Jumping Spider Care Guide
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A HOBBYIST? HOW EXCITING!
If you’re here reading my care guide or did research elsewhere before adopting, pat yourself on the back! I applaud you! You’re already on track to becoming a responsible pet parent.
LET'S START OFF WITH SOME INTERESTING JUMPING SPIDER FACTS:
Jumping spiders can be found just about anywhere in the world. With the exception of extreme polar regions. Jumping spiders generally reside in more tropical areas, but can withstand cooler climates as well depending upon the species. And have even been known to live on the slopes of Mount Everest. How cool is that?
Jumping spiders have the ability to jump up to 50 times their own body length! To help put that in perspective, imagine being able to jump 10 times your height. You’d be able to leap over buildings in one single bound!
One last fact for good measure, and we’ll get to the sole reason you’re here! I could spend countless hours on sharing jumping spider facts and information. Though Jumping spiders are quite small and their brains being the size of a poppyseed, are actually quite intelligent. Scientists have proven they even have the ability to learn. There are several examples available on google, but one being; that a scientist in New Zealand developed an obstacle course in which they were surprised to learn that jumping spiders navigated successfully. This obstacle course involved towers, platforms, and moats. Jumping spiders avoid water, as getting wet could be deadly. They have the ability to plan and adapt, known as “genuine cognition” meaning they think before they act. 🤯
Let’s get to it!
Jumping spiders are considered beginner friendly as they are low maintenance. And can be as inexpensive or expensive which is entirely up to you, depending on your choice of enclosure and accessories.
WHAT TYPE OF ENCLOSURE DO I NEED?
First and foremost, DO NOT house multiple jumpers together. Jumper’s are.. to put it bluntly cannibalistic. The size of your enclosure will be contingent upon the size of your spider. Jumping spiders do not require a lot of space. A large enclosure for a small spider, can hinder your jumping spider from being able to find its prey. Not being able to find prey, can lead to starvation and even death.
Something important to take note of, jumping spiders are arboreal. What does this mean? Arboreal meaning, they are typically found living in trees. So a tall enclosure that’s bottom or front opening is crucial. It’s often that jumping spiders build their hammocks in the top of their enclosures. For instance, an enclosure that’s top opening, will likely destroy your jumpers hammock when opening for routine care. Destroying a jumping spider‘s hammock can cause unnecessary stress. But also jumping spiders will utilize vertical space as they like to climb. The recommended enclosure size for your jumping spider will vary on the size and age of your spider. i8+ 4x4x7 and anything smaller 4x4x4.
That being said be sure to offer your jumping spider a variety of things to climb as a way to offer enrichment, which will aid in prolonging the life of your spider.
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE AN APPROPRIATE ENCLOSURE NEEDED?
I have a few personal recommendations on where to get an enclosure, so be sure to check them out!
- Tarantula cribs, I absolutely love tarantula cribs as they offer a variety of enclosures that suit your needs. While also being sleek and stylish.
- Arachnid Shop, I highly recommend arachnid shop for jumpers that require more extensive care like the Hyllus Dardi and UVB lighting.
- BigFATphids, I love supporting small business owners. Aside from that BigFATphids offers such high-quality products that are fun and funky for both slings and adults.
- And lastly I myself also offer enclosures, available here on my website. Suitable for adults and slings.
Be sure when purchasing any enclosure that it provides the appropriate cross ventilation needed. Lack of ventilation can cause mold and bacteria to grow. Which intern can be deadly to your jumping spider. The above recommendations, offer just that.
TEMPERATURES:
Temperatures vary from species to species, for most species added heat isn’t necessary. The most popular kept species like the Phidippus Regius - Regal Jumping Spider And Phidippus Audax - Bold Jumping Spider thrive at temperatures of 70-85°F.
DOES MY JUMPER NEED EXTRA LIGHTING?
Though most species of jumpers don’t require extra lighting that emits heat. Please however be sure to give your jumper a day and night cycle that replicates their natural biological clock. You can do this by simply placing your jumper in “indirect” sunlight near a window. Although never place your jumper directly in sunlight. As the enclosure could overheat and will cause the death of your spider. Jumping spiders ARE NOT nocturnal, and are most active and hunt during the day. So replicating their day and night cycle is very important (12 hours sunlight and 12 hours of lights out.) If you do not have access to place your jumping spider in indirect light, I highly recommend that you invest in a LED light or plant light. Much like you and I, jumping spiders need sunlight exposure to thrive. I have found that using LED lights has really made all the difference in my jumpers behavior, again this isn’t a must but definitely worth the investment and would benefit your jumping spider.
