Phidippus husbandry

[clive 82]

Hi guys,
I'm fairly new to keeping arachnids. Ive got a few tarantulas & to be honest true spiders never really appealed to me. That was until I saw pictures & video of some of the Phidippus sp. I really like the look of wolf spiders too.
So my question is are jumping spiders suitable for a relative newbie? If so how are they best kept?
Also what other species of true spider would you recommend?
Thanks in advance

 

[basin79]

I keep my male Phidippus Regius in a tub that's about 9" square. A piece of cork bark and some substrate. I purposefully kept things simple as he got put in that when I first got him as a tiny sling. I get him out for a wander around to keep him entertained. They are clever little buggers and I like to think a change in his surroundings gives him something to think about.

 

[clive 82]

I keep my male Phidippus Regius in a tub that's about 9" square. A piece of cork bark and some substrate. I purposefully kept things simple as he got put in that when I first got him as a tiny sling. I get him out for a wander around to keep him entertained. They are clever little buggers and I like to think a change in his surroundings gives him something to think about.

Lol! Yeah I saw your vid on youtube, brilliant stuff! So fairly easy to keep really? Are they skittish?

 

[basin79]

Lol! Yeah I saw your vid on youtube, brilliant stuff! So fairly easy to keep really? Are they skittish?

This lad was skittish as a sling but now he's adult he's quite bold. He certainly doesn't see me as a threat. I'd say they're easy yes.

 

[clive 82]

This lad was skittish as a sling but now he's adult he's quite bold. He certainly doesn't see me as a threat. I'd say they're easy yes.

Cool! So whats adult size? Around an inch or so? I presume they are not as long lived as most Ts?

 

[basin79]

Cool! So whats adult size? Around an inch or so? I presume they are not as long lived as most Ts?

My man is full grown. Females get a little bigger. There are bigger jumpers too.

Not sure on the lifespan. Maybe 12 months for a male. Can't see it being long though. Females will obviously live longer.

 

[basin79]

Just checked. He's kept at 28c.

 

[Andrea82]

I'd like to keep a jumping spider as well, but it is a pity they are so small. Even the largest jumper doesn't get much bigger than five cm.
Although a spider the size of of a T.stirmy with the intelligence of a Phidippus would be kind of scary maybe

 

[basin79]

I'd like to keep a jumping spider as well, but it is a pity they are so small. Even the largest jumper doesn't get much bigger than five cm.
Although a spider the size of of a T.stirmy with the intelligence of a Phidippus would be kind of scary maybe

Jumpers just prove good things really do come in small packages.

 

[Andrea82]

Jumpers just prove good thingsIreally do come in small packages.

Also true.
They aren't much for sale though, except at fairs/expos. Which i never attend because being in a hall that is supposed to hold 400 people, but actually holds twice that much, freaks me out.
But I've been keeping an eye out for them for some time now

 

[Draketeeth]

Jumping spiders are awesome to keep around as pets. I think their appeal is in their movement based sight so they look at you and watch, it's endearing to see them think as they look around, not something a tarantula does.

There's some really useful care info here, and phids.net has husbandry information as well.

 

[TeaandTs]

Jumping spiders are very easy to keep! They're also tremendous fun. They're very curious and seem to enjoy watching us humans. Feeding them is very entertaining, because they can execute some pretty impressive take downs, and their little defense postures are adorable. I only have one right now, a P. audax, but plan to hunt for some more in the spring. I've had mine a couple of months. She is a juvenile, suspect female, and has moulted once for me. That's her in my profile picture.

I like to keep them in tall glass jars. They need more vertical than horizontal space, and substrate isn't super important because they'll basically live on the sides of the jar anyway. They don't use their silk for prey, but they do use it to make retreats for themselves. Every so often they'll abandon their retreat and make a new one. Not sure why. You might want to put a bit of potting soil or maybe some coconut fibre in one corner, as they seem to enjoy incorporating that into their hides. I also have a miniature flower pot that I got at a craft store for a couple of cents, to give her a vantage point and a place to bask in the sun. (She also likes to poo on it...). I mist her enclosure a couple of times a week with a bottle. She drinks the droplets. Make sure they get access to sunlight, but don't put them in direct sun because the enclosure will heat up and cook them! They are diurnal though, and enjoy basking in the sun. So I have mine next to a window where she gets light that is diffused by curtains. Since it's warm in here and she gets access to sunlight every day, she hasn't hibernated, even though it's winter. So that's good.

