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Everything about Feeding

How they eat

Unlike other species of spiders commonly seen around the world, Jumping Spiders do not use a web to catch food. They hunt, stalk, and pounce on their prey to capture insects.

Jumping Spiders are an arboreal species which means they like being high up off the ground and hiding in nooks and crannies with their hammock. Which is important for preferred prey choices and hydration.

Jumping Spiders and most other species of spiders are insectivores, majority of their diet is insect only.

Hydration

Hydration for your spider should primarily come from distilled water. As arboreal creatures, jumping spiders primarily obtain their drinkable water from rain that collects on leaves and branches. This rainwater is naturally distilled through the environment, but it can also contain harmful pollutants as it travels through the earth's water cycle. Rainwater is low in minerals, which should instead be sourced from a varied and nutritious diet of feeders and insects. The safest alternative to mimic non-contaminated rainwater is to use distilled water purchased from your local pharmacy or grocery store. In contrast, city and well water often contain various unknown contaminants and minerals, many of which are added for taste and sanitization, that spiders would not typically encounter in their natural environment.

Preference

Every spider has a unique personality, and like all living creatures, they have their own food preferences. Some spiders adapt well to various feeders, while others may only prefer flying insects, reflecting their natural diet. Arboreal spiders typically inhabit high areas, where flying insects are more common, in contrast to worms that are found on the ground.

As a pet owner, it’s your responsibility to adjust and diversify the food options you offer your spider, as they do not have the freedom of choice like they would in the wild. They depend entirely on you for their nutrition. If your spider develops a specific preference, it may lead to the need for more expensive or hard-to-find feeders, or you might encounter species you're not comfortable handling.

This aspect is essential to consider before adopting a spider. Being prepared to meet your spider's dietary needs, which may sometimes push you beyond your comfort zone, is a crucial part of responsible pet ownership.

Enviromental

Environment might also play a factor in the feeding behavior of your spood; too big of enclosure your spood might not be able to chase and hunt effectively. Not enough light, most inverts highly rely on the day/night cycle to regulate and provide light stimulation to let them know it’s a beautiful day lets go look for some food. As well as feeder insects. They also need day light to signal it time to get moving and provide that need stimulation for your spood to be excited to hunt. Temperature is also critically important. Inverts are cold-blooded, which means they need the temperature in their environment to help control their body temperatures.

When temperatures are too low their metabolism slows down and they stop digesting food. When temperatures are ideal, they digest food quickly and will eat more often.

Age

The younger the spider the more often they will eat. Sling should be offered food daily, The older spider gets, the larger the feeder insects should be and have more time in between offering food.

Mature spiders behaviors differ from when they are ravenous slings. Both males and females are known to stop eating for long periods of time but for varies reasons. Males will stop eating as all they are wanting to mate; this can sometimes be helped by placing males in separate rooms so they don’t sense females nearby and females will stop eating when nesting on eggs, or because they are eating infertile egg and not wasting the opportunity to scavenge calories.

Size

Just as important as what you give your spood as a feeder is the correct size that we give them.

Giving your spood too small of a feeder might frustrate your spood into not eating as this is like chasing 100’s of bites of food to get full instead of sitting down for one meal. Its a lot of energy they need to use. If you need to give more than 1-2 feeder insects to your spoods abdomen size to full, you will need to go up in size or supply a different species of feeder to give.

The correct size feeder should be .75 to 1.5 times the length of the body of your spider (fang to webbers). This ensures that your spider will get a big meal and be satisfied without needing to use so much energy to get full.

When to feed

Sometimes before and after molts spider will stop eating until they feel secure enough to start again. when spiders come out of molt, or when they are starving, spiders can be a little less secure with larger prey items and you may need to use a feeder half the size of spider to get them to eat but this shouldn’t be the size you offer your spider regularly.

