Jumping Spider Facts and Care

🕷️ Jumping spiders are curious, intelligent, and surprisingly personable little hunters. With the right care, they make fascinating and low-maintenance pets. Here’s how to keep your jumper happy and healthy!

🍴 Feeding

How often to feed:

• Slings (babies): 1–2 times per week
• Subadults: 1–2 times per week
• Adults: Once per week

Spiders may refuse food while preparing to moult—this is perfectly normal!

Feeding tips:
 Jumping spiders are active hunters and only eat live prey. Offer food close to their size or slightly larger, and monitor abdomen size—overfeeding can make your spider prone to injury if it falls.

Common food options:

• 🪰 Fruit Flies – great for slings and juveniles
• 🐛 Mealworms
• 🦟 Flies – spikes (maggots), pupae, or adult flies (adult flies are great for i7+)
• 🪳 Dubia Roaches (XS–S size)
• 🦗 Crickets (XS–S)
• 🐛 Hornworms (XS–S)
• 🐜 Waxworms
• 🪰 Black Soldier Fly Larvae (i7+)

Rule of thumb:
 Feed 2–3 times a week for juveniles; once mature, once a week is enough. Adjust based on abdomen size.

💧 Water & Humidity

Jumpers don’t need a water dish. Instead, they drink from droplets left after misting.

Daily misting routine:

• Use a fine-mist spray bottle to mist the sides of the enclosure once per day.
• Avoid spraying directly on your spider or its hammock.

Humidity:
 Keep humidity around 45–60%. Regular misting helps maintain this range.

🌀 Moulting

Jumping spiders shed their exoskeletons as they grow, a process called moulting. Each moult is referred to as an instar—for example, a spider that has moulted six times is “i6” and will become “i7” after the next moult.

Before a moult, you may notice:

• Refusal of food
• A thick, sealed hammock
• Reduced movement or hiding

During moulting:
 Do not disturb your spider. Maintain humidity, and allow them to rest safely.
 Younger spiders moult in hours, while subadults may take days or weeks to complete the process.

☀️ Lighting & Environment

Jumping spiders are diurnal—active during the day and resting after sunset.

• Indirect daylight is perfect; avoid direct sunlight to prevent overheating.
• They don’t need UVB lighting—an LED desk lamp or under-shelf light works great.
• They’re arboreal, meaning they prefer to live up high.
   Choose a bottom or front-opening enclosure to avoid disturbing their hammocks.
   

🧽 Cleaning

Keep your jumper’s home clean and fresh:

• Spot clean regularly: remove leftover prey and mold using a cotton bud with clean water.
• Deep clean every 3–4 months: replace substrate and wipe down decor.
   

✋ Handling

Handle with care—jumping spiders are delicate!

• Use slow, gentle movements to coax them onto your hand.
• A small tipped paintbrush can help guide them safely.
• Never squeeze or drop your spider—injuries are often fatal.