In stock Okefenokee Giant Fishing Spider for sale All spiders for sale
Dolomedes okefinokensis
Okefenokee Giant Fishing Spider: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: North America's largest fishing spider. Females pass 3 in leg span and hunt off the water surface, so build around a real shallow pool with air moving across it, and keep hands off.
Group: Spiders & Other InvertsDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Semi-aquatic, land area plus shallow poolHandling: Not recommended, fast and startling
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 72-80°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 75-85%, airflow across the pool surface |
| Setup Type | Semi-aquatic, land area plus shallow pool |
| Substrate | Moist land substrate, no puddles outside the pool |
| Feeding | 3/8-1/2 in crickets or roaches weekly, at dusk by the water |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2: Beginner |
| Handling | Not recommended, fast and startling |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Juveniles: setup with a small water dish they can climb out of, plus moist land substrate
- Adults (females 3+ in leg span): enclosure with a proper shallow pool and perch area, secure tall lid
Warnings First
- Fast and semi-aquatic. It runs across water and dives briefly to escape, so use a secure, tall enclosure.
- House it alone.
- Standing water in a still, humid enclosure fouls fast. Vent across the water surface and change the water regularly.
- Give the pool a sloped edge, perch, or flat stones so juveniles and feeders can climb out instead of drowning.
- Stop feeding at the first signs of premolt and wait until the new exoskeleton hardens, about a week.
- Mild venom, but its speed and size make a bite startling. Keep hands off.
Simple Care
- House one spider per enclosure.
- Build a shallow pool or large dish with a sloped edge or emergent perch, beside moist land substrate.
- Vent low on two opposite walls at pool level so air crosses the water.
- Keep humidity at 75-85% and temperature at 72-80°F.
- Feed crickets or roaches no longer than its body weekly, at dusk near the water.
- Change the pool water regularly and remove uneaten prey within 24-48 hours.
- Give plenty of open floor and water surface.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- It hunts from the edge of still water, reading ripples for prey. A stable shallow pool or large dish with an easy perch is essential.
- Vent low on two opposite walls at about pool level so air crosses the water. The pool fouls before the substrate does.
- Let the pool and damp land carry the humidity instead of misting. The moist edge between water and land is the microclimate it wants.
- Judge by the water, not a gauge. Clear water with no film, moist land with no puddles. A film on the water means too little airflow.
- Break the surface with a sloped edge, perch, or flat stones. It hunts from them, and feeders and juveniles can climb out.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Offer crickets or roaches no longer than its body, about 3/8-1/2 in, weekly at dusk near the water.
- Adult females may also take an occasional small feeder fish or guppy from the water.
- Remove uneaten prey within 24-48 hours and keep the water clean.
- Stop feeding at the first signs of premolt, like dull color and less activity, until the new exoskeleton hardens, about a week.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Okefenokee Swamp and similar wetlands in Florida, Georgia, and the southeastern United States.
- Habitat translation: Swamp-edge still water becomes a large enclosure built around a clean, stable shallow pool with perches, moist land substrate, high humidity, and air moving across the water.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Females can be several times the size of males, so a mated pair looks mismatched.
- Multiple molts to maturity over about a year. Lifespan is about 1-2 yrs, and females outlive males.
- It runs across the water and dives briefly to dodge threats. A secure, tall enclosure stops it using that trick to escape.
- Mild venom, but an accidental bite or scratch is more startling than dangerous. Treat it as hands-off.