Dream Jumping Spider (Phidippus morpheus)
Dream Jumping Spider (Phidippus morpheus)
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Introduction
Jumping spiders (Salticid) are fascinating invertebrates, they are diurnal arboreal hunters. Unlike tarantulas or other species of spider, they do not use webs to capture their prey, instead they rely on their ability to stalk and hunt. Due to jumping spiders behaviors and activity level they make interesting, easy, and simple pets.
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Setup
All jumping spiders are solitary and only one spider should be kept per enclosure, doing otherwise runs the risk of cannibalization. Whiles jumping spider come in a range of sizes Phidippus morpheus do great in a 32oz sized enclosure (3x3x6). Ovoid overly larger enclosures as they may struggle to find food.
Due to jumping spiders arboreal nature their enclosure should have a good amount of vertical space, avoid enclosures with unnecessary horizontal space. Phidippus morpheus thrive when kept between 75°-85° through they can handle as cold as 65°. In the case temperature is below 65° additional heating may be necessary, using a low watt heat mat on that back on the enclosure with a thermostat should be suitable. Avoid heats lamps placed directly onto of the enclosure or kept too close, all heat lamps should be suspended at least 8 inches above your enclosure.
Propper ventilation is very important to prevent stagnant air, at least 4 sides should have ventilation holes present, for this species enclosures with mesh/screen tops are suitable to due low humidity requirements.
This species is arid, it is crucial to have lots of ventilation to prevent stagnant humidity. For this species it's recommend to have a screen/mesh top along with side ventilation, a dry coconut fiber makes a great substrate or a sand/soil mix.
Jumping spiders tend to spend most of their time in the top corners on their enclosures, providing them with cork, branches, or other decor provides them with mental stimulation and allows natural nesting behaviors. Since jumping spiders are diurnal they need a proper day/night cycle, they should have 12 hours of light a day, this can easily be provided by keeping them in a natural lit room or using an artificial light.
Recommended Enclosure Sizes:
i2-i4: 32oz Cohabitated
i4-i6: 3oz-5.5oz
i6-i8: 5.5oz-16oz
i8-i11: 16oz-32oz (16oz works fine for adults dream jumpers and I highly recommend that size for elderly jumpers. If using 32oz or larger be sure to provide lots of soft fall breakers)
Temperature & Humidity:
75°-85°
30%-50%
Listing mist when in premolt to boost humidity and for better chances of a success molt.
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Feeding
Provide food when their abdomen is thin, most slings need to eat every 2-3 days, I recommend offering 3-4 fruit flies per feeding, provide less if they look bloated or more if their abdomen appears flats. One small sized feeder should be suitable a week for adults.
Recommended Foods:
i1-i4: D. Melanogaster Fruit Flies
i5-i6: D. Hydei Fruit Flies, Pinhead Crickets
i6-Adult: D. Hydei Fruit Flies, House Flies, Blue Bottle Flies, Roaches, Mealworms, Crickets, Waxworms, Waxmoths
Size feeders appropriately to your spider, do not offer prey larger than their body size.
DO NOT FEED WILD CUAGHT PREY, they can transmit parasites & diseases to your spider, all feeders should be captive bred.
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Molting & Sexing
Jumping spider will molt 8-11 times, males and females are slightly sexually dimorphic. Males will have long stocky arms, bulbous pedipalps, with less fuzz and more of a black base. Females have a lighter base color along with more gray fuzz. Mature females will have an epigyne (a small shiny black dot) in between their abdomen and thorax, this is their reproductive organ.
Sexing Guide: Female Epigyne:
Signs of molting:
Refusing to eat
Plump abdomen
Making and hiding in a thickly webbed nest
After your spider molts, they need time to harden their exoskeleton, do not handle or feed them for 24-48 hours.
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Growth & Instars
Eggs: Whitish to a yellowish color and symmetrical in shape.
Eggs with legs: Have begun to develop slight features, like body segments and legs.
i1: Have molted once, now have a completely black with a more defined body shape.
i2: Molted twice inside the nest and now have more noticeable features, such as a large head and smaller body. They are still completely black at this stage and have begun to leave the nest.
i3: Have molted three times, twice time inside the nest and one time outside. Have gained their markings, including gold/yellow on their head and abdomen along gray, black, and white.
i4: Have molted four times in total, may have gained slightly more markings, specifically on head and top of abdomen.
Pictures
Adult Male:
Sub-Adult Female:
