If you are buying a spider from Arachnamoria, you will probably be getting a 5th or 6th instar, these will be several months old and although not really babies (normally called slings who are 2nd, 3rd and 4th instar) for the purpose of this blog we’ll call them baby spiders. Young spiders will need different care from older spiders, so here is what you need to know about baby jumping spider care.
Smaller Homes:
Whereas adult jumping spiders will need at least 15x15x20cm high to explore and hunt in, baby jumping spiders will need a smaller starter home. This is because they need to practice hunting in an enclosure bigger than the ones they lived in as slings here at Arachnamoria, but not so big as they fail to catch their prey meaning they often go hungry.
Large enclosures often have bigger vents, or cable entries that a baby spider could escape from. A starter home from Arachnamoria is ideal for the babies we sell, alternatively enclosures around 5x5x10cm high will do just right.
Unlike tarantula slings, baby jumping spiders should not be kept in sling vials. Not only are these are too small to allow effective yet safe hunting practice, but the babies here at Arachnamoria are kept in much larger 4oz sling pots and it would not be kind to suddenly confine them to a smaller home.
Feeding More Often: Baby spiders will need more food than adults to help them grow and have enough energy to take them through their moults but at the same time, you’ll need to avoid over feeding them. Baby spiders eat large fruit flies from a culture, unlike adults who can eat a rage of large prey A good rule of thumb is to offer them 2 to 3 fruit flies a day. You can offer more if they look skinny after a moult, or less if they are looking rather tubby. When their abdomen is the same size or larger than a curly wing or green bottle, or when they are actively hunting but ignoring fruit flies you can try them on larger flies and prey and start to feed less often. Again with adults it’s a good idea to use their abdomen as a gauge to how often you should feed rather than using a set number of days. Always mist at least once a day, twice if it warm dry weather.
Handle with Care: You are probably very eager to start bonding with your baby spood and I don’t blame you. I would definitely give your little one a day to settle in and make sure they have eaten, and are actively exploring the next day before attempting to handle them. You should note though, especially when unpacking them for the first time that baby spiders have a flight instinct when frightened. Older spiders are much more chilled but babies go for the hop, skip and gone approach. When unpacking it is best to do so up a table with a catching cup and their enclosure to hand. There will be helpful notes in the unboxing blog to guide you through. When they have had a chance to settle in you can turn the top of the Arachnamoria starter home upside down and wait for them to come up to meet you, they will be calmer and happy to start exploring.
