Spiders

[Snuggys Mom]

Y'all are going to think I'm crazy, but a littleWolf Spider has adopted us. He has lived in our unusedbathtub for about a month now. Since he's not poisonous, Ilet him stay. I named him Bill.

I've tried to put him outside in a cup and he's too scared to crawl out of the cup, so I brought him back in.

I'm thinking of gettinga glass tank for him and putting somepotting soil or moss in there.

Anyway, what can I feed him? I give him water, but I don't know what to feed him. Crickets?

 

[Bassetluv]

I don't think you're any crazier than the restof us here. While I do have a tiny bit of afear of spiders, I'll never kill one...have rescued many and put themoutdoors. I've never wanted to keep one as a pet though, so I'm notsure what you would feed him/her. Flies, maybe? I imagine if you do anonline search you'll find info on spider diets.

Wolf spiders...they get big, don't they? I think (not positive) thatthis was the type of spider which used to inhabit my sister's cottagein Quebec...actually the outhouse of the cottage...and they were BIG!!Whenever you ventured out there to do your thing, you always had tolift the seat first and check, lest you get a rather unwelcomesurprise, cuz those suckers would bite. They were really neat to watchthough, very fascinating (lol...at least from a healthy distance, forme).

oh, btw, if you're into animal totems at all, every animal or insectthat comes into your life holds a message. The spider (if I recallcorrectly) has to do with encouraging your creative side to come out.The spider is the totem of writers, artists, etc.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

*shivers* I don't like spiders. Iwon't even go near them. I get someone else to catch andrelease it for me. I had one that was on one of my rabbithutches and he kept watching me. I was watering the bunnieswith the hose and he still kept watching....I sprayed the hose at himuntil he fell on the ground and *shivers again* crawled under myneighbors fence. *goosebumps*

I would imagine that he would like flies and other insects. That is what they catch in their webs.

Sharon

 

[Snuggys Mom]

Yes, they can get big, but this one is prettysmall. I used to be scared of them, too, and I used to killthem, but now I don't mind this kind. This little guy justrefuses to leave! He's in the bathroom every morning to greetme. He's kinda cute.

They don't make webs and they aren't aggressive. They canbite, but it's harmless unless you are allergic. I won't behandling him anyway.

Because he doesn't make a web, I guess I'll have to get small cricketsand kill them first (yuk - I don't think I can do that).Hubby can do that part.

I did a little searching and found that people commonly keep them as pets. They can live for several years.

 

[Bassetluv]

You'll have to take pics of him in his home whenyou get it set up! Oh, and I like his name too...it's a personalfavorite of mine.

 

[clarzoo]

You aren't crazy! Or at least not anymore crazy than I am, lol! :tongutwo:



When I was in high school my dad brought an old turtle shell insidethat he had found out in a forest. It was sun-bleached and fairlyclean, so he set it on the kitchen counter to show the rest of thefamily. (It was HUGE) Anyways, that turtle shell sat on the counter fora few weeks at least. One day, my dad noticed a little black spidersitting inside the edge of the turtle shell. He caught it in a largeolive jar, which is when he realize it was a Black Widow!! Eek! It hadbeen living in our kitchen with us! I ended up naming the spiderMortimer (even though it was a female) and keept her in the jar on mydresser for quite a while. She was so beautiful, and ate whatever I'dthrow in there for her. I even took her to my Biology class for alittle show-and-tell!

She ended up finallypassing away after I threw in anotherspider for her toeat. The spider was itty bitty compared toher, but it jumped on herand bit her once, and she died inlike 10 seconds. Ever since then, it's the little spiders Iammostcautious about,lol!

 

[Snuggys Mom]

I just read that smaller spiders like flightless fruit flies.

You can buy them in cases at pet stores and they reproduce for about six weeks!

Problem solved!

 

[JimD]

:disgust:

 

[Michaela]

:shock:Spiders....OMG....there is NOBODY who is asafraid of spiders asI am....

