I know the feeling all too well. Doing my afternoon visit to the jumping spider shelves, I spy that one of the doors is slightly ajar, stopped from closing by a plant and the spider who resides there (Reno, well known as an escape artist) is nowhere nearby.
Sudden panic.
Afraid to move.
The living room seems to grow exponentially in size as I try to recall if the dog has been mooching for stray insects to gobble up (bluebottles are his favourite).
Did I hoover?
Is the cellar spider living above the shelves now fat and full on a diet of free-range Phidippus Adumbratus?
Let's take a deep breath and have a look at what we can do to recapture a runaway spood.
Reno is a bugger for escaping. She spent two weeks on the lamb last time and had a successful moult on the curtain pole. The time the plant stopped the door from closing, she was sitting on the corner of the bookshelf with an expression that clearly said, "Crud… she's spotted me". Out of all of the spider AWOL or MIA stories, the culprit does eventually turn up. So far, no bad endings; I urge you to take that with you right now to lessen the worry.
Vanished
If you were holding the spider and they jumped and now you can't see them: the first thing to do is only move your hands, raising them gently to see if they are swinging from their bungee line or if they have landed on the underside of your hand. Next, look down at yourself from chest to feet to see if they have landed on your clothing. Only when you are sure of there being no spider on your shoes or the floor around your feet should you take a step. It is handy to have someone come and, at a distance, look you over. I have asked the children to check my back, and my husband has even recaptured one who done a runner over my shoulder. When your person is all clear, then you can start checking your surroundings.
On The Run
This section can be used for looking for a spider that has vanished while handling and if you have found an open enclosure and want to track down a runaway.
Use a torch or light source to start shining around, looking for the glint of a web line. You can follow this web line to get a good idea on which way your spider has gone. If you need to move things around, do so slowly and always assume there could be a spider on or around it, so steady, double check, pick it up, check again and place it somewhere else. If it is their enclosure, place it back in the same spot and leave it open. This tactic is time-consuming but safer than blindly sliding stuff around.
At some point, you may have to face that your jumping spider is on an adventure for now. Especially if it's getting dark, they almost automatically bed down for the night before their lights are due to go off, even if you leave the lights on. I would keep the lighting schedule but leave the enclosure open. There is a chance that they will make their way back to a familiar hammock if they haven't gone too far. If they were out on you when they vanished, they would most likely find a new hammock spot, but still, it's worth leaving their enclosure open. The next day, keep the room dark but crack the curtains open slightly and leave their enclosure light on. The spider will naturally be drawn to the light and to height so periodically check around these light sources, especially up on the ceiling. Use the torch method to see if you can find any new web lines and check under shelves, behind picture frames and high nooks for signs of a web hammock. If you find one but no spider, leave it where it is and check it during the evening as there is a possibility the spider comes back to their new camping hammock. Another trick is to keep the room dark and closed off but release a blue or green bottle. These flies are also drawn to light, especially a window and may coax the spider out of a secluded spot to hunt on the window glass. Spraying the glass will also act as a lure for a thirsty spood. If your spider is due a moult, you may find they bunk down somewhere to do so and may be missing for some time. If you find a thick hammock during daylight hours with a spider inside, you may be keen to get them back in their enclosure, but I urge you to wait. You know where they are and can monitor them and even spray nearby with water but having a free-range spider for a while longer is better than damaging a spider in moult and even worse causing a bad moult and death. Ultimately it may take time, and you may feel hopeless and think the worst, but I wouldn't give up on them so easily. These little critters can be extremely hardy, living off the general insects found in our homes or going without food and water for months. Never say never.
Missing If your enclosure is closed and you can't spot your spider, you will want to check hammocks first using a torch so as to not disturb them if they have gone into moult. Before you go moving things about, simply rotate the enclosure and look around it, use a torch to examine darker spots and nooks. Check for escape routes, especially if you have recently moved them into the enclosure. You'd be surprised where they can escape from. Vent holes, door hinges and gaps around the edges are the normal escape routes. If you can't see anywhere they could have escaped from, look about the area for web lines to see if there is proof they have indeed gone on the run before turning your attention to the enclosure. If you believe they are due a moult, try to refrain from moving any décor in case your break their moult hammock, you want to act as if the spider is still in there, so spraying every day, but also putting the ON THE RUN steps above into practice (minus the open enclosure) just incase they have slipped out.
If you are certain they are not due a moult then any décor should be moved slowly and listen for the sound of web tearing and any resistance, check everything several times. Now for a grim suggestion, check the substrate, moss and other areas for a body. Perhaps you cannot find them because they have passed, a death curled spider isn't easily spotted at first. Also ask yourself if you have left any crickets or mealworms, or do you have an ispodo cleaning crew in their enclosure as these can consume a dead spider, or even have attacked and eaten a live one. If you still haven't found them then perhaps they slipped past you when you were feeding, cleaning or spraying. If you are certain they aren’t in the enclosure, the start the ON THE RUN steps. If you can, limit cleaning and insect gobbling pets in the room. Keep windows closed as a warm sunny day might draw your jumping spider out into the world. I would also relocate any resident wild spiders, especially Cellar Spiders as their favourite snack is other spiders.
The majority of all missing spiders do eventually turn up. Some after a few days, some after a few weeks, and even some after several months. Don't lose hope.
Here are some of my simple tips to greatly reduce the chances of losing a spider. If you want to get them out for an interaction. Take the enclosure to a clear tabletop, a dining table is best and have only the enclosure on the table and sit yourself close to the table. Have a catching cup handy and where possible, a second pair of eyes. Handle the spider out across the table and near the enclosure. This way a running spider can be tracked, and a jumping spider will most likely aim for the enclosure. To avoid escapes, resist moving a small spider into a bigger enclosure without fully checking for escape routes the same size or bigger that the spiders head. If in doubt, don't upgrade them yet or cover the vents, holes, and gaps with tights or organza. Keep plants trimmed, get into the habit of double-checking doors are closed, and when doing daily maintenance try to keep your eyes on the spider. It's not always possible to do this, and these things happen. Don't beat yourself up, it literally happens to all keepers and breeders at some point. Reno is just one of mine who went for a wander. Tilly slipped out during feeding, and I found her on the lighting strip eating a fruit fly. Lupin the Bidentatus spent over 34 days moulting to maturity, so I never expected him to be out when I sprayed the enclosure. He shot out startled by me spraying and I had a mild heart attack. It was the tensest game of hide and go seek I have ever played; moving the sling pots round to try to find a fast and very springy Lupin. Then there was the day Penny the Texanus was so well camouflaged on her cork bark that I was in tears tearing the room apart looking for her (she was my first missing spider) only to have my husband point her out to me, safe and sound in her enclosure. Your spider is most likely having a great time and will eventually show up, so stay calm and keep a look out.
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