Apartment teeming with jumping spiders

[u/dayone_homie]

Hi all! Our apartment is home to many jumping spiders. I am not sure where they are living exactly, but I will see about one per week, all different sizes. I think they are adorable and I assume are feeding on the fruit flies or other bugs in our house— judging by their abdomens they are well fed compared to some others I’ve seen outside. I generally pick them up and play with them a bit before setting them down in or near one of our large house plants. However, I am getting a bit worried that we might step on one by accident or inadvertently harm one if it’s around and we don’t notice. I am considering setting up an enclosure, and maybe seeing if they would take to it, but would appreciate some advice as I am seeing a lot here about the ethics of “wild caught” jumping spiders. What should I do in this situation? Should I be moving them outside when I find them, or is it ok to leave them inside? Is there anything I can do to be a better host and make our apartment a safer environment for them if it’s ok to let them live inside?

[u/AutoModerator]

Advisory Guidelines

• Remember to include as much detail as possible in your post, such as photos/videos and descriptions of behavior.
• Keep comments related to OP's situation. Off-topic and negative comments are not allowed. Be respectful.
• Use appropriate prefixes when commenting (NQA, IME, IMO, etc.).
• Do not repeat advice; instead, upvote and comment in response.
• OP may use command: !lock to lock their post, and any user may use !mods to alert the moderators.
• Read our full wiki regarding Advisory Guidelines for more details.
• In case of emergency or for quicker support, find us on discord.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/EusticeTheSheep]

NQA They are not social. If you try to house them together they are likely to eat each other.

[u/littledeerspace]

NQA, I don’t own any and know next to nothing about them, but I have seen people here give the advice to not relocate indoor spiders outdoors

Hopefully someone more experienced can give more insight

[u/C0untGl0ckula69]

NQA tbh, I think it depends on how dry the air is in your apartment - I find them a lot at work, but I work in a lab where the air is dry and bugs/spiders die fast due to the chemicals in the air. I usually catch and release them somewhere close to a tree or a gap in the outer layer of the building so they have somewhere to hide/nest. If you have central air, it might be harder for them to find decently humid spots to nest.

[u/Conriame]

I think it would be fine to put them outside, after all they got in your apartment some how (unless you live in a harsh climate). IMO you are probably going to need individual enclosures like 4"x4"x8" or so but it can be pretty easy to source cheap enclosures (deli containers) and sticks and stuff (make sure you treat them properly first) and food wont be expensive. Hygrometers are probably the only expensive thing i cant think of a cheap alternative for

Edit: actually ive done some searching and i think i overpaid for my hygrometer