Updated 7/15/26.
I'm Sid (they/them). I recently developed a fascination for spiders, especially jumping spiders.
This blog is for documenting my adventures keeping pet jumping spiders in Western Pennsylvania.
I currently have 4 wild-caught spiders:
Spike - a likely adult (possibly subadult) female Salticus senicus zebra jumping spider. She is about 6mm long. I caught her on the side of my house. Spike hasn't molted for me yet, so time will tell what stage she is. I can't get a good enough close up of her abdomen to see if she has a developed epigyne or not. She's eating 1 or 2 D. hydei flightless fruit flies every 4-6 days (I feed based on abdomen size). I'm misting every other day with distilled water.
Since I recently concluded that Spike is likely an adult, I won't be surprised if she makes an egg sac someday. What I will do with the slings, I haven't decided, but I will probably release them since they are native.
Her enclosure is a 3x3x6 acrylic box. I lined three walls and the ceiling with white translucent plastic needlepoint grid that is pressure-fitted and secured with magnets. I made 2 leaf nodes that are positioned at the top in opposite corners. I recently updated the floor to be a sheet of cork to cushion slightly in case she falls. Inremoved the rocks from the older photos. I'm proud of the enclosure design. The first one I had Spike in was more of a generic jumping spider enclosure design, but I noticed she only used the walls and ceiling and not the climbing structures. After doing more research on Salticus senicus, I learned that they prefer open vertical spaces with clear sight lines. So, I designed a new enclosure that would better support Spike's natural behavior. It seems to be acceptable since Spike has been patrolling, hunting successfully, built a hammock, and hasn't displayed any concerning panic behavior.
Nugget - an early possibly mid-stage juvenile of unknown species/sex. I suspect Attulus fasciger, Asiatic wall jumping spider. They are only 2mm long and were found on my porch. Right now, Nugget is living in an upside down 2oz deli cup with a small sprig of small fake leaves glued along the inside upper edge. When I know what species they are I can design a future enclosure to better suit them. Nugget is eating 1 adult melanogaster every 2-3 days. I'm misting every other day with distilled water.
With Nugget, when I first got them I was concerned about what prey to offer. The small flightless fruit fly was too chaotic for them it seemed. They pounced on it a few times but couldn't get a good hold. The next day, I pulled out a larva and offered that, and Nugget successfully subdued and ate it! They spent the following day in a food coma tucked between the ceiling and a leaf. When Nugget was active again, I offered another larva and they took that one down too. It was very active but Nugget held on! I was so proud.
Poptart - possibly mid-stage juvenile of unknown species/sex. I suspect they are also Attulus fasciger. They are slightly smaller than Nugget and are living in a similar setup. They are eating 1 adult melanogaster every 2-3 days, misting as with Nugget.
Emmett - adult male Paraphidippus aurantius, emerald jumping spider. I caught him on the side of my house. He only has 6 legs. He's living in a 4x4x8 acrylic box that I designed with his species and disability in mind. He ate 1 hydei fly while in his temporary enclosure, and I am going to try to tong feed him mini crickets soon.
I recently upgraded my setup to include an LED light on a timer and have started culturing my own melanogaster and hydei flies.
All spiders seem to have adapted to captivity extremely well. I am gauging success based on observing their behavior - do they seem stressed? Are they eating? Did they make a retreat? Are they establishing a routine? I can't adequately express how much I love these little spiders! Caring for them is extremely rewarding.
