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New Pet: WOLF SPIDER
TRICorp
ExtraordinaireRegistered User regular
ExtraordinaireRegistered User regular
So while moving some stuff around at work today, I stumbled across one of these:
Not actual pic
Thought it was really cool looking (and probably destined for a quick death should my manager see it), I grabbed the biggest Starbucks cup available and scooped it up. After some research and a quick stop by Petsmart, I now have a new roomie. So I got him a cheapo glass 2.5 gallon tank, some shredded coconut substrate, and a few small size crickets to keep him company. I left a damp cotton ball in there too. Everything Ive read says theyre really similar to tarantuals, sooo I think ive got all the major bases covered. Just wondering about:
-Am I supposed to clean out the cage? Package on the substrate says replace it when it starts to smell??o_O
-Anything I should do to let it acclimate to its new surroundings? Should I take the crickets out at first?
-How do I tell if its male/female? Dont think I want a bajillion babies quite yet
-Any other tips on keeping this thing alive?
Will update tomorrow with pics
Not actual picThought it was really cool looking (and probably destined for a quick death should my manager see it), I grabbed the biggest Starbucks cup available and scooped it up. After some research and a quick stop by Petsmart, I now have a new roomie. So I got him a cheapo glass 2.5 gallon tank, some shredded coconut substrate, and a few small size crickets to keep him company. I left a damp cotton ball in there too. Everything Ive read says theyre really similar to tarantuals, sooo I think ive got all the major bases covered. Just wondering about:
-Am I supposed to clean out the cage? Package on the substrate says replace it when it starts to smell??o_O
-Anything I should do to let it acclimate to its new surroundings? Should I take the crickets out at first?
-How do I tell if its male/female? Dont think I want a bajillion babies quite yet
-Any other tips on keeping this thing alive?
Will update tomorrow with pics
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seriously though, leaving the crickets in probably won't cause any harm, but they can go about a week without food for reference.
They freak me out personally, but good luck with it!
Haha thanks, thats where I pulled the pic from and most of my info.
Since you just moved the spider in to a new place, you need to get the crickets out of there. The spider will be more stressed than usual moving in to a new place and sharing it with crickets isn't helping. Also, for future reference, if the spider hasn't eaten in 24 hours, you should remove all of its food and try again in a week. Spiders don't need to eat nearly as much as people seem to think, and many spiders will voluntarily go a month or two without eating.
Also, the whole soaked cotton ball thing is a myth, and it's not a good way to hydrate your spider. Take the cap off of an unused plastic bottle, jar, or something to that effect, flip it over, and fill it with water. You now have a water dish for your spider. Your spider will not drown. I have seen spiders swim (for seriously).
You also need some type of shelter for your spider. You can go ahead and buy a hide from the pet store, or you can very easily make one. I'm a big fan of using half of a coconut with a little door cut out. Again, having a small, enclosed space will help the spider not be stressed.
Wolf spiders are terrestrial, which means they need more ground space than height. A 2.5 gallon tank sounds about right for a wolf spider so good job on that front.
Let me know if you have any more questions. I've kept spiders for about 5 years.
Keep a small dish of water like a big gatorade cap or something like that.
Give the spider about a day or so to get used to the enclosure, the hide is a good idea. I agree with the coconut shell idea. I usually find them at petstores near the hermit crab stuff. I use them for quite a few of my tarantulas and they have been awesome.
Other than that, I don't know what the humidity is where you are but you should not have to worry about that too much at all. If you are worried, it cant hurt to mist the area away from the spider just a bit every now and then.
Easy to take care of.
Also, for cleaning, just pick out the dead cricket bits every now and then to avoid parasites. I usually clean out all of my substrate once every six months or year for my tarantulas. The poop does not really smell at all.
But yeah, keep it relatively dry, give it water at all times and feed it every now and then, keep it's abdomen fat.
