03/26/2024
As the jumping spider hobby continues to grow, so do the people who are looking to make a quick buck off of them. It's important that when buying your spiders, you buy them from a reputable and ethical breeder! Not just for the species sake, but for yours too. The last thing you'd want after spending your hard earned money on a new pet, is to find out the jumper you just bought is actually a wild caught elderly or gravid spider that will die within a couple months or leave you with hundreds of babies you don't know how to care for.
Now that the spring expo season is in full swing, I thought I'd share the warning signs to look out for when buying a spider from a vendor!
🚩-If the vendor doesn't know the exact age and instar their spider is. An actual breeder will be able to easily and accurately answer this information for you! If they give you an "I don't know" or a vague ball park answer, that's a big sign they didn't actually raise that spider. These spiders have a relatively short life span (1-3 years), so you really want to make sure you're not being sold an elderly adult.
🚩-If the spiders the vendor has are just labeled "Jumping Spider". There are thousands of jumping spider species! All have different looks, sizes, and quirks, just like snakes! You wouldn't walk into an expo looking for a corn snake, stop at the first table you saw snakes, and buy a random snake labeled as "colubrid snake"😂 That colubrid could be a hognose that has pretty different quirks and needs to a corn snake! You want to make sure you're actually getting the species of jumper you've been looking for. Us breeders will know exactly what species we have and they will be accurately labeled.
🚩-If the vendor is selling only mature adults. This one not a lot of people even realize is a big red flag! These spiders take 10-12 months to fully mature, so if a breeder puts in that much time and energy to raising a spider to maturity, then we're most likely keeping that spider to continue our breeding lines. If you notice a vendor only has mature spiders, there's a very big chance they bought the spiders wholesale from field collectors (aka they were stolen from the wild). Juvenile jumpers are much harder to find and catch, plus they don't sell for nearly as much as the bigger adults, so field collectors usually mostly sell adults.
🚩-If a vendor is unable or unwilling to show you the parents of the spider they're selling. I guarantee you every breeder has multiple pictures of every single spider in their personal collection! We will be happy to show off the proud parents! If they cant provide proof of the parents, then they obviously don't actually own the parents and did not breed the spiders.
🚩-If the vendor is unable to give you sound and accurate care advice. This one is more obvious, but still! If a vendor doesn't really know about the care for the spider they're selling, they obviously haven't raised them. Us breeders will be able to give you the absolute best care advice out there, we truly care about our spiders and want them to go to good homes and have their needs met!
These are the main things I look out for. Remember though that some people will lie to your face, so trust your instinct!
I'm in this hobby because I absolutely adore jumping spiders and I'm dedicated to spreading the love for these little guys. I truly care for them! Which is why I'd like to let you know that if you find out you have been "scammed" by a seller, I'll gladly help you out!
Do you think the "definitely under a year" spider you just bought is showing signs of being elderly? I'll trade you for a fresh baby!🥹
Did you wake up to hundreds of babies running around that hatched from those "totally infertile" eggs your new pet laid? I'll take those babies off your hands! I'm already raising my own, what's another hundred more? 😅😆
Did you post pictures online about the female spider you were just sold only to be told "ummm, that's actually a male..."? Time for a gender swap with Al's! 😂
In all seriousness, it really is important that when you buy a jumping spider, you buy from a breeder. When you don't, you're directly supporting people who go out and mass collect hundreds of spiders from their natural habitat and that is going to just end up hurting the very species that we have fallen in love with! The only way to stop this unethical practice is to stop giving them money.
I hope this helped you as you look for your new teeny tiny best friend! -Al 🕷❤️
(PS: None of this is in any way a jab at people who have occasionally adopted a wild jumper from their garden. This is all about the people stealing hundreds of spiders from their natural ecosystem just to try and make quick money.)
