True spider to break a phobia

[Katronmaster]

I'm looking to get a true spider to keep, and preferably one that does not in any way shape or form resemble a black widow aside from the fact it's a spider. I had a bad run in with one a few years back (In a shoe) and have been quite scared of true spiders since. I'm hoping to break that.

I was considering an orb weaver, we have a lot of them in southern Ohio, or maybe a wolf spider. Are these good choices or is there something better? Any tips?

 

[Arachnophilist]

I think a H.carolinensis or any Lycosid u can catch would make a great pet for you. cant climb the tank and are most entertaining

 

[padkison]

Jumpers are funny little guys, far from scary, and are easy to keep. Small tho. Spiderpharm has both H. carolinensis and jumpers.

 

[Katronmaster]

Much thanks both of you. I saw the H.carolinensis and I think I may get one.

Jumpers I can find as soon as spring hits, we always get a few lurking around near the house, cute little guys.

 

[cacoseraph]

things to consider

orb weavers are slightly more difficult to feed than a ground living spider, as you need to get them to spin a web... then get prey to stick in it. i still clearly remember waking up early when it is still cool to catch flying bugs to feed my local orb weavers i caught. not too bad for just one spider but it started getting silly when i had more than 6 or 7. you can hand plant little crix in their web, but it is still fairly time consuming. i did have some luck with just pitching little crix in and hoping the dumb things would manage to catch themselves in the webs, but this didn't work sometimes.

some jumpers are gorgeous... but... well... they jump... which can be startling, especially for a recovering arachnophobe

the hogna would be pretty cool. can't climb slick surfaces. they have two big eyes which gives them a somewhat human face which might or might not help you to like, empathize with them and speed your recovery.

 

[pitbulllady]

Kukulcania hibernalis is another good choice. They can't climb slick surfaces, they make some interesting webs, they live a long time(comparable to some tarantulas), their care is similar to that of a tarantula, and they are quite docile. They also have those neat highly-reflective eyes. An adult can easily eat adult crickets, and you should be able to find them easily once the weather warms up a bit, or maybe even now, if it's warm enough indoors.

pitbulllady

 

[Katronmaster]

Thanks for the tips Cacoseraph. I can see how the orb weavers could be time consuming. Jumpers don't scare me, thankfully. I find them rather cute and cat-like (Which is why I'm starting with a species I'm either not scared of or mildly scared of and working towards something more widow-ish)

Pitbulllady -
I don't think I've ever seen one of those around here before, but I'll keep an eye out. If nothing else, I'll hunt a bit when I visit some relatives a bit further south.

 

[Stylopidae]

things to consider

orb weavers are slightly more difficult to feed than a ground living spider, as you need to get them to spin a web... then get prey to stick in it. i still clearly remember waking up early when it is still cool to catch flying bugs to feed my local orb weavers i caught. not too bad for just one spider but it started getting silly when i had more than 6 or 7. you can hand plant little crix in their web, but it is still fairly time consuming. i did have some luck with just pitching little crix in and hoping the dumb things would manage to catch themselves in the webs, but this didn't work sometimes.

some jumpers are gorgeous... but... well... they jump... which can be startling, especially for a recovering arachnophobe

the hogna would be pretty cool. can't climb slick surfaces. they have two big eyes which gives them a somewhat human face which might or might not help you to like, empathize with them and speed your recovery.

I use the KK/straw method. I house the orb weavers in a KK, and then plant a cricket in a straw and utilize the device like a spitwad launcher. They can't move back and fourth in the straw. This also works with roaches that are about to moult.

A line from the show Titus describes this perfectly...

And I don't mean...help your friend fly. I mean force that chubby little non-aerodynamic bastard to friggin' FLY!

 

[Katronmaster]

Well, I am now the owner of a quarter sized Wolf Spider of some sort. I wasn't planning to be so soon, but the poor thing made the mistake of crawling out of hiding right in the middle of a Girl Scout meet, and I couldn't let it be trampled by a herd of screaming girls.

Will coco bedding work as a substrate? It's all I have at the moment.