🕷️ Regal Jumping Spider (Phidippus regius)

Welcome to the ultimate guide for keeping Regal Jumping Spiders! Highly visual, curious, and remarkably expressive, these tiny arachnids make truly captivating pets. Whether you are a first-time spider owner or adding to your collection, this guide covers everything you need to know to give your pet a long, happy, and enriched life.

🛑 Source Responsibly: Captive-Bred vs. Wild-Caught

With the explosion in popularity of jumping spiders as pets, it is more important than ever to buy ONLY from reputable captive breeders.

Protect Ecosystems: "Wild-harvesting" or poaching wild jumping spiders to sell off as pets disrupts natural ecosystems, strips localized breeding populations, and damages native biodiversity.
Avoid Surprise Pregnancies: Wild-caught females are almost always fertile (gravid) and will lay hundreds of baby spiders (slings) in your home that you may not be equipped to raise or feed.
Health & Parasites: Wild spiders often carry hidden parasites, pesticides, or internal diseases. Captive-bred spiders come from controlled environments, are well-acclimated to human handling, and are significantly healthier!

🧠 Intelligence, Curiosity & Dreaming Spiders!

Jumping spiders are far smarter than most people realize. Relative to their size, they possess incredible cognitive abilities, dynamic problem-solving skills, and distinct individual personalities.

Vision & Curiosity: With their large, high-definition central eyes, they process vision almost like tiny vertebrate mammals. They recognize face shapes, track motion across the room, and show genuine curiosity about their surroundings.
They Love Watching TV! Don't be surprised if your spider turns toward your television or computer monitor. They are naturally drawn to bright, changing colors and moving shapes. Many owners (and our own spiders!) love sitting near a screen to watch colorful animations, nature documentaries, or gaming streams.
Do Spiders Dream? Recent scientific research suggests that jumping spiders experience REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycles! While tucked in their hammocks at night, their legs twitch in patterns identical to dreaming dogs or cats. It is very likely they are processing their day and dreaming in their sleep!
Mental Stimulation is Vital: Because of their high intelligence, a barren enclosure leads to boredom and lethargy. Provide mental enrichment by using safe decor, offering multiple different climbing textures, providing safe out-of-enclosure exploration time, or placing their habitat near a room with visual activity.

🏠 Habitat & Enclosure Setup

Arboreal by nature, Regal Jumping Spiders love height and vertical space.

Choosing the Right Size

Adults & Sub-Adults: Aim for a vertical terrarium of at least 4" x 4" x 7" (or up to 6" x 6" x 9").
Juveniles & Slings (Babies): Keep tiny spiders in smaller containers (like 2" x 2" x 4" or small deli cups). An enclosure that is too large makes it almost impossible for young slings to find food, leading to stress and failure to thrive.

Key Enclosure Requirements

Front or Bottom Opening: Jumping spiders construct their silk sleeping webs (hammocks) at the very top of their habitat. Top-opening containers will tear their hammocks every time you open them, causing massive stress and risking injury during molts.
Cross-Ventilation: Ventilation holes on at least two opposing sides are essential. Fresh airflow prevents stagnant air, bacteria buildup, and lethal mold growth.
Fine Mesh Vents: Ensure vents use fine fabric or micro-mesh so tiny spiders can’t squeeze out and live feeders can’t escape.

🎨 Interior Decor & Enrichment

Jumping spiders rely heavily on 3D spatial awareness and line of sight.

Climbing Structures: Build upward using cork bark, real/artificial silk plants, twigs, sealed moss and textured ledges.
Anchor Points: Place decor near the top 2 inches of the enclosure so your spider has sturdy places to attach their web hammocks.
Safe Adhesives: Secure items to the walls using neodymium magnets or food-safe hot glue. Make sure all hot glue is 100% dry and fully cured and had gas off time before introducing your spider.
Hides: Offer one or more hides near the top of the enclosure designed for jumping spiders. This offers the spider a place for privacy and safety.

☀️ Lighting & Temperature

Native to warm, sunny regions like Florida and the Caribbean, Regal Jumping Spiders need a bit of warmth and indirect brightness to stay active.

Temperature: Keep daytime temps between 70°F and 80°F (nighttime temps can drop slightly down to into the 60s°F). If your spider is sitting still and refusing food, the environment is likely too cold or dehydrated.
Bright Lighting: Jumping spiders have extraordinary vision (they can see in color and UV!). Provide 10–12 hours of bright ambient light daily.
🚨 Direct Sunlight Danger: NEVER place an enclosure in direct sunlight. Glass and acrylic act like magnifying glasses, rapidly overheating the habitat and killing your spider.
Avoid Heat Lamps & Mats: Heat lamps have to be monitored constantly, and mats dont make sense as heat from below is unnatural. Spiders will instinctively go down to cool off and up to warm up .

🍽️ Nutrition & Feeding Schedule

Jumping spiders are visual ambush predators. How often they eat depends on their life stage and body condition.

Prey Choice by Size

Small Slings: Flightless fruit flies (D. melanogaster).
Older Slings / Sub-Adults: Larger fruit flies (D. hydei), pinhead crickets, mini mealworms, extra-small dubia roaches.
Adults: House flies, green bottle flies, small-to-medium crickets, and small to medium mealworms.

Abdomen Visual Guide

Don't feed strictly on a timer—look at their abdomen!

Slim/Wrinkled: Hungry or dehydrated. Offer food immediately.
Slightly Plump (Grape Seed shape): Ideal, healthy weight.
Bulging/Round (Grape shape): Full! Do not feed again until the abdomen shrinks. Overfeeding can lead to fatal fall injuries or abdominal ruptures.

