Breeding jumping spiders is one of the most rewarding things you can do in this hobby. It is also harder than keeping a single adult, and the gap between “my female laid an egg sac” and “I successfully raised 30 slings to juvenile stage” is where most first attempts fall apart. This guide covers every phase of jumping spider breeding: conditioning, pairing, mating, egg sac care, and sling dispersal, including the parts that usually get glossed over.

If you have not kept at least one Phidippus to adulthood, finish that experience first. You need an accurate read on normal behavior to recognize when something is going wrong during breeding.

Key Takeaways

Condition both spiders for 4 to 6 weeks with heavy feeding before any pairing attempt
Always introduce the male into the female’s enclosure, never the reverse
A successful mating involves the male mounting briefly; remove him immediately after
The female will lay her egg sac 2 to 5 weeks after mating
Incubate at 24 to 28°C, do not disturb the sac, and expect slings in 3 to 5 weeks
Separate slings into individual containers the moment they begin dispersing

How to Breed Jumping Spiders: The Short Answer

To breed jumping spiders, condition both a mature male and female with heavy feeding for 4 to 6 weeks, then introduce the male into the female’s enclosure for up to 45 minutes while watching closely. A receptive female allows the male to mount her back briefly. Remove the male immediately after mating. The female lays an egg sac 2 to 5 weeks later and incubates it for 3 to 5 weeks at 24 to 28°C. Separate newly hatched slings into individual containers to prevent cannibalism.

Before You Start: What You Need

Successful jumping spider breeding requires:

One mature female Phidippus regius (or your chosen species) who has completed her final molt
One mature male of the same species, confirmed with developed palpal bulbs
Confirmed sex of both spiders (see the guide to jumping spider male or female)
Established feeder cultures: Drosophila melanogaster (melanogaster fruit flies) and Drosophila hydei (hydei fruit flies)
At least 20 to 30 small individual containers for slings
Several weeks of preparation time before attempting the pairing

On sourcing a male: Do not purchase a male and introduce him the same day he arrives. He needs at least a week to settle, drink, and eat before he is in condition to mate. A stressed, dehydrated male will fail to complete courtship even with a receptive female.

Phase 1: Conditioning (4 to 6 Weeks)

Conditioning means feeding both spiders heavily before any pairing attempt. This is the most skipped step in first-time jumping spider breeding, and skipping it is the most common reason clutches fail.

A well-fed female produces more eggs and is physically less likely to cannibalize the male. A well-fed male is more alert and more likely to complete a successful courtship. According to research on salticid reproduction published in the Journal of Arachnology, female nutritional state at pairing is the single strongest predictor of clutch viability in captive conditions.

During the 4 to 6 week conditioning period, for both spiders:

Feed every 2 days rather than every 3 to 4 days
Offer prey at the upper end of the appropriate size range (up to 1x body length for P. regius)
Provide clean drinking water or mist lightly daily
Keep temperatures at 26 to 28°C (79 to 82°F), slightly warmer than baseline
Give both spiders as much light as your setup allows, as light cycles influence activity and appetite

The female is ready when:

She has completed her final adult molt
Her abdomen is round and visibly plump
She is actively hunting and eating every feeding

The male is ready when:

He has been on his final adult instar for at least 2 weeks
His pedipalps are fully developed with visible palpal bulbs (the boxing-glove shaped tips)
He is eating well and moving with purpose

Do not rush this phase. A thin female who lays an egg sac produces fewer viable eggs, and a thin male is statistically more likely to be eaten during the introduction.

Phase 2: The Introduction

Always introduce the male into the female’s enclosure, never the other way around. A female on her own turf is less defensive and more likely to be in a receptive mindset. A male placed in an unfamiliar enclosure is confused, slower to begin courtship, and more likely to be treated as an intruder.

Prepare a clear enclosure slightly larger than normal for this introduction so you can observe without opening. Time the introduction for morning, when both spiders are most active.

Reading Courtship Behavior

The male will begin displaying the moment he detects the female. Phidippus males have bright iridescent chelicerae (fangs) and wave their forelegs in an alternating, rhythmic pattern. This is the courtship dance and it can last from 5 minutes to over an hour.

Watch carefully and read these signals:

Male waves front legs and approaches slowly: Normal courtship. Do not intervene.
Female freezes and watches the male: She is tolerating courtship. Neutral to positive.
Female turns to face the male and holds position: Could go either way. Watch closely.
Female turns away or retreats into her hammock: She is not receptive today. Remove the male immediately.
Female raises her front legs in a threat posture or charges: She will attack. Remove the male immediately. A paint brush or card slid between them is safer than your fingers.

What Successful Mating Looks Like

If the female accepts the male, she allows him to approach and mount her dorsal side (her back). The male contacts her epigastric furrow (her reproductive opening on her underside) with one or both pedipalps. The actual mating act is brief: typically 30 seconds to a few minutes.

