Species Care Sheet
Johnson's Jumping Spider
Phidippus johnsoni
Beginner to keep
The spider
Johnson's jumper is a western North American native, red-backed with teal chelicerae, and one of the easiest of all to keep. It is a little smaller than a regal, and because it comes from dry country it is forgiving about humidity, which spares beginners the usual rookie mistake of a too-wet enclosure. Males wear a solid red abdomen and larger front pedipalps; females carry a dark stripe down the red.
Home and environment
Set it up like a regal, tall and front-opening with cross-ventilation on two opposite sides, but keep it drier. This is a dry-country spider, so use a dry layer of coconut fibre or a soil blend and let any misting evaporate fully. Add cork bark and a couple of branches to climb, an anchor near the top for the retreat, and keep it out of direct sun. Drier air is a feature here, not a risk.
Feeding
Feed flightless fruit flies to slings, then small crickets, bottle flies, and roach nymphs as it grows. The one firm rule is prey no larger than the spider's abdomen. How often each one eats depends on its size and its last molt, so I do not print a schedule here. Every spider goes home with one, and I am glad to share mine if you ask. Feed to body condition rather than the clock; a plump abdomen means skip a meal.
Molting
When it is time to molt, the spider seals into a thick silk hammock, usually high in the enclosure, and stops eating for days to over a week. Do not feed it and do not disturb the retreat, and remove any live insect at once, since a cricket can kill a soft, defenceless spider. For two to three days after the molt the new body stays soft, so leave it alone until it is hardened and hunting again.
Temperament and handling
Bold, curious, and among the more personable jumpers, happy to walk onto an open hand of its own accord. Handle low and over something soft, keep sessions short, and leave it be in its first week home, before a molt, and for a few days after one. Bites are essentially unheard of and harmless.
What to avoid
- Misting it like a tropical species, when this dry-country spider wants less moisture, not more
- Leaving live prey in while the spider is sealed up to molt
- Prey larger than the spider's abdomen
- Top-opening enclosures that wreck the retreat near the ceiling
- Handling over a hard surface, where a fall can rupture the abdomen
- An unregulated heat mat, which can overheat and dehydrate it
“These little western natives almost keep themselves, as long as you resist the urge to mist. Give one a bright, dry, airy home and it will watch you back with that bold red and teal stare.”
More care sheets · Regal Jumping Spider · Bold Jumping Spider · Canopy Jumping Spider · Heavy Jumping Spider
Care notes reflect the r/jumpingspiders keeping community's consensus, cross-checked across hobby care resources. Every animal is an individual; watch yours and adjust.