about feeding ants to our specimens but then my fiancé reminded me of this same information. Thanks Silberrücken! :D
 

revilo

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
173
hmm, good to know it is for sure.

but, since millions of years ants can do this and as long as this spiders "coexist" with them.
this is the reason why i mentioned that the jumper wouldn't show interesst in hunting the ants - because the spider "knows" about skills of ants...

but bees, wasps,... can sting with poisen the same and espacially jumpers love to hunt them out in nature. in case you have the chance to observe this you can see that the jumpers "know" about the dangerous prey and the spider takes care to catch the bee behind it's head and wait until her toxin works...adaption because they know each other for millions of years...

cheers, oli
 

mindstorm

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 23, 2008
Messages
77
it is true that most spider won't feed on ants, but some species do and will readily take ants.
 

revilo

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
173
hi,

of course you are right.

zodariidae for example ;) three species of this species-poor family are living in germany but "the rest" in warmer countrys...
they are specialists on ants.

bye, oli
 
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