Jumping spiders

[Enn49]

Having watched a TV programme recently which featured these little guys we have decided to get one.

Can anyone recommend a good species to begin with and a shop in either the UK or Europe that sells them? So far I have only found one species (Pancorius sp) for sale in the UK..

 

[MassExodus]

I'm not really familiar with many true spiders, but we get Phiddipus audax here. I had one that lived in the corner of my kitchen. I fed it moths from the porch light. They seem like they'd be simple to keep, and I've always loved jumping spiders. I wonder if the pea**** is in the hobby? I'd buy a few of those just to watch the male do his mating dance.

 

[Entity]

Must be going around! i was just bitten by the jumping spider bug myself.

 

[Entity]

yeah i read that the female pea**** spider eats the male after mating more often than not. ...they r so freakin cute i forget they are still spiders. lol

 

[MassExodus]

Aaahhh, I hadn't even considered typical spider behavior...they never put that in the videos..lol

 

[Enn49]

The pea**** is adorable. I wonder if it's just the wrong time of year to buy as the Pancorius sp that I found were WC.

@MassExodus Collect me a few and I'll pay p&p

 

[Entity]

Think theyd last the trip?

 

[Enn49]

Think theyd last the trip?

No hence the big grin, a shame though.

 

[CrypticSpider]

Enn49,

Phidippus regius and Hyllus diardi are great Jumpers to have.

In the UK I believe is a seller named Exopet (not sure if they are still in business) and a few others I can't think of at the moment.

 

[Enn49]

Enn49,

Phidippus regius and Hyllus diardi are great Jumpers to have.

In the UK I believe is a seller named Exopet (not sure if they are still in business) and a few others I can't think of at the moment.

Thanks for that. Exopets website isn't working but they are on facebook so I'll have a look on my son's (I don't use facebook)

 

[VanessaS]

I saved this little P. audax the other day at work before someone could kill them. My first spidey friend of the year! It is too cold to release them outside, so I have set them up in a small enclosure until it gets warmer. They are my profile photo too. I take a lot of arthropod photos, but it is a real treat to capture these guys. It doesn't get much better than jumpers.

 

[Enn49]

@VanessaS That is so cute. I will definitely have to get one at some point.

 

[Kymura]

Im not sure which type of jumper we get here, the tiny ones anyway, kind of plain, they cover my porch every year and tend to climb all over you, I love these guys and occasionally let them winter inside

 

[VanessaS]

This little tyke is the size of my pinky fingernail, which is large for our jumpers. They have the personality of a spider a thousand times larger, though. You can see it in his face. They are really darling.
They like to jump on the camera lens a lot, so they are not easy to photograph.

 

[MassExodus]

This little tyke is the size of my pinky fingernail, which is large for our jumpers. They have the personality of a spider a thousand times larger, though. You can see it in his face. They are really darling.
They like to jump on the camera lens a lot, so they are not easy to photograph.

If you hold a moth by the wings and put it about a foot from him, he'll take it right out of your fingers My friends always got a kick out of watching that.

 

[Kymura]

I wish they were longer lived is all

 

[Entity]

Yeah me too. they are really cool!

 

[kormath]

i've caught the jumping bug also what's the lifespan on these? Looking at the P. regius from KTBG, was looking at the P. otiosus from phids.net but they say they're only interested in eating flies usually, so that won't work for me.

I've read the P. regius will eat crickets and roaches so i'll have to try that one. $55 is a lot to spend on a spider that has a short life though.

 

[Kymura]

I believe most of them only live about a year,
Info varies some sites say 11-14 months others say 3-5 years.
Most say approx. a year.
http://wiki.bugwood.org/HPIPM:Jumping_Spider
A one-year life cycle is typical of jumping spiders. The most common species spend the winter as a nearly full-grown but still immature stage; some other species mature in fall. During the cold months they are usually found in a silken retreat that they construct in sheltered sites. The spiders mature in spring; males usually mature a couple of weeks before females.

 

[Enn49]

I've just found Phidippus regius for sale in Germany for 5 euro ($5.60) but I'm waiting to hear back on shipping price.