African Velvet Spider Care

Velvet spiders don't get the attention they deserve. While jumping spiders and tarantulas tend to hog the spotlight, the African Velvet Spider (Gandanameno sp.) is quietly one of the most rewarding invertebrates you can keep — calm, long-lived, and covered in that impossibly soft, velvety fur that gives the whole family its name. If you've been looking for something a little different, this is a genuinely special spider.

What Is a Velvet Spider?

Velvet spiders belong to the family Eresidae. The species most commonly kept in the hobby is Gandanameno sp., sometimes called the African Velvet Spider. They're native to dry scrubland and savannah regions of southern Africa, which tells you everything you need to know about how to keep them: warm, dry, and with plenty of ventilation.

They're a social species, which is unusual for spiders. In the wild, related individuals often share silk retreats and cooperate — something you can replicate in captivity if you want to keep a small group together.

Housing

A small enclosure works well. Adults don't need a huge amount of space; a 15–20cm cube or a small well-ventilated terrarium is fine for one or two spiders. If you're housing a group, size up accordingly and make sure there are multiple retreat sites so everyone has a spot.

The key feature of any velvet spider setup is ventilation. These spiders are from arid environments and do not tolerate stagnant, humid air. Cross-ventilation — ideally mesh on the top and one side — is important. If the enclosure feels damp or smells musty, that's a sign the airflow needs improving.

Decor: Give them anchor points for their webbing. Cork bark pieces, dry branches, flat stones, and cork tubes all work well. Velvet spiders build dense, woolly silk retreats — almost tunnel-like — so they need something solid to anchor to. Once they've settled in, you'll start to see their distinctive thick silk spreading out from a central hideout. It's impressive stuff.

Substrate: Use dry coco fibre, a sand/soil mix, or dry sandy soil to a depth of around 5cm. The substrate should be kept dry. This isn't a species that needs a damp side or a moist hide.

Temperature

Aim for 22–28°C. Room temperature in a UK home is often at the lower end of this range, especially in winter, so a heat mat on a thermostat is a sensible addition if your house gets chilly. Place the mat on the side of the enclosure rather than underneath, so the spider can move away from the heat if it wants to.

Avoid placing the enclosure in direct sunlight. Small enclosures heat up fast, and overheating can be fatal.

Humidity and Water

This is where most beginners go wrong with velvet spiders: they treat them like a tropical species and add too much moisture. Don't.

The substrate should stay dry. The ambient humidity in a well-ventilated room (around 40–55%) is perfectly fine. You don't need to mist the enclosure regularly.

For hydration, adults can receive a very small water droplet placed at the entrance of their retreat once a week, or a light mist on one wall of the enclosure that dries within an hour or two. Juveniles and slings get enough moisture from their prey and don't need supplemental water at all.

Feeding

Velvet spiders are ambush predators. They sit inside their silk retreat and detect prey through vibrations in their web, then rush out to grab anything that wanders too close. It's a much more subtle hunting style than the acrobatic leaps of a jumping spider, but no less effective.

Feed every 7–10 days. Appropriately sized prey is important — aim for insects roughly the same size as the spider's abdomen or smaller.

• Slings (under 1cm): Fruit flies (Drosophila hydei)

• Juveniles: Green bottle flies, small crickets, small roaches

• Adults: Crickets, roaches, or mealworms

Remove any uneaten prey after 24 hours, especially during moulting periods. Avoid overfeeding — a plump abdomen is healthy, but an overly round one isn't doing the spider any favours.

Handling

Honestly, velvet spiders are best enjoyed as display animals rather than handling pets. They're not aggressive — quite the opposite — but they're fast, fragile, and reclusive by nature. Frequent handling stresses them and risks damaging their delicate legs and webbing.

T

hat said, if you need to move one for maintenance, a gentle "guide them onto your hand" approach works fine. Just keep handling sessions short and infrequent.

Moults

Like all spiders, velvet spiders shed their exoskeleton as they grow. Signs that a moult is coming include a reduced appetite, spending more time inside the retreat, and the abdomen appearing darker than usual.

Do not offer food for at least a week after a moult. The new exoskeleton takes time to harden, and a live cricket can seriously injure a freshly moulted spider. Be patient — the spider knows what it's doing.

Sociality

Gandanameno is one of the genuinely social spider genera, which makes it unique in the hobby. You can keep small groups together successfully, provided the enclosure has enough space and multiple retreat sites for each individual. A communal setup can produce some fascinating natural behaviour — shared webbing, cooperative resting, and the occasional group feeding response.

If you want to try a communal setup, introduce spiders of similar size and monitor them for the first few days. Aggression is unusual but not impossible, so have a backup plan.

Lifespan

Females are long-lived — 5 to 8 years is typical with good care, which makes them a genuine long-term commitment. Males live for roughly 1 to 2 years, as is common with many spider species. Captive-bred individuals (which is almost exclusively what you'll find in the UK hobby) tend to be hardier than wild-caught specimens.

Common Mistakes

Too much humidity. The number one issue with this species. If your enclosure feels damp or you're seeing mould on the substrate, let it dry out and improve the ventilation. These spiders are from dry Africa, not a rainforest.

Enclosure too large. A massive vivarium isn't more enriching for a velvet spider — it's just more space for them to feel exposed in. Keep the setup appropriately sized and give them good anchor points.

Disturbing the retreat. Once a velvet spider has built its silk home, try not to dismantle it during cleaning. Work around it where possible.

Overfeeding. A velvet spider doesn't need feeding every other day. Once a week or slightly less is fine for adults.