Phidippus ardens
Widow Jumping Spider: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A small red-and-black jumping spider from the western US and Mexico with the same easy care as a Regal. It wants light, vertical space and strong airflow, and tiny spiderlings need an escape-proof lid first.
Group: Spiders & Other InvertsDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Arboreal jumper, tall with high anchor pointsHandling: Not recommended, fast and easily lost
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 | 55-70%, strong airflow, wall droplets, dry substrate |
| Setup Type | Arboreal jumper, tall with high anchor points |
| Substrate | Minimal dry substrate plus climbing decor |
| Feeding | Tiny flies, roaches or crickets sized to the spider |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2: Beginner |
| Handling | Not recommended, fast and easily lost |
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
- Spiderlings: Baby Buddy with an escape-proof lid and wall droplets
- Larger juveniles and adults: bark-style micro setup with high anchor points and low/high vents
Warnings First
- Tiny spiderlings slip through small gaps, and a loose jumper is fast and easily lost. Get a truly escape-proof lid first.
- Over-misting a poorly vented enclosure is dangerous. Vent low on one wall and high on the opposite wall, and use droplets, never a soaking.
- Spiderlings drown in almost nothing. Mist a wall for droplets, or use a water cap packed with grit.
- Molting: it seals into a thick silk hammock. Leave the hammock alone, pull feeders, and wait a few days after it emerges before feeding.
- Needs a good day and night light cycle, but keep it out of direct sun to avoid overheating.
Simple Care
- Give vertical space and high anchor points. Height matters more than floor area.
- Vent low on one wall and high on the opposite wall so the enclosure dries between mistings.
- Mist a side wall lightly for droplets, never the spider.
- Keep the substrate dry.
- Feed prey sized to the spider and remove uneaten feeders.
- Give bright room light or indirect natural light, never direct sun.
- Leave the silk hammock alone unless you must move it.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Give good room lighting or indirect natural light, and avoid overheating in direct sun.
- Add upper anchor points for its silk hammock, and don't tear the hammock down unless you must.
- Lid-only vents trap damp air up top, right at the hammock. Vents low on one wall and high on the other pull air through the full height, so wall mist dries in a couple of hours.
- Push the setup toward air, not humidity: dry substrate, one wall misted for drinking, fully dry between. Lingering condensation is the warning sign.
- Mist the wall opposite the hammock. The spider comes down to drink and its retreat stays dry. Standing water goes in a grit-packed cap.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Offer tiny flies, roaches or crickets sized to the spider, and remove uneaten feeders.
- Track feeding by abdomen size and activity. Overfeeding a female can shorten her healthy display life.
- Before a molt it seals into a thick silk hammock and stops eating. Leave it alone, pull feeders, and wait a few days after it emerges for the new exoskeleton to harden.
- A compact, secure enclosure makes feeding and molt checks easier.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Warm, arid country becomes a bright, ventilated, vertical build with perches, a hide and droplet hydration instead of a soaking.
- Habitat translation: Warm, arid country becomes a bright, ventilated, vertical build with perches, a hide and droplet hydration instead of a soaking.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Same care as the Regal Jumping Spider. The differences are cosmetic, not husbandry.
- Widow is a trade name for Phidippus ardens, one of the red desert Phidippus.
- Adult size varies, and females grow larger than males.
- Short-lived like all jumpers: adults live months, not years. Think of it as a season-long display animal.