Tegenaria domestica Questions

[LiseeLou]

I know this thread is 2 years old, but I in the future thank you profusely for your questions and knowledge!
I’ve just caught a spider that I believe to be this species (it has prominently striped legs, which a few sites says help distinguish it from similar species). It . Is. FAST! Before this I’ve kept a jumping spider (slow, jerky movements until hunting, then lightning speed) and I have a black widow (so clumsy! It’s funny and a little sad honestly). But this thing, the slightest disturbance and it runs around like one of the 3 stooges (maybe I’ll name it curly, it’s got lots of great hair ).
I have been wondering, can these spiders climb glass walls easily? I’ve got it in a jar, but I’m nervous about feeding=>escaping. Love this site!

 

[Caveternal]

I just recently caught mine a week and half ago, seems to be doing good. He ate two crickets the 1st couple of days but haven't seen him eat since. I have been putting crickets in every 3 days to promote growth rate I can't tell if she is catching them at night. He/she does look much bigger now. What I'm wondering about this species is that at night being nocturnal do they wander out side of their web for food and how far ? I don't know if I should keep offering crickets or not. I plan to start feeding flies.

It's pitch black in the room he stays in do they need a little light how do they see in pitch black? It seems to have built a nice web in complete dark. I would really like to video him through the night but don't have the equipment for that.

 

[Caveternal]

I put 4 moths in my T. Domestica's tank just now its about a typical size enclosure a little bigger than a shoe box. My spider was out of his tunnel hide as it just got dark here. Are you normally supposed to feed with tongs straight into the web? I'm leaning towards not doing that because he doesn't ever come out anymore except when the lights are off at night and I guess he is always wanting to hide now because of me going into the room every now and then. If anyone can give some advice it would be greatly appreciated. I haven't seen him eat the last moths. I wouldn't be able to tell because if they died they would have just fell into the pebbles at the bottom. Would there be left over pieces in his web if he ate them?

 

[dervpool]

A T. Domestica was my first pet spider ever. I had it for about 1 and a half years. These spiders are absolute escape masters. They can go through pretty much any space and can walk glass like its nothing. They are very very secretive about what they do. I rareley saw mine. I had her in a old aquarium with many hiding spots but also some open spaces to see how she behaves. She made her web inbetween some twigs i had put up. They prefer to do this on ground level and once they establish a hide they dont really leave it, they are ambush predators usually waiting for something to walk close to or onto the web. If you dont see it that shouldnt mean much but if you plan out the enclosure well enough you should always be able to tell where she is. They get about 2-3 years old. My female got to around 4 inces in legspan until she died. They make really cool webbing if you give them the space by the way. Just be aware of its insane speed they are i think the second fastest spider species on earth

 

[Caveternal]

A T. Domestica was my first pet spider ever. I had it for about 1 and a half years. These spiders are absolute escape masters. They can go through pretty much any space and can walk glass like its nothing. They are very very secretive about what they do. I rareley saw mine. I had her in a old aquarium with many hiding spots but also some open spaces to see how she behaves. She made her web inbetween some twigs i had put up. They prefer to do this on ground level and once they establish a hide they dont really leave it, they are ambush predators usually waiting for something to walk close to or onto the web. If you dont see it that shouldnt mean much but if you plan out the enclosure well enough you should always be able to tell where she is. They get about 2-3 years old. My female got to around 4 inces in legspan until she died. They make really cool webbing if you give them the space by the way. Just be aware of its insane speed they are i think the second fastest spider species on earth

He/she has been eating the moths I think. I don't see them anywhere so that is what I assume and I've been putting them in his web with tongs. I don't know what to make of why he doesn't go for the crickets maybe because they die so quick, I pull one of their legs off otherwise the cricket would just run out the web, he won't come out if I have been in the room some of the ones on the porch or more brave , I put a large cricket in not thinking anything of it maybe he got bit and doesn't want to mess with the crickets or maybe it's because they die so quick. I have 3 or 4 of these juvenile spiders on my porch I have been throwing them crickets and they have been eating them. Probably going to catch one more and put in a large enclosure. I'll be getting a couple other species but I really like these T. Domesticas.

 

[Caveternal]

At what low temp should I be concerned about, it is getting colder by the day here and I'm not sure if I should look into getting tank heat pads or what. We don't have real cold temps here in the deep south but the room does seem to get pretty cold and I don't want to chance anything especially with how they are all finally doing good. I want to get a temp sticker for the tanks how cold is too cold for them to live? I have species of grass spiders that look very similar to Tegenaria Domesticas and a rare black species of a grass spider that also looks Identical to T Domestica except it has faint dotted stripes accross the abdomen whereas I believe the TDomesticas have irregular pattern.

 

[ReignofInvertebrates]

At what low temp should I be concerned about, it is getting colder by the day here and I'm not sure if I should look into getting tank heat pads or what. We don't have real cold temps here in the deep south but the room does seem to get pretty cold and I don't want to chance anything especially with how they are all finally doing good. I want to get a temp sticker for the tanks how cold is too cold for them to live? I have species of grass spiders that look very similar to Tegenaria Domesticas and a rare black species of a grass spider that also looks Identical to T Domestica except it has faint dotted stripes accross the abdomen whereas I believe the TDomesticas have irregular pattern.

They do fine at room temperature, but I’d avoid anything lower than 65 degrees in the long term.

 

[Caveternal]

They do fine at room temperature, but I’d avoid anything lower than 65 degrees in the long term.

Thanks I think I'll put a plug in heat pad from my earlier snake tank for my black one which is my fav, he hangs out in the grass under a log in a large tank, and might do the same for one and move the small guy in another room.

 

[Caveternal]

The female is eating good she is doubling in size but my male still hardly eats or webs. I think he is a timid guy or something is what it seems. Sometimes he hangs out on the edge of the web looking down to where the crickets run around ( they always escape then are at the bottom of the tank. If I break their leg or something they usually end up dying and he doesnt eat them. I am wondering if their is a trick using some type of dust on the crickets they would glow in using a black light. Anyone ever do anything using black lights?