All spiders are carnivores, which means that they eat other animals. In the case of 99% of the spiders on the planet, that means other small arthropods-mostly insects and other spiders(yes, many are cannibalistic). A few species specialize in hunting small vertebrates; Fishing Spiders, for example, will catch small minnows(hence the name)along with tadpoles and small frogs. Some tarantulas get large enough to eat small rodents and birds or small reptiles. MOST spiders require that their prey be still alive when they catch it, since their feeding response has to be triggered by specific movement of the prey, though they can be fooled into eating something pre-killed, as long as it's fresh. I feed some of my tarantulas the same frozen-thawed, pre-killed mice or small rats that my snakes eat. No spiders can eat, or would eat, processed human food, though. Unless your bathtub is overrun with insects, that spider you found in the tub will most likely starve to death for not being able to get enough food.

pitbulllady

Which makes them smarter than us. :D

Yeah, I guess in a way, it does!

By the way, what do humans, chimpanzees, Bottlenosed dolphins, gorillas, orangutans, orcas, African Gray Parrots and Jumping spiders have in common?

Hint: It's something quite unique and special in all the Animal Kingdom, something not shared with most other animals, including our familiar dogs and cats. The Jumping spiders are the only invertebrates to exhibit this, which makes them even more unique and special.


pitbulllady

Is it like, self-recognition? Being able to look in a reflective surface and know that it's yourself? And I know that jumping spiders (or at least some/one species) exhibit the ability to memorise prey items, does it have to do with that?

YEP! That's it! These are the only species which have been documented by behaviorists to demonstrate awareness of self, and recognize their own reflections in a mirror. This indicates and extremely high degree of intelligence and is considered to be one of the indicators of the most intelligent species. With Jumpers, it is no surprise, considering that in some species, their brains occupy nearly 65% of their total body mass!

pitbulllady

If I were a spider I wouldn't want to be trapped in a bathtub.... perhaps you can get a plastic cup or something, and slide a piece of paper under the spider so you can take it outside. That's what I do.

The thought of jumping spiders kinda gives me the jibblies, though. I mean, spiders that jump. Not as bad as the hissing roaches, but still.

HISSING COCKROACHES.
One time, I opened the door to my dad's tool shed and was about to step inside, but luckily I looked up before entering because the door frame was decorated with lovely hissing cockroaches.

Uhm, Hissing Cochroaches are native only to Madagascar, though a lot of people breed them in captivity to feed to tarantulas, geckoes and other critters, or just to impress people. They're sorta expensive, though.

pitbulllady

aww how cute
I had a spider leaving in my bathtub too I named him/her jeff(yes it can be a girls name too)
each time I went to th bathroom I liked to talk to him/her and sometimes it felt like he/she was listening(yes I know that sounds stupid)
I was so sad when my dad killed him/her =(

I have a little fear of spider
I actually think spiders are adorable and like watching them close or from a distants but some reason when one starts crawling on me I freak out
(one day I break out of that)

I'm not sure, but I THINK, we had a brown recluse spider outside our front porch this summer. It was big (about the size of a dime), fat and furry, and had a violin on its back, a white one. It wove this elaborate web between a push and a porch pole.

I heard they were dangerous, so I have to admit I executed it.

I believe spiders are a good sign, mystical and magic, like the full moon. But I didn't want something around that could put my daughter in the hospital, you know?