Turkish velvet spider

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.