My Eratigena Atrica (giant house spider)

[Cody-Myles]

Native to the UK and the biggest spider we have over here. As far as I've read they usually reach a max of 3" leg span. Males live 9-12 months and females can live up to 3 years. I caught her around August and she has moulted once since then.
I don't see it's cruel to keep her in a tank because I provide her with a guaranteed food source, steady temperature and she has no predatory risks in captivity. She's doing perfectly well and lives in a large enough tank for her to build a substantial web and enough places she could pick as a hide to feel secure and protected.
I know they also go by another scientific name but I'm not sure which one is the latest 'official' name but I've called her Atilla.

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[Cody-Myles]

Found a pick of her last enclosure just before an upgrade.

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[Cody-Myles]

Also other research into these suggested to me that the female spends her entire life in her web in one spot (if not disturbed or forced to move elsewhere) and it's pretty much guaranteed to be a male running around your house in autumn during mating season in search of a female. They're reported to be the fastest spider in the world (in relation to body and leg length to speed comparison to other spiders).
They are also apparently the only spider that mates for life. Once the male finds a female and successfully mates, the male will spend the rest of his short life in the females web with her until he dies naturally.
They have also apparently found their way to the shores of the US where they're competing with their native equivalent, the hobo spider.


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[Cody-Myles]

A male I caught running around my apartment (though not a mature one).

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[LGTARANTULAS]

I had kept a female to which I just learned from you because of the life spam for around 3 years like you said. Didn't change the enclosure at all I think. Just kept it in a sweet jar. I can say these spiders are REALLY aggressive and interesting to watch when they eat. Complete savages.

 

[Cody-Myles]

I had kept a female to which I just learned from you because of the life spam for around 3 years like you said. Didn't change the enclosure at all I think. Just kept it in a sweet jar. I can say these spiders are REALLY aggressive and interesting to watch when they eat. Complete savages.

lol very, she will attack anything I throw in there and if she can't bite it and hold on she will just bite and sit waiting, if it doesn't stop moving she will just bite it again. If I throw multiple prey items onto her web she will bit and kill each one and over a short time, eat the lot. They're very hardy spiders and cope with very low temperatures if they have to. I'll get a shot of her up-to-date tank and webbing.
Oddly she has always built her web in layers, she makes the whole web and lives with it and gradually, she will lay a new layer over it and so far she has 4 layers

 

[LGTARANTULAS]

Yeah, you really got to appreciate those ferocious spiders. Might have to catch one again haha

 

[Cody-Myles]

Her latest enclosure and heavy webbing activity.

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[LGTARANTULAS]

That actually looks sick!