Frequently Asked Questions: 

Captive Bred (CB) are the offspring of spiders who were bred in captivity. The vast majority of our available spiders are captive bred.

Captive Raised (CR) are the offspring of wild spiders that have been raised in captivity. Once mature, a  jumping spider only needs to mate once  in order to continue producing  fertile eggs for the rest of her life. Some of our breeding spiders were originally wild caught and gravid at the time that they entered our care. In order to keep our lines genetically diverse, our breeding spiders are acquired from several different sources- including captive bred and responsible wild collection.

Wild Caught (WC) are spiders who have been responsibly collected from nature. This category makes up the smallest portion of our program and any WC spiders are available on a limited basis and likely for a limited time. The vast majority of our WC spiders are collected in order to begin a captive breeding program for species that are more difficult to find available as unrelated, captive bred individuals. Once these spiders approach maturity and breeders are selected, we sometimes have additional individuals that we do not have breeding plans for and choose to adopt out. These are spiders who have become accustomed to captivity and most of which have spent the majority of their life in captivity. 

While this can be a sensitive topic for some, we believe in being open and honest about our breeding program and the sources of each individual we adopt out.

The "i" stands for instar, which is a developmental stage of growing spiders and indicates the current stage of maturity. 

The number stands for which instar the spider is currently at and correlates to the period between molts. 

Most Jumping Spider species molt between 7-10+ times. The first molt occurs in the egg sac/nest. By the time spiderlings leave the nest they are in their second instar (i2, which is the stage between the second and third molt). With regals, at i3, the first white markings begin to show. They will continue to grow and colors will develop and change with each molt. They will also become fuzzier as they mature. 

Molting can take a lot out of a spider and there is a higher risk of fatality generally associated with spiderlings until after the fifth molt, which is why the majority of breeders do not offer their spiders for adoption until they have reached their fifth instar (i5). At this stage it can be possible to differentiate the sex of Regals, however it can take much longer with other species and especially with certain color phases of regals (notably white phases).

There is some variation between species, however on average you can expect your jumper to live between 1-3 years, with 3 being less common. Females also tend to live longer than males.

It is important to note that Jumping Spiders don't molt after maturity. Because of this, they can't "repair" damage or regrow limbs once mature. Longer lifespans can be seen in those who take longer to reach maturity. 

Yes! We offer REGIONAL SHIPPING.

Shipping typically ranges from $45-$65 for 2-day shipping depending on your location. We ship through FedEx. We use properly labeled, insulated boxes. Generally we ship on Mondays or Tuesdays for Wednesday or Thursday delivery. We ship orders out as quickly as possible, though during extreme temperatures the shipping date may be delayed to ensure safety of the spiders in transit. In addition, upgraded overnight shipping and the use of heat/ice packs may be required during certain times of the year, which may incur an additional cost (this is something we will discuss and approve with you in advance).

Signatures are not required to receive packages in order to prevent delayed delivery, though if you are not able to be home to accept your package, we suggest utilizing the Hold At Location (HAL) option. This means your package will be held at a local HAL location (not all FedEx locations are authorized to hold live animals- we will confirm the address of your local HAL with you prior to creating a shipping label).

Yes! We offer LOCAL PICKUP and LOCAL MEETUP.

We do not have a storefront, however we are happy to arrange pickup at a local public area (we are located in the Los Angeles, CA area) or at any trade show/expo we are vending. Please contact us for details or monitor our facebook page for a list of events we will be attending. 

*We have moved location and as a result had to downsize our breeding operation for a time. Currently we are only breeding Regal Jumping Spiders, however we are hoping to expand out again and offer more species in the next year or so. We will update with any new species as we add them.  

Regal Jumping Spider (Phidippus Regius): This is our main focus. Our breeding program includes a variety of genetically diverse spiders from various color phases and localities. We have a special interest in White Phases and our current projects include several different white phase lines. We also have active breeders who are orange phase, light phase, and dark phase. We have a special interest in genetics and some of our pairings are "Wild Cards" in order for us to explore the variation of color, markings, and size of the offspring of breeders with unknown lineage and potentially develop future lines from select individuals resulting from these pairings. As such, we expect a good amount of variation in color and markings from these clutches. (See also: I Want a White Spider!)

Who doesn't?! Seeing as one of our primary focuses is white phase regals, let's discuss realistic expectations and some of the controversy surrounding white phases.

We CANNOT guarantee that your spider will stay white (or any color for that matter) until it has reached maturity. Color can change drastically from one molt to another. White phases are notorious for this, and even with careful selective breeding the majority of a white phase clutch does not mature to white. Other surprises occur as well, some very dark juveniles will mature to white phase, for instance. 

White Phase is NOT pure white. Even those that mature to white phase will still have hues of black/brown to varying degrees. Some breeders produce Regal/Otiosus hybrids which can lead to more white expression. (See also: Hybrids). Either way, color can still not be guaranteed until maturity. If you have your heart set on a white phase female, please contact us to be added to our wait list for a later stage or mature female. As these will be held back for longer periods and there is no guarantee on how many will show this color phase, these individuals are expected to be available in very limited supply. Joining our wait list saves your spot and gives you advance notice of available individuals who meet your "dream spider" criteria. (See Also: Waiting List/Notification List).

Recessive White Males: White phases often produce recessive white males. This can make proper sex identification much more difficult until subadult/mature stages. ALL MALES WILL MATURE BLACK AND WHITE and will NOT retain the recessive coloring they show as juveniles. They are wonderful to watch grow and change but don't get too attached to their early coloring as it will NOT be retained at maturity. Some of our recessive white males have kept coloring up until their final mature molt.

WE BELIEVE IN HONESTY

White spiders are all the rage right now. With high demand can come false promises. We want all of our customers to be happy with their spiders and feel that it is our responsibility to set realistic expectations. We will not mislead our customers just to make a sale, which is why we are posting this information in an attempt to dispel some misinformation surrounding white phases.

**We do not currently breed any hybrids and don't have plans to produce them.**