CARE INSTRUCTIONS

HYDRATION
Water is important for jumpers. They drink from it and need the moisture/humidity to aid in molting.  

Lightly misting their enclosure every 1-2 days is sufficient. A fine mist sprayer is ideal. It’s best to avoid large pools and beads from forming as this can result in your spider drowning! Water dishes are also highly discouraged as they can also drown in those. How much, and how often, you mist can vary depending on your climate and the season! Adjust accordingly! 

Their humidity levels should generally be kept around 60-70%. Adding things like moss and substrate can help retain humidity.
A helpful tool for monitoring humidity is a hygrometer, which displays the humidity levels and temperature inside the enclosure.  I offer inexpensive fine mist sprayers and combination hygrometer/thermometers in our shop.

DIET - THE FIRST 3 MONTHS:
Feeding your spider depends a lot on their size. Jumpers are tough predators and can easily take down prey their own size, or even double their size.

We sell our slings at i4-i6. They should be fed about 2-3 times per week. At this age/size they are ready to begin eating mini-mealworms as they are more substantial than fruit flies. They only need to be fed 1 mini-mealworm per feeding. The type of mealworm to purchase should be “mini”, as regular mealworms are too large at this stage. We sell these to get you started but they are also available online.

Though it’s rare, mealworms can potentially injure your jumper, so it’s advised to always place them in a feeding cup or a clear, plastic deli cup. This makes it easier for the jumper to find the worm which is very important in larger enclosures. It also prevents it from escaping and burrowing to hide.

They can still be fed Hydei fruit flies for another 1-2 months, though. They can even be fed both if you like. I like to give mine around 6-10 per feeding. There is another type of fruit fly called “Melanogaster” which are often the most common found at pet stores but are not a sufficient food source for them. They are far too small to sustain them. They can only eat Melanogaster from about i1-i3, which we do not sell.

As you feed your jumper you’ll find they don’t always eat all their food and some goes to waste. This is just the nature of feeding them so don’t try to ration their food! 

When they get ready to molt (their abdomen will be fat as a tick first), they may refuse food before webbing themselves up in their nest. 

DIET - AFTER 3 MONTHS:
About 3 months/molts after you’ve received your sling from us, they are likely to be large enough to begin eating regular mealworms as well as other larger prey. They will begin to eat less often, as little as 1-2 times per week.

There are a wide variety of feeders available. Flies of all types (house, blue bottle, black soldier), as well as worms (meal, wax, silk), roaches (dubai, red runners), and crickets (sized appropriately). NEVER leave uneaten crickets or mealworms in a spider’s enclosure. They can hurt your spider, especially if it goes into molt. I personally don’t use crickets as they pose too much danger and are a hassle to deal with. 

Catching your own wild feeder bugs isn’t recommended. They have the potential to be contaminated with pesticides or parasites.

DIET & LIGHTING
If you are having trouble getting a jumper to eat at any stage, it can be greatly helped by giving them bright lighting. This will stimulate them to eat and be active. The best way to do this is by giving them a dedicated LED light above their enclosure. Warmth is also important but that should be provided by adequate indoor temperatures. 

LIGHTING & TEMPERATURE
Ideally their temperature should be kept between 65-78° degrees. You’ll see lots of differing opinions, as it can vary between types of jumpers, but comfortable room temperatures are generally good for them. In addition to stimulating jumpers to eat, light and warmth (room temps) will stir them into being active and therefore visible to you. I utilize bright LED lights placed 6-12 inches above their enclosure.  Personally, I try to mimic the natural world by using a timer that turns the lights on from sunup to sun down.  Heat lamps and heating pads are only recommended in extreme circumstances, with many caveats, but I generally discourage them due to the potential danger.

While some monitored sunlight exposure may be perfectly fine, it’s not known to be crucial for their health or development. In warmer climates and in the hotter months, it can be very dangerous, so I’d advise only limited, monitored sunlight. Generally, keeping them by a window has too much potential for danger, whether it’s hot or cold, so I don’t advise it. They are delicate little creatures!

ENCLOSURES
The size of the enclosure should be relative to your spider. Bigger is not always better. I recommend keeping slings in smaller enclosures at first. It enables them to find their food far easier. 

