Spider Care

The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Spiders Happy and Healthy

Welcome to our Spider Care guide! Whether you're a seasoned spider enthusiast or a newbie spider parent, this page will provide you with all the essential information you need to ensure the well-being of your eight-legged friends. From handling and feeding to creating the perfect habitat, we've got you covered. Let's dive in!

Please ensure you have everything you need for when your little one arrives in your care:

Small plastic enclosure with ventilation holes (please see our starter kit as an example).
A small mist bottle to provide hydration (your spider will drink from the small droplets on the side of the enclosure, do not directly spray your spider).
Small flightless fruit flies for spiders up to L6, offered every few days (if your spider does not take the prey, do not leave live prey in the enclosure overnight, this can be stressful for the spider).
You should provide bright lighting for your spider to thrive, they enjoy 12 hours of bright LED light a day, this can easily be set up on a timer for convenience.
Decoration, hiding spots and substrate. Your spider will enjoy exploring and having safe spots to hide in.
When you notice your Phidippus entering its pre moult, do not disturb or disrupt its web sac. Your spider may remain in the web sac for a week or two, this is perfectly normal. Ensure your spider has hydration, this will help your spider have a successful moult. Do not feed your spider while in moult.

Additional Information:

Between L4 – L7 your spider will enjoy larger flightless fruit flies.
At approx. L7 your spider may prefer bigger flies (blue bottles) or small pin head crickets. Its interesting to watch your spider hunt its prey and to see your spider develop his or her skills.
As a rule, your jumping spider will require its prey to be approx. ¾ of its size or roughly the size of its abdomen. Be mindful not to overfeed your spider, as they will eat what is offered and can rupture. You can usually tell if you spider is full by its swollen abdomen.
Do not leave live prey in your enclosure, the stress from this can cause a bad moult, if your spider hasn’t killed it prey in approx. 30mins, I would personally take it as a sign your spider is not hungry.
If you choose to use a heat mat (not always necessary, depending on the location of your housing) do not place the heat mat under the enclosure, instead attach it to the side to better regulate the temperature. The Phidippus prefer 26C to 32C, but will live well in 21C to 25C.
An adult spider will require an enclosure approx. 15x15x20cm. you can pick these up from reptile stores and online shops.
Jumping spiders will naturally moult every 3 or 4 weeks, younger sometimes sooner and older sometimes longer. The time can differ with each spider. Travel, such as being posted can sometimes bring on a moult, as well as overfeeding.

Pre Moult

Initial stage of moulting you may notice your spider refusing food, being less active and hiding up more than usual. Their web sack will appear bigger and / or thicker and your spider will eventually stay within the sac. Food should not be offered at this stage / no live food should be left in the enclosure. Misting the enclosure, but not too close to the web sack is important, humidity will help your spider have a successful moult and your spider may pop out for a drink before fully entering the moult stage. Pre moult can last anywhere from a few days up to a month, be patient and do not disturb.

Moult

During this second stage of the moult, the physical moult, your spider will excrete special fluid into to space between the old and new exoskeleton to separate them. Following this they will break the back of their old exoskeleton and start to pull themselves free, first their abdomen, then their head and then the legs.

During and for a short time after the moult the spider is extremely fragile and should not be disturbed by its owner or any prey. Unexpected stress can cause the new exoskeleton to harden before the spider has managed to extract itself fully, this can cause the spider to lose a limb or in some cases cause death.

Post Moult

The third and final stage of the moult is when your spider will be very vunerable and will need a few days to a week for their new exoskeleton to harden. During this stage you should continue to mist the enclosure, leave your sider undisturbed and not offer any food. You can offer food once the spider emerges from his / her web sac of thier own accord.

You may find the old exoskeleton discarded in the encloser and you can remove this – see below image of an intact exoskeleton from one of my own spiders.

The Extras

Other things to be aware of

Jumpers usually reach maturity at 13-16 months old. This means they could live another 1-2 years as plump and happy adults with the right care, if your spider is hiding up once he / she has fully matured if could be due to one of the following reasons.

Females will hide up to lay eggs. If she has not been in contact with a male since her final moult these will most likely be unfertilised.
Males transport sperm from their glands underneath them to the sacks on the tips of their pedipalp and will hide up for this activity and refuse food.
A male will refuse food if they are thinking about mating.