With a growing number of people showing interest in exotic pets, it’s no surprise to see that a lot of people are beginning to enjoy keeping spiders as pets. The truth is these gorgeous creatures are surprisingly intelligent and provide many opportunities for learning about nature.
That said, our fuzzy friends are venomous and can incapacitate their prey in a matter of minutes. But not to worry, they aren’t harmful to humans. Even if you get bitten by a jumping spider, you’ll only experience mild irritations and redness that fizzles away after a couple of days.
For people looking to keep jumping spiders as pets, today’s post has all the information you need to raise a healthy, active, and happy spider.
How To Handle jumping spiders
While feeding your spider friend is among the most important things to do when caring for your jumping spider, a lot of people would want to relish the experience of observing their furry friend outside its enclosure. This is where a lot of people get tempted to handle their pets.
The thing is, handling your jumping spider provides an opportunity to bond, but you have to be careful when doing this. If it’s the first time you’re going to be handling a jumping spider, our best advice is to take things slow as there is nothing to be won when it comes to bonding with your fuzzy friend.
And just so you know, spiders can be very defensive when they feel threatened. So, if you don’t handle them well, you may end up getting bitten. And we doubt if you’ll like that very much.
Feeding jumping spiders
Although spiders don’t overeat, ensure you feed your spider friend every 2-3 days. Even though jumping spiders can go a week without food, it’s best to feed them as often as you can. But while at it, avoid serving hard-shelled beetles.
Also, they don’t do very well with pill bugs, so avoid including them as part of your pet’s diet. In addition to this, make sure you avoid feeding ants, too, as these insects can bite and inject formic acids that are lethal to your spider friend.
From what we have come to learn, our furry friends do very well with flies and small crickets, so it’s okay if you make these foods a bulk of their meal. Like flies, moths are also great spider foods. And we like the fact that they don’t harm spiders.
How often should you feed your spider friend?
Although spiders don’t eat too often, you must ensure they feed correctly, especially if you’re breeding them in captivity. If you’re raising a juvenile jumping spider, you can feed it once every 1-2 days.
On the flip side, if you’re caring for an adult jumping spider, it’s okay to feed it once every 2-3 days. Also, keep in mind that jumping spiders tend to become weak and unable to hunt as they age. At this point, it’s okay if you serve dead prey.
Housing jumping spiders – Enclosures and all
Our leaper friends like to roam around freely, just like they do in their natural habitat. So, it is essential to provide an enclosure with enough space, ventilation, and lighting when breeding them in captivity.
And if you’re on a budget, you can start with a glass jar or vial. That said, if you can afford it, you can go for a terrarium or tank like the EXO Terra The good thing about using a terrarium or tank is that it provides enough space for your spider friend to roam around freely. Not just that, it also gives the semblance of their natural habitat.
Offering water to your spider
Jumping spiders breathe using a structure popularly referred to as book lungs, which is located in their abdomen. While the name may sound a little weird, they are rightly named because of how they look.
Because of how delicate their lungs are, putting water on their abdomen can suffocate them. Plus, spiders only drink tiny droplets of water. In case you want to serve water to your spider friend, you can use a misting bottle to spray a little amount of water on the side of the enclosure.
- Avoid puddles, or you may risk drowning your pet.
Can you keep more than one spider in an enclosure?
Unfortunately, jumping spiders don’t do well together. So, except for mating purposes, avoid keeping them together in one enclosure. Ideally, each spider should have its own enclosure. If you put them together, they may fight to the death. Even when you put them together for mating purposes, please ensure you separate them after some time.
As a form of distraction, you can serve their favorite prey when putting them together; this will prevent them from taking on themselves.
Are spiders dangerous?
Spiders can be vicious or completely friendly and docile creatures, however, its goods to do research on which Jumping spiders are safe to keep as many may have toxic venom thats used to incapacitate their prey. But guess what, they aren’t harmful to humans. This explains why a lot of people are looking to keep them as pets. Although their bite can be a bit painful, they only bite when they feel threatened. Plus, their bite will only leave irritations that fade away after a couple of days.
Frequently asked questions
Are Jumping spiders friendly?
Our fuzzy friends are generally friendly and don’t pose any risk to us. Sure, they let out painful bites when threatened but will most likely shy away from humans when they spot one. And if you handle them correctly, the chances of getting bitten is really slim.
What makes a good spider enclosure?
A good spider enclosure should have adequate space for our fuzzy friends as they like to roam around freely. In addition, it should provide adequate ventilation and lighting. Also, it should have a good window or door that allows for easy access.
Do jumping spider bites hurt?
If they feel threatened, jumping spiders will bite to defend themselves. Sure, their venoms aren’t harmful to humans, but their bite can leave redness and irritations that lingers for days.
Conclusion
Caring for our fuzzy friends isn’t all that difficult. By providing a secure environment and feeding them properly, they can survive and thrive even in captivity.
