The Brown Widow Spider, one of the infamous Widow family, is a fascinating and satisfactory spider to keep in captivity. Although they rarely bite, they are very venomous and should only be kept by a responsible, experienced keeper.
Common throughout the world's tropical and semi-tropical regions, the Brown Widow Spider was unknown in the United States until it was introduced to Florida and Texas. Luckily, the Brown Widow Spider rarely bites. The male (almost) never bites, and the female usually will only bite if protecting her egg sac. They live in sedge-like vegetation. They are an arboreal animal, and will often spin their webs in the corners of building. In urban areas, they are often found indoor or in crawl spaces beneath houses, in piles of lumber, and inside any enclosed area such as a cinder block or abandoned cars. They can also be found within shoes or clothing. The web of a brown widow is very strong. It is in the shape of a funnel leading into the heart of the nest, usually out of sight. There are also strong strands of silk that lead out from the nest. In the wild, webs of individual spiders are usually not found close to each other. It has been suggested that if they are to be kept in captivity that individuals be kept in separate containers. The Brown Widow is the member of the Widow family most commonly encountered by humans. They will molt six to nine times before reaching maturity. Female black widows can live about 2.5 to 3 years. The Brown Widow is shy and avoids contact with humans.
Fully grown, the Brown Widow Spider is about 2 inches across. They have a brown or mahogany cephalothorax, a dark-colored abdomen and long legs. The top of the abdomen has distinct markings. They have a red or orange "hour glass" marking on the abdomen. The egg sac is the distinguishing feature between Black and Brown Widows: while the Black Widow's egg sac is smooth, the Brown Widow's has tufts of silk making it rough in appearance.
Because the Brown Widow avoids contact with humans, they very rarely bite. The female will bite if provoked, especially when guarding her egg sac. If bitten by a Brown Widow, seek health care immediately. One of the symptoms of a Brown Widow bite is general or localized pain.
The Brown Widow is only recommended for experienced owners. Adults should be kept in a 2.5-gallon, escape-proof tank with 1 inch of peat moss, potting soil, or vermiculite substrate. It is generally recommended that they be kept separately. Spiderlings eat flightless fruit flies and pinhead crickets, while adults feed on crickets and other large insects.
The female will construct the egg sac in three hours and the eggs hatch in about two weeks. One egg sac can yield 200 to 250 spiderlings. The spiderlings molt about three or four days after hatching and emerge from the egg sac about ten days later.
