Jumping Spider Care Guide: Setup, Feeding, Humidity & Enclosure 🕷️✨

Before bringing your new jumping spider home, it’s important to prepare a proper setup and understand the basics of jumping spider care. This guide will walk you through the essential supplies and care requirements to help your new little spood thrive.

Jumping spiders are intelligent, curious little creatures that make wonderful pets. With the right enclosure, lighting, humidity and feeding schedule, your spider will live a happy and healthy life in their new home. 💜

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Jumping Spider Species Covered in This Guide

This jumping spider care guide applies to several popular pet species including:

• Regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius)
• Canopy jumping spider (Phidippus otiosus)
• Bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax)

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Essentials Shopping List 🛍️

Please make sure you have the following essentials ready before your jumping spider arrives.

1) Enclosure

A decorated enclosure of an appropriate size is a must for keeping a pet jumping spider. You can go many routes, from naturalistic and bioactive setups to themed enclosures with figurines, etc. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but decorations are important and necessary for enrichment, for them to be able to anchor their hammocks, and to provide coverage so they feel safe. Good cross ventilation is also very important in any jumping spider enclosure.

The enclosure must also be escape proof. Make sure that there are no small gaps or holes. If the spider’s carapace fits through the gap, they will most likely be able to escape.

For Regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius) juveniles, we recommend an enclosure that is 3x3x6”, 4x4x4”, or similar. The standard size for adult regal jumping spiders is 4x4x8”.

These enclosure sizes also work well for Phidippus otiosus (canopy jumping spiders) and Phidippus audax (bold jumping spiders).

You can  browse our jumping spider enclosures and accessories.

 

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2) Appropriate Size Feeders

You will need to have appropriate-size feeders ready for when your spider arrives. Most pet stores don’t carry the smaller feeders that younger juvenile jumping spiders need, so please consider ordering feeders online in advance.

In most cases, we make our jumping spiders available after I6. At this stage, they are hardier, feeding consistently on mealworms, and you won’t need to deal with fruit flies. We primarily feed mealworms, and occasionally, once they’re large enough, blue bottle flies and black soldier fly larvae. Mealworms can last for months when stored in the refrigerator. You can also feed crickets or roaches.

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3) Basic Tools

We offer an optional jumping spider starter kit that includes the three. If you decide not to purchase the kit, please make sure that you have these tools before your spider arrives:

Small soft brush
Very useful to lure your spider in and out of the enclosure, as well as to gently stop them if they take off while handling without hurting them.

Fine mist spray bottle
This is a must for proper jumping spider hydration. If the drops are too big they may get in their book lungs and drown.

Tongs or tweezers
We find that tweezers (preferably with flat tips) work best for small feeders, but this is a personal preference.

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Jumping Spider Care Guide

Jumping spiders are hardy pets, but providing the right environment is essential for keeping your pet jumping spider healthy and thriving. Lighting, humidity, feeding, and enclosure setup all play an important role in helping your spider thrive.

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Lighting

Jumping spiders are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and require bright light to hunt their prey and stay active.

They need at least 12 hours of bright light per day. This can be achieved by placing the enclosure in a well-lit area with natural light or by using artificial lighting (preferably on a timer).

Avoid placing your spider’s enclosure in direct sunlight, even indoors, as it may overheat the enclosure and kill your spider.

A full spectrum 6000k daylight bulb is the best option. However, a bright LED light also works well as long as it doesn’t produce too much heat and temperatures remain within the recommended range below.

Without proper lighting, your pet jumping spider may refuse food and spend most of its time inside its hammock.

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Temperature

Regal jumping spiders (Phidippus regius) do best at room temperatures between 70–85°F.

If your home stays within this temperature range, additional heating is usually not required. This is just a guideline, meaning that if it’s a couple of degrees below or above this range in your home, your spider will usually still be completely fine.

Jumping spiders are generally more active on the warmer side of this temperature range.

These temperature guidelines also apply to Phidippus otiosus and Phidippus audax.

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Watering

Spray one side of the enclosure once a day (or at least every other day) so your jumping spider can drink water and stay hydrated.

Use a fine mist spray bottle and avoid spraying the spider directly. To produce smaller droplets, it’s usually best to spray from a short distance.

If the droplets are too large, remove them using a q-tip, cotton ball, or similar.

Please do not offer a water dish. Water can enter their book lungs and cause drowning.

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Feeding

Jumping spiders do not chew their prey. Instead, they use their chelicerae like straws to consume liquids and the liquefied insides of their prey.

After capturing prey, a spider may spend several hours finishing a meal.

Feeders

It is important to feed appropriately sized prey to your jumping spider. They can take prey up to two times their size, but some feeders can fight back and potentially injure them.

For this reason, we recommend feeding prey that is on the smaller side.

