What Do Tarantulas Eat?
If you’re considering a tarantula as a pet, understanding their feeding needs is essential. Tarantulas are carnivores requiring live prey, which poses unique challenges different from feeding traditional pets on packaged diets. This guide shares expert tips on what tarantulas eat, how much, and where to find suitable live food for your spider.
How do tarantulas eat in the wild and captivity?
In nature, tarantulas surround their burrows or hiding places with silk strands that act as tripwires. When prey such as insects or small mammals contact these webs, vibrations alert the tarantula. It then ambushes and injects venom into the prey to immobilise it. The spider may wrap its catch in silk to begin digestion before feeding. Captive tarantulas mimic this behaviour; they must be fed live food because they typically won’t eat dead or completely still prey. Offering live insects like crickets stimulates natural hunting responses and encourages eating.
What food is best for pet tarantulas?
Crickets are the most common live food and form a nutritious staple. Alternatives include mealworms, dubia roaches, cockroaches, silkworms, and waxworms, which can supplement and diversify the diet. Feeding wild-caught insects is discouraged due to parasites and pesticides. UK law forbids live pinkie mice feeding, though dead mice may be offered with care and can sometimes be accepted if movement is simulated. Always select prey no larger than about half the spider’s leg span to ensure safe handling, especially for juveniles.
How much and how often should you feed your tarantula?
Feeding frequency varies with age, size, and species. Young talrntulas (slings) may require feeding every 2 to 7 days, while adults eat less often, sometimes only once every week to ten days or longer. Some larger adults eat up to six crickets weekly, but most average about two. Tarantulas may fast naturally before moulting or egg-laying; this normal behaviour can last weeks or months, only needing concern if the spider begins losing condition after three to four months.
Water requirements for tarantulas
Although tarantulas gain moisture from prey, a shallow water dish is vital. Use a low bowl no wider than the spider’s leg span to prevent drowning, especially for spiderlings. Some keepers use moistened sponges as a safer alternative. Change water daily to maintain cleanliness and health.
Ensuring nutritional value in your tarantula’s diet
It’s important that the insects given are healthy and well-fed before offering to your tarantula. This process, called “gut loading”, involves feeding crickets nutritious food such as vegetables or commercially available gut loading solutions. This supplementation benefits your pet by increasing nutrients ingested with the prey.
Where to buy live food for tarantulas?
Live crickets and other feeder insects are widely available from pet shops, exotic animal retailers, and online specialists. Buying from reputable sources ensures the insects are healthy and free of parasites or pesticides. Online ordering offers convenience and reliable delivery, especially useful for those keeping tarantulas long-term.
Tips for safe and responsible tarantula feeding
- Only feed appropriately sized live prey to avoid injury or refusal.
- Don’t leave live insects in the enclosure unattended for long; uneaten prey can harm your tarantula.
- Remove uneaten insects after 10-15 minutes to keep the enclosure safe.
- Never feed wild-caught insects to reduce risk of toxins and disease.
- Observe your tarantula’s feeding patterns and health; prolonged fasting over months signals a vet check may be needed.
Feeding your tarantula correctly promotes a longer, healthier life. Remember that tarantulas are fascinating but specialised pets requiring careful preparation in feeding live prey. With patience, you’ll enjoy watching your tarantula thrive on a diet suited to its natural instincts.
Recognising and managing pre-moult behaviour
One of the most important things tarantula keepers need to understand is the moulting cycle, as it directly affects feeding. In the weeks before a moult, most tarantulas refuse food, become less active, and may web over their burrow entrance or create a mat on the substrate surface. Some species roll onto their backs when the moult begins — this looks alarming but is completely normal and should not prompt intervention. Do not attempt to feed a tarantula showing pre-moult signs; live prey left in the enclosure can injure or kill a spider during and after moulting when the new exoskeleton is soft. Remove any uneaten prey immediately and wait at least one to two weeks after a successful moult — until the fangs have visibly darkened — before offering food again.
Safety tips when feeding your tarantula
Safe feeding practice reduces risk for both the spider and the keeper. Always use long tongs to place prey items in the enclosure rather than using your fingers, regardless of how docile your tarantula normally is — feeding responses are reflex-driven and a well-aimed strike at finger level is possible. Feeding at dusk or in a dimmed room mimics natural conditions and often triggers a more prompt feeding response. Remove uneaten prey within 24 hours: live crickets and locusts will hide in the substrate and can bite or stress a resting tarantula, and dead insects will quickly degrade and affect enclosure hygiene. Keep a feeding log — noting dates, prey type, and whether the spider accepted or refused food — as this is the most reliable way to spot the early signs of pre-moult or illness.
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