After mating, the male disengages and often moves away quickly. Remove him the moment he separates from the female. Do not wait to see what happens next.

Time limit: If 30 to 45 minutes pass with no successful mount, remove the male, allow both spiders to rest for 7 to 10 days, and try again. Repeated unsuccessful introductions stress both animals.

Second pairings: If the first introduction resulted in mating but the female shows no signs of gravidity after 5 weeks, a second pairing attempt is reasonable. Wait at least 10 to 14 days between attempts.

Phase 3: Post-Mating Care

After the introduction, house the female alone and resume her conditioning feeding schedule. She needs nutrition to produce a viable egg sac.

A mated female typically lays her egg sac 2 to 5 weeks after mating. Some females lay within 10 days; others take 6 weeks. During this waiting period:

Continue feeding every 2 to 3 days
Keep humidity slightly elevated (mist one wall lightly each day)
Minimize disturbance to the enclosure
Do not attempt a second introduction unless she shows zero signs of gravidity after 8 weeks

Signs a female is gravid (carrying eggs): Her abdomen will grow noticeably rounder and darker. She spends more time in her hammock, reinforcing and expanding it. She may refuse food in the final days before laying. When she seals herself into a heavily reinforced hammock and stops coming out even for prey, egg laying is imminent.

The egg sac appears as a dense white silk mass inside or at the top of the hammock. For everything that happens from this point onward, see the jumping spider egg sac care guide.

Phase 4: The Egg Sac Period

Keep the female with her egg sac unless she begins eating it, which occasionally happens with stressed or poorly conditioned females. Most Phidippus females are attentive mothers who guard the sac actively, repositioning it and adding silk layers to regulate humidity.

Incubation takes 3 to 5 weeks at 24 to 28°C. Lower temperatures slow development; temperatures above 30°C risk desiccation. Do not move the egg sac, open the enclosure frequently, or expose it to temperature extremes.

For a full breakdown of incubation conditions, what healthy vs. unhealthy sacs look like, and what to do if the female dies during incubation, see jumping spider egg sac care.

Phase 5: Sling Dispersal and Setup

Slings emerge from the egg sac as a cluster. First instars (L1) are 1 to 2mm and nearly transparent. They cluster together initially, sometimes for 3 to 7 days. Do not separate them during this clustering phase.

When to separate: Begin separating slings when they start moving independently away from the cluster. Once a sling is moving purposefully around the enclosure rather than resting in the communal group, it is ready for individual housing.

Do not leave slings together longer than necessary. Even small jumping spider slings cannibalize each other. This is not aggression in the behavioral sense; it is simply that movement triggers a prey response in any hungry spider.

Separation method:

Prepare containers in advance (4 oz deli cups or dedicated sling vials)
Add a small piece of damp moss or moist paper towel to each container for humidity
Use a soft, clean paintbrush to move each sling individually
Work from the edges of the cluster inward (edge slings are already dispersing)
Label every container with hatch date and instar number

Once separated, feed D. melanogaster to L1 through L3 slings every 2 to 3 days. For a full feeding and housing schedule by instar, see the jumping spider sling care guide.

Common Breeding Problems and Solutions

Problem	Likely Cause	What to Do
Female cannibalized the male	Introduction too early; female not receptive	Watch the full introduction; remove male at first threat signal
Female ate the egg sac	Stress during or after laying; poor conditioning	Minimize handling after mating; keep conditions stable
Egg sac produced no viable slings	Male too young; single mating insufficient	Allow second pairing 10 to 14 days after first
High sling mortality in first 2 weeks	Low humidity; prey too large; cannibalism	Separate all slings promptly; use only D. melanogaster at L1 to L3
Female died after laying	Normal for some females; also nutritional deficit	Ensure robust conditioning; not always preventable
Male won’t begin courtship	Too cold; recently arrived; stressed	Warm to 27°C; wait a week; try morning hours

A Realistic Expectation for Your First Clutch

A P. regius female in good condition can lay 80 to 200 eggs per clutch. Realistically, 40 to 60% of eggs in a first clutch are viable, and a new breeder will lose some slings in the early instars to humidity errors, missed feedings, or enclosure escapes. Ending up with 20 to 40 healthy juveniles from a first successful clutch is a genuinely good outcome.

The spiders that make it through are disproportionately rewarding to keep. Raising a spider from egg to adult is a different experience from buying one as a juvenile, and every technique you learn in your first clutch makes the next one easier.

For a complete picture of jumping spider care at any life stage, see the jumping spider care guide and the Phidippus regius care guide.

Breeding is where spider keeping gets complicated in the best way. The first time you see a female reinforcing an egg sac she built from her own silk, you will understand why people do this.

How to Breed Jumping Spiders: Complete Guide