Congratulations on adopting your new spood! Whether it was through us or if the universe granted you with a wild new friend. We are happy you are here!  There are some things that you should know as a new parent! Take a moment and give this a thorough read. If you have questions or concerns, reach out to us on Facebook, @BarelyRegalSpoods. 

We will cover the basics in this post -

♡ Feeder Foods

♡ Hunger Strikes

♡ Hydration & Humidity 

♡ Enclosures & Accessories 

♡ Lighting & Heat

 

So, lets start with the number 1 topic that people come to us about. 

There can be many factors on why your spood may be on a hunger strike. So let’s try to work together and troubleshoot your little one.

There is nothing like that feeling of hopelessness and anxiousness, when your little one isn’t eating.

I’ve learned very quickly that keeping records of when your spood eats is very helpful. There is so many questions that must be asked before jumping into a panic. 

• When was the last time you seen your spider eat?
• Has it been only a few days?
• Has it been several weeks?
• Are you providing enough light for the spood to see their prey? 
• What is the temperature and humidity levels of the spiders enclosure?
• Is the terrarium enclosure to big for your spiders current instar?
• Has your spider been around any toxins? 
  • Aerosols • Pesticides • Perfumes • Air freshners • House Cleaners
• Do you have the appropriate food for them?

When I have someone come to me in regards to why their spood won’t eat, these are just some of the questions I ask. So let’s break this down a little bit and explain some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. 

Let’s Talk Spood Food. 🦗🪳🪰🐛

When I ask “how often” they are feeding their jumping spider, it’s because often times the little bean just isn’t hungry. The older they get, the less frequent they will eat. Also, if they are getting ready to molt, they will be in their hammock for a little while, offer water with a small mister. Never have a water dish in the enclosure with your jumper.  Mist the walls of your jumpers enclosure when their humidity levels drop below 40% or at least daily. I personally water my spoods twice daily. 

Females eat more and larger preys than what males do. 

Instar 2-3 babies - they often eat the smallest fruit flies, called Drosophila melanogaster. They are rather short lived fruit flies but you can reproduce them by making your own culture. These flies are perfect for your spider babies that just come out of the sac.

Instar 4-5 Slings - are ready to transition into to larger fruit flies - called Drosophila Hydei every 2/3 days. About 4 hydei fruit flies per spider, you can also start introducing new types of foods. Like extra small meal worms and flour phoenix larvae. 

Instar 6-8 Juveniles -  (feed every 3/5 days HOWEVER, they may not eat that often. So watch the size of their abdomen. If it’s plump they’re full. If they’re small, they’re hungry. Jumpers are little chubby bunnies and often over eat when the opportunity presents.) Meal worms, Grubs, Wax Worms, Moths, House Flies, Green bottle flies, bluebottle flies, Crickets, roaches

Instar 9 Subadult - (Feed every 5/7 days, but watch their abdomen size. Gravid females may need every 4/5 days)  Mealworms are an inexpensive food source however they are high in fat, much like the wax worms and grubs that may not be a sufficient source of nutrients. However this is a topic that is well debated throughout the spider community, I have tried Dubia Roaches. They are high in nutrients and great for hydration. 

Elder jumpers often refuse food when their at end stage of life. You can offer them a sweet treat of fruit nectar from watermelons, mangos, grapes, strawberries and even bananas.If they are not wanting to take the fruit you can also try dipping a cotton swab in some sugar water or honey water and gently offer.

Little jumpers are delicate little creatures that need certain levels of humidity and hydration for the health of their exoskeleton and while molting. If they are struggling they won’t eat. Molting is a stressful process for spoods, especially as they mature. Most jumping spiders are comfortable in 40%-70% humidity. BUT DO YOUR RESEARCH! Desert jumpers do not need humidity or daily spritzing. I highly recommend getting a hygrometer and having that inside their enclosure.

 (I got these on Amazon.)

Anything below 40% needs to have the enclosure to be misted with some water or possibly invest in a timed humidifier.

KIND REMINDER:If you have high humidity in your enclosure, be careful of mold growing on the enclosures decorations, especially if they are not properly sealed. 

Make sure the enclosure has proper cross ventilation. 

If you do not have a humidifier, then place the enclosure on the bathroom counter and run the shower for awhile and let the room fill with steam. This should help in an emergency, if your jumper is struggling during molting.

You can also put a damp cotton pad at the bottom of their enclosure. 

If an enclosure is too big for your small spood, they may have problems finding their prey. So this is my guide of enclosure sizes when transitioning my jumpers to their enclosures through out their instar stages.