Spiders in the gecko room!

[Gecko Ranch]

If you have feeder items, you've got spiders! I had a past employee here at the 'Ranch identify a spider as a brown recluse. I have been meaning to check that out and today I looked them up here:

http://www.termite.com/spiders/usa.html

Turns out it was not a brown recluse and their range does not go this far north!
I have heard reports of them here though (Northern CA) so I will still keep my eyes open. You never know! That link has a nice chart of venomous spiders you can get sent to you for free!

[umop_apisdn]

yea, ive definitely had my share of spiders, but i dont really look at them as a pest because i never see anything other than recently hatched spiderlings in any of my tanks. the adults do a good job of keeping escaped crickets in check, as well as those darned gnats! the only thing that bothers me is the cobwebs that build up over time.

[Brian]

Brown Recluse is the most misIDed spider. Doctors even misdiagnose bites thousands of miles out of their range with totally different symptoms. It most likely was a type of wolf spider or something. I think I remember a report of someone finding "thousands" in a house in Kansas that had small children and a **** they told me about when I took a spider class. I mean please . . .

If I remember they are primarily in the South East in CA.

[Gecko Ranch]

I like spiders, I just have too many of them. I have a neat device called the Bug-Zooka I just got a few days ago that is helping me catch them and release them outside. I'll post some photos of it - it has a bellows you contract then press a button to release, then bugs you aim it at get sucked up in a nice see through little container at the end of a long tube. I was able to catch a fly with it too! Phelsuma really like flying insects so I'll be using it for that also.

Yes, spiders get a bad rap indeed!

[mike]

I have noticed spiders from time to time in my room but they are harmless, I have not encountered any black widows or anything of that nature, although the area I live in does seem to have a bit of a black widow problem but they are usually found in the garage. I use a dust buster to suck up their webs and I use a paper towel to catch the spider gently and release it outdoors.

I never kill them since they don't do anything to me, I always like to let them go

[Brian]

I used to keep some species of jumping spiders, but positive species ID was always a pain in the ass. I have a key to spider families somewhere as well, but no microscope/equipment to use it.

Gecko Ranch, I would have thought you'd be a fly breeder with all the geckos?

I stopped keeping flys after my toads get tired of actually working for there food. I had a couple of those shiny (bottle flys?) and some type of horse fly I think reproducing in glass jars.

[Gecko Ranch]

Brian- Flies are just entertainment food for Phelsuma, so I don't think they are worth the trouble of culturing!

I have a problem with black widows in my Phelsuma terrariums in particular. Young black widows can walk through the screen and set up shop in a plant, under it, or in a bamboo tube. Then they get nice and fat from the crickets and soon start looking at the small Phelsuma, a few of mine which they have managed to wrap up for dinner. With the help of a then vet student with fine surgical tools an adult P. klemmeri was rescued. Had bite marks on the tail just past the vent, was fine. I occasionally find a hatchling small Phelsuma wrapped up I can't save. Grrrr!

[M.Yatesomaha]

I luckly live in an area where larger/venomous spiders are non-existent(thank god!) Not that I have anything against spiders but If I were to be losing Geckos to spiders that would be another story.......

[Brian]

I actually leave the "daddy long legs" where they set up on the corners. My philosophy being that the spiders usually solitary nature will discourage Black Widows. Don't know if there's any science behind it though.

[bugman426]

Dont they sell ultrafrequency things that make spiders and other insects leave the roomo? I dont know if they are legit, but maybe its worth a shot