Turkish velvet spider

Eresus balcanicus

True spiderintermediateHarmless

Not medically significant

Like all spiders, this species has venom, but it is not considered medically significant to humans. Bites are uncommon and, at worst, comparable to a bee sting for most people. Handle minimally.

About

Eresus balcanicus is a velvet spider from the eastern Mediterranean, mainly Turkey, and it asks for one thing above all: dryness. Keepers who have raised Eresus consistently say to keep the enclosure bone dry, skip the water dish, and avoid misting. The spider gets its moisture from its prey, and damp conditions are blamed for losses. Give it a small, well-ventilated home with twigs, leaf litter or dry sphagnum to anchor a silk tube, then leave it alone once it settles in. Spiderlings start on flightless fruit flies and move up to crickets or roaches, fed every few days when small and roughly weekly to every few weeks as adults. Females are reported to live about five years. Care data for this exact species is thin, so some of this comes from other Eresus; watch your own animal closely.

Taxonomy

FamilyEresidae

GenusEresus

Native regionEastern Mediterranean, mainly Turkey

TypeSilk-tube dweller

TemperamentReclusive; stays in its silk nest

Size & growth

Climate

Temperature68–76 °F

Enclosure

Sling size15 dram vial for several molts

Juvenile sizeAbout 50 dram vial with sticks and leaf litter

Adult sizeSmall box, e.g. 4x4x7 in (other Eresus); many nooks

SubstrateDry only: sphagnum moss or dry soil/sand mix, with twigs and leaf litter

Substrate depth1/3 to 1/2 of enclosure (E. walckenaeri guide)

Water dishOptional

Feeding

Feeding modePredator (live prey)

Prey sizeFlightless fruit flies for spiderlings; small to large crickets or Dubia roaches later

Sling cadenceEvery 3-4 days to twice weekly

Juvenile cadenceAbout every 5 days to weekly, adjusted to abdomen size

Adult cadenceAbout weekly to every 2-3 weeks, adjusted to abdomen size

Times kept: 0