Jumper's are arboreal and tend to make their nests at the top of their enclosure. Placing your spiders hide near the top is the best way to convince them to use it. If you have an enclosure with a shallow lid you should ensure it’s flipped so that the lid is on the bottom. This will keep you from disturbing their nest or potentially injuring them.  

We have several types and sizes of enclosures available in our store.

IMPORTANT ENCLOSURE WARNING: There are many inexpensive enclosures sold on the internet/Amazon that are intended only for adult jumpers and don’t make that clear.  They have large gaps and air vents that are much too large for slings and juvenile jumpers! I’ve had many people tell me they lost their jumper due to problems with their enclosure.

DECOR
You can decorate with a wide range of objects for any taste. It doesn’t take much to make your jumper happy. They like to climb and enjoy nesting in hides as it gives them a place to relax without having to build a full nest - though they’ll likely do so in their hide anyway. Bark, sticks, moss and silk flowers are an easy way to adorn your enclosure. Substrate is nice but optional. Since jumpers rarely spend time on the ground, they don’t require substrate. However, substances like coco-fiber and sphagnum moss can help maintain humidity, add a nice visual element. Aquarium gravel another option that is easy to clean, comes in every color, and can add weight to your enclosure. 

DECOR & SAFETY 
There are a handful of things to consider for the safety and longevity of your jumper. They’re just best practices to keep your delicate little critter alive for the long haul.

Generally, it's wise to use things that are either very light or, if it's not light and can shift around, it should be hot glued down. Hot glue is preferred as it isn't toxic. It doesn’t take much weight to cause injury or death, so be mindful! 

Acquiring dirt, moss or sticks from the outdoors is generally not advised as it can introduce pesticides, parasites or other unwelcome insects. It’s not a hard NO, but definitely use your discretion! 

It’s best to not use anything artificial that could be toxic as anything with a strong odor may kill or shorten their life. The problem of this off-gassing can be compounded by being contained in an enclosure. Some examples can include glues, plastic or painted things. Even natural things like sticks and moss may be dyed, painted or treated in some way.  Many inexpensive things from a dollar store, craft store, Amazon or wherever, that aren't specifically intended for use for animals could have this potential. Getting these types of things from pet/aquarium/reptile specific sources is usually ideal. There are many exceptions, of course, so don’t be discouraged!  Simply put it up to your nose and do your due diligence! If it’s cheap and smelly, don’t use it.

HOUSEHOLD ODORS & SAFETY
Besides decor there are some potentially toxic odors to be careful to avoid. Anything near it with a heavy scent, in excess, like a scented candle, perfumes, incense, cleaning products, pet flea treatments, heavy cooking, smoke, insect repellent, etc. As long as these things aren’t permeating the air within about 15’ it should be fine. 

MOLTING & NESTING
As a jumper grows, they will molt every few weeks to a month. They grow and operate at their own pace. Often it may be ambiguous as to whether they are beginning to molt or just hanging out in their nest!  When they do molt, they shed their exoskeleton. This can be a stressful time for your spider, so if a spider is in their hammock, don’t disturb them or try to push them out. 

Humidity is important for molting, so continue to mist as normal. Because it can take time, and is sometimes ambiguous, I like to continue to provide food for them. They can sometimes come out intermittently to eat or drink if they find it’s necessary. Mealworms must be kept in a feeding cup as previously mentioned.

No changes to the routine are necessary, outside of leaving them be!

It may seem like the whole process is taking forever because molting takes time, and every spider is different. The closer they get to maturity, the longer the process takes. After the molt actually happens, the spider may stay in the hammock a multiple days. This is because the new exoskeleton must harden. Leave them be - they’ll come out when they’re ready!

If it’s been a long time and you’re concerned whether they’re alive or not, just gently blow on, or lightly mist, the area around them, and they will usually shift around inside. Don’t do this often - give them time!

You may also find yourself overly eager to acquire its shed exoskeleton but DO NOT attempt to get it until your jumper has decided it’s fully done and is out and about in its enclosure. Don’t destroy the nest in the process! Only then can you get it to take macro photos of it on your phone to show your friends and family and make them uncomfortable with your new hobby.

Jumping Spiders stop molting once they reach maturity. 

SUMMARY
Owning a jumping spider is a very fun hobby but can, at times, be boring. There’s a lot of waiting and patience necessary to caring for them. This is why owning one jumping spider turns into twenty! See you again soon! :)