Should I bring her inside?

[draconisj4]

I don't know much about true spiders but I've been watching this girl right outside my door for a couple of months. It's getting cold now and I was wondering if there was any point in trying to bring her in for the winter or just leave her to her fate. She's laid a second sac since the picture and is still eating.

 

[Tangled]

A lot of true spiders only live one year. I would "leave her to her fate" so she can guard those eggs. The slings that will come out will take shelter and emerge in the spring and grow to adulthood next year.

 

[MetalMan2004]

I agree with @Tangled. If you let nature do it’s business you’ll have plenty of true spiders to enjoy in spring.

 

[CJJon]

Just watch her in situ. Actually, you might shorten her life if you bring her in and warm her up. I've been watching a big female orb weaver (probably an Araneus diadematus) at work. She's set herself up in a breezeway window that I walk past several times a day and it is cool watching her. I actually captured her for a day when the campus window cleaners were about. I cupped her in the morning and kept her at my desk (it was still warm outside at the time) and put her back that evening. Naturally, they never did clean the breezeway windows, so she would have been OK. She built a beautiful new web that night and was also freshly molted.

 

[draconisj4]

Thank you all. I will just let nature take its course. I kind of figured the best thing to do would be to leave her though I have grown kind of attached to her. Oh well, I'm providing room and board for a couple of small house spiders that have set up shop in 2 empty paper towel tubes, have lots of others hanging around and have plenty of Ts. Any more spiders in the house and there won't be room for me, lol.

 

[pandabacon]

Probably best to leave her outside being its an Orb weaver. All the grass spiders have been sneaking into my house this past week because of the recent temperature drops as well in Northern CA but I don't like them all over so they have been going back outside. It's not really cold here its just colder than it normally is as per usual this time of year. I have some pet Audax's that are going to ride out the winter inside with me though. Jumpers tend to live twice to 3x as long in captivity if they are native to the area and have good living conditions. My mature female is sitting on eggs from October that haven't yet hatched I think due to the temperature change but as soon as they do Ill release them hopefully before it gets colder here so they have time to hide for winter. If you really want a winter buddy find a cold jumper they will appreciate the warm house.

 

[WildSpider]

I'd leave her too if you're just worried about the cold. Zygiella x-notata is known for its good amount of activity during colder weather. You might still get some enjoyment out of her outside during the winter.