I feed her mini mealworms. First thing I tried was crickets, and she was terrified of them. You may have to experiment, because each specimen seems to have their own preference. They suck the insides out of their prey and leave a dry husk behind, which you'll want to remove when they're finished. As for poop, after eating they'll deposit a little white droplet on the side of the glass or on a surface like a rock or a flower pot. So you'll want to clean that up eventually. The inside of the glass will also get pretty webbed up over time.

I also have some small fake flowers in there, because she enjoys climbing on them. They're very active and playful and enjoy climbing and jumping, so give them plenty of surfaces to do so. Also, I like to take mine out and let them jump around on my desk every so often, but don't do this unless you're confident they won't escape. Have catch cups nearby. I also use index cards to kind of block her if she tries to go a direction I don't want her to go.

That's all I can think of. They're really pretty easy to keep, and I highly recommend for beginners. Enjoy!

 

[piggy145]

If your looking to buy, I recently brought one from a vendor on a Facebook Group. You could also just look for them in the coming summer months. If your located in the US, there's a lot of different species to collet. The biggest jumping spider I've seen is stretching to about 20cm. Mostly females. They make great pets.

 

[clive 82]

Just checked. He's kept at 28c.

Thanks for the info, I may end up getting one.

 

[clive 82]

Jumping spiders are very easy to keep! They're also tremendous fun. They're very curious and seem to enjoy watching us humans. Feeding them is very entertaining, because they can execute some pretty impressive take downs, and their little defense postures are adorable. I only have one right now, a P. audax, but plan to hunt for some more in the spring. I've had mine a couple of months. She is a juvenile, suspect female, and has moulted once for me. That's her in my profile picture.

I like to keep them in tall glass jars. They need more vertical than horizontal space, and substrate isn't super important because they'll basically live on the sides of the jar anyway. They don't use their silk for prey, but they do use it to make retreats for themselves. Every so often they'll abandon their retreat and make a new one. Not sure why. You might want to put a bit of potting soil or maybe some coconut fibre in one corner, as they seem to enjoy incorporating that into their hides. I also have a miniature flower pot that I got at a craft store for a couple of cents, to give her a vantage point and a place to bask in the sun. (She also likes to poo on it...). I mist her enclosure a couple of times a week with a bottle. She drinks the droplets. Make sure they get access to sunlight, but don't put them in direct sun because the enclosure will heat up and cook them! They are diurnal though, and enjoy basking in the sun. So I have mine next to a window where she gets light that is diffused by curtains. Since it's warm in here and she gets access to sunlight every day, she hasn't hibernated, even though it's winter. So that's good.

I feed her mini mealworms. First thing I tried was crickets, and she was terrified of them. You may have to experiment, because each specimen seems to have their own preference. They suck the insides out of their prey and leave a dry husk behind, which you'll want to remove when they're finished. As for poop, after eating they'll deposit a little white droplet on the side of the glass or on a surface like a rock or a flower pot. So you'll want to clean that up eventually. The inside of the glass will also get pretty webbed up over time.

I also have some small fake flowers in there, because she enjoys climbing on them. They're very active and playful and enjoy climbing and jumping, so give them plenty of surfaces to do so. Also, I like to take mine out and let them jump around on my desk every so often, but don't do this unless you're confident they won't escape. Have catch cups nearby. I also use index cards to kind of block her if she tries to go a direction I don't want her to go.

That's all I can think of. They're really pretty easy to keep, and I highly recommend for beginners. Enjoy!

Excellent info, thanks for that.

 

[basin79]

Thanks for the info, I may end up getting one.

I'm sure they'll do well at lower temps. It's just that's what my exo terra is heated to.

 

[Esherman81]

Had a female who lived 3 years ..and most of my males lived only around year....sure do miss them