What Do Tarantulas Eat? Feeding Guide & Schedule [2026]

Published March 27, 2026 · By ExoPetHub Team

Learn what tarantulas eat, how often to feed them, and the best feeder insects for every life stage. Covers crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, and feeding tips.

What Do Tarantulas Eat? Feeding Guide & Schedule

Tarantulas are ambush predators that eat live insects. This guide covers the best feeders, proper frequency, and how to handle pre-molt fasting.

Best Feeder Insects

Crickets

The most widely available feeder insect. Affordable, easy to find, and their active movement triggers the feeding response well. However, they are noisy, can bite a molting tarantula, and must be removed within 24 hours if uneaten.

Dubia Roaches

Considered the best overall feeder by experienced keepers. High protein, quiet, long-lived, and cannot climb smooth surfaces. Slower movement may not trigger feeding in all tarantulas. Illegal in some states and Canada.

Mealworms and Superworms

Mealworms are convenient for smaller tarantulas with long shelf life in the refrigerator. Superworms are larger and suit medium to large species but can bite, so crush the head with tongs before offering.

Occasional Treats for Large Species

Goliath Birdeaters and similar large species can occasionally eat pinky mice as a rare treat, but vertebrate prey should never be a staple.

Feeding Schedule by Life Stage

Life Stage	Prey Size	Frequency	Notes
Sling (tiny juvenile)	Fruit flies, pinhead crickets	Every 2-3 days	Pre-kill prey if sling is very small
Juvenile	Small crickets, small dubias	Every 3-5 days	Match prey to abdomen size
Sub-adult	Medium crickets, medium dubias	Once or twice a week	Growth slows at this stage
Adult	Large crickets, large dubias	Once a week	Some adults eat less often
Pre-molt	None	Do not feed	Remove all prey from enclosure

The Prey Size Rule

Never offer prey larger than the tarantula's abdomen. Oversized prey can injure or stress your spider. For slings, prey should be significantly smaller than the body. When in doubt, go smaller.

Pre-Molt Fasting

Tarantulas stop eating before a molt, lasting days to months depending on species.

Signs of pre-molt: Refusing food, darkening abdomen, bald patch on abdomen, reduced activity, and laying a web mat on the substrate.

What to do: Remove all live prey immediately. A cricket left with a molting tarantula can kill it. Wait at least a week after the molt before offering food again.

Water Needs

Always provide a shallow water dish with clean water. Tarantulas drink regularly. For slings too small for a dish, lightly mist one corner of the enclosure. Do not use sponges in water dishes as they harbor bacteria.

Feeding Tips

Feed in the evening when tarantulas are most active.
Use feeding tongs for superworms and larger prey.
Do not overfeed. An oversized abdomen increases fatal fall-rupture risk.
Remove uneaten prey within 24 hours.
Gut-load feeders with vegetables or fish flakes 24 hours before offering.

When Your Tarantula Refuses Food

Common reasons include pre-molt (the most frequent cause), seasonal fasting (Chilean roses fast for months), recent rehousing stress, temperatures below 65 degrees, or simple overfeeding. As long as water is available and the abdomen is not shriveled, fasting is normal.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can a tarantula go without eating?▾

Adult tarantulas can safely go weeks or even months without food, especially during pre-molt or seasonal fasting periods. Some species like the Chilean rose are notorious for fasting 2 to 6 months at a time. As long as the abdomen is not visibly shriveled and water is available, occasional fasting is normal.

Can tarantulas eat dead insects?▾

Most tarantulas strongly prefer live prey because the movement triggers their hunting response. Some individuals will accept freshly killed insects offered with tongs, but this is unreliable. Avoid leaving dead insects in the enclosure as they rot quickly and attract mites.

How do I know if my tarantula is hungry?▾

A hungry tarantula will often sit near the entrance of its hide or at the edge of its web, actively responding to vibrations. When you drop a feeder insect in, a hungry tarantula will pounce quickly. If it ignores prey or retreats, it is likely not hungry or may be in pre-molt.

What size prey should I feed my tarantula?▾

The general rule is that prey should be no larger than the tarantula's abdomen. For slings, this means flightless fruit flies or pinhead crickets. For adults, medium to large crickets or dubia roaches work well. Oversized prey can stress or injure your tarantula.