Jumping Spiders
These care guides are just that, guides, based on my experience with the species. Please be mindful of you local climate and house environment and adjust the care accordingly. Some individuals among a species may also vary in their care needs.
*please note my care may vary from others
- Light: Jumpers are diurnal (awake during the day) and need light to hunt and digest food. Provide adequate light: indirect sunlight, a bright room, or a regular lamp.
- Water: Mist the side or top of the enclosure 2x/week, fine mist is best for babies as there is no risk of the water drops being too big.
- Food: feed 2x/week. I feed on Tuesdays and Fridays. Must be live prey. They can take down prey larger than themselves. *instar=size of jumper or how many molts.
- 1st-3rd instar eat Melanogaster flightless fruit flies (smaller variety)
- 3rd-5th instar eat Hydei flightless fruit flies (larger variety)
- 5th -adult eat crickets/meal worms/blue bottle flies
- Temperature: room temperature is perfect (20c). They are actually quite cold tolerant. Make sure your lights do not heat the enclosure.
- Housing: I keep them in a 2oz sauce cup with pinholes punctured into it until 4th-5th instar. Then I move them to a 32oz deli cup with a filter (fruitfly) lid. Once adults they can go into a 8x8x8 or 8x8x12 or 12x12x12 Exoterra or something similar. They will use the space you provide.
- Enrichment: light, and housing materials can add to your spider’s enrichment. I use wood, toilet paper rolls, moss, fake foliage, pipe cleaners, cork, or anything without moving parts and small spaces they could get stuck in to decorate enclosures.
- Handling: They do tolerate handling. They can still be fast and can still bite if they feel threatened.
