Posted by Sean Murphy on June 1, 2006

Q: Hi (again)

I emailed you yesterday about my jumping spider. I have once more question.

How much food? Ive placed up to 3 insects of various types in my terrarium, and he appears to be uninterested. I know he ate a fly the day I got him. ( 3-4 days ago) a smaller moth type I think 2 days ago, but I'm not sure hes touched anything since.( Im now wondering how many ants (up to 3) simply died in the web lines he has left.) How much does this lil guy eat? Id hate to think Im trying to stuff him with a Thanksgiving dinner every day. But I dont want him to go hungry either.

State: Ohio

A: Keep in mind that this is an ectotherm (coldblooded animal)so it doesn't need to same proportional quantities of food that mammals or birds do. Make sure the insects you introduce are alive and if your little guy doesn't eat, fine. As long as food is available and appropriate, your spider will eat when it "wants" to and ignore when it wants to as well. Ants have formic acid and are usually not a preferred or even acceptable food to many insect predators. So, don't rely on ants as a stable food. Any crickets or flies that aren't too large should work well. Important to keep the food a size your spider is willing to tackle. Best of luck to you both and glad you got back to me with another question.

John Wiessinger ( June 1, 2006)