widow care questions

Is it important to have some sort of ventilation in a widow cage, or
can it be completely closed? Does plastic or glass make a difference? I
recently moved the Western BW female I've had for about a year. After
reading a care sheet that said height was more important than floor
space I moved her from a small critter cage with vented lid to a taller
plastic gallon jug with screw-on top. Each had a few sticks thrown in
for climbing. After a few days I notice she seems less inclined to make
a web, explore, or really do anything. Could it be a matter of less
fresh air?

Also, does it matter whether they are kept in a darker or brighter
space? I've recently moved her from atop a bookcase in a less well
lighted spot to the much-brighter (but basically same temp) spot above
my computer desk. Would the lighting, or even speaker noise, have
adverse affects?

At some point I'd be interested in trading eggsacs with someone having
another Widow species. I have no idea how spiders and eggs are normally
packaged and shipped. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with experience
in this.

Finally, I've tried to re-subscribe to the arachnids-fsw swap list
without success. If someone is a member I'd appreciate having the
listowner's current addy.

Thanks for any info.

bill

alienbill wrote:
> Is it important to have some sort of ventilation in a widow cage, or
> can it be completely closed? Does plastic or glass make a difference?
> I recently moved the Western BW female I've had for about a year.
> After reading a care sheet that said height was more important than
> floor space I moved her from a small critter cage with vented lid to
> a taller plastic gallon jug with screw-on top. Each had a few sticks
> thrown in for climbing. After a few days I notice she seems less
> inclined to make a web, explore, or really do anything. Could it be a
> matter of less fresh air?
>
> Also, does it matter whether they are kept in a darker or brighter
> space? I've recently moved her from atop a bookcase in a less well
> lighted spot to the much-brighter (but basically same temp) spot above
> my computer desk. Would the lighting, or even speaker noise, have
> adverse affects?
>
> At some point I'd be interested in trading eggsacs with someone having
> another Widow species. I have no idea how spiders and eggs are
> normally packaged and shipped. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone
> with experience in this.
>
> Finally, I've tried to re-subscribe to the arachnids-fsw swap list
> without success. If someone is a member I'd appreciate having the
> listowner's current addy.
>
> Thanks for any info.
>
> bill

I've never raised BW's. The ones I seen in the wild and around my house,
seem to prefer darker spots and come out at night to feed. I assume if it
doesn't have adequate ventilation it wouldn't thrive