# Spider identification



## DAC8671 (Sep 18, 2009)

I found this spider in the patio umbrella over Ralph's enclosure. Can anyone help ID it?

Are spiders toxic to torts? Would a sully eat a spider? I've found a few common yard spiders in the enclosure before but didn't think anything about it.


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## Meg90 (Sep 18, 2009)

It looks poisonous. Color is usually an indicator of that. You might want to save the body in the freezer, so you have it if you need it.


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## DAC8671 (Sep 18, 2009)

I haven't killed it yet. Will freezing it keep it alive?

Here is a better picture...


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## Maggie Cummings (Sep 18, 2009)

I have those in my yard too. I just wash them away with the hose...
I walked around this morning collecting dandelions and other weeds for my tortoises and when I got home and dumped out my bag I had a small (about 10 inches) garter snake in my bag. He must have been wound around one of the big dandelions I found...I like having them in my yard, I hope he stays. I have one that's about 3 feet long that I see often in my yard...


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## DAC8671 (Sep 18, 2009)

But what is it?


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## Yvonne G (Sep 18, 2009)

I THINK, I'm not sure, mind you, that its a golden orb spider. They're my very favorite spider. They make these huge webs that reach all the way across my pond. I just love them. No, they are not poison.

Yvonne

I just did a GOOGLE image search and its not a golden orb spider. However, your spider is the kind that I have across my pond and all over my property. They aren't toxic.

Looks like I may have been right after all. Here's a site that shows a few of the orb weaving spiders and it looks like yours:

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...ient=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

I hope that long link works.


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## DAC8671 (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks for the info. When I searched to see what I could find, I thought maybe an orb weaver too. But then I saw a specific pic of a common garden spider and it looks pretty similar too.

So neither is venomous to my tort? What about dogs? Kids?


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## Shelly (Sep 19, 2009)

Technically, EVERY spider is poisonous, but that species should not be harmful to a human or a tort.
My torts sleep under my backyard deck, which is crawling with Black Widows. Never had a problem in 13 years.


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## Yvonne G (Sep 19, 2009)

I just realized that Danny didn't offer an answer on this thread. Can it be? Is it true? Is there a species I.D. that Danny doesn't know? :shy:

Yvonne


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## George (Sep 20, 2009)

emysemys said:


> I just realized that Danny didn't offer an answer on this thread. Can it be? Is it true? Is there a species I.D. that Danny doesn't know? :shy:
> 
> Yvonne


Ha Ha tehe - sorry Danny


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## galvinkaos (Sep 20, 2009)

I would kill any black widows you find in or near your tort enclosure. I kept find blacking widow web in one corner of my tort enclosure but couldn't find the spider. Every day I was knocking them down. One afternoon, about a week later I found Fred (an 18 month old DT) in the same corner I had found the webs, covered in web and dead. I don't know if he was bit multiple times or if it was because of his size that the Black widow was able to kill him. I got way more serious about the spiders then. There was no other reason he should have died.

Dawna


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## Candy (Sep 20, 2009)

galvinkaos said:


> I would kill any black widows you find in or near your tort enclosure. I kept find blacking widow web in one corner of my tort enclosure but couldn't find the spider. Every day I was knocking them down. One afternoon, about a week later I found Fred (an 18 month old DT) in the same corner I had found the webs, covered in web and dead. I don't know if he was bit multiple times or if it was because of his size that the Black widow was able to kill him. I got way more serious about the spiders then. There was no other reason he should have died.
> 
> Dawna



Dawna, I haven't seen you on here in a while where have you been? Sorry to hear about your tortoise.



DAC8671 said:


> I haven't killed it yet. Will freezing it keep it alive?
> 
> Here is a better picture...



I'm sorry I just curious why would you freeze a spider and wonder if that would keep it alive?


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## Stazz (Sep 23, 2009)

O.M.G ! I seriously have the worst fear of spiders!!!! WHAT A SCARY LOOKING THING! Lordy Lordy, I would have a small heart attack if I found that in my house lol


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