Black Widow

[Foxoftherose]

So, I was cleaning in our garage yesterday, and long story short, I now have a pet black widow spider. She's beautiful, and we named her Bellatrix. Can anyone give me a few tips on how to take care of her? Thanks in advance!

 

[Kyle]

Lol, I kept a black widow for a little while when I was younger... Until an eggsack appeared in there. That was the end of that little endeavor. I just dropped an appropriately sized cricket into her web every now and then. Kept her in one of the little "critter keepers" with a toilet paper roll standing vertically inside. She made her web in there, made feeding her super easy.

 

[Doomsday]

Until someone unsuspecting knocks it over and all hell breaks loose.

 

[mass]

Best way to care for a true spider is to not keep it. Seriously.. captive true spiders are extremely difficult to care for.

 

[Doomsday]

Best way to care for a true spider is to not keep it. Seriously.. captive true spiders are extremely difficult to care for.

That's actually true though apparently they arent very happy in captivity.

 

[ErrorEN]

This might help a bit: http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Bug, Black Widow Spider.htm

I would plant some CPs around its enclosure just in case.

 

[cpsammich]

careful
http://www.azuzephre.net/azuzephre.net/The_Pon&Zi_Collection.html#28

 

[Kyle]

Best way to care for a true spider is to not keep it. Seriously.. captive true spiders are extremely difficult to care for.

Just out of curiosity, what makes them so difficult? And what distinguishes a true spider from a "fake" one?

Silly questions, perhaps, but I'm just starting to sort of take an interest in arachnids.

 

[cpsammich]

i think tarantulas aren't real spiders

 

[Sig]

i think tarantulas aren't real spiders

...They are, indeed, true spiders..

 

[mass]

Just out of curiosity, what makes them so difficult? And what distinguishes a true spider from a "fake" one?

Silly questions, perhaps, but I'm just starting to sort of take an interest in arachnids.

Andrew is right. There are theraphosids and theraphosidae. One is tarantulas, the other is true spiders. Tarantulas are not considered a true spider. Completely different classification.

 

[cpsammich]

mah name isnt sam
its andrew

 

[Natalie]

The term "true spider" is used to describe any spider that isn't a mygalomorph or mesothele, which are the two extant groups of more primitive spiders. It's true that things like wandering spiders and orb weavers are difficult to maintain in captivity, however I think a black widow would be pretty easy considering they live in houses anyway. You can probably just keep it in a critter keeper (or like the link above mentioned, a deli cup) in a dark corner/closet, and pop a small fly or cricket in every now and then.

 

[Sig]

Sam is right. There are theraphosids and theraphosidae. One is tarantulas, the other is true spiders. Tarantulas are not considered a true spider. Completely different classification.

The family of "Theraphosidae" is within the order of "Araneae", the order of spiders. Anything in the order is a true spider.

 

[mass]

mah name isnt sam
its andrew

Who called you Sam?

 

[cpsammich]

lol
its still in sigs quote

 

[mass]

crap.. so much for it never happened. Surely you can understand my mishap..

 

[cpsammich]

lol
'sokay

 

[DragonsEye]

Best way to care for a true spider is to not keep it. Seriously.. captive true spiders are extremely difficult to care for.

That is incorrect. While it is true that some types of true spiders can be difficult to keep because of their feeding or housing requirements, others are quite easy. Many members of the Family Theridiidae (aka combfooted spiders, cobweb spiders, tangled web spiders) are fairly easy. The widows (Latrodectus) belong to this family.

A young Latrodectus variolus:

Tarantulas are not considered a true spider. Completely different classification.

Mass is correct in this. The Order Araneae (spiders) is subdivided into Infraorders. True spiders -- such as jumping spiders, orb weavers, wolf spiders, etc -- belong to the Infraorder Araneomorphae. The other suborder is the Infraorder Mygalomorphae -- or "primitive" spiders. These include tarantulas, trapdoor spiders, and some Families of funnelweb spiders (Australian and many of those in the tropics).

 

[Foxoftherose]

I'd like to thank you guys for the info! We're going to the pet store this afternoon to buy her a better enclosure and some feeder crickets.