What Do Pet Tarantulas Eat?

Tarantulas are becoming an increasingly popular pet in Ireland. Despite being nicknamed ‘creepy crawlie’, tarantulas actually make for great household pets, due to their uniqueness, ease of care and long lifespan. Of course, like every pet, tarantulas require a suitable, balanced meal in order to thrive. Knowing the right foods to feed your tarantula will help ensure they live a healthy, happy lifestyle.

In this blog post, we’ll talk about what tarantulas like to eat, how to feed them, and how often they need to be fed.

Diet & Nutrition of Tarantulas

Tarantulas eat a diverse menu including; grass hoppers, crickets, moths, beetles, cockroaches and mealworms. When tarantulas are kept as pets, the best food that can be provided for them are crickets that have been gut loaded on vegetables.

In general your spider should be fed twice weekly with a maximum of three food items. The tarantula is not fond of eating dead prey, so it is a good idea to dust the prey with a Calcium and Vitamin D supplement to ensure healthy growth and development of the tarantula.

The spider has the potential to fast for weeks; it has a rather erratic diet schedule.

How to Feed Your Pet Tarantula

Once your pet tarantula is acquainted with his new environment and has settled in, you can begin feeding him. They normally feed twice a week; to start, put 2 to 3 crickets into the terrarium per feeding. It may take some time before you know how much to feed your tarantula, so keep an eye on how much he is eating to determine how much to give him during the next feed. Remove any uneaten food from his enclosure.

Tarantulas are nocturnal, so feed them during the night. Always have fresh water available.

What Not To Feed Your Tarantula

Don’t feed anything to your tarantula that you have caught in the wild, as it could be unsafe for them to eat. If feeding meat, give raw meat only; however, your spider may not take kindly to it, so it is best to stick to insects.