How to Keep Spiders as Pets
Spiders can make fascinating pets. Here are a few steps to get you started keeping spiders.
Step 1: Catch a spider
Spiders are all around us, indoors and out, so they’re not hard to find. Some species can bite and a few are venomous. Learn about dangerous spiders in your area before heading out. It’s easy to safely catch a spider by using a small jar. Gently coax it into the jar using the lid. Spiders will eat each other, so keep only one per jar.
Step 2: Prepare a cage
Large spiders do well in the inexpensive plastic terrariums available from pet stores. Smaller ones can be kept in jars or plastic containers if air holes are drilled into the lid or sides. Be sure the holes are small enough to prevent escape.
Potting soil makes good cover for the cage bottom. Sticks, dead leaves or artificial plants provide structure for hiding, climbing and webbing.
Step 3: Water
Depending on the size of the spider, anything from a plastic bottle cap to a small bowl can serve as a water dish. Spiders also drink water sprayed on webbing, but you should never allow the cage to become damp.
Step 4: Feeding
Offer insect prey once or twice a week. Crickets are available from pet shops, or you can collect insects outdoors if no insecticides have been sprayed in the area.
Step 5: Observing
Watch your spider and take notes on its behavior. You won’t believe what happens in the spider’s web until you’ve visited it yourself!
PREFERRED PETS
Not all spiders do well in captivity. Active hunters are usually easier to keep than web builders. Here are a few that make good pets.
Tarantulas: Some species exceed 10 inches in legspan. They’re by far the most popular pet spiders and can be bought in pet stores.
Wolf Spiders: Some can be more than three inches in legspan. Large specimens do best in terrariums with lots of floor space.
Jumping Spiders: Although small and rarely exceeding half an inch, their jumping ability is amazing. Many species are brightly colored and can easily be kept in jars.
Fishing Spiders: In captivity, these large spiders appreciate vertically arranged pieces of bark for climbing. They’re very fast, so use caution when capturing them.
Grass Spiders: These spiders build funnel-shaped webs in grass, bushes and on buildings. In captivity, they will build extensive webs inside their cage.
LEARN MORE: Click here to see photos of a spider expert’s seven favorite spiders
I dont no how to keep spiderss as pets and i want to construct a cage.can any help? thanks
What kind of food does a daddy long leg prefer.
I imagine flies. but don’t do that to a daddy long leg. they are so fragile.
I catch wolf spider a big one
where did you find it
Can you keep two spiders ( black-yellow garden spider & a tin-legged spider) in the same tank??????
One spider per tank
no way they will eat them selves
What do I need to sustain a black widow.. I already have it.
I just caught a regal jumping spider in my house he’s so kool! I
Had him in my old pinkie mouse tank for an hour then I remembered
i had a bug terrarium with bugs still in it so I coaxed him in there
It was kool he jumped into the jar on the side of it then jumped to
The bottom! I’m so excited he’s the first spider I’m not scared of!
barn spiders will live anywhere good for constructing there large orb webs.Barn spiders prey on flying and crawling insects.
Can you keep a daddy long leg for a pet?
You can. The idea that they are the most venomous spiders but their mouths are just too small to delver a bite, is a myth. They have similar oral structures to the Brown Recluse. They have what is called “uncate” fangs where a tooth meets the fang like a pair of tongs come together. And as gruesomely seen, the brown recluse is capable of packing a major bite. So why wouldn’t a daddy long-legs spider be able to? And as for their venom, it has not been tested to be classified as more lethal than any other breed.
daddy long legs are not spiders
Can you keep tiger spiders as pets?
i have a spider that is about the size of a penny and is brown with faint black stripes on its legs. can some one tell me what it is?i found it in my house
I have a jumping house spideran i deed it with lots of crickits cause i caught ton
ight a lot.