Tegenaria Domestica Care?

Flurff

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2019
Messages
25
Hi everybody,
I caught a Tegenaria Domestica in my living room yesterday. It's very tiny, and I put it in a mason jar with some TP rolls as a temporary enclosure. No substrate, just the jar and the rolls. (How long will it live in that? I was going to pick up some supplies from the store but I won't be able to until the weekend, and I don't want to kill it on accident by keeping it in the wrong enclosure for too long.)

I posted about it yesterday, and got some very helpful advice, but I still have a few questions:
First off, what kind of ventilation does it need? And what size enclosure? I was thinking a few sticks or something to anchor its' web on, but does it need a hide like a T would?
Also, if it doesn't web, would a small bottle cap full of water with a pebble in it so it doesn't fall in be a good idea?

This is my first spider, so I was wondering what kind of substrate it would need? Could I just go out into my backyard and get some dirt for it?
I was just going to give it smaller mealworms, is that a good idea? Crickets and feeder insects like it aren't allowed where I live.
Any tips on proper care/setup would be very welcome.
Here's my setup:
IMG_20200122_140356675.jpg IMG_20200122_140428263.jpg IMG_20200122_140438573 (1).jpg IMG_20200122_140444479 (1).jpg
And here's the spider. Can anyone tell me what sex it is? That would be greatly appreciated.
IMG_20200122_140520945.jpg
IMG_20200122_140552969.jpg
--Flurff
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,604
Can't see it well enough to know sex, but usually I find the males wandering around more than females. These make their own hide from webbing, if they have stuff to anchor it on. usually they'll web in narrow crevices of buildings or among closely-spaced branched and leaves. You can try mealworms, or make a fly trap.
 

Flurff

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2019
Messages
25
Can't see it well enough to know sex, but usually I find the males wandering around more than females. These make their own hide from webbing, if they have stuff to anchor it on. usually they'll web in narrow crevices of buildings or among closely-spaced branched and leaves. You can try mealworms, or make a fly trap.
At first, I thought it was a she, but then I thought it was a he, and now I'm not quite sure. It hasn't webbed at all since I caught it yesterday, but that could be because I don't have it in the right enclosure.
Would it pose any danger to the spider if I were to mist/drip some water directly into the jar?
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,604
Won't hurt it to mist a bit on one side so it has access to water ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I haven't tried keeping these, but everything needs to drink. I'd just make sure it can choose dry places.
 

Flurff

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2019
Messages
25
Won't hurt it to mist a bit on one side so it has access to water ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I haven't tried keeping these, but everything needs to drink. I'd just make sure it can choose dry places.
Yeah, makes sense. (I've been studying spiders for a while but I have no idea how to care for them, and most people just want to kill them, so there isn't that much info on how to keep a T. domestica as a pet, unfortunately.)

It likes to roam around the edges of the jar, so it should come upon the water I misted over there eventually. Hopefully it won't get stuck!
 
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