⚠️ FEEDER SAFETY WARNING: Never leave live crickets or mealworms in the enclosure unattended! Hungry crickets will chew on sleeping or molting spiders. Remove uneaten prey after a couple of hours. Flies are the safest feeders to leave overnight.

💧 Hydration & Misting Tips

Jumping spiders don't drink from water bowls—they drink water droplets off surfaces and directly through their silk!

Always Use Spring Water: Use bottled spring water for misting. Tap water contains chlorine, heavy metals, and hard minerals that can harm your spider or leave residue on the walls. Distilled water lacks natural trace minerals, making natural spring water the absolute best choice.
Don't Be Afraid to Spray the Webbing! It is completely okay—and actually beneficial—to mist water directly onto their silk hammocks and webbing. Spiders will often drink tiny droplets trapped directly in their silk while resting inside!
Daily Misting: Mist one bare wall and the webbing every other day using a fine-mist spray bottle. Mist enough so that they get a good chance to drink but that the water dries up within an hour or two. Do not be afraid to get your spider wet accidentally, they will be OK but without hydration they will not be.
NO Water Dishes: Never place an open dish of water inside. Spiders breathe through "book lungs" on the underside of their abdomen and can easily drown in a single droplet or shallow dish.

🔄 The Molting Process (Shedding)

As your spider grows, it will shed its outer exoskeleton. Juveniles may molt 8 to 12 times before reaching adulthood. Adult spiders never molt again.

Signs of Pre-Molt

Building an extra-thick, dense, non-see-through silk hammock.
Refusing food for days or even weeks at a time.
Abdomen appearing duller in color.

The Molting Rules

LEAVE THEM ALONE: Do not poke, prod, or attempt to pull your spider out. Do not put feeder insects in the habitat.
Increase Humidity: Continue misting as normal but do not skip a mist during this time. Successful molts come from internal hydration. They will also be extremely thirsty after recovering from a molt.
Hardening Period: After emerging, wait 48 hours before offering food. Their new skin and fangs are soft; trying to hunt too soon can break their fangs.

🥚 Female Egg Laying (Infertile Clutches)

Once female spiders reach adulthood, they will naturally lay eggs—even if they have never been near a male!

Infertile Egg Sacs: Captive-raised females who haven't mated lay infertile "dummy" eggs.
Brooding Behavior: She will seal herself in her hammock to guard her egg sac for weeks, often refusing to come out or eat.
Care Instructions: Continue misting for hydration. Offer food right at her web opening if she peeks out. Eventually, she will realize the eggs won't hatch, abandon or eat them, and return to her routine. She may lay multiple clutches throughout her adult life.

⏳ Lifespan & Senior Spider Care

In the wild, male jumping spiders usually live around 1 year, and females live roughly 1.5 to 2 years. However, with top-tier care, spring water, proper diet, captive-bred stock, and great husbandry, we have had quite a few of our female spiders live well past 3 years old, and males to 2 years old!

As spiders reach old age, they lose the sticky pads on their feet (scopulae) and struggle to climb smooth surfaces.

Add Grip: Line glass/acrylic walls with moss ribbon, safe moss, or cork bark so senior spiders don't slip.
Low-Rider Setup: Move aging spiders to a slightly shorter enclosure so accidental falls won't cause injuries. 4x4x4 or 4x4x5 work especially well.
Target Feeding: Offer prey directly with soft, blunt tweezers or place prey in a shallow dish near their favorite perch. Possibly pre kill food items.
Hydration: At this point in a spider's life they really don't enjoy being blasted with water. You may find that in addition to misting the webbing, that you turn the enclosure on whatever side is needed and provide a drop of water very close to the spider and leave it like that for a period of time. Do NOT Immediately think that you have to water from a Qtip or offer sugar water. I have found it best to simply lead the droplet to the spiders mouth parts as they cannot suck liquids from anything.

🌿 Clean Up Crews (Bioactive)

If you decide to keep live plants or build a natural setup, Springtails are the safest and best option! These microscopic insects feast on mold spores and decay without ever bothering your spider. Keep in mind You want to have optimal ventilation and air flow when doing this as stagnant air is a risk.

(We recommend avoiding isopods altogether, as larger species can occasionally attempt to bite molting or vulnerable spiders).

🚫 Chemical & Environmental Hazards

Spiders absorb toxins rapidly through their respiratory systems.

Keep habitats far away from pesticides, flea/tick pet treatments, chemical and "natural" cleaning sprays, scented candles, plug-in air fresheners, and essential oil diffusers.
Always wash your hands thoroughly with plain unscented soap and water before handling your spider or touching their enclosure.

🤝 Safe Handling Tips

Voluntary Step-On: Gently place your hand in front of the spider and let them explore at their own pace. Never pinch or grab them. By the time you are attempting this they are most likely very familiar with the specific vibrations of your voice and your face.
Build or buy a spider playground!: The Safest way to handle your spider is on a spider playground! It is a controlled environment that they will love to explore and build a relationship with you during. A fun trick, if you want to let your spider explore without you is to put its playground inside of a large insect net house that you can find on Amazon. If a playground is not in the cards, then its best to be sitting on a bed, couch, or soft carpeted floor. Jumping spiders love to leap—a high drop onto a hard floor can rupture their abdomen. Always Keep a catch cup nearby just in case we have a runner!

💚 We’re Always Here for You!

We want you and your new eight-legged companion to thrive. If you ever have questions about setups, molting concerns, or feeder insects, please reach out to us anytime!

📸 Don't forget to tag us or send us photos and video updates of your spider on any social media platform or in email, exploring their home or watching TV!