Mary Allen
Aren’t you one of those people who are disgusted by spiders or even afraid of these animals? Spiders are not only very important animals for our nature and the whole ecosystem, but they are also very exciting and fascinating. For this reason, some spiders are often kept as pets in terrariums. Above all, the many different species of tarantulas have attracted fans. In addition to a perfectly equipped terrarium for tarantulas, which we will present to you in a separate article, you must also ensure that your animals receive a balanced and species-appropriate diet. In this article, you will find out what food your spider needs and what you should pay attention to.
Spiders eat almost all living creatures made of flesh. Invertebrates in particular are on the spiders’ diet here and are eaten with passion. Cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, and flying insects are probably the most common foods spiders eat, but the eight-legged creatures won’t say no to mice either. Of course, the animals prefer to be caught alive and eaten.
Which food is suitable for tarantulas?
Most tarantula keepers help themselves in a pet shop and ensure a varied and balanced spider diet with the selection offered there. However, when choosing crickets, house crickets, flying animals, and the like, you should always make sure that the prey is no larger than your spider’s front body. Also, note that the taste of the spider can also vary. Not everyone likes crickets or house crickets, here you should simply try out what goes down well with your pet and is easily accepted. This can also vary from day to day because we humans don’t want to eat the same thing every day.
Of course, there are also very different types and sizes of this food. Mice have the highest nutritional value, but should only be used for large tarantulas due to their body size. Although spiders like to eat mealworms, they have a lot of protein, so these animals are too unbalanced a source of nutrients and you should avoid them if possible. Crickets and house crickets, on the other hand, again have a very high nutritional value and, after mice, are a very important part of spider nutrition.
If you want to feed animals from nature, you have to make sure that they have not received any fertilizer, as is the case, for example, in some rural meadows after the farmer has sprayed the meadows there. This chemistry could also poison your tarantula and in the worst case even lead to the death of the animal. When capturing grasshoppers, be careful not to capture any protected animals.
The food animals for tarantulas at a glance
In the following we offer you an optimal overview of possible food animals for your tarantulas with their characteristics:
Mice: Nude mice in particular are suitable as feed animals for large tarantulas. This is a so-called mutation of the normal house mouse. It has no hair and is therefore easier for the spider to eat. In addition, mice are very rich in important nutrients.
Cockroaches: Most tarantulas do very well with cockroaches, so you shouldn’t usually have any problems with them. Cockroaches are particularly suitable for larger tarantula species. In addition, they also have a high nutrient content, so that your tarantula is supplied with all the important vitamins, minerals and co. Not all pet shops have cockroaches on offer, so you can easily find and collect them in the wild.
Grasshoppers: Grasshoppers are part of the standard food of tarantulas and are therefore an integral part of the menu. As soon as your animal has reached a height of 5-4 cm, it can easily overwhelm a grasshopper and is supplied with all the important nutrients it needs. However, make sure that the grasshoppers from nature are animals that are not under nature protection. If you don’t want to catch them in the wild, you can find a variety of sizes at a well-stocked pet store and you can easily buy them in bulk.
Crickets: Crickets look very similar to crickets, but they are much quieter. This is especially advantageous if these little creatures escape you. Since house crickets are smaller, they can also be used as food for smaller tarantulas. They are just as rich in nutrients as the locusts and are also well received by the animals in terms of taste. Crickets are used as food for these terrarium dwellers, so they can be bought cheaply at a typical pet store.
Crickets: Crickets hardly differ from crickets and are just as well suited in terms of size and nutrients. Most tarantulas also take the crickets very well in terms of taste. You can also either buy them in a specialist shop or collect them in nature.
How often do tarantulas need to be fed?
Tarantulas are nocturnal animals that sleep during the day and recharge their batteries. Of course, this also means that they hunt and eat their prey, especially at night. As with us humans or other animals, it can of course always happen that spiders can get hungry during the day and want to eat something. However, it is important that you do not feed your darling too often or too much. Overfeeding can quickly cause the spiders to burst. The bigger and thicker their hindquarters, the greater the danger. This would of course lead to the death of the animals, so there would be no chance of survival here. Adult animals can survive for several months without eating. Small spiders, on the other hand, need to be fed 1-2 times a week as they cannot store the nutrients for so long.
If the food is not eaten for more than two days, you should remove it from the terrarium. This could be a sign that your pet is about to molt. It is especially important at this time not to overfeed your tarantula. This is due to the fact that spiders have particularly sensitive skin during molting, which in the worst case can be destroyed by the prey. From such an injury, the animal can die. In addition, the spider is then very vulnerable and could also be eaten by the prey. You should also make sure that you always provide your pet with enough fresh water. Furthermore, it is advisable that your darling keeps the food alive so that the spider can also pursue its natural hunting instinct. This, in turn, is important for the health and well-being of the tarantulas.
Breed feed animals yourself?
Of course, you can also breed the feed animals for your spiders yourself and can thus save yourself the trip to the pet shop completely. This is especially beneficial during the winter months, as you won’t find any insects in the wild during the cold season. It’s also cheaper than buying food animals, which is especially the case if you keep multiple tarantulas. However, when breeding the feed animals, make sure that they are kept in a species-appropriate manner.
The exceptions
During the mating season, you can feed the female more. In this way, you can prevent your female from eating the male after successful mating. Sated animals often leave the male alone.
In addition, you should know that even a feeding break of several months is not a problem and that you as the owner can do it again and again. Some animals take these feeding breaks of their own accord and act purely out of their natural instinct. As long as your spider continues to behave normally, you don’t need to worry about the spider becoming ill. However, keep an eye on your animal at all times.
Conclusion
Keeping tarantulas is a real challenge for many lovers, but it brings with it many exciting and unforgettable moments. Watching the animals hunt and eat is particularly popular. Always keep a close eye on your animals and find out what food preferences your spiders have. So you can make sure that your darling is doing well. You should also pay attention to a species-appropriate environment in the terrarium, about which we will inform you extensively in other articles.