Jumping Spider Behaviour

Exploring jumping spider behaviour

I suspect, like many of you reading this, I spend more time than I should watching my spiders go about their spider business. There are times I’ve burnt food or forgotten to get dressed because my spiders are absolutely fascinating little critters. Some of these actions and behaviours may seem confusing or even concerning to a new spider keeper It’s okay; it’s a good thing and shows you want the best for your eight-legged friend. Let’s look at just some of the jumping spider behaviour I have learned so far.

why is my jumping spider waving their front legs slowly?

The hairs on your spider's legs and pedipalps are extremely sensitive and can pick up tiny vibrations in the air around them. Not only this (and this is a fascinating bit), among those hairs are scent-sensitive hairs. That’s right, hair that smells. If you see them doing this, they are having a feel and a sniff at their surroundings, sensing things of which you and I are unaware of.

Why did my jumping spider open it's legs wide at me?

Two things look like this, and they are not to be mixed up. The first is a sweet reason; is this a male doing the waving, and are they moving like they are dancing? Then it is likely a mating dance. Fun fact time: many breeders have noted that when pairing their spiders, the male can become distracted and dance for the breeder instead.

The not-so-sweet side to this display is a threat display. If you have startled your jumping spider, or perhaps they are having an off day, they will throw their legs out wide and slowly backing away, perhaps even making threatening dashes at you with bared fangs before retreating. It is wise for you to retreat too and let the little one calm down unless you want to get nipped.

Why is my jumping spider going along one side of the enclosure back and forth?

Helpful Infograph

I have found that some have little paths they like to walk as they hunt; others have been trying to reach something outside their enclosure, some are feeling too confined in an enclosure that is too small. Jumping spiders are roaming hunters, and they can cover great distances as they hunt, your jumping spider might be telling you that it's time to upgrade to something bigger.

My spider has been sitting perfectly still on a stick for ages with its legs tucked close to its body. Is it okay? 

Shhhhh, they’re napping

What is making my jumping spider run away from their food?

This is most likely the start of pre-moult (pop by my blogs on moulting for more info) and will likely retreat to their hammock in the next few days.

My spider is walking weirdly, throwing its legs wildly or flipping over. What is wrong with them?

You may see this referred to as DKS (Dyskinetic Syndrome), but scientifically speaking, this is not a well-documented issue. Very little is known about what causes this, or if it is even one thing as many other health issues in spiders display with much the same traits. The truth is, tiny jumping spiders are so small that we cannot say for sure what is wrong or what the health issue is, and we can only hope that they pull through. Move you spider (if you can) to a smaller ventilated pot lined with damp kitchen roll/tissue. This will provide a boost of humidity, make it easier for the spider to drink, and prevent them causing injuries to themselves. Common speculated causes for this are injury, mis-moult or failure to moult, or exposure to chemicals.

My jumping spider is dragging its back legs and abdomen, is it hurt?

The chances are it's not injured but there is a possibility. Often the cause is that the spider is too cold, stressed, or it has water stuck to the underside of its abdomen where their book lungs are located, and they are trying to clear it. -Check your enclosure temps if you suspect this, you may see them acting this way if you have just opened a spider delivery during cold temperatures. Let them warm up to your homes normal temperature before popping them in their heated enclosure.

-If you have had your spider out, or have been trying to wrangle them for other reasons such as escape or upgrading to a new home, this behaviour is a good indication that your efforts are stressing them. You will want to take a step back from the activity. In emergency cases such as an escape where stepping back isn't an option, try a much larger catching receptacle so you can easily place it over them and let you both take a breather. That way theyy can calm down but not wander off and go missing,

My jumping spider has curled all of its legs under it's body, is it dead? 

This is called a death curl, and although this occurs right after a moult (a natural slowing of the fluid pumping process just after they have shed their old exoskeleton), it is not a good sign if they do this outside of moulting, it means your spider has died.

My jumping spider is limp but not in a death curl, does this mean they are still alive.

If there is no movement then no, your spider has likely died, though sometimes near the end they can have small twitches.

Back to lighter notes to finish off this blog post

My spider has its head down and bottom in the air. What the heck is it doing? Probably spying. Jumping spiders can’t look beneath themselves easily, so to do this, they go up on their tiptoes, hinge in the middle and downward dog to spy on you or the neighbour. I see mine do it all the time, and it still makes me laugh.

My spider is wiggling its butt back and forth. Is it twerking? It looks this way and goes well with most of the chart-topping tunes these days, but no. This is the web-laying booty dance. Either a new hammock is coming, or the old one is getting an upgrade. Get your phone, film it, add some music and pop it on TikTok. Don’t forget to tag Arachnamoria so I can have a dance too.