How Long Can Tarantulas Go Without Eating (Why and What to Do)
How Long Can Tarantulas Go Without Eating
The amount of time a tarantula can last without eating will depend on several factors, including its sex and certain conditions. For example, tarantulas that are adult males will rarely eat and their mission will be solely and exclusively to find a female in order to mate, consuming more and more until they die.
An adult tarantula can go without food for several months without problems, while a small spider needs to be fed at least once or twice a week.
Pink toe tarantulas and curly-haired tarantulas can go without food for several months without any problem.
The reality is that tarantulas are incredibly resistant animals, compared to other animals, and that is why many people who keep tarantulas as pets worry when they see that they do not eat for weeks.
In the research I conducted for this topic, I saw cases of tarantulas that lasted up to a year without eating, and they were in perfect condition.
how long can tarantulas go without drinking?
While tarantulas can survive without food for several months, if they do not receive drinking water for a week, they may become ill and even die.
The water that spiders drink must not be contaminated. It must be clean and hygienic. Ordinary clean water can be used.
In special circumstances, it can be fed with mineral water or cold water, the drinking water is placed in a small dish and can be changed every 3 to 5 days.
What to do if your tarantula does not eat for weeks?
Due to its nature, this is not a cause for concern. One of the main reasons why a tarantula does not eat is also due to molting.
It is also possible that the tarantula is stressed. If you notice that the tarantula does not eat, do not harass it with food, offer it something to eat every week, and if you notice that it rejects it, remove it from its terrarium.
Also, make sure to keep the tarantula’s terrarium with good humidity and an adequate temperature between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
To keep the terrarium with adequate humidity, just spray it with a little water every morning.
It may also be the case that the tarantula is tired of eating the same food. In this case, try offering it another food, in case you have always been feeding it the same food.
It would be ideal to accustom the spider from birth to eat all types of live food since it is not uncommon to find specimens that only accept crickets and, in times of scarcity, a spider capricious with food could become a problem.
why can tarantulas survive without food?
Tarantulas are animals with a fairly slow metabolism, and thanks to this, some species can last up to a year without eating, without any kind of problem.
Slow metabolism is directly related to body energy expenditure. The less energy a living creature expends, the less need it will have for food.
If a tarantula is fed very frequently, it usually reaches a state where it does not want more food. In this case, the tarantula will shut itself up or simply go on a fast that will last as long as it deems appropriate.
Tarantulas do not have a trachea, as is the case with other spiders, which is why they have a very slow metabolism that forces them to remain immobile for a long time, although they can move at great speed if necessary.