Jumping Spider Care Guide
Jumping spiders are unique among their fellow spiders. They are the smartest species of spiders on earth and they may be the only spiders that can help those with arachnophobia to overcome their fears. These spiders have a super amazing way to catch their prey and can jump far distances compared to their size. They are truly the masters of the spider world!
Getting a Jumping Spider
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Jumping spiders can either be caught in the wild or purchased by a reputable breeder.
Any jumping spider you catch is legal to keep as a pet (but I’d recommend leaving mature females alone unless you want a bunch of tiny baby spiders all over the place). Don’t worry that the spider won’t like you if you take it away from the wilderness; spiders don’t hold grudges, and while they can be shy, it’s nothing a bit of patience won’t fix. |
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A captive breed jumping spider should always be bought by a breeder with a good reputation and reviews. And you should always, no matter what, research any type of spider that comes into your care so that you can be sure to give it personalized care.
Jumping Spider Enclosure
Before introducing your jumping spider to its new home, make sure you clean out its new housing container. Even if you just bought one, it is still a good idea to soap it up to remove any unseen substances or chemicals. Then you can gently move your jumping spider into its new home. Give your spider a day or two to get used to its new surroundings before taking it out of its enclosure for pictures or holding.
Every now and again, you may need to spot clean the spider’s enclosure to avoid any mold growth. By using tweezers to pick up food remains and spider waste, you should be able to do this pretty easily. And yes, spiders do go to the bathroom by producing a two-in-one of both pee and poop.
Every now and again, you may need to spot clean the spider’s enclosure to avoid any mold growth. By using tweezers to pick up food remains and spider waste, you should be able to do this pretty easily. And yes, spiders do go to the bathroom by producing a two-in-one of both pee and poop.
Feeding
Jumping spiders do not create a web of any type to trap their prey. Instead, these spiders hurl themselves on top of their prey and hold on to them with their two fuzzy feelers (or pedipalps, as they should be called) located near their mouth.
As a general rule of thumb, a jumping spider can capture any feeder insect that is two-times its size or less. As long as you are giving your spider flies or crickets in that size-range, your spider should be able to successfully catch each one.
Baby jumping spiders may eat multiple fruit flies a day, but their appetites will slow down over time and by the time they are sub-adults to adults they eat less and less often. I try feeding my sub-adult spiders every 2-3 days and if they don’t take it, I’ll try feeding them every 3-5 days, and so on. Once your spider has caught something, do NOT bother them. It can take spiders many hours to fully eat their prey and you should not disturb them while they do so.
As a general rule of thumb, a jumping spider can capture any feeder insect that is two-times its size or less. As long as you are giving your spider flies or crickets in that size-range, your spider should be able to successfully catch each one.
Baby jumping spiders may eat multiple fruit flies a day, but their appetites will slow down over time and by the time they are sub-adults to adults they eat less and less often. I try feeding my sub-adult spiders every 2-3 days and if they don’t take it, I’ll try feeding them every 3-5 days, and so on. Once your spider has caught something, do NOT bother them. It can take spiders many hours to fully eat their prey and you should not disturb them while they do so.
How to tell if your spider is hungry
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One way to be sure your spiders are hungry and want to eat is by looking at their abdomen size. A starving jumping spider will have a very thin, shrunken abdomen, a hungry one will have a slightly narrow abdomen. If you notice your spider has a swollen abdomen, then you need to cut back on feeding it. An overweight spider will end up with heath issues later on in its life and it may even shorten its lifespan drastically.
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What to do if your spider is not eating
If your spider suddenly stops eating for a certain reason, don’t panic. Jumping spiders stop eating a weeks before they molt. Once they finish their molt, you can expect your spider to go back to its normal eating habits.
Otherwise, if your spider isn’t molting and is still refusing any food, try to warm up the enclosure a little bit or add additional lighting. If your spider is still not eating, you can try putting sweet little treats like watermelons, strawberries, and other delicious fruits in their enclosure that might spark their interest.
Finally, if your spider refuses it all, you can only hope and try to offer it tasty flies or treats without fail.
Otherwise, if your spider isn’t molting and is still refusing any food, try to warm up the enclosure a little bit or add additional lighting. If your spider is still not eating, you can try putting sweet little treats like watermelons, strawberries, and other delicious fruits in their enclosure that might spark their interest.
Finally, if your spider refuses it all, you can only hope and try to offer it tasty flies or treats without fail.
Drinking
While you’ve probably never seen a jumping spider drink, it is very important that they do so. I give my jumping spiders water by misting the sides of their container every two or three days. The water droplets normally stay for about a couple hours before evaporating into the air, which gives your spider an ample amount of time to drink.
Handling
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Before letting your jumping spider out of any type of cage to interact with them, you should always clear a space that will be easy to spot the spider if it suddenly decides to jump. Jumping comes instinctively to these spiders, so you should be fully prepared when it happens.
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If you’ve never held a jumping spider before, you should always move slowly and be very patient (and I always have a plastic cup near by so I can pop a cover over my spider if things start getting crazy). Jumping spiders will bite if they feel threatened, even though this an extremely rare, plus you don’t want to hurt them.
Over time, your spider will get used to you and will become less shy. From there, you’ll also be able to begin teaching your spider tricks if you wanted!
Over time, your spider will get used to you and will become less shy. From there, you’ll also be able to begin teaching your spider tricks if you wanted!
Molting
Jumping spider molt about eight times in about the same amount of months.
The only times a jumping spider ever makes something using their ‘webbing’ is to sleep and to molt in. The time spent molting can vary depending on the spider’s age. Baby spiders might spend a few hours molting, while sub-adults may very well spend weeks molting! Once your spider emerges after a molt, give it a couple days to regroup. Once its exoskeleton has dried, you can introduce a fly into the spider’s enclosure.
The only times a jumping spider ever makes something using their ‘webbing’ is to sleep and to molt in. The time spent molting can vary depending on the spider’s age. Baby spiders might spend a few hours molting, while sub-adults may very well spend weeks molting! Once your spider emerges after a molt, give it a couple days to regroup. Once its exoskeleton has dried, you can introduce a fly into the spider’s enclosure.
Instars
Each molting stage is often described as an instar. When a spider hatches they are on ‘instar one’ or abbreviated to ‘i1’. If you’re ever purchasing a jumping spider and the site says that the spider is ‘i6’, it means that specific spider is on its sixth life stage.
More well-known names may be ‘spiderlings, juvenile, sub-adult, or adult’. They are slightly easier to remember but definitely more vague.
More well-known names may be ‘spiderlings, juvenile, sub-adult, or adult’. They are slightly easier to remember but definitely more vague.
Lifespan
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Jumping spiders aren’t like a dog or cat that is going to live for years and years into the future. In fact, the oldest known jumping spider only lived three years. Under the right circumstances, you can expect your spider to live an average of 1-2 years in captivity, though it varies from spider to spider.
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