You are not one of those people who are disgusted with spiders or even afraid of these animals?
Spiders are not only essential animals for our nature and the entire ecosystem; 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 done the lovers.
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 are fed a balanced and appropriate diet.
Find out what food your spider needs and what to look out for in this article.
Spiders eat almost all living things made of meat.
The invertebrates, in particular, are on the spiders’ diet and are eaten with passion.
Cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers and flying insects are probably the most eaten foods by spiders, but the eight-legged creatures are guaranteed not to say no to mice either.
Of course, animals prefer to catch and eat their food alive.
Which food is suitable for tarantulas?
Most tarantula keepers buy from a pet shop and ensure a varied and balanced spider diet with the selection offered there.
When choosing crickets, crickets, flying animals and the like, you should always make sure that the prey is no larger than the front body of your spider.
Also, be aware that the spider’s taste may vary too.
Not all of them like crickets or crickets. It would be best to try out what goes down well with your pet and is easily accepted.
That can 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 size.
Mealworms are happy to be eaten by spiders, but they have a lot of protein so that these animals are a one-sided nutrient source, and you should do without them if possible.
On the other hand, crickets and house crickets have a very high nutritional value and are crucial for spider nutrition after mice.
If you want to feed animals from nature, you must make sure that they have not received any fertilizer, as is the case, for example, on 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 animal’s death.
When catching grasshoppers, you should be careful not to catch animals that are protected.
The food animals for tarantulas at a glance
In the following, we offer you an optimal overview of possible food animals for your tarantulas, including their characteristics:
Mice: Naked mice are particularly suitable as food animals for large tarantulas.
This is a so-called mutation of the normal house mouse. It has no hair and can therefore be better eaten by the spider.
Also, mice are very rich in important nutrients.
Cockroaches: Cockroaches are very popular with most tarantulas, so you shouldn’t expect any problems with this.
Cockroaches are particularly suitable for larger tarantula species.
Also, they have a high nutrient content, so that your tarantula with all the important vitamins, minerals and co . is supplied.
Not all pet shops have cockroaches on offer, so you can easily find and collect them in the great outdoors.
Grasshoppers: Grasshoppers are part of the standard diet of tarantulas and are therefore an indispensable part of the diet. As soon as your animal has reached a body size of 5-4 cm, it can easily overpower a grasshopper and supply the many important nutrients around it.
However, make sure that the grasshoppers from nature are animals that are not under nature protection.
If you do not want to catch them in nature, you will find a selection of different sizes in a well-stocked pet shop and can conveniently buy them there in larger numbers.
Crickets: Crickets look very similar to crickets, but they are much quieter.
This is especially advantageous if these little animals get away from you.
Since crickets are smaller, they can also be used as food for smaller tarantulas.
They are just as rich in nutrients as the grasshoppers and are also well received by animals in terms of their taste.
Crickets are used as food for these terrarium inhabitants to be bought cheaply in a typical animal specialist shop.
Crickets: Crickets hardly differ from crickets and are just as suitable in terms of size and nutrients.
Most tarantulas also accept crickets in terms of taste.
You can also either buy them in a specialist shop or collect them in nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vinjdGb-RGg
How often do tarantulas need to be fed?
Tarantulas are nocturnal animals that sleep and recharge their batteries during the day.
Of course, this also means that they hunt and eat their prey, especially at night.
As with humans or other animals, it can, of course, always happen that spiders can get hungry during the day and want to eat something.
However, you mustn’t feed your darling too often and too much.
Overfeeding can quickly cause the spiders to burst.
The bigger and thicker their bottom, the greater the danger.
This would, of course, lead to the death of the animals so that there would be no chance of survival here.
Adult animals can survive for several months without eating anything.
Small spiders, on the other hand, have to be fed 1 – 2 times a week,
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 moult.
It is crucial at this time that you do not feed your tarantula.
This is because the spiders have particularly sensitive skin at moulting time, which in the worst case can be destroyed by the prey.
Such an injury can kill the animal.
Also, 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 freshwater.
Furthermore, your darling should best keep the food alive so that the spider can also pursue its natural hunting instinct.
Breeding feed animals yourself?
Of course, you can also breed the food animals for your spiders yourself, which means you can completely save yourself the trip to the pet shop.
This is particularly advantageous for the winter months, as you will not find any insects in the wild during the cold season.
It is also cheaper than buying food animals, especially if you have several tarantulas.
However, you should also ensure that the animals are kept in a species-appropriate manner when breeding the feed animals.
The exceptions
You can feed the female more during the mating season.
This is how you can prevent your female from eating the male after successfully mating.
Satisfied animals often leave the male alone.
Also, you should know that 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 on their own and act purely out of their instinct.
As long as your spider continues to behave normally, you do not have to worry about the spider’s possible diseases.
However, always keep an eye on your animal.
Conclusion
Keeping tarantulas is a real challenge for many lovers, but it brings many exciting and unforgettable moments.
Watching while hunting and eating are particularly popular.
Always keep a close eye on your animals and find out what food preferences your spiders have.
This is how you can ensure that your darling is doing well.
You should also pay attention to a species-appropriate environment in the terrarium, which we will inform you about in other articles.
