06/09/2026
Before I start, this gorgeous spood isn't mine! 🫶🏼 I borrowed this photo from another owner and added the red lines to help explain what I call the "invisible feeding lines." The owner kindly let me use their photo so I could show you all! ❤️
✨ Understanding Your Spood's "Invisible Feeding Lines" ✨
Imagine these red lines are always there when you're looking at your jumping spider's abdomen. The lines sit either side your spoods head and go right past the abdomen.
❤️ Inside the lines Your spood is hungry, very hungry, or possibly dehydrated depending on how far inside the lines the abdomen sits.
⚠️ If shrivelled they are extremely hungry and dehydrated
❤️ Level with the lines (like in this photo) Your spood is hungry and ready for a meal.
❤️Just over the lines with a slight rounded shape This is the sweet spot! 🥰 A nicely fed, healthy abdomen.
❤️ Well over the lines and very rounded Your spood is overfed or in pre molt
🕷️ A Note About Babies (i5–i7)
Baby spoods (i5–i7) are tiny, so their abdomens can become full very quickly compared to older juveniles and adults. Their molts also happen much closer together at this stage of development.
Because of this, it's not unusual to see a slightly plump abdomen on a baby spood. Ideally, you'll notice this as they get closer to their next molt—usually around 2–3 weeks after their previous molt.
This extra fullness is often your spood storing up the resources and energy needed to successfully prepare for molting. 🫶🏼
You'll also see this with older juveniles and sub adults entering the pre-molt stage. A fuller abdomen during this time is completely normal and is often a good indicator that a molt may be approaching.
🩷 Mature Females
A mature female may have a very round, brown abdomen that doesn't seem to go down much. This is often completely normal and means she's carrying infertile eggs.
Please don't withhold food from her. Instead, offer meals a little less frequently—around every other week is usually plenty. This helps reduce the risk of falls, injuries, and abdominal separation while still keeping her healthy.
🖤 Mature Males
Mature males can look completely different!
A mature male can be perfectly healthy with an abdomen sitting right on the feeding lines or even slightly below them. As males mature, they often become far less interested in food and much more interested in finding a lady friend. 😏
This is actually a sign of a healthy, s*xually mature male. On average, mature males may only eat every 3–4 weeks.
As long as your male is active and showing no signs of ill health, this is usually completely normal and nothing to worry about. 🖤🩷🫶🏼
✨ A Final Note
The invisible feeding lines are a helpful guide, but they're just that—a guide. Always look at the whole spider, including their age, s*x, behaviour, molt cycle, and overall condition and size
Every spood is an individual, and understanding what is normal for your spider is one of the best skills you can learn as a keeper. 🕷️🩷🖤🫶🏼
