Light and heating for your regal jumping spider is a topic that is widely argued about between keepers. Do they really need artificial sources warmth when living in our homes? I’ll attempt to unpack my view and offer some tips and explanations on why I feel they do.
Facts: Phidippus Regius (Regal Jumping Spiders) are found across eastern North America such as Florida, the Bahamas, South Carolina and Cuba to name just a few. Average temperatures in these locations ranges from a 20 to 28°C Phidippus Regius can survive in temps as low as 15°C Phidippus thrive in temperature between 24 to 26°C , locales such as Phidippus Regius Bahamas will need to be around the warmer side. My Regius Enclosures have mats with thermostats set to 26°C (the babies and gravid mother are 27°C)
So do I recommend heating for your jumping spider?
Yes
I use two of the most common, and more simple sources of heat for a jumping spider which is a heating mat and heating cables. A heat mat is a warming device roughly the size of a an a4 piece of paper and slightly thicker, this should be placed behind but not touching the enclosure. A heating mat must only be used with a mat thermostat which we shall discuss more in a bit.
Why do some people say they don't use additional heating?
When hearing this there can be several reasons why they don’t use mats that might not be obvious at first. Some keepers have reptile and invert rooms, with heated vivarium for all manner of exotic pets. In this case the room will probably stay warm all year round and they feel that their spider won’t need their own separate mat. The downside to this is being able to control the max temperature of a jumping spiders enclosure, especially if you are not home at the time. If you have a designated tropical room you might find getting a dual thermostat really helpful. This is a thermostat that would commonly be used with a source of heat like a heat mat, AND a source of cooling like a fan. You would place the probe for the thermostat in or on the top of you spiders enclosure and plug a fan in. Set the temperatures you wish the fan to kick in at and if the enclosure gets too hot it will trigger the fan to come on. At the very least I would recommend a thermometer that sounds an alarm or sends an alert to your phone. Some keepers live in countries that are or have the same climates as where you would find a Regius in the wild such as sunny Florida. Some keepers are happy with their set-up using room temperature and don’t see a reason to need them.
I always recommend using a heat mat. Why?
This is because, like many, when I first started keeping I didn’t have a heat mat because I had read they weren’t necessary. When little Lucas arrived I suddenly felt this amazement and love for him, I was absolutely fascinated. I thought the starter tub was too small and too bare. I wanted to give him the best I could give.
So, I researched some more, and in the process of falling down this rabbit hole, I realised that our home sat at the very bottom of the ideal acceptable heat range. I purchased a simple mat and mat thermostat and was surprised to see how it actually helped raise the humidity as well as warm the enclosure.
That night I watched him make a new hammock on the back at nearest the mat despite the house being 22°C. Of course, he could have decided he was going to make a hammock there without the mat but it made me think about what I should do for him and why.
I believe we should provide our spiders the very best of their natural environment so that they thrive. Lucas cannot tell me how comfortable or happy he is, even his behaviour will need the very extremes of those regions' temperatures before he stops hunting or acts differently. I feel it is our job, not to do the minimum, but to provide the ideal environment for our spiders so we can say with almost certainty that they are happy.
If we cannot provide this then perhaps a jumping spider is not right for us.
Heating Mats and Mat Thermostats The price range goes from a tenner to £50 but in my opinion, the more expensive mats are not necessary for a Regius. I use a simple laminated-style mat alongside heating cables for the shelves. Looking to buy?
The Arachnamoria shop has a 7w mat and separate digital thermostats, these are the exact models I use for the baby pots and tarantulas.
I found the very small mats (A5 size or smaller) below the 7w mark often don’t reach the right temperature range. To avoid overheating, pop the little home about 6cm away and check every hour. If the temperature is low then move it gradually closer until the heat reaches the right temperature. You should never operate a mat without a mat thermostat (often called a stat) which are sold separately, many mats will continue to heat until they become dangerous, not only to your spider but you and your home. There are also mats available with attached thermostats, these are NOT THE SAME THING, more on that below. When it comes to picking mat thermostats it can get a little complicated. Digital, built-in, dial activated, or dual use? The best advice I can give is look for a sensor/ temperature probe. If the stat includes one of these you are in the right area. Please note that there are built-in stat dials on some mats available that do not have this sensor, this means the mat will be set to 25 and will stay at 25 no matter how hot the enclosure is which can be fatal to a spider. Feel free to shop around or buy online, both Swells own brand and Pro-Reptile versions are perfect for your new jumping spider.
I prefer a digital dual one which I use across my heating. Please note that a thermometer is not the same thing as a thermostat and is often brought by mistake. Summing it up: - 7w heat may roughly the length of a piece of a4 paper. - Separate Thermostat. - Never use a mat without a thermostat. - Mats with attached thermostats are not suitable. -Thermometers are not the same as thermostats Setting it up: When you have found your mat and your thermostat, you plug the mat into the thermostat and set up the thermostat using the instructions provided, the thermostat is then plugged into the mains plug socket. The mat placement is not what you might think, it is best placed behind the closure (not at the bottom) but leaving about a cm gap between the enclosure and the mat. Most keepers mount on or prop their mat up against a wall or surface behind the enclosure. Some large enclosures have a way of placing the temperature sensor inside the enclosure. In this case, you will want to hang or poke the sensor near the top, along one side of the enclosure in roughly the middle. If you have a smaller starter enclosure or one that cannot fit a sensor inside then you can place it on top of the enclosure and set the mat a degree lower to ensure that the confined space of the enclosure won’t overheat. If you have a fair few spiders to warm consider a heating cable, this cable will feel much warmer to the touch and that is because of the lack of surface area. This cable is placed like a mat at the back of the enclosure and can run along whole shelves and be attached to a thermostat just as you would a mat.