I would tell you to not feed it bugs found around the house if you want to be careful to avoid outside chemicals. I feed my spiders crickets and roaches that we breed.
Also, sex is difficult to tell in some true spiders. I could tell you the sex if it were a tarantula though.
Go here FightTest. Maybe it can help you.Spider Myths
This is an excellent point. I would guess that he's probably cool on this front since it's wild caught, but I'd be interested to know the humidity requirements for wolf spiders as well.
I havent been able to nail down a certain requirement, different sources Ive found say different things. That earlier link says 80%. Which is kinda ridiculous considering Im in Colorado, the humidity is 66% right now, and its been raining all night... Im guessing its normally around 45% to 50%. And thanks for the link to arachnopets Love, that was pretty helpful. Anyways, heres some pics of El Guapo and his setup:
I'm glad that thing is imprisoned and not left out to pillage the planet.
I thought wolf spiders were SMALL?
Aww....so cute.
Also, fuck all the people who go in to every thread involving spiders and act like small children.
I hate spiders.
I also think they're fascinating. :P I go into every spider thread hoping for pics, but any spider I witness in my house is not staying there.
(My snake can get a similar reaction from people, I think)
I was more talking the people who go in to spider threads talking about how we should kill them. It just gets old. And dumb.
I frequent that site, arachnoboards and the american tarantula society. All have pretty good forums.
Also, very nice set up OP.
Roaches on the other hand can DIAF, I'm frightened beyond any rational sense of them.
So breed the crap out of them so you can murder the roaches over and over
In order to prepare for the spider revolution to begin with you, that I can better serve our forthcoming masters, how long can you expect that thing to live?
Say what now?
I lived in Hawai'i (O'ahu specifically but spent a lot of time on Kaua'i as well) for 18 years, 12+ of which was spent in former sugar-cane territory (in some cases right across the street from abandoned sugarcane fields) and I have never seen a spider like that. This is a cane spider (linked for those who are easily terrified :P) - note the distinct banding on the legs in both the male and female. Whatever it is that Tri has is probably a tarantula.
Face Twit Rav Gram
Almost makes me wish I wasn't terrified beyond all rationality of them so I could own one.
Probably a bit difficult to find them in northern British Columbia as well.
What people commonly call "wolf spiders" are usually jumping spiders or house spiders. IIRC Wolf Spider is just a category of spiders that have a certain eye arrangement.
Out of interest what are the attributes that make some spiders better for pets than others (why for instance did you have to release your tunnelwebs)?
I am in the same camp, I think they are fascinating creatures; but for some reason I am terrified of them. If someone put a spider that size on me, I think my heart would stop; which is why many people have the whole "OMG Kill" reaction. Grats on the new pet.
For the record, if you are planning on keeping a spider as a pet and keeping it in a healthy environment, don't do this. Sponges and cotton/wool are just breeding grounds for bacteria and can be a real danger to your pet.
Oops my bad, the cane spider is also known as the huntsman spider. I get them confused because of their names.
There is no reason to do the cotton ball thing. Seriously. There is absolutely no reason to do it. It's a myth that's been perpetuated by the uninformed. Allow me to repeat something I said on the last page: I have witnessed a spider swim through water. Your spider will not drown if you have a water dish.
OP: It would be best not to listen to Aegeri as it sounds like they don't quite know what they're doing. Fonjo, however, has been giving good advice.
Aha, yeah, that makes more sense.
It would be a pretty cool spider in either case.
Face Twit Rav Gram
Yes, as someone who has kept lots of spiders over the years, I realize that different spiders require different conditions. I never recommended someone put a huge water dish in with their spider. I recommended taking the lid to a Gatorade bottle or a jar and filling it with water. It's not like the OP has a .5" sling that's in its third instar or something. As long as the water dish is small enough for the spider to move through quickly, the risk of drowning is nonexistent. I've seen too many spiders dessicate from low humidity and poor access to water, which is a much larger concern than drowning.