HUMIDITY:
Like that of the temperature requirements, humidity levels vary from species to species.
For the Phidippus Regius - Regal Jumper Spider humidity levels should stay between 50 to 60% if they’re to rise above or fall below don’t panic. Random spikes or drops in humidity levels aren’t too much reason for concern, unless happening consistently. I recommend purchasing a hygrometer from Amazon, as this is a great way to be able to closely monitor your humidity and temperature levels.
The frequency of how often you’ll need to mist the enclosure will also depend on the substrate used, soil/moss will retain humidity substantially more than if you’re to use a paper towel. However, the substrate used is entirely up to you. I personally do not prefer soil unless it’s for a bioactive enclosure, equipped with a cleanup crew. As mold and bacteria grow rapidly, and will need to be changed frequently. I too also do not recommend a bioactive setup for a beginner but don’t discourage against it either (that’s just my personal opinion.)
A dedicated hobbyist will do the needed research, in re-creating a natural environment. For a begginer however, I personally believe in keeping it simple.
MISTING:
I highly recommend misting your enclosure once a day, daily. The main reason is, that you want to be sure you provide jumping spiders with something to drink. As they’ll drink from the water droplets. But that’s not always feasible, a day or so in-between misting will be fine. Be sure to not too heavily mist your enclosure. Especially when it comes to slings, large water droplets can cause your slings to drown. But how? Jumping spiders have what is known as booklungs, on the underside of their abdomen. This is how they breathe, getting trapped in a water droplet can and will result in drowning.
FOOD:
A jumping spider's diet consists of multiple different feeder options. For example, mealworms, wax worms, blue bottle flies, Dubia roaches, etc. But how to know which is best for your spider? The size of your prey items will depend on the size and age of your spider.
Slings should be fed fruit flies, and need to be fed more frequently than that of an older jumping spider. i4/i5 - fruit flies, i6/i8 - fly spikes, micro meal worms, micro roaches, i8+ - flies, fly spikes, meal worms, wax worms/moths & roaches.
FEEDING:
Slings should be fed three times weekly, a minimum of twice. For older jumping spiders, they can be fed once to twice weekly, depending on the size of the abdomen. They can handle prey items much larger, which will sustain them quite a bit longer. Be sure to have a few different feeder options available to your jumpers. You can easily culture your own feeders at home, while saving money at the same time. YouTube is your best friend. For example over feeding wax worms is highly discouraged as they are fatty.
NEVER and I repeat NEVER leave a prey item unattended in your jumping spiders enclosure! In the event, your jumping spider goes into a molt, said prey item could target and kill your jumping spider as they are very vulnerable during a molt. So be sure to closely monitor, checking back periodically on your jumper when given prey. Once the prey has been bitten by your jumping spider, and injected with the jumping spider's venom the prey item will be disabled and should no longer be a threat.
MOLTING:
Molting for a jumping spider is a very crucial stage in their life, like a milestone if you will. Jumping spiders molt between 6-9 times in their lifetime. But don’t be alarmed, it’s a natural occurrence that will continue to happen until a spider reaches maturity. Molting happens when a spider outgrows and sheds its exoskeleton. A lot like us as humans, spiders too have skeletons only they wear theirs on the outside of their bodies.
Things to look for that could suggest your spider is going into a molt.
- Lack of interest in eating or not eating at all.
- Less active, spending more time in their hammock than usual.
- Abnormally thick webbing, different from that of their typical hammock.
Your spider could spend days or even weeks in his or her molting hammock, during premolt in preparation for the molting process. Give your jumping spider the needed time and space, and avoid disturbing them. Disturbing them is unnecessary, and may cause stress. Continue to mist the enclosure per usual, but not the spider directly. Proper humidity levels is very critical during the molting period for your jumping spider, as it will help the process go much smoother. A dehydrated jumping spider, could have difficulty molting and may lose limbs as a result. Please avoid handling your jumper for a minimum of 24 hours after molting, to allow your jumper time to harden. Your jumper may not be interested in eating for 1-3 days after a molt, so don’t stress if they don’t take prey right away
I would like to conclude that I am no expert by any means. I however have been a hobbyist since 2020 and have learned a lot of different things through trial, error, and experience. I always recommend researching care and information from other resources as well. Expanding your knowledge will only benefit your jumping spider, and will help to improve you as a keeper.