Jack of all Inverts

Moisture

50% humidity
Spray daily or every other day. Lightly mist their setup, large water drops can drown spiders.

Temperature

20-29.5°C (68-85°F); prefers room temp or warmer, tolerates as low as 65°F.

Sexing

In Bold and Red Jumpers, both males and females have green chelicerae. Body morphology is the best way to sex them, as males will grow longer arms and females will have stockier bodies.
In Regal Jumpers, males always have green chelicerae and females typically have a purple/pink. Females generally begin to display color at i6 and this becomes more prominent as they age. Body morphology is telling with males having longer arms and females becoming stockier in the body.
In Red-Backed Jumpers chelicerae will always be blue/green. Males will be smaller, develop large pedipalps and longer arms. Females will become stockier.

When adult, female jumping spiders will have an epigyne or epigynum, or "epi" for short. This appears as a shiny black spot under a mature female's abdomen. Adult male Phidippus sp. jumping spiders generally have more bulbous pedipapls at the end of their mouthparts that resemble boxing gloves.

Lifespan

Lifespans for both sexes of both species are generally a range between 8 months to 2 years. There's been instances of some living up to 3 years in captivity.

Instars

Most jumping spiders can have anywhere from 8 to 11 instars, potentially more. Audax seems to have more variation in instars compared to regius. I do not sell any spiders younger than i5.

When preparing to molt a jumping spider's abdomen will appear large and very round. They will begin to heavily web up a safe area to create a place to molt, known as a molt hammock. These can often be so thick that you can't see the spider inside. They can re-use this hammock for a few molts before making another. Offer more water if you see that they're in premolt, but otherwise leave them alone. After a day or two has passed post-molt, the spider will often kick the molt out of the nest and begin to explore again.

Feeding

Feeding is often simple, just drop feeders into the spider's setup and watch as they take notice and begin hunting. A good rule of thumb for appropriate sized prey will be ¾ to 1.5 of the size of a spider. Feed them when the abdomen appears thin. Remove any uneaten food from a potentially premolt sling to avoid stressing them out. Jumping spiders can sometimes go weeks without food, but I offer them water often.

• i1-i3: D. melanogaster, D. hydei (fruit flies)
• i4-i5: D. hydei, buffalo worms, mini mealworms, small roaches, house flies and spikes, meal moths
• i6-adult: Bottle flies and spikes, mealworms, waxmoths and waxworms, small-medium roaches

Enclosure

Some spiders prefer smaller containers, so if you upsize them and notice they stop eating, try sizing them back down. I recommend adding cross ventilation through meshed vents or poke ventilation. It is important to make sure getting into your setup doesn't involve destroying too many webs. Zilla enclosures are not recommended as jumping spiders can slip through them.

• i2-i4: cohabitated in 32oz deli container with excelsior and lots of fruit flies
• i3-i6: single slings in 4-5.5oz deli container
• i6-i8: older slings in 16oz deli container or larger
• i8-i11: presub up to adults in 32oz or larger

Breeding

When a mature male spots a female, he will begin to wave his arms around to impress her. This dance can last anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour, and sometimes a female won't be receptive. She will attempt to warn him or bite at the air, using a paintbrush to separate them. When a female is receptive she will be flipped by the male and they will mate. Mating can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour in my experience. Sexual cannabalism is rare but can happen, especially if a female is reactive.

Other Information

Jumping spiders are surprisingly intelligent and personable. They are very curious and eager to explore if given the option to. Some will warm up to handling, others may not like it as much.
These spiders can jump up to 6 times their body length in distance. Phidippus sp. Jumpers love to sunbathe and enjoy bright light. Do not keep them in the dark. I recommend having them on 12/12 timed lights.