Phidippus Ardens hail from south western America and north Mexico. Though also found further afield, their predominant natural habitat is scrublands and arid desert areas.  

Enclosure/Environment

Phidippus ardens are arboreal, meaning they like to live up high. In the wild you'd find them in cracks on walls and in shrubs. In captivity we recreate this by providing them with an enclosure that has plenty of anchor points at the top for them to secure their web.

There are lots of different enclosures available but personally I use the Mantis Den range (available in our shop). You want to avoid a top opening enclosure as that is where your spider will make its home so you want an enclosure with a front opening door.

In contrast to the bioactive enclosures I recommend with the regius, for ardens I recommend using Coco coir as a substrate, with air plants and cork bark as decor. Using cocoons and 3d printed decor up high for anchoring and to make their web hammocks.

Heat/Humidity

Phidippus ardens originate from far hotter and more arid conditions than we have here in the UK. Your spider will need additional heat to keep them healthy and active. A cold spider will be lethargic and will be less inclined to move around and hunt. And in the worst case, being too cold can be fatal for your spider.

The best way to heat your spider is with a heat mat and thermostat. I place the heat mat behind the enclosure with the thermostat probe inside or as near as possible as I can get it. I keep my Ardens at around 27-29c and around 35-45% humidity. Using a thermostat ensures a constant supply of heat and turns itself on and off as needed.

Lighting

Jumping spiders rely on eyesight for hunting and need a nice bright light to simulate bright sunshine. For this, LED lighting is perfect as it gives off little additional heat. I personally use LED strips on the under side of the shelves and have the lights switched on for 12hours a day. If you have one spider you could use a lamp. Again LED is preferred and there are many different designs available. 

Drinking

Misting every other day is the best way to hydrate your spider. A fine mist one one side of the enclosure will provide your spider with droplets of water to drink. Take care not to create big droplets of water, as your spider has book lungs located on the underside of their abdomen that they breathe through.

Moulting behaviour

As a spider grows it needs to shed its exuvia. During this period the spider will usually make a thicker web hammock and spend most of its time hiding away. They may poke their head out or come out for a stroll but will shortly return to their hammock. A moult can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks and as a rule the process takes longer as the spider gets older. Moulting happens around every 3-4 weeks or so for a captive jumping spider but this can vary for a number of environmental factors. Ardens are a slower growing species and the moult process takes longer than we are used to. Sometimes hiding away for weeks.

Feeding

Jumping spiders are excellent hunters and prefer flying prey. Depending on spider instar (size) will depend on what you feed them. Fruit flies, house flies, Greenbottles, bluebottles and small locusts are all good feeders. Occasionally I will feed wax worms as a "treat". I avoid using crickets and mealworms as feeders for my jumping spiders as they can carry parasites and have the ability to bite and injure your spider. Ardens are fairly timid particularly in the earlier instars and they seem to prefer to take on smaller prey for longer.

i5/6- D.Hydei fruit flies

i6/7-Curly Wing flies

i7+ Greenbottles

For jumping spiders larger in stature I feed 2 greenbottles or one bluebottle.

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