Any spiderologists around that can explain this spider behaviour?

[AnneBullen]

We have a little house spider that lives in the kitchen. He will probably grow up to be one of those terrifying big scampering ones and therefore will sadly have to eventually die by my husband’s hand, but for the moment he is OK. He lives under a step in the kitchen next to the dog food. He spends absolutely all day standing stock still next to his little hole. Occasionally he is it there and I have seen him dart into his hole so if he’s not there I know where he is, but otherwise he just there all day, and all night for all I know.

Questions

1. what is he doing?

2. there was a dead fly on the floor near him last night. I left it, for science. This morning it was not there. Did he eat it?

3. How does he get enough to eat?
   And drink?

Just find it a little..... odd? That he sits there all day just a few centimetres from the kids running about, husband, me, dog, and he’s just sitting there in the middle of everything not moving?

BirdieDance....but tarantulas are cute and furry and get cosy sitting in your hand, tapping and pawing at you, like a cat, kneading its paws when it's settling down.

@Somethingsnappy can you stop with the sitting in your hand bit.

I have no idea why I'm reading this thread. It's like watching a horror movie and not being able to switch it off....

I'm also reading with a mixture of awe and horror. 🕷

You’re so brave SweetPetrichor 😬

How heavy does it feel in your hand?

I've got one that lives under the cupboard in the en suite. I hope he gets all the mosquitos

BirdieDance.... Try it! It might change your perspective forever. Maybe that's why you're drawn to the thread despite the horror......
They nestle in and fall asleep

@LoseLooseLucy He doesn't feel very heavy at all. They're surprisingly light since they don't have bones. He's very light, very fragile (he's far more at risk from handling than I am, which is why I only do it when rehousing them) and he's also very gentle. Obviously this isn't universal across tarantulas. I have others that I'd never consider putting my hands anywhere near! But he's a gentle giant.

For those spider haters - I used to be terrified of spiders. I'd cry if I saw a house spider. (I once called my DP when he was hundreds of miles away in the middle of the night crying cause there was a spider in the room...like he could do anything about it!) Now I've completely reversed my fear into love. When you start to get familiar with them, they become fascinating creatures and you realise how little threat they pose to you.

Aah, I always imagined they’d be quite weighty, he certainly looks it! Don’t think I’d ever conquer my fear enough to hold one that size (I never kill spiders though, creatures that have survived for hundreds of millions of years deserve some respect).

We had a friend spider on our outside window. We called it peter.

We always worried about the wee soul when it was stormy, he only had 7 legs and eventually disappeared

I am now pondering how spiders drink! It's not like we have puddles of water around the house!

Generally, they won't drink - they get moisture from their food. They've got a pretty primitive system - they have a sucking stomach and just suck up the juicy meal. They will absorb moisture and nutrients form this meal in their digestive tract.

Love all the spider knowledge! I am actually really quite frightened of spiders although I like them in the correct place (outside, or on corners of windows, or next to their holes).

Anyway, haven’t seen Seb at all this morning.... I hope he didn’t get wind of the thread and flounce (I was only asking experts Seb!). Put a dead fly near the hole, again for science.

@SweetPetrichor

He is beautiful. I think it feels like a tiny kitten in your hand when you hold a tarantula. Very light and gentle, they move slower though.

I only held one once though so it might be my imagination.

@somethingonnce

@feelingfragile that's a good description - they are lovely and soft, and they have tiny little claws on the ends of their legs which you can kinda feel gripping onto you to give them stability. As long as they're not startled, they're lovely and slow moving.

SweetPetrichor your boy is so cute.
He looks so soft & furry & like the spider version of a tabby cat.

Once upon a time I used to hate spiders & was terrified of them.
Then when I had DD I didn't want her to have my fear so I did the very gradual exposure thing.
I've worked up to picking up a small fat spider in my hand & one day I'd like to hold & stroke a tarantula.
If you told me at 18 that one day I'd be contemplating holding a tarantula, I'd have fainted.

I used to be terrified of heights so I went abseiling.
Wasps would also terrify me until one day I felt a sort of twanging sensation on my lower arm like someone snapping an elastic band. It didn't hurt was just irritating so I took my coat off thinking I'd caught my skin in my watch & 2 wasps flew out!
I was surprised & realised that my fear was actually the fear of a wasp sting being the most painful thing on earth.
Since then I have no problems with wasps & have rescued a few from some sticky situations.
And I'm always rescuing poorly collapsed bees & bringing them back to life.
Also frogs, toads & mice that my cat likes to play with.

Our resident spider is called Frank.

He just chills out in the corner of the living room, being all spindly and stuff.

We had loads of spider babies in our porch, they were literally hanging from the ceiling but then disappeared within a day.

Spider babies are cool. They're proper explorers.

After that initial bit where you see them, they go to high up plants, the top of long grasses, stick their spinnerets into the air, send out long strands of gossamer silk and sail away - they are found up to 16,000 up and in the middle of the ocean.

It's easy to see them on warm, late summer afternoons when the air has warmed up, as the air is full of glistening strands when they try to catch thermals.

And for those who don't achieve such dizzying feats of exploration, the Sparrows and Blue Tits have a great time picking them off the Rose bushes.

SweetPetrichor. The spiderologist has entered the thread. Respect to you and your spider companions.