Keeping and Caring of Fighting Spiders

As kids, most of us kept our fighting spiders in match boxes. Why ? I guess the reason is match boxes were readily available during that time and it was free. What about the present days ? We kept them in containers instead and seldom keep them in match boxes as you hardly find one nowadays !

I find that keeping fighting spiders in match boxes pose a harsh living condition on them. They don't lived long and often being attacked by ants or died of thirst. We were kind of ignorant when we were kids and doesn't give a hack on how to keep a fighting spider.

Presently, most of us keep fighting spiders in containers with holes and change the leaves when it gets dry. Below is a picture from Koppao showing his fighting spider containers.

I used to keep my fighting spiders in containers until recently I have changed it to house them in pet containers. Keeping fighting spiders in containers need to change the leaves quite often and its kind of a hassel . I have discovered that if the stem of a leaf is placed in the water, the leaf could stay fresh for a longer period. This discovery prompted me to change to a pet container where its height is tall enough to accomodate a small container of water for the leaves. Another advantage of a pet container is it provides good air flow for the spider. Alright, here are the pros of using a pet container.

1. The leaves could stay fresh for a longer period. Fresh leaves mimic a natural habitat for the spider.

2. Minimise the cleaning of the container.

3. Ample air ventilation. Good airflow ensures the spider would be lively and it also help in healing the spider's injury after a fight.

4. Bigger space.

5. Good visibility of the spider.

6. Expose to natural sunlight. Spiders need some sunlight for them to digest their food and also to maintain their colours. You will notice that if you keep the fighting spider in a dark surrounding, its colour would become dark very soon.

What about the cons ? I guess the only disadvantage of using a pet container is the trouble of bringing the spider out.

Below are a series of pictures showing the setup of a pet container for keeping a fighting spider. Remember to keep only one male fighting spider in one container. You could add in a female fighting spider as a mate for the male spider.

A mini glass aquarium tank is an ideal substitute for a pet container as well. It provides a much clearer visibility of the spider. Here are some of my pet containers currently housing my fighting spiders.

Fighting spiders do not need to be fed regularly. I read from somewhere that if a spider is fed too much, it will die of indigestion. I would recommend to feed the fighting spider once every 2 to 3 days. A bloated abdomen indicates the spider has ate too much and a thin abdomen tells you its time to feed the spider. I feed the fighting spiders with pinhead crickets, fruit flies, flying ants, mosquitoes, ants and green flies ( http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_flies/GreenLongLeggedFly1.htm )

Heard that feeding mosquitoes filled with blood, green flies and the head of a big housefly to your fighting spider increase its vitality and strength. To a certain extend I do agree with it as I guess they contain traces of blood.

Another important element to keep your fighting spider alive is water. Spiders need to drink water very often else they would get dehyrated and died off. Let your spiders drink water once in the morning and once at night. For me, I spray water twice a day into the pet container.

*** Contributed by Trevally ***