When feeding mealworms or crickets, we recommend partially disabling them if you cannot supervise feeding. This can be done by crushing the mealworm’s head or removing the back legs of crickets.

If you are not comfortable doing this, simply supervise them when you feed and remove the feeder if it has not been eaten by the end of the day.

Some safe feeder options that can't harm them are:

• green bottle flies
• blue bottle flies
• house flies
• black soldier fly larvae

Avoid feeding wild-caught insects, as they may carry parasites.

Feeding Frequency

By the time you receive your spider from us, they will be juveniles or older.

Juveniles usually eat a couple of times per week.

Sub-adults and adults can be fed every 5–10 days, and sometimes they may go even longer without eating.

The best way to determine when to feed your spider is by observing the size of the abdomen.

A round, plump abdomen usually means your spider has enough to eat and feeding can wait until the abdomen shrinks slightly.

If the abdomen appears shriveled, your spider is hungry and likely thirsty as well.

Overfeeding can be just as dangerous as underfeeding. A spider with an overly full abdomen may fall and cause abdominal rupture or torsion. Overfeeding can also shorten their lifespan. 

For a more detailed breakdown of feeding, feeder options, and schedules, read our complete jumping spider feeding guide 🕷️✨

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Humidity

Our jumping spider species originate from Florida, so moderate humidity levels are beneficial for your pet jumping spider.

Ideal humidity range:

50–70% 

During molts:

80–90%

In drier environments you can increase humidity by adding:moist substrate, sphagnum moss or both.

Always ensure that substrate or moss does not contain dyes, chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides.

The substrate should be moist but not swampy, as overly wet environments can lead to mold and bacterial growth, which can be fatal for jumping spiders.

Proper cross ventilation is essential to prevent these issues.

A hygrometer is also useful to monitor humidity levels.

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Handling

Handling is not necessary for pet jumping spiders, but many keepers enjoy interacting with them.

If you choose to handle your spider, try doing so close to the floor or over a bed until you feel confident.

Jumping spiders can be surprisingly fast and may jump unexpectedly.

A small soft brush is very helpful for guiding your spider in and out of the enclosure, gently stopping them if they run, and assisting with handling along with a catch cup.

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Molting

Molting is the process where a spider sheds its exoskeleton in order to grow.

Jumping spiders molt several times throughout their lives until they reach maturity. Once they mature, they will no longer molt.

They typically molt inside their silk hammock.

Molting duration varies depending on age. Young spiders may remain in their hammock for only a few hours, while older spiders (especially during their final molt) may stay inside for several weeks.

Spiders usually do not eat during this time.

Avoid disturbing the hammock and wait a few days after they emerge before offering food so their new exoskeleton has time to fully harden.

After molting, spiders are vulnerable. Maintaining proper humidity helps prevent mismolts, which occur when the molting process fails.

Occasionally, spiders may lose a leg during molting. If the spider is still young and has more molts ahead, the leg will usually regrow in one or two molts. However, if an adult loses a limb, it will not regenerate.

Humidity should remain 80–90% during molting.

For a more detailed breakdown of the molting process, including signs of premolt and what to do at each stage, read our complete jumping spider molting guide 🕷️✨

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Chemicals and Scents

Jumping spiders are extremely sensitive to chemicals and strong scents.

Avoid using the following in the same room as your spider:

• Candles
• Essential oils
• Air fresheners
• Pesticides
• Flea medication
• Harsh cleaning products

If these products must be used, remove your spider from the room (or home if necessary) for at least 72 hours.

Always wash your hands before handling your spider.

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Cleaning

Spot clean any waste using a q-tip and water. Do not use chemicals.

For stubborn spots, you may use white vinegar diluted with water.

You may remove leftover prey remains, but do not remove their webbing. Jumping spiders rely on their silk to move around their enclosure and will need it even more as they age and begin to lose traction.

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Lifespan

Jumping spiders are incredible little creatures and make wonderful pets, but unfortunately they have relatively short lifespans.

Most pet jumping spiders live around 1–2 years in captivity, though in some cases they may live up to three years.

Avoid overfeeding, as this accelerates growth and shortens the time between molts, causing spiders to mature faster and reducing their lifespan.

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Cohabitation

Jumping spiders are solitary and often cannibalistic.

Never house more than one jumping spider in the same enclosure, as they will most likely eat each other.

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If you are ready to welcome your pet jumping spider, we recommend reading our Jumping Spider Shipping Information guide next, so you know what to expect. You can also read our guide on how to unpack your jumping spider after shipping so you’re fully prepared when your new little spood arrives 🕷️✨

We are truly grateful that you chose Little Spoods when adopting your new jumping spider. We hope you are over the moon about your new little family member!

If you have any questions about jumping spider care, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always happy to help!