Keeping mantids and true spiders vs. Tarantulas

[Kid Dragon]

I've just started keeping mantids and true spiders, I've kept tarantulas for decades. I'm finding true spiders more interesting to watch than tarantulas, the disadvantage is they don't live long, this is offset by their price. One of my favorites is the regal jumping spider, a great eater and an agile fast moving species that webs. Unlike many arboreal tarantula species, they don't go into their web and disappear for months.

I'm finding mantids even more facinating. Get a large species like a Giant Asian Mantis and they'll live for over a year and a half and they'll take crickets out of your hand. I haven't gotten rid of my T's but try keeping mantids for a wonderful change of pace. Highly recommended

 

[Farom]

Agreed, mantids are great. Much more fast-paced creatures than tarantulas. Every day when I get back home from school I wonder whether something has molted or layed an ootheca, or if an ootheca has hatched. Its also nice that my mantids aren't going to take seven years to mature.
Granted, many tarantula keepers are probably the same way, but it probably takes a lot longer before you can get to that point in the tarantula hobby.
Its a little disappointing that there isn't much interest in the mantis hobby.

 

[xenesthis]

True spiders becoming more popular

I agree. I've been promoting the true spider hobby the last five years pretty heavily. Jumpers, orbweavers, widows, huntsman and wolf spiders lead the pack. Jumpers are a big favorite. They have to be the most intelligent of all spiders and can see objects up to 10'. The widow hobby is also doing well with more and more colorful species being made available.

Stop by my site and cruise my photo galleries to see all the true spiders that are being kept in the hobby.

Todd

 

[Cocoa-Jin]

how long do jumping spiders live?

 

[arachnocat]

how long do jumping spiders live?

I was wondering about that too. I wanted to keep true spiders but their lifespans seem pretty short.

 

[Choobaine]

I've kept house spiders allthough they are nothing special they sure are fun to keep. I've also kept mantids. Definately worth it

 

[mr.wilderness]

All of them are cool, and tarantulas can be very pretty, even "standard" ones like rose hairs. But as far as activity goes, most just don't move a whole lot.. Jumpers on the other hand always seem on the go!

 

[John Apple]

I have had Jumpers for three years alive as long as they are kept out of the elements, Todd has a slew of jumpers and true spiders anyone would enjoy:clap:
I have also kept argiope alive for two years.

 

[cacoseraph]

i've kept and keep widows. pretty cool. my native Latrodectus hesperus will eat ANYTHING. very durable. i had a WC mature female live almost three years.


one big dif between trues and taras (except maybe some of the tropicals) is that a true can manage to starve/thrist to death in a very short amount of time. especially babies. their pace of life is almost frighteningly fast compared to mygalomorphae pace of life. (talking in rough generalities, of course).

mantids are AMAZING to watch hunt. if you haven't seen a visual invert predator in action you are definitely missing out! they have an insanely fast pace of life, compared to taras, too.

 

[PhilK]

Recently caught a little huntsman and it is far more interesting than my tarantula.

 

[maxident213]

if you haven't seen a visual invert predator in action you are definitely missing out!

Agreed, that's what I dig most about my huntsman, and what I enjoyed about the mantids I've kept. Watching an invert stalk its prey (talking about the huntsman here) is something you really appreciate after so many ambush predators.

 

[MasamuneX7]

I think the main problem with the mantid hobby is that they're more delicate and are relatively short-lived unless you want to try breeding them. They are very cool insects though, definitely more interesting to watch than the boring idle T.

 

[Lorgakor]

i've kept and keep widows. pretty cool. my native Latrodectus hesperus will eat ANYTHING. very durable. i had a WC mature female live almost three years.


one big dif between trues and taras (except maybe some of the tropicals) is that a true can manage to starve/thrist to death in a very short amount of time. especially babies. their pace of life is almost frighteningly fast compared to mygalomorphae pace of life. (talking in rough generalities, of course).

mantids are AMAZING to watch hunt. if you haven't seen a visual invert predator in action you are definitely missing out! they have an insanely fast pace of life, compared to taras, too.

Thanks for posting that info, now I know not to let my new H. venatoria go too long without food. I was wondering though, I heard that if you feed them less that they will live longer. Any truth to this? I have no idea how long a female H. venatoria can live, she is about 4" right now.

 

[dtknow]

Agreed, that's what I dig most about my huntsman, and what I enjoyed about the mantids I've kept. Watching an invert stalk its prey (talking about the huntsman here) is something you really appreciate after so many ambush predators.

Do they have to get to a certain size before they start stalking prey? My litle huntsman are as far as I can see unaware of a food ite until it touches them.

 

[REAL]

My favorite is definately the jumping spider, they're the only true spider that I find intelligent and trustworthy enough to free handle almost immediately. I've never been bitten. I completely love it when they follow your fingers when you move them around their face.

I had a female with an egg sac and she would stay with the egg sac, the jar that she was in was open as well. Sometimes she would go around the jar and wonder about and come back. I lost her many years ago during a move. She was my most favorite jumping spider and she completely owned. I would not regret paying some cash for another one just like her. I would much rather get something like her than a tarantula at the moment. Tarantulas are starting to bore me, just my opinion.

What made her really awesome is that she would eat like a horse. It was pretty rare that she ever refused food and when she ate, we're talking about insects her size and like once or twice every day!

 

[Choobaine]

That's definately what I go for in an animal too!

 

[PhilK]

Do they have to get to a certain size before they start stalking prey? My litle huntsman are as far as I can see unaware of a food ite until it touches them.

That's because hunstmans aren't actually a visual predator. They go by hairs on the legs and body. They can discern the approach of people/other big animals.. but they are most definitly not primarily visual hunters (as far as I'm aware).

The fact they're largely nocturnal also supports that theory (as opposed to diurnal mantids and jumpers)

 

[Skulnik]

JUmping spiders, wolf spiders and mantids are three of my favorite inverts to catch wild. After a couple days to a couple months of care, I always release them, however, because I know their lives are shorter and they'd probably prefer running the streets than chillin in an enclosure.

I agree that as far as observation purposes, a nice, fat jumping spider takes the cake. So much interactive personality, no fear what so ever, and the ability to take down prey 2-3 X their size. I once fed my female regal a massive cricket and for two days she hung from the side of her enclosure just gnawing away. Finally she was so fat and slow I took her out by hand and she just sat there looking at like,
"If I hadn't eaten twice my weight already, I'd eat your ass right now."

The reason we all choose tarantuals, however, is their sheer beauty and size. Does H. Lividium have that Phidippus audax charm?

NO, but it's got that gorgeous blue (when you can see it).

 

[John Apple]

That's because hunstmans aren't actually a visual predator. They go by hairs on the legs and body. They can discern the approach of people/other big animals.. but they are most definitly not primarily visual hunters (as far as I'm aware).

The fact they're largely nocturnal also supports that theory (as opposed to diurnal mantids and jumpers)

I beg to differ somewhat here on huntsman being visual hunters, Granted they hunt by hair feelings they also hunt by sight. Here is why I think this .
I fed my green huntsman crix and they let the crix get close but when the crix were in front of the slings they THEN pounced. There was no rear pouncing

 

[maxident213]

That's because hunstmans aren't actually a visual predator. They go by hairs on the legs and body. They can discern the approach of people/other big animals.. but they are most definitly not primarily visual hunters (as far as I'm aware).

Really? I've been told that they have very good eyesight and watching mine has led me to agree.