Spider Sources

If you live in the US it's pretty easy catch your own phid, as they are common everywhere and not ecologically endangered. Of course do not collect where it's prohibited, such as some parks, but they can be found almost everywhere. I collected my first spider, a Phiddipus audax, from a wall on a busy street.

The advantage of catching your own is that it's free, you'll learn a lot about local ecology, and if you decide jumping spiders are not for you, you can simply release yours.

The disadvantage is while they are common, they are masters of hiding and are very fast, so it might take you a long time to find one.

Luckily there are more and more people selling them around the world, even in places where phids are non-native like the UK and Denmark. The disadvantage is that it might take you some time to find a breeder, and the impacts of the exotic pet trade may be negative on local species if these spiders escaped into an environment where they aren't native. Also many breeders will not ship in cold weather and in general shipping can be difficult – the USPS for example prohibits shipping spiders entirely.

Use caution when purchasing adult spiders. They may be wild caught and of an unknown age. Many people end up with spiders dying shortly after they purchase them because they were at the end of their lifespan by the time they were caught.

Please be aware of the negative ecological impacts that the pet trade can have before purchasing a spider online. Take precautions to make sure exotics don't escape. Capturing a local jumping spider has negligible ecological impact and can be a better choice for beginners.

See the Appendix for sources.