Whip Spider Care Guide

Whip spiders are my personal favorite invertebrates. They are non-venomous, low-maintenance, and have some of the most unique appearances and behaviors of any pet invertebrate. They are a great choice if you want something interesting to observe without the unnecessary risk of being hurt by the animal.

Whip spiders do have some specific environmental requirements. For the enclosure, use a tall setup with limited ventilation so humidity can stay high. A large plastic cereal container or a small vertical vivarium can work very well. The setup itself can be very simple: all they really need is substrate and a piece of cork bark.

The substrate can be almost any safe, non-toxic substrate. A bioactive substrate with springtails is recommended because it helps clean up leftover food and prevents mold. The cork bark should be placed vertically at about a 45-degree angle so the whip spider has a proper surface to rest on and molt from. Most whip spiders will spend the majority of their time resting on the cork bark.

For most species, humidity should be kept high. We usually keep ours around 80% humidity, with temperatures up to about 28°C / 82°F. Warmer temperatures can help speed up their growth rate.

Feeding is usually easy. Many whip spiders will scavenge, so you can leave a pre-killed insect in the enclosure. Crickets and roaches are both good food options. They can go a long time without food, but ideally, we feed ours about once a week.

The most challenging part of keeping whip spiders is molting. They need proper humidity and a good vertical surface to molt successfully. If your whip spider is spending most of its time on the floor, that can be a sign that the humidity or setup is not right. As long as the humidity is high and the cork bark is placed correctly, molting is usually much easier.

One important thing to avoid is leaving live insects in the enclosure while the whip spider is molting. Crickets and roaches can injure a freshly molted whip spider, so it is safer to remove live prey if the animal is in premolt.

With the right setup, whip spiders are one of the best pet invertebrates in my opinion. They are harmless, unique, and fascinating to watch. Many of my friends became interested in invertebrates after seeing these alien-looking creatures for the first time.