http://www.cdmnet.com/heather/pets/spider.html





                         BRIEF DESCRIPTION
                        WEIGHT: 13 to 25 pounds
                        HEAD & BODY: 19 to 20 "
                   TAIL: 27 to 30 inches, very prehensile
                        LIFE SPAN: 30 to 40 years

-Females tend to be a little larger and heavier than males. They have very long
arms and legs and even just the tip of their tail can support the weight of their
entire body. I was surprised when I became acquaintances with some spider
monkeys to discover that they have no thumbs. There are four basic species of
spiders kept as pets: 

GEOFFREY'S-their color ranges greatly from black, brown, silver, to rust.
Several subspecies have flesh-colored rings around the eyes.

BROWN HEADED-black with a brown head

LONG HAIRED-(also called white bellied) black to light brown on back with a
light colored stomach area. They have a white patched triangle on their forehead
and some have white sideburns.

             BLACK SPIDER-black all over with a light pink to gray face.
Their tail is very thick at the base.



                            REPRODUCTION

   They are non-seasonal breeders and have a gestation period of 225 to 230 days.

   They give birth to one baby, which is dependent on her for the first two to
three years of life.

   By the fourth or fifth month they start consuming solid foods

   Females usually give birth every three to four years


                          GROUP STRUCTURE

   They are often found in groups of up to thirty individuals, but this is usually
broken up into smaller groups of three or four individuals.
   In most cases, males are more dominant and aggressive than females.
   Grooming is seen more often between mothers and their young than between
other individuals



                          CAPTIVE CARE


                               HOUSING

   Since they swing, move hand over hand while hanging, leap, and move
bipedally and quadrupedally, they require a large cage that will accommodate all
of this behavior.

   You can provide horizontal poles which permit swinging and branciating, lots
of space between climbing structures to promote leaping, and platforms of
varying widths to make space for walking upright and on all fours.


                                  DIET

   As with all monkeys, spiders need a varied and healthy diet.

   A breakdown of their diet structure is: 80% commercial monkey biscuit, 10%
fresh fruit and vegetables, 5% browsing foods (leaves, plants and stems, seeds,
nuts, grains), and 5% insects.



The resource for this document is THE PRIMATE CARE HANDBOOK and can be ordered
from the publisher, the Simian Society of America. It is a fabulous book and goes into much
greater detail than I do here. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in captive primate
care.