Pet crab spiders can be a delight to watch, mostly due to their unique appearance. Named after crabs due to their similarity to their namesake, pet crab spiders come in a wide range of colors and hues. This is because crab spiders rely on camouflage while hunting, and their color depends on the hunting terrain they live in. Pet crab spiders also make for great photographs, especially if seen against colors of their hunting habitat.
Unlike most spiders, crab spiders do not catch prey in their web, but instead they camouflage themselves on a suitable flower or leaf and catch unsuspecting insects that come near it. Some people species of crab spiders can even change their coloration if kept on a particular colored habitat for long enough. Whatever be the case, if you want to keep a pet crab spider, then you will first have to get your hands on one, which is quite difficult considering they survive because of their camouflaging capabilities.
But if you have finally managed to acquire a pet crab spider, then you will need to keep it in a container that has a habitat which is closest to that of its hunting terrain. For this purpose introduce a lot of live plants, which are similar in color to the crab spider. During feeding time, you can insert live flies, or bees into the container, which the spider will catch when it approaches it.
Now crab spiders are entirely harmless to humans, and make ideal pets for children and beginners. In case you get a male pet crab spider, then you need to know that they eat floral nectar as well, so live flowering plants will have to be kept within the pet spider habitat to keep your pet spider happy. Due to their small size it is dangerous to introduce insects larger than the spider as food, as you just might end up with a dead pet spider.
Their harmless nature makes them good first spider pets for children, though it is important to know that crab spiders are venomous, but of negligible potency. Also, it is difficult to mate and find medical help for these spiders due to their small size, and difficulty in obtaining. But if you look closely, you will find many in your very own garden. So get out there and get your pet crab spider right away.
A London based Veterinary surgeon, Sanja is also an avid writer and pet advocate.
Hi! yesterday i found a crab spider in my house! i put it in a contianer, and i put a lot of live plants in there! I think it’s a male, because when i put a few flowers in there it got on them right away! I thoght it was dead, but i was wrong! He is so active now, and i tryed to pick him up, and he jumped back in the container! i named him Mr.Crabs, and he is kind of growing on me. i love him, but i need to know if it’s okay to feed him crikets? i have a lizzerd, and we have a criket habitat with a lot of crikets in there, so i’m just wondering, what wold be the best thing to feed Mr.Crabs? plese let me know.