Yellow Sac Spider

[The Spider Faery]

"It is believed that a spider web found on Christmas morning is a sign of good luck for the coming year."

If tradition proves correct, I'm in for a year of good luck! I've never been one for superstition, but I could use a lucky year after this one!
I found not only a spider web, but a yellow sac spider in my apartment this Christmas.

It had about a 1 inch legspan, a corn cob yellow abdomen and blonde legs. It was very fast, but nothing I couldn't manage to catch after my experience with fast T slings.

I did some research, though, only to discover its bite is medically significant, cytotoxic, painful, and may produce flu-like symptoms...So I had to flush the little thing, because I'm not comfortable with that type of venom. But before I did, I kept it in a home I made up to observe it. It's too bad it had to be one of the nasty venom types, coupled with speed and a tendency to bite people, otherwise, I would have kept it.

Here are some pics taken on my camera. Sorry for the blurriness, but my camera's not the best for small objects.

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[Ariel]

ya, these are one of the few species I tend to kill. Especially when I find them in my bed like I did the other night. DX The venom, plus they're.....creepy. They look like they could glow in the dark, they don't, but, they look like they could.

 

[The Spider Faery]

I'm sure I've seen one before, but I haven't seen one in a long time, so it was new and interesting to me. I thought it was kind of neat looking. I found it not so creepy because it looked a lot like a baby tarantula, the way it was shaped. It also was very active at first but when it settled on a leaf, it started grooming itself and making itself at home, so I felt bad to have to get rid of it.

But yah, the venom and speed are huge deterants to keeping one around for sure. I've read they can be quite the pests to people and their bites are comparable to a brown recluse as far as effects, only less potent, and the wound takes a shorter period of time to heal than that of a brown recluse.

 

[jsloan]

I did some research, though, only to discover its bite is medically significant, cytotoxic, painful, and may produce flu-like symptoms...So I had to flush the little thing

But, you already had it safely contained. I don't get it.

 

[The Spider Faery]

But, you already had it safely contained. I don't get it.

It was very fast and skittish and could have easily escaped while I tried to feed it if I kept it. I thew in a cricket and it was very, very difficult to get it in the container without the spider escaping. I couldn't imagine safely doing that on a regular basis.

 

[buthus]

Sac spiders "danger" has been GREATLY over-exaggerated ..to the point of silliness.

 

[The Spider Faery]

Sac spiders "danger" has been GREATLY over-exaggerated ..to the point of silliness.

I've never been bitten, so I can't speak from personal experience, but only from what I've read.

Their venom may not be as potent as a widow's or a brown recluse's, but whereas a brown recluse is shy and keeps to itself and a widow is not likely to bite unless extremely provoked, the yellow sac spider will more actively bite people. I read that their bite accounts for the most human spider bites each year of any North American species.

Also cytotoxic venom just gives me the heebie jeebies. Anything that can cause destruction or necrosis of the skin cells is creepy, in my opinion.

I guess it just comes down to a personal decision as to how comfortable someone is with keeping it in their home.

 

[CRX]

It was very fast and skittish and could have easily escaped while I tried to feed it if I kept it. I thew in a cricket and it was very, very difficult to get it in the container without the spider escaping. I couldn't imagine safely doing that on a regular basis.

Then I guess you'll never be able to keep any huntsman spiders or arboreal Ts.

But yeah, it's ridiculous to kill a Yellow Sac spider just because it's venom is SLIGHTLY more toxic than most house spiders. I was bitten by one a few years back, and all it did was sting for a few seconds, and it got kinda dumb for about 30 minutes. And I find these in my house every summer, and I've only been bitten once. So they must not be that aggressive.

 

[The Spider Faery]

Then I guess you'll never be able to keep any huntsman spiders or arboreal Ts.

I'm not worried about speed and skittishness in itself. I do have an arboreal T and plan to get at least another. It's the fact that the yellow sac spider is cytotoxic and from what I've read, quite bitey with it. Tarantulas are not. Their venom doesn't kills skin/tissue cells. I had an absess/infection this past summer that caused some necrosis of my tissue and it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had and would not want to experience those effects again.

