Platycryptus Undatus Care

[sinensispsyched]

Hi, yesterday I found a P. Undatus, and I wanted to care for it. As of now, it is in a 16 oz. deli cup with a gravel bottom and a horizontal piece of bark. It has eaten a small butterfly and a pinhead cricket. However, I've got some questions...

1. How often should I feed it?

2. What fraction of the spider's mass should the prey be?

3. What temperatures does it require?

4. Is the substrate I already have OK?

5. How much humidity does it require?

6. How often does it molt?

7. If it's a female, can she lay a fertile egg case without mating?

 

[sinensispsyched]

OK, turns out it's a SHE.

 

[mkayum]

Post a photo?

 

[sinensispsyched]

OK, I will see what I can do.

BTW, I don't have a phone, so I must use my mother's cell phone camera.

 

[T. sinensis]

They are super easy to care for in my opinion. Really any North American Salticid is a breeze on maintenance.

Feed them only often enough to keep them in good health...depends on the feeders you use. Small crickets, flies, moths, etc. No sense in feeding her anything that is over 30% her mass. You don't want the abdomen to be bursting at the seems basically. Temps between 65 and 75 degrees F. Humidity at about 60%. They molt fairly frequently when young but slows as they reach adulthood. I'd say that your setup sounds just fine. You'll need a male if you want her to produce young.

 

[sinensispsyched]

Geez, I guess I should be on the lookout for males.

How do you know if she's mature?

 

[T. sinensis]

Well, how big is she? They have a duagonal legspan of about .75 inches when adults.

 

[sinensispsyched]

Is that each leg's individual length?

I measured her, from tip of abdomen to tip of front legs she was approximately 1.5 cm. long.

 

[sinensispsyched]

I did some google research, she's just about adult.

 

[T. sinensis]

You measure diagonally from the tip of the back leg to the tip of the front leg. I love them. I have nine of them, myself.

 

[sinensispsyched]

Wow! This is actually the first spider I have kept from the woods around my house that has eaten in captivity.

When you have adult males and are willing to sell, please shoot a PM to me!

 

[T. sinensis]

I have some but you would probably be better off finding one because I don't think it would be worth the shipping cost for you.

 

[sinensispsyched]

OK. I caught a moth, and she had the moth by the head after twenty minutes.

 

[T. sinensis]

They have ferocious appetites. I love Salticids! I have five different species...each one having a different type of personality. The Phidippus audax are feisty. I have been bitten by them twice now Haha. A male tagged me while I was packing up to send to Ken MacNeil. I'll see how many I have available if you want any...I just didn't want you to spend the like $40 for overnight shipping on one jumper, when you could find one for free.

 

[rs4guy]

That's a sweet looking spider man!

 

[sinensispsyched]

Well, I have a male now. How do I prepare for mating, and how will I need to be available during the time of love?

 

[T. sinensis]

Make sure they are well fed and then introduce the female to the male. You'll want to be around until they are done.