Huntsman spiders or Giant Crab spiders are a common specie of spiders that hunt on foot. These spiders are rarely kept despite their friendliness to humans and easy care. Some people may say that it is hard to keep these animals, but with dedication, it can go smoothly.
1Prepare an enclosure. If you want to keep your Huntsman spider happy, you need to have a proper amount of room for them to run around in. The enclosure may be higher than it is wide, as some Huntsman spiders like to climb up rather than sideways.
- Make sure there are no gaps for the Huntsman to escape through, they are swift and can fit through small gaps with ease. These spiders are said to be major escape artists.
- A plastic terrarium is recommended for this animal, as glass magnifies light and causes the enclosure to heat up. Try to keep the temperature between 24-28 degrees C.
2Add decorations and entertainment. You don't want the spider to be in a boring container do you? You can add sand, natural-looking gravel, ground bark, soil or leaves in the bottom of the container. For decorations on top of the substrate you can add whole bark as it is ideal, or a lot of secured rocks with crevices for the spider to hide in.
- Make sure that the substrate can sustain water droplets for half an hour or even longer.
- Make sure the substrate chosen is clean and free of chemicals, as they might harm the Huntsman.
- Follow the items listed above as they mimic the spiders natural habitat.
3Find a good location for the terrarium. Make sure to place it out of direct sunlight as it will make the enclosure hot, and make sure the light is not too bright as they come out to eat at night.
Adding the Spider
1Gently add the spider. If it looks cramped, make sure to buy an enclosure bigger for it to feel comfortable.
- Watch the spider. If it seems to be on a particular ornament and is not moving that means it may be in hunting position, or maybe like that particular ornament.
- Make sure not to move the spider too much. It might get stressed and you may damage it while transporting it.
Feeding the Spider
1Feed the right foods at the right time. Choosing what to feed a Huntsman may be the hardest part; it depends on where you got it from, how big the spider is and when the last feeding was. You can feed small Huntsman spiders: wingless fruit flies, pinhead crickets and other small insects. Bigger spiders get more interesting, you can feed them adult crickets, moths, younger spiders, cockroaches and much more!
- Do not feed your spider ladybirds as they may be poisonous to them.
2Only feed you spider something a third of its size. Anything bigger might take them on or even eat them.
- Only feed your Huntsman anything a third of its size or smaller. Anything tiny will annoy it as it will trigger its hairs but the spider will not be able to kill it.
- Anything added to the tank that is bigger than the spider might take it on; the spider may be eaten by the bigger animal.
- Make sure not to disturb the spider while it's molting as it should not be disturbed during this process. Add pieces of bark for them to hide under while this process is taking place.
- Make sure to feed the Huntsman twice a week to keep it happy. Anything in the enclosure that is alive (other than the spider of course) in the enclosure for more than 24 whole hours should be removed.
- Mist the container after every two days, not directly at the spider but around and on the decorations in the enclosure, the spider will drink these droplets when it is thirsty.
- Make sure that the enclosure is very well aerated, as the spider will not survive in an enclosure that is air-tight.
- Buy food from a pet store if you don't want the spider to eat food from the garden, you can get common animals such as "woodies" or crickets.
- Do not move the spider too much as its feet or body might get damaged; this will also reduce its speed.
- Do not feed your spider anything in your garden as long as you know they have not been affected by any chemicals.
- Do not enclose the spider with anything toxic or sharp.
- Do not use deodorant or any insecticides/pesticides near the enclosure, as some contain extremely harsh chemicals.