But don't judge me so harshly! It's all new to me. I just researched this one for the first time when I came across it, since it's not very common where I live.

 

[ZergFront]

I've had six females of these at once. They're quite common to find at my house after summer is over in curled leaves (they love the dead ivy leaves that still hang in the fence) and breed like crazy at that time.

My young jumping spiders seemed to think the freshly hatched sac spiders made an excellent first food.

 

[LeilaNami]

It would have been better if you had posted and asked about the nature of the spider before needlessly flushing a perfectly good arachnid. If you had just asked, there are many on here that would be able to tell you how to keep a spider like that safely (not that there's any real danger in the first place). Your skin isn't going to rot off from a sac spider bite nor are they a bitey. I've personally handled this species without any incident whatsoever. Sorry but killing an animal, any animal, because you don't understand it is silly IMO (except in the name of science of course).

 

[The Spider Faery]

It would have been better if you had posted and asked about the nature of the spider before needlessly flushing a perfectly good arachnid. If you had just asked, there are many on here that would be able to tell you how to keep a spider like that safely

I guess you're right. I did feel bad about getting rid of it in the first place, but all the info I was finding made them out to be menacing. I read a lot of different articles and reports online, and I couldn't find one positive thing about this species. I'll just chalk this one up to a learning experience.

 

[The Spider Faery]

My young jumping spiders seemed to think the freshly hatched sac spiders made an excellent first food.

Interesting. I didn't know jumpers ate other spiders. (But I'm clearly a true spider newb and I've never kept one as a pet before.)

 

[TheTyro]

I guess you're right. I did feel bad about getting rid of it in the first place, but all the info I was finding made them out to be menacing. I read a lot of different articles and reports online, and I couldn't find one positive thing about this species. I'll just chalk this one up to a learning experience.

It is amazing how much misinformation exists about spiders, even from "reputable" sources.

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/dangerous.html

Should check that out, some of the stuff Rod points out is so rooted in our society it has been taken as fact. It's always good to be on the cautious side though.

I have tons of hobo spiders in my house ( along with other harmless tegenaria spiders)...and even though they are considered dangerous, in all my 22 years of life I have never had a problem with them. As long as your not making them feel they are in danger, you're typically fine.

 

[ZergFront]

Interesting. I didn't know jumpers ate other spiders. (But I'm clearly a true spider newb and I've never kept one as a pet before.)

Yup. They've eaten freshly hatched Daddy long legs too. I didn't have a whole lot of things small enough to feed the slings. I've also read some stuff online that suggested Phidippus eat quite a lot of spiders in their diet when the option is there, right above flies..

 

[LeilaNami]

I guess you're right. I did feel bad about getting rid of it in the first place, but all the info I was finding made them out to be menacing. I read a lot of different articles and reports online, and I couldn't find one positive thing about this species. I'll just chalk this one up to a learning experience.

It's ok. Lots of stuff on the internet is blown out of proportion lol

 

[Venom]

I don't see any reason for you to be getting on S.Blondi's case about flushing the spider. She decided to keep the spider before understanding its toxicity; then discovered the potential consequences of a bite, and made a decision that she wasn't comfortable with that risk level. That's a perfectly reasonable decision.

She was correct that C. inclusum is cytotoxic and can produce flu-like symptoms, as well as intense pain and swelling at the bite site. Blistering necrosis is less common and usually minor, but you know what, this bite will hurt! They ARE defensive, and will bite, sometimes repeatedly.

Sorry, but the "misinformation" statement claiming that C. inclusum is overblown...was itself a piece of misinformation.

 

[The Spider Faery]

That's exactly the way I saw it from my perspective at the time, Venom.

 

[jsloan]

If you're interested in the results of 20 verified bites, here's a link:

http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/abstract/74/6/1043

Also interesting:

http://www.jabfm.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/78

If you want accurate information about the venom of these spiders, you'll find it in original papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Beware of any rumored bite reports where a spider has not been directly and unequivocally linked to the bite, and the identity of the spider has not been verified by an arachnologist.

 

[Venom]

I've read that report, and I was neither impressed nor convinced.