Jumpers (salticids) are easy to rear. They don't live as long as theraphosids (tarantulas), but the females can live for 1-2 years.
You can raise them in petri dishes (or similar containers that are not air-tight) supplied with a small piece of wet (not too wet) sponge. Always keep this wet, to maintain humidity. The biggest problem you can have with salticids is dessication.
Give them light to see their prey. The easiest thing to feed them is flies, but they will capture most insects that are near their own size (more or less).
The larger Phidippus do very well in captivity and readily feed on crickets of the appropriate size. If you want really large Phidippus, look for P. regius (far southeastern U. S.-Florida), P. texanus, or some others. 60 species of Phidippus are known from North America. I am presently rearing P. princeps, one of my favorites for study (captured locally in upstate South Carolina).
If you want to rear them, you can let males and females mate soon after the females molt to adulthood (not much later for many species). The young must be kept with their mother until they molt and are ready to leave the brood sac. Females can make multiple brood sacs after a single mating.
You can rear young Phidippus on small insects, such as fruit flies. If you use fruit flies, give the flies a diverse diet (more than commercial mixes) so that they are nutritious enough. House flies (for larger spiders) are always nutritious.
Remember that these are visual predators and they need light when they are fed. Unlike many spiders, salticids can have a high heart rate and a high metabolic rate, and can be very active. If you let them out on some branches, you may be amazed at their ability to navigate and to jump between positions that they sight.
For more information, see my web site at:
http://dhill.batcave.net
