my new jumping spider problems

[bstip27]

i just had the joy of finally finding a jumping spider (platycryptus unadtus)on my porch 3 days ago. i caught him and put him in a one gallon jar that i had already set up in case i came across a jumping spider. (photos below) and he hasn’t eaten anything i’ve tried giving him. i’ve gave him a tiny moth, a big moth, and a ant with wings. i just caught 2 crickets but i think they are too big for him and i heard crickets sometimes eat spiders so i’m scared to give them to him yet. he also hasn’t made a “nest” yet and has been mostly staying in the same spot at the top of the jar. except for when i misted the jar today which he did not like at all lol. i made a little cave for him underground in case he gets startled which he has already done which you can’t see in the photo. i’ve planted a couple grass seeds so those will hopefully grow into another hiding spot for him but it’s so hard to find jumping spiders where i live and i just want to make sure he’s okay.

 

[Nicole C G]

i just had the joy of finally finding a jumping spider (platycryptus unadtus)on my porch 3 days ago. i caught him and put him in a one gallon jar that i had already set up in case i came across a jumping spider. (photos below) and he hasn’t eaten anything i’ve tried giving him. i’ve gave him a tiny moth, a big moth, and a ant with wings. i just caught 2 crickets but i think they are too big for him and i heard crickets sometimes eat spiders so i’m scared to give them to him yet. he also hasn’t made a “nest” yet and has been mostly staying in the same spot at the top of the jar. except for when i misted the jar today which he did not like at all lol. i made a little cave for him underground in case he gets startled which he has already done which you can’t see in the photo. i’ve planted a couple grass seeds so those will hopefully grow into another hiding spot for him but it’s so hard to find jumping spiders where i live and i just want to make sure he’s okay.

Okay so I have a platycryptus undatus too.
Is the color of the face under its eyes white or orange? If it is orange, it is male. White, it is female. Also, that thing is stuffed! It doesn’t need food for a while. For my juvenile, here is what it looks like super hungry (left) and super full (right). The best abdomen size is probably in between.
Here are two adult or sub adult females hungry and full.

in between this is best probably

If yours is in fact a female, it may be that fat because it’s about to lay eggs.
Also, my platycryptus undatus didn’t make a nest for over four weeks Because it felt safe in the fake flowers I gave it. Speaking of fake flowers, they make the perfect hiding spots for jumpers! Best of all they are cheap. You can go to a dollar store and get some for 1$. They love it!
Here is my enclosure for my juvenile Platycryptus undatus.


Also, in terms of feeding, don’t feed ants! They can bite, sting, or spray formic acid which would be very bad for your spider. You did say “winged ant” which means either a queen or a male, which I don’t believe males have stingers or spray formic acid, but queens are super dangerous. (All depending on the species of course.) So I would say don’t try to feed ants ever. The best food I’ve seen are flies! Blue bottle, green bottle, house flies, Fruit flies depending on the jumper size (fruit flies only for small adults, slings and juveniles). Crickets are dangerous to spiders so don’t feed them to it without close supervision. Also, if you are catching wild prey, just know that they could have pesticides, mites or other parasites dangerous to your jumper. Pet store bought or online is safest, but not necessarily required. Also, I can’t tell if your enclosure has ventilation. Does it?

 

[bstip27]

Okay so I have a platycryptus undatus too.
Is the color of the face under its eyes white or orange? If it is orange, it is male. White, it is female. Also, that thing is stuffed! It doesn’t need food for a while. For my juvenile, here is what it looks like super hungry (left) and super full (right). The best abdomen size is probably in between. View attachment 397136
Here are two adult or sub adult females hungry and full.
View attachment 397138
in between this is best probably

If yours is in fact a female, it may be that fat because it’s about to lay eggs.
Also, my platycryptus undatus didn’t make a nest for over four weeks Because it felt safe in the fake flowers I gave it. Speaking of fake flowers, they make the perfect hiding spots for jumpers! Best of all they are cheap. You can go to a dollar store and get some for 1$. They love it!
Here is my enclosure for my juvenile Platycryptus undatus.
View attachment 397139

Also, in terms of feeding, don’t feed ants! They can bite, sting, or spray formic acid which would be very bad for your spider. You did say “winged ant” which means either a queen or a male, which I don’t believe males have stingers or spray formic acid, but queens are super dangerous. (All depending on the species of course.) So I would say don’t try to feed ants ever. The best food I’ve seen are flies! Blue bottle, green bottle, house flies, Fruit flies depending on the jumper size (fruit flies only for small adults, slings and juveniles). Crickets are dangerous to spiders so don’t feed them to it without close supervision. Also, if you are catching wild prey, just know that they could have pesticides, mites or other parasites dangerous to your jumper. Pet store bought or online is safest, but not necessarily required. Also, I can’t tell if your enclosure has ventilation. Does it?

thank you so much for all the information you are such a big help! it is white, so i guess she’s a female and yes there is ventilation at the top of the jar. and i now know to let the crickets i caught back outside. thanks so much i’ll have to buy some fruit flies!

 

[Nicole C G]

thank you so much for all the information you are such a big help! it is white, so i guess she’s a female and yes there is ventilation at the top of the jar. and i now know to let the crickets i caught back outside. thanks so much i’ll have to buy some fruit flies!

Curious though, how big is she? Just to make sure fruit flies aren’t too small. Exclude the legs in the measurements if possible.

 

[bstip27]

she is on the glass right now so i was able to measure her but just her body is about 1.3cm long and .5cm wide. i used a measuring tape

 

[Nicole C G]

she is on the glass right now so i was able to measure her but just her body is about 1.3cm long and .5cm wide. i used a measuring tape

So I would recommend waiting a week and show a picture of where she’s at in terms of abdomen size. I’ll see then if you should feed her then or wait longer. If you do get fruit flies, because she’s pretty big, make sure you get Drosophila Hydei which are the bigger fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster are too small) and put two in at a time.

 

[Lucky123]

i just had the joy of finally finding a jumping spider (platycryptus unadtus)on my porch 3 days ago. i caught him and put him in a one gallon jar that i had already set up in case i came across a jumping spider. (photos below) and he hasn’t eaten anything i’ve tried giving him. i’ve gave him a tiny moth, a big moth, and a ant with wings. i just caught 2 crickets but i think they are too big for him and i heard crickets sometimes eat spiders so i’m scared to give them to him yet. he also hasn’t made a “nest” yet and has been mostly staying in the same spot at the top of the jar. except for when i misted the jar today which he did not like at all lol. i made a little cave for him underground in case he gets startled which he has already done which you can’t see in the photo. i’ve planted a couple grass seeds so those will hopefully grow into another hiding spot for him but it’s so hard to find jumping spiders where i live and i just want to make sure he’s okay.

Best not to use wild caught prey, they can contain chemicals that will harm the spider. dont mist too much, that species doesnt require too much humidity, in those pictures it is much too wet in there, also dont plant live plants because the water that they require is too much for the spider, also dont feed him to much, only feed him every 3-5 days when he is looking thin.

 

[Nicole C G]

Best not to use wild caught prey, they can contain chemicals that will harm the spider. dont mist too much, that species doesnt require too much humidity, in those pictures it is much too wet in there, also dont plant live plants because the water that they require is too much for the spider, also dont feed him to much, only feed him every 3-5 days when he is looking thin.

It’s a female actually. And we’ve already got the wild caught prey situation worked out, don’t worry.
Also it’s true about the humidity, I don’t mist the substrate, just spray the wall for a water source which evaporates quickly.