Phidippus Johnsoni Behavior

[Cinderdraco]

I'm still pretty new to the hobby and I'm wondering if it's normal for a Phidippus johnsoni jumping spider to always stay in her nest. She's an adult female and been that way for quite a few months. She was an adult when I caught her in October last year, or at least I've never seen her molting and she hasn't gotten bigger. She eats, but only if I pre-kill the mealworms and place it on her nest. I've heard that jumping spiders are supposed to like exploring their enclosures, but she never has. Could it just be because she's an adult?

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

Is the environment you're keeping her in warm and well-lit? Or is it relatively cold and/or dark? The latter could explain why she's so inactive and not eating, since Phidippus are diurnal and most active when it's warm and sunny. If you think that could be the issue try putting her enclosure near a sunny window and see if that makes her come out. It could also be a combination of this and the fact that you feed her prekilled prey directly on her nest, so she's always satiated and has no reason to come out and hunt.

If she was an adult when you caught her that long ago it could also be that she's nearing the end of her life, though i'm not sure if hiding and barely coming out for months on end is really a sign of aging under normal circumstances.

 

[Scp682]

IME they are much more shy and reserved than say audax or regius so this sounds normal.

 

[Salmonsaladsandwich]

IME they are much more shy and reserved than say audax or regius so this sounds normal.

Perhaps, but they're still diurnal predators that come out to hunt in the open, so I'm not so sure that staying in the nest and barely leaving for months on end is normal behavior? It doesn't seem to be for wild specimens which are often seen out in the open and climbing on buildings and vegetation. Perhaps johnsonii has slightly different care requirements like higher temps or more light to encourage them come out and both of you ran into a similar issue.

One difference in behavior between johnsonii and regius (and to some extent audax) is that johnsonii are more terrestrial and more likely to have their lair on or near the ground. Maybe they need an enclosure that better simulates living near the ground in order to feel secure enough to explore.

Or maybe if they're well fed without having to leave their lair as described here they just won't.

 

[Cinderdraco]

Perhaps, but they're still diurnal predators that come out to hunt in the open, so I'm not so sure that staying in the nest and barely leaving for months on end is normal behavior? It doesn't seem to be for wild specimens which are often seen out in the open and climbing on buildings and vegetation. Perhaps johnsonii has slightly different care requirements like higher temps or more light to encourage them come out and both of you ran into a similar issue.

One difference in behavior between johnsonii and regius (and to some extent audax) is that johnsonii are more terrestrial and more likely to have their lair on or near the ground. Maybe they need an enclosure that better simulates living near the ground in order to feel secure enough to explore.

Or maybe if they're well fed without having to leave their lair as described here they just won't.

I keep her in my room which to me is warm and well lit. I'll move her to the window to see though if that could be a factor. I only started feeding her that way once I saw that she wasn't coming out of her nest to get her to eat, but I suppose she could have just got used to it after that. I'll try the window and switching to a more terrestrial enclosure and see if any changes happen. Thanks.