What Do Tarantulas Eat? Feeding Schedule, Prey Types & Travel Tips for Busy Owners

As a busy professional, you need a pet that works with your schedule — not against it. Tarantulas may surprise you. They're one of the most self-sufficient exotic pets you can own, with a feeding routine that takes under 5 minutes a week.

Quick Answer: Tarantulas eat live insects — primarily crickets, dubia roaches, and mealworms. Adult tarantulas need feeding just once every 7-14 days. They can safely skip 2-3 feedings without harm, making them ideal for professionals who travel or work long hours.

What Do Tarantulas Eat in Captivity?

Tarantulas eat live prey insects, and their diet is one of the simplest in the exotic pet world. In the wild, they hunt insects, small lizards, and occasionally small mice. In captivity, insects are the safer and more practical choice.

The most common feeder insects are:

• Crickets — affordable and widely available at most pet stores
• Dubia roaches — quieter, longer-lived, and excellent nutritional value
• Mealworms — convenient for smaller or juvenile tarantulas
• Superworms — best size-match for larger adult tarantulas
• Hornworms — high moisture content, useful as an occasional hydration boost

As of June 2026, most experienced keepers recommend dubia roaches as the top staple feeder for adult tarantulas [1]. According to The Spruce Pets, the most critical feeding rule is matching prey size to the spider's abdomen.

Feeder Insect Comparison: Which Is Best for Busy Keepers?

Recommendation: Dubia roaches win for busy keepers. They live far longer than crickets, produce minimal odor, and offer superior nutrition.

How Big Should the Prey Be?

A simple rule: prey should never be larger than the tarantula's abdomen. Oversized prey stresses your spider and can cause injury.

For a typical adult with a 2-inch abdomen, a medium cricket or small roach works well. Scale up gradually as your spider grows.

Pro Tip: Dubia roaches are a real upgrade for busy keepers. They live up to 2 years in a simple ventilated bin. Buy a batch online and you won't need a pet store trip for months.

Short on time? Our complete low-maintenance exotic pet guide shows how to build the simplest possible care setup — ideal for professionals who want a pet without daily chores →

How Often Do Tarantulas Need to Be Fed?

If you're worried about a daily feeding commitment, tarantulas are the opposite challenge — they eat so rarely that new owners sometimes panic thinking something is wrong. This slow feeding pace is simply part of their biology.

Most adult tarantulas eat just 2-4 times per month. Many houseplants need more regular attention than that.

Skipping Feedings: Is It Really Okay?

Missing one feeding is completely harmless. Missing two or three is also safe for healthy adults [2].

Tarantulas evolved in feast-and-famine environments. Their bodies are built to wait — sometimes for weeks at a time.

Pro Tip: Before any 5-10 day work trip, give your tarantula a solid meal 48 hours before departure. That single feeding covers your full obligation for the entire trip. No pet sitter needed for short travel.

Reading Hunger Signals

There's one clear hunger sign: a shriveled or deflated abdomen. A hungry tarantula's abdomen looks caved-in rather than plump and round.

If the abdomen is full and round, the spider is fine — even after missing several weeks of meals.

Tarantula Feeding Around Your Work Schedule and Travel

For busy professionals, tarantulas are arguably the most schedule-compatible exotic pet available. Adults can go 2-4 weeks without food with no health effects. This isn't a workaround — it's their natural biology.

Here's a simple pre-trip feeding checklist:

1. Feed 2-3 days before departure — not the night before, which risks leaving live prey inside
2. Remove all uneaten prey — live crickets left alone can bite a molting spider
3. Refresh the water dish — hydration matters far more than food for short trips
4. Leave a note for any contact — their only task is checking the water dish, nothing else

For trips under 2 weeks, adult tarantulas need zero feeding intervention whatsoever [2].

What Should a Pet Sitter Actually Do?

Almost nothing. If you want a contact to check in, their only job is making sure the water dish isn't empty. That's a 30-second task requiring zero expertise.

This is a meaningful contrast to dogs, cats, or even bearded dragons that require daily UV lighting and feeding checks. Tarantulas don't need specialists.

How Long Can a Tarantula Go Without Food?

Healthy adults routinely fast for 3-4 weeks with zero problems. During premolt — the phase before shedding — some tarantulas stop eating for 1-3 months. This is entirely normal behavior.

The key indicator is always the abdomen. Plump = healthy. Shriveled = hungry.

What You Should Never Feed Your Tarantula

Some foods cause real harm — and the mistakes are easy to avoid once you know them. Wild-caught insects are the biggest risk new keepers face.

Never feed your tarantula:

• Wild-caught insects — they carry pesticides and parasites
• Fireflies — toxic to tarantulas and potentially fatal
• Vertebrates (mice, lizards) — unnecessary, messy, and stressful
• Dead or frozen prey — tarantulas respond to movement; still prey is often ignored and then rots

Stick to captive-bred feeders from a reputable supplier. This removes essentially all feeding risk.

Common Myth: "Tarantulas need diet variety — insects alone aren't nutritious enough." Reality: Captive tarantulas thrive their entire lives on a single staple feeder like crickets or roaches [3]. Variety is optional, not medically necessary.

Where to Buy Feeder Insects Online

Ordering online saves time and usually costs less than weekly pet store trips. Three solid options:

• Dubia Roaches Bulk Pack on Amazon — long shelf life, low odor, delivered to your door
• Live Crickets Bulk Order on Amazon — budget-friendly option for cost-conscious keepers
• Live Mealworms 500 Count on Amazon — good for juveniles and smaller adult spiders

According to The Spruce Pets' tarantula beginner guide, buying feeders in bulk online is one of the simplest time-saving moves a new keeper can make.

Ready to simplify your tarantula setup even further? See our complete low-maintenance exotic pet care overview for hands-off strategies that busy owners actually use →

Common Tarantula Feeding Mistakes to Avoid

Most new keepers make the same predictable errors — usually from overthinking care for an animal that needs less intervention, not more. Here's what to watch for.

Mistake 1: Leaving Live Prey in the Enclosure

This is the most common and most dangerous mistake. A cricket left in the tank overnight stresses your spider. During a molt, it can bite and seriously wound the tarantula.

Hard rule: Remove all uneaten prey within 24 hours of offering it. No exceptions.

Mistake 2: Overfeeding

More food doesn't mean faster growth or better health. Overfeeding causes excessive molting stress and can shorten lifespan.

Stick to the schedule: once every 10-14 days for adults. A plump, round abdomen means the spider is well-fed.

Mistake 3: Feeding During Premolt

Tarantulas approaching a molt will stop eating — sometimes for weeks beforehand. Offering food during this phase adds stress with no benefit.

Watch for a darkening abdomen and reduced movement as premolt signs. Stop feeding, and resume 2-4 weeks after the molt finishes.

Common Myth: "If my tarantula stops eating, something must be wrong." Reality: In 2026, premolt fasting remains the #1 reason new keepers make unnecessary vet calls. A spider that refuses food but has a plump, round abdomen is almost certainly preparing to molt — not sick.