Molts

Health and Care of feeders

Health of your feeders is so important! Yes, getting a spider and other live eating insectivore means taking care of other bugs. They need hygiene and proper feeder care so your spider has the best healthiest food. Never feed your feeder insects and vegetables from the nightshade family or anything in the carrot family. Always feed organic fruits and vegetables from a reputable source or grow your own. No species of insects need standing water, no water dishes ever. Most invertebrates get their hydration source from sips of water on the sides of their enclosure, water crystals, or from the fruit and vegetables they consume. All feeding cultures should be kept clean from dead bugs, molt waste, old food, and mold. Regularly fed and cared for in an environmental situation to thrive in. Some feeder insects can be kept in a hibernation like state in your fridge but should be pulled out to eat once a week for 24 hours and then can be placed back into hibernation.

Insect Feeder Type List

the pros and cons of each type of feeder insect plus some tips on maintenance, feeding and care, and an example at which instar should it be fed. Spiders should be given a wide variety of feeders for the overall health.

Fruit flies (i2-i6)

This feeder is the most used for newly hatched slings. Fruit flies come in multiple sizes. It is available in most pet stores. Maintenance is none, culture can last for weeks but is variable depending on health and age of culture. Prone to grain mite infestations and mold. Put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to transfer them into spood enclosure. Shouldn’t be kept for longer than 4 weeks.

Cricket (i6-mature)

wildly available at most pet stores and come in a variety of sizes to fit your spiders ever growing need. Crickets need an enclosure to be kept for long periods of time with food and water. They can be cultured in the right environment. They are known to carry parasites and to eat spiders, precautions and supervision should be taken while feeding.

Grain flour larvae (i2-i6)

This feeder is less common, and it is harder to find cultures locally. They can be ordered online from a reputable seller. Culture lasts forever if maintenance and hygiene of culture are maintained and food sources of brewer’s yeast, rice flour or unbleached grain flour are refreshed. It can take 6 weeks or plus for a culture to grow.

Dubia Roaches (i4-mature

These are available at most pet stores and come in a variety of sizes to fit your spoods growing need. They can be kept and cultured but need an enclosure to be kept for long periods of time with the proper maintenance and hygiene

Mealworm Larvae (i4 - mature

Widely available sizes, and available at most pet stores. Easy to keep stored in fridge for weeks. Minimum maintenance to upkeep, using scrap organic vegetables to stay hydrated. Can bite spider. Do not leave in enclosure. Do not feed mealworm pupae, or in beetle form.

Will pupate and hatch into beetles if kept at room temperatures. Keep in fridge for slow growth.

House flies (i5-i8)

keep cultures clean and are short lived. Keep flies in a mesh cage/container for ventilation. Provide wet cotton ball for hydration and dry milk for protein and gut loading. Keep at room temperature for hatching and in refrigerator to stop hatching.

Blue bottle flies/ larvae (i6-mature)

keep cultures clean and are short lived. Keep flies in a mesh cage/container for ventilation. Provide wet cotton ball for hydration and crested gecko food for gut loading. Keep at room temperature for hatching and in refrigerator to stop hatching.

Buffalo beetle Larvae (i6-i8)

dry well ventilated container with wheat bran/ oat bran substrate. Hydrate using potatoes and squash.

50-60 to slow development.

Wax worms (i6-mature)

do best kept in cool, dry and dark ventilated cup with bran/oatmeal based chow. Store at 50-60 to slow down and extend life. Vegetables for hydration. Clean culture of dead insect regularly. High in Fat, use sparingly.

Bean Beetles

kept bone dry, substrate of dry beans and some paper towel. For steady hatches 75-85. For slow down 60-70.

Adults can fly.

Soldier fly larvae (i4-i6)

need the right airflow and moisture and not too much food at once. Keep in well ventilated tub with a few inches of dryish substrate of wheat bran / coco coir.

best kept at 50-60 for preserving. High in calcium feed sparingly.

Red Runner Roaches

(i6-Mature)

thrive in warm, dry well ventilated environments. Roach chow, dog food and produce. Keep around 70 for slowing down growth. 85-95 for reproduction. Gets Big!