Tarantula Feeding Schedule and Portions: How Much Should You Feed?

Tarantulas are insect-eating predators, so most pet parents feed live prey such as crickets, roaches, mealworms, or occasional other feeder insects. Insect prey used for exotic pets should come from a reputable feeder source rather than being caught outdoors, because wild insects may carry pesticides, parasites, or other contaminants. Variety can help, but the biggest factors are prey size, feeding frequency, and your tarantula's overall condition.

How often a tarantula eats depends on age and life stage. Slings and fast-growing juveniles usually eat more often than adults. Many young tarantulas are offered food every 2-4 days, while many adults are fed about every 7-14 days. Some healthy adults, especially before a molt, may refuse food for days to weeks. That can be normal, but a prolonged fast paired with weight loss, weakness, or dehydration deserves a call to your vet.

Feeder quality matters too. Merck notes that common feeder insects such as crickets and mealworms differ in protein, fat, and calcium-to-phosphorus balance, which is one reason many exotic animal clinicians encourage rotating feeder types instead of relying on a single insect forever. PetMD exotic care articles for insect-eating reptiles also emphasize using live, appropriately sized insects and improving feeder quality through gut loading before feeding.

For most pet parents, a simple routine works best: choose captive-raised feeder insects, match prey size to the spider, feed on a predictable schedule, and keep notes on appetite, molts, and abdomen size. If your tarantula is a new pet, a sling, or a species with very specific humidity and temperature needs, ask your vet for a feeding plan that fits that species and setup.

A safe starting rule is to offer prey no larger than your tarantula's abdomen, and often a bit smaller for slings. For tiny slings, that may mean fruit flies, pinhead crickets, or cut pieces of mealworm. For juveniles and adults, it may mean one medium cricket, one small roach, or a few smaller insects. If your tarantula grabs prey quickly and maintains a healthy body shape, that portion is usually reasonable.

Portion size is less about exact calories and more about body condition and response. Many pet parents start with 1 prey item per feeding for small tarantulas, 1-2 for medium juveniles, and 1-3 for larger adults. If the abdomen becomes very large compared with the carapace, your vet may suggest spacing meals farther apart. If the abdomen looks small, wrinkled, or the tarantula is not growing as expected, your vet may recommend more frequent feeding or a husbandry review.

Do not leave live prey in the enclosure for long periods. Uneaten crickets and other insects can stress or injure a tarantula, especially during premolt or right after a molt when the exoskeleton is soft. A practical approach is to remove uneaten prey within 12-24 hours, or sooner if your tarantula is clearly avoiding it.

Avoid overcorrecting after a hunger strike. Tarantulas often eat irregularly, and a missed meal does not always mean there is a problem. Instead of offering oversized prey or repeated large meals, return to a measured schedule and monitor behavior, abdomen size, and molt timing. If you are unsure whether your tarantula is underfed or overfed, your vet can help you assess body condition.

Feeding problems are not always about the food itself. They can also point to stress, dehydration, poor temperature or humidity control, premolt, or illness. Common warning signs include a shrunken or wrinkled abdomen, repeated refusal to eat outside of an expected premolt period, trouble catching prey, weakness, abnormal posture, or staying flipped on the back without progressing through a normal molt.

A very large, tight-looking abdomen can also be a concern because it may raise the risk of injury if the tarantula falls. On the other end of the spectrum, a small abdomen with lethargy may suggest inadequate intake, dehydration, or another husbandry issue. Uneaten prey bothering a hiding tarantula is another red flag, especially if the spider recently molted.

See your vet immediately if your tarantula is bleeding body fluid after a feeding injury, has a failed or incomplete molt, cannot right itself, appears severely weak, or has sudden collapse. These are not watch-and-wait situations. Exotic pets often hide illness until they are quite sick.

If appetite changes last more than expected, keep a log with feeding dates, prey type, molt dates, enclosure temperature, and humidity. That information helps your vet sort out whether the issue is normal fasting, a husbandry problem, or a medical concern.

If your tarantula does not do well with one feeder insect, there are other options to discuss with your vet. Captive-raised crickets, Dubia roaches where legal, mealworms, and occasional other feeder insects are commonly used. Rotating prey types may improve acceptance and can reduce the downsides of relying on one insect with a less balanced nutrient profile.

For slings or shy feeders, smaller prey is often safer than larger prey. Pre-killed or injured prey may help some tarantulas that are reluctant hunters, though many individuals prefer moving food. If you use pre-killed insects, remove leftovers promptly so they do not spoil or attract mites.

Avoid wild-caught insects, fireflies, and insects exposed to lawn or household chemicals. Wild prey can introduce toxins, parasites, or pathogens. Also avoid feeding vertebrate prey such as pinkie mice unless your vet has given a species-specific reason to do so. That is unnecessary for most pet tarantulas and can create avoidable risk.

If your tarantula repeatedly refuses food, the safest alternative is not to keep changing feeders every day. Instead, review husbandry, offer water access, wait a few days, and check for signs of premolt. Then ask your vet whether a conservative monitoring plan, a standard husbandry correction, or a more advanced exotic workup makes the most sense for your spider.