Can you over feed a tarantula?

[PNTxLSTAR]

Hello, so im just wondering is it bad go give tarantula to much food? As my tarantula starved itself for about 4 weeks and now i threw one in and she ate it and when shes hungry she goes to one side of her enclosure and i feed her its been like that for about 8 months but since after she has started eating i just throw one in everytime she goes to that corner and shes had 6 this week she is a grammastola rosea

 

[Paul1126]

Yes, over feeding a tarantula is bad as it can cause problems.

1) if it falls even from short distances it could rupture the abdomen.

2) it won't be able to lift the abdomen from the floor and could potentially damage the abdomen that way, especially if you have a cork bark hide.

3) overfeeding a tarantula will cause a painfully slow moult process...
Pre-moult for months in a sealed hide is not fun at all.

If it's a sling don't worry about it.

 

[cold blood]

she is a grammastola rosea

As my tarantula starved itself for about 4 weeks

Ts do not "starve" themselves. 4 weeks without food for this species isn't even a fasting period...they can go a year or more without food. They have the lowest food requirements in the t world.

Because of this, they are the most often over-fed t in captivity...which directly leads to inconsistent eating and frequent and long fasting periods.

shes had 6 this week

See, that's a solid 4-6 months of food...in a week.

Your t wouldn't starve to death if you went on a 6 month vacation and forgot all about it.

A month without food isn't a concern for ANY species of t...even slings can do this without issue.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Hello, so im just wondering is it bad go give tarantula to much food?

Yes, it increases the risk of fatal injuries from even short falls and also increases the risk of drag injuries if the tarantula gets so fat that it can't lift its abdomen off of the ground.

grammastola rosea

As my tarantula starved itself for about 4 weeks

They can go for nearly 2 years without food, 4 weeks isn't even a fast for them.

shes had 6 this week

That's like 6-8 months worth of food in the space of a week, G. rosea has probably the lowest food requirements of any tarantula, you could feed it one cricket every 4-6 weeks and it'd be fine.

 

[Rinfish]

I've had my rosea for about 6 years now...I often go a month or so in between feedings. She always has access to fresh water, but every month or month and a half i'll throw in 3-4 crickets for her, and she's done great. I've had her fast for 5 months before, so it's better to be lesser on the feeding end. Now, slings need a bit more consistency overall, but they can still go for a while without food if they have access to water.

 

[PNTxLSTAR]

I will deffo only feed her once a week and then once every 2 weeks i never knew it could damage my rosea so bad thanks all