Argiope Setup?

[Kimix]

Normally I believe in leaving the wild bugs in the wild, but there is a beautiful Argiope trifasciata in my yard, and there's gonna be a hard frost today or tomorrow, so he/she would be dieing shortly anyway.

I have a screen keeper thats 9"x12" and 12" tall, or I have a 20gallon tall fish tank empty. I know the screen would be better for the web to attach and for airflow, but I wonder if its too small. The current web outside is about the size of the screen box, but I know they can build larger then that.

My other choice is I have a cage framed thats 2.5ft x 2ft by 2 feet tall. I can staple some screen onto it real quick. Is 2feet across to large to encourage a web?. I guess i can also wedge some vertical sticks in to give more web holds.

Any thoughts which cage size to use?

If anyone keeps these, I would be interested in seeing how you set them up. Or any tips from anyone.

[Pulk]

the framed cage sounds like the best idea to me... if it's an adult you shouldn't need to make smaller partitions. I have mine free-ranging in a corner of my room.

[ErikWestblom]

If it's an adult I will probably die soon anyway, since they have a short life span :(

[Scott C.]

Pulk called it. Let it loose in your house.... Best cage ever, plus pest control.

[Kimix]

I don't think the rest of my family would be to happy about letting it loose in the house. For those of you that do that? How do you control where it makes the web, or you just let it go wherever it wants?

I got her set up in the big bug box. At first she made a small web about 6 inches, I got her to eat a few flys, but the following day when I tired to place crickets into the web with tweezers, she didnt like that idea and took the web down. Now she has an even tinyer web, but still takes flys.

I was hopeing for a nice size web since I put her in the big cage, but alas, nature doesn't agree with my plans

And I know she wont live all that long, but shes still awsome to have for a little while, and I was hopeing she would put her web in a spot that would allow me to get good photos. but that also is not going to plan lol

http://www.thetoepad.com/images/misc/argiope.jpg

http://www.thetoepad.com/images/misc/largebugbox.jpg

[Tarangela]

How beautiful!

My parents have one in their tomato patch, and I have been feeding her daily. I would love to take her home, but am not sure if that would be too much stress for her....the one in your pic looks gravid!

It's too bad they have a short life span...I am hoping to grab this one up and add it to my collection in the next week or so...frost is on it's way her soon as well....