How often do you feed your tarantulas?

[ChrisBo4]

Good morning! I'm looking to improve my tarantula husbandry some, and I'm curious as to how often you all feed? I currently feed my slings twice a week, and all of the others once a week. I feed appropriately sized crickets, superworms, or dubias. Usually one feeder per T. I'd appreciate any advice or constructive criticism. Thank you!

 

[Sterls]

I always do one item per feeding. Smaller juvies and slings eat about twice a week, larger juvies eat 7-10 days. My adults it's just whenever I feel like it, sometimes weekly but usually every 3-4 weeks.

 

[Almadabes]

Your routine sounds good.

There is no right answer - you can certainly "overdo it" - but besides the fall risk for terrestrials, being fat isn't a huge issue. At worst they will go into premolt for a long period of time and you won't see them for months.

I try to minimize the premolt period so I can monitor them better but they know what they're doing and if they want to hide in a hole for 6 months its perfectly safe, just frustrating for us. lol

If you have a very large adult that is quite plump you may want to consider feeding them bi-weekly or even once a month instead - but again there isn't a "right" way to do it.

 

[Mikey t]

I tend to feed slings weekly and adults/juvies as needed every 2 weeks for some and once a month for others.

 

[cold blood]

Feeding schedules...ugh....ts don't require schedules, in fact, schedules ignore how ts grow....Ts molt, and are at their thinnest...this is when they need food the most...but as they plump, they continue to need less and less food...so as your t plumps, you can start feeding smaller prey, less often...once a t is sufficiently plumped, it will no longer require food.....the heavier you feed, the sooner it will reach this state....so heavy feeding schedules wont be harmful, but they will lead directly to long periods of inactivity as the pre-molt stage will last a long time. Feeding a meager schedule will simply increase molt cycles and slow growth, but its not a death sentence by any means.

You could literally have 10 people, with 10 wildly different feeding schedules and every single t could grow into the same healthy adult.

 

[ChrisBo4]

Yeah I've heard some people say that they feed their adults 5-8 crickets once a month. Since I feed 1-2 once a week, i was wondering if I'm doing it wrong. But if it really doesn't make any difference then I guess I'll keep doing it like I have been. Thank you all for the advice!

 

[milky]

Once per week.

 

[Liquifin]

I only feed them when they're hungry/thin abdomen.

 

[kingshockey]

i feed my slings every day/other day until they get to an inch dls then they are fed weekly

 

[Matt Man]

Slings typically 1 feeder 2x a week
Everything else - As needed

 

[Smotzer]

No set schedule at all, I tend to feed all of them slightly differently and at slightly different intervals and prey size. sometimes I will feed once or twice a week for a maybe two weeks after a molt if they are particularly thin and then sometimes every two weeks, sometimes less often with smaller prey for individuals who already may be plump, it really depends on where they are in their cycle and how plump their abdomen is. Stopped feeding a GBB individual as it was sufficiently plump held off for 2-3weeks still no molt, so fed a small mealworm it took it and is about the same, expecting a molt soon but no reason to have it locked into a schedule. They are opportunistic predators so they'll eat generally if given the chance, as in nature when you dont know when food is coming around next you don't miss an opportunity, people forget to realize they are still like this and its not that they are 'hungry'.

 

[Matt Man]

I'm gonna make little signs like you get at a Brazilian Churrasco where you flip it to green when you want more food, I wonder if it will work?

 

[Smotzer]

I'm gonna make little signs like you get at a Brazilian Churrasco where you flip it to green when you want more food, I wonder if it will work?

That would work or maybe you can train them to ring a bell, to know when they are human hungry??

 

[basin79]

I feed mine as and when. No rule of thumb. Might feed some once a week for a bit. Others I might feed once a month but give them a few food items at a time. So my Grammostola iheringi will eat a single adult cricket a week say and I'll feed my Pelinobius muticus 4 prekilled morios every month. I generally use abdomen size. My P. muticus has gotten on the large size now so I'll not feed her until she either moults or at least wait a 2 or 3 months.

Feeding is probably one of the hardest things to manage with tarantulas at the start or if you only have 1 or 2 as it's fascinating and exciting to see them hunt/eat.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

I'm gonna make little signs like you get at a Brazilian Churrasco where you flip it to green when you want more food, I wonder if it will work?

You can probably rig something up, as some species tend to sit at the entrance of their caves with front legs out... that could in theory trigger a lever, to flip the sign.

 

[mack1855]

Whenever it comes to mind.”Oh,ya,I need to feed the spoods today!”.Positively no set schedule.They are not dogs/cats or vertebrates.Definitely abdomen size is a good indicator of food required.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Slings, when they'll eat.
Juvies and adults, when they need it.
You got this. KISS.

 

[Rozwyrazowana]

i feed my slings every day/other day until they get to an inch dls then they are fed weekly

I see this advice quite often, my slings won't eat on this schedule. When they are thin they will eat no matter how often I feed them, when they are plump they stop eating and there is no way to force them. I have a tiny N. chromatus that only ate twice between molts (around 5 weeks).

 

[HeartBum]

Slings I feed when the moon is at 1/4 phase, but only if that falls on a Tuesday and the date doesn't have a 3 in it.
Juvies get every 1/2 moon depending on Jupiter's location in correlation to Elon Musk's space satellites.
Adults get sacrificed every full moon.
... I don't have any adults any more.

 

[Goopyguy56]

I just throw something in there when I get a chance. If they look fat I might skip a certain t or give it a smaller meal. If they look skinny I give them a bunch of stuff. Usually once a week but I don't always go on that. I try to keep a mental note of when I feed certain t's. As long as they don't look too skinny I don't fuss. If there abdomens look as big as Nikki minaj's butt I slow it down.