Sands of Death

A couple months ago, I got some new spiders. This spider is well known on YouTube for its digging, but not seen too often in the US invert hobby. These had been on my wish list for the longest time, but I couldn’t find any (or at least any offered for a decent price). I finally got lucky and managed to find three for sale. My overall goal was to get them to breed, but that’s proving to be rather difficult since I have three females.

Female Sicarius spp. Chile

Not very good at hiding.

The sand spider (Sicarius spp.), is a very reclusive spider, hailing from deserts in South America and Southern Africa. Reclusive is an accurate term, not only for their behavior of always staying hidden, but also because they are in the same family as the brown recluse (Loxoceles reclusa). Toxicology studies have shown that Sicarius have venom very similar to that of Loxoceles, so necrotic arachnidism (necrosis due to arachnid bite) is a distinct possibility. However, Sicarius are non-aggressive, almost to a fault, rarely biting or showing any aggression. They are much more likely to go running off than they are to bite.

Hence the reason this eye image was possible (NOTE: I TOOK THIS PICTURE AT MY OWN RISK).

The enclosure for Sicarius is simple. They can’t climb, so a plastic enclosure works just fine. Care must be taken though, because if the walls get dusty, the spiders can get a grip and climb. I just have a Kritter Keeper full of sand with a piece of cork bark leaning up against the side. I spray a small amount of water into a corner once a month and feeding occurs every two weeks. So far two of the females have been entertaining to watch feed (picture an eight-legged landmine), but the other one has been pretty conserved, only coming to feed after I’ve turned out the lights and gone to bed.

A bizarre scene.

Overall, these are great spiders to keep. Once you get past the wicked speed and potential to be highly venomous, they are very good pets with a very unique set of adaptations.

 

As a final note, this is not a spider that I would recommend to the beginning hobbyist. You can blink and this spider will be on the other side of the enclosure. The redeeming qualities are that it can’t climb and is non-aggressive. Aggressiveness varies between individuals though, so if you do get a Sicarius (or really any other pet: dog, cat, bird, spider, scorpion, etc.), treat it with respect and don’t put yourself in a risky situation.