Food & Diet

What do pet tarantulas eat?
Tarantulas in captivity are very easy to feed and can live their whole lifespan on nothing but a diet of insects. Crickets are the most common food for these spiders. The majority of tarantulas require only one or two crickets to be fed to them per week.  Some of the larger species can eat up to six crickets a week. 

The insects should be gut loaded before feeding them to your pet. Gut loading is making sure the insects are well fed. There are many varieties of commercial cricket food available. 

You do not have to worry about over-feeding your pet tarantula.  It will eat according to its own needs.  If the tarantula has not eaten its food by the following day, just remove the prey from the cage.

Have no fear if your tarantula does not eat for a short period of time. Some can survive for months without eating the food you provide. Your spider may go through periods of feasting or fasting depending on its dietary needs.

There is one exception. If you notice your arachnid’s abdomen is shriveled, make sure you give it food and water.  This is a sign of underfeeding and dehydration.

Your tarantula should have a shallow and sturdy water dish. The dish should be no more than a half an inch deep. Fresh water should be provided daily.  You may notice that your pet does not drink much water. Do not worry, tarantulas receive a lot of their necessary moisture from food.