Observations and Care of a Shower Spider

On July 10th, a spider moved into my shower. You see there is a frosted window and a ledge in my shower and in the corner is the perfect place for a spider to make a web. It’s out of the way and there are small cracks in the window sill that allow small bugs to in.

I named my spider Frank. If it makes an egg sack, I’ll rename it Francine. And then promptly take it outside.

Observations

Behind the window sill is a circular hollow that Frank has constructed. His little home away from the main web. Whenever I take a shower, he will retreat into the hollow to get away from the water and the splashing of soap.

Frank appears to be a common wolf spider from Northern Colorado.

Incidences

Sometime in August I witnessed another spider fall down from the ceiling and get caught in Frank’s web. Frank quickly jumped on it and wrapped it in his thread. I can only assume that the flesh of his enemy was delicious. After that day, I noticed Frank get much larger and stronger. Soon he had his first molt. The exoskeleton (along with a broken web) eventually fell to the tile floor below it.

Care

To be honest, I don’t give my shower spider much care. It’s purely coincidental that s(he) is able to survive in this environment. The soap residue and daily water doesn’t seem to bother it. And the window isn’t tight so there is a steady supply of small bugs and flies.

Regardless, there are some care items that I’ve started doing mostly for my own benefit.

Cleaning Old Webs

It’s been two months since my spider moved in, and I’ve seen two iterations of its web fall under the weight of the water. When this happens, my spider builds a new web over the top of the old one below it. I’ve started reaching below the new web with a chopstick and removing the old one. It’s surprising to me that the new web is a single layer with nothing structurally important below it. It’s almost like a trapeze net.

The End of Frank

Frank left me on November 2019. I think the weather was getting too cold and the window didn’t keep in enough warmth. On the days leading up to this disappearance, I found him wandering through my house. Sometimes he was in the bathtub. Sometimes next to the toilet or by my bathroom sink. For a day he lived by my kitchen’s trash can. For a while he lived next to my bed by the floor heater. And then one day he completely disappeared and I haven’t seen him since. Maybe I’ll see him next year?