WhenI see them I don't put them outside, I don't even kill them, I freeze, then I scream - very loudly...

Ugh...

BUT if you like them then that's great! I'm all open to peoplekeeping them as pets if they enjoy them, just as long as they don'tbring them near me

 

[naturestee]

Eww.

Laura, once you buy flightless fruit flies once, you can continuebreeding them yourself. I used to do this for myfish. The website I was using as a guide disappeared, but doa Google search. It's pretty easy, and cheaper than buyingmore flies all the time.

I think Pamnock has spiders. I know she some insects as pets.

 

[pamnock]

We have a female Chilean Rose Tarantula.

We did also keep a Garden Spider for a while during the summer, but itwas a very selective eater (damsel flies), so we set it free.


We also have about a zillion stick insects, 2 turtles, 2 frogs, a fewfish, a dwarf hamsterand an Anole. (As well as 80 rabbits, adog and a cat).


Pam

 

[pamnock]

Here's a good link on caring for your spider . . .

http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/H-carolinensis.html

 

[napoleon]

I got theheebie-jeebies just reading this! I can't standspiders! Although I am more afraid of wasps andhornets. Nothing else really bothers me... I will go snakehunting with my boys and catch any other critter we come across, butspiders and bees terrify me.

My FIL got bit by a Brown Recluseonce and had a horrific wound on his leg the size of a grapefruit. It took months to heal. Here's a pic ofthat spider:

 

[undergunfire]

Spiders are okay!

I think it's great that you are going to give the little guy a proper home .


Now, hrm...frogs. If you found a frog in your bathtub....I may have to dissagree.

I am HORRIFIED of frogs/toads/crickets/grasshoppers/ect.

Anything that hops basically.




* I do like bunnies though






- Amy (Mallory, Morgan, and Madilyn-Mae):hearts

 

[Krissa]

My husband and I are loosing weight, and we bothpicked a goal and a reward when we reach it, I picked a spider as myreward. So soon - hopefully I will have a spider as a pet.

I do let wolf spiders loose in my condo in the summer because they eat the bugs that come in with my rabbits hay.

 

[Starina]

I had a wolf spider crawl over my head and into my cleaveage one summer night last year. :shock:

My BF likes spiders, he had a female tarantuala for 7 years. He evenhas a spider tattoo on his right inner forearm. Natasis nolonger with us. He liked her alot, she was quiet and he let her live inhis room uncaged. She would go behind his bed and kill ants and mice (2problems with living in the woods). I am kind of glad that he doesn'thave one now, I am scared of spiders. I don't mind them where I can seethem, I just don't want them touching me.

~Star~

 

[napoleon]

Starina wrote:

Ihad a wolf spider crawl over my head and into my cleaveage one summernight last year. :shock:

I would have totally FREAKED!:shock2:

 

[*poifect*]

Starlight Rabbitry wrote:

*shivers* I don't like spiders. I won't even gonear them. I get someone else to catch and release it forme. I had one that was on one of my rabbit hutches and hekept watching me. I was watering the bunnies with the hoseand he still kept watching....I sprayed the hose at him until he fellon the ground and *shivers again* crawled under my neighborsfence. *goosebumps*

I would imagine that he would like flies and other insects. That is what they catch in their webs.

Sharon

ewww i have arachnaphobia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[*poifect*]

I'm sorry buti think i am!!!!!!!!!! myparents brought me to a REPTILarium ( i think thats how you spell it)and there were spiders there!! huge tarantulas with their skins theyhad shed!!! i fainted!!NOjoke!!

Michaela wrote:

:shock:Spiders....OMG....there is NOBODY who is asafraid of spiders asI am....

WhenI see them I don't put them outside, I don't even kill them, I freeze, then I scream - very loudly...

Ugh...

 

[JimD]

We had a VERY large breed of wolf spider on Wake Island (Central Pacific).

You could hear them running across the rafters in the boat house.

And they could walk on water. Honest!
:thud: