Jumping spider help

[izZabela]

What are these little bugs in my jumping spiders enclosure helpp

 

[Eagle555 Jumping spiders]

What are these little bugs in my jumping spiders enclosure helpp
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More background please

 

[The Snark]

Pronounced pedicle and antenna narrows it down to less that 5% of the animals on the planet. Maybe a little more info like size, color, traits, locomotion etc.?

 

[izZabela]

Pronounced pedicle and antenna narrows it down to less that 5% of the animals on the planet. Maybe a little more info like size, color, traits, locomotion etc.?

They're tiny, at first I thought they were just specs of substrate until I realised they were moving. They're black, and have a round shape, they seem to be in random spots of the enclosure, they move slowly

 

[The Snark]

They're tiny, at first I thought they were just specs of substrate until I realised they were moving. They're black, and have a round shape, they seem to be in random spots of the enclosure, they move slowly

Puzzling. Mites don't have a pedicle - a narrow waist, so they are out. With mites ruled out they aren't likely to be a hazard. Hopefully somebody will recognize them.

 

[The Snark]

@izZabela If you see them gathering in one location or on an animal that indicates a likely food source. If they are simply randomly wandering about it is likely they are foraging omnivores. Along the lines of springtails in habits.

 

[izZabela]

@izZabela If you see them gathering in one location or on an animal that indicates a likely food source. If they are simply randomly wandering about it is likely they are foraging omnivores. Along the lines of springtails in habits.

they seem to just be all over the place

 

[curtisgiganteus]

They look like Collembola sp. springtails

 

[Zoopy]

Did you use potting soil or get soil from outside for your enclosure or do you have no soil in there? How about wood/sticks?

Knowing how they got in there could already help narrow it down. But they don't look like mites, so I wouldn't be too worried just yet.

 

[izZabela]

Did you use potting soil or get soil from outside for your enclosure or do you have no soil in there? How about wood/sticks?

Knowing how they got in there could already help narrow it down. But they don't look like mites, so I wouldn't be too worried just yet.

So all the stuff in there is from a tarantula shop

 

[Zoopy]

So all the stuff in there is from a tarantula shop

Unfortunately that doens't mean that it can't be contaminated. I bought substrate in a sealed bag from a store once and a couple of grubs erupted a few days later.

I wouldn't be super worried, though. It doesn't look like it can be anything dangerous. If you want to be very safe, you can maybe put your jumping spider in a different container for a few days, stop spraying water in its enclosure and see the bugs die off. This could be unnecessarily stressful for the jumper, though, so I'd only advise it if you're very worried about the bugs.

 

[izZabela]

Unfortunately that doens't mean that it can't be contaminated. I bought substrate in a sealed bag from a store once and a couple of grubs erupted a few days later.

I wouldn't be super worried, though. It doesn't look like it can be anything dangerous. If you want to be very safe, you can maybe put your jumping spider in a different container for a few days, stop spraying water in its enclosure and see the bugs die off. This could be unnecessarily stressful for the jumper, though, so I'd only advise it if you're very worried about the bugs.

Would it maybe be a good idea to change the substrate? Also would it be ok for me to clean their webs out if I decide to clean out the enclosure?

 

[Zoopy]

Would it maybe be a good idea to change the substrate? Also would it be ok for me to clean their webs out if I decide to clean out the enclosure?

If it's not too disruptive for the spider, I don't think it will care too much about the substrate being changed. They probably won't even know that something is different. It's unfortunately not a guarantee that you'll get rid of the pests that way. They might have moved into the "furniture", so to speak.

As for cleaning the webs, it really depends. If it's still a young spider that's going to live for a while yet, then you could probably get away with it. I would only do it under exceptional circumstances myself, to be honest. Jumpers don't live super long and as they reach senior ages, they start to struggle with maintaining a grip on the plastic or glass of their enclosure. When that happens, the webs they've built up over a lifetime of living in the enclosure help them to maintain their grip and get around. I know some people stick gauze on the sides of their enclosures to help their ageing jumpers get around, but it's a bit of a hotly debated topic as some people say the spiders' feet can get stuck in it. Some people also choose to move their "senior" jumpers into smaller enclosures where they have an easier time getting around and catching prey, so cleaning the webs probably wouldn't be that bad if that's the route you choose to go with your jumpers later.

 

[izZabela]

If it's not too disruptive for the spider, I don't think it will care too much about the substrate being changed. They probably won't even know that something is different. It's unfortunately not a guarantee that you'll get rid of the pests that way. They might have moved into the "furniture", so to speak.

As for cleaning the webs, it really depends. If it's still a young spider that's going to live for a while yet, then you could probably get away with it. I would only do it under exceptional circumstances myself, to be honest. Jumpers don't live super long and as they reach senior ages, they start to struggle with maintaining a grip on the plastic or glass of their enclosure. When that happens, the webs they've built up over a lifetime of living in the enclosure help them to maintain their grip and get around. I know some people stick gauze on the sides of their enclosures to help their ageing jumpers get around, but it's a bit of a hotly debated topic as some people say the spiders' feet can get stuck in it. Some people also choose to move their "senior" jumpers into smaller enclosures where they have an easier time getting around and catching prey, so cleaning the webs probably wouldn't be that bad if that's the route you choose to go with your jumpers later.

Thank you so much for you reply

 

[Zoopy]

Thank you so much for you reply

No worries and good luck with your jumper! Jumpers are what got me into this hobby and they'll always hold a very special place in my heart. They're very special creatures.

 

[izZabela]

Not the best picture but its the best i could do, turns out they turn into these little flies ??

 

[Zoopy]

Those look like Sciaridae. They're annoying, but should be harmless for you and your spider.

They're a big nuisance in the hobby in Europe.

 

[PhantasticPhids]

I’m pretty sure the first photo is globular springtails and the second winged insect is a gnat of some sort. They’re unrelated and the first shouldn’t be an issue for the spider at all, but they do like really damp environments, more so than jumping spiders. So the jumping spider might need a drier environment or the springtails will die off themselves if the environment doesn’t stay damp. As for the gnat….they also like wet substrates. The spider will probably eat it. So yeah, if the substrate is wet, I’d change it out to something else.