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How Long Can A Tarantula Live Without Food?

As the number of people keeping pet tarantulas continues to increase rapidly, the number of questions that we have seen people asking about keeping a pet tarantula has also been increasing over the last couple of months.

One thing that often worries people who are new to keeping a pet tarantula is when their new pet refuses to eat.

This is why we see so many people reaching out with various questions about how long a tarantula can live without food each month.

For the most part, this will actually depend on a number of different factors as different types of tarantula are different so there is no one size fits all answer to this and the actual reason that your tarantula is not eating can be different from tarantula to tarantula too.

This is why we have decided to publish this dedicated article going over how long a tarantula can live without food to try and help as many of our readers as possible who are having problems with their tarantula not eating.

What Happens If A Tarantula Doesn’t Eat?

In many cases, a tarantula that doesn’t eat will usually be fine due to how little energy a healthy tarantula will use up each day.

Some types of tarantula have been known to literally go years without eating without issue but this is very rare and usually specific to a small number of tarantulas.

The actual reason that your tarantula won’t eat will also come into play on what happens if a tarantula doesn’t eat too.

If your tarantula is just refusing food due to it needing to molt then there won’t be much of a long term problem with your tarantula and it will usually eat normally again soon.

If your tarantula is not eating due to having problems with internal parasites or health issues then this can be totally different and you may find that your tarantula can quickly develop serious health issues.

Due to this, we usually recommend that you try to take your pet tarantula to see a vet as soon as possible to try and get some confirmation on the potential issue with your tarantula and get any required treatments quickly.

How Long Can A Tarantula Live Without Food?

Some tarantulas can live for a surprisingly long time with minimal issues without food but many people who are new to keeping tarantulas are usually not aware of this.

The most common things to factor in when it comes to a tarantula not eating are:-

  • The age of the tarantula.
  • The sex of the tarantula.
  • The type of tarantula you have.
  • Any prior health conditions your tarantula has.
  • The environment that your tarantula is living in.
  • If the tarantula is due a molt or not.
  • What your tarantula’s diet is usually made up of.

These all play a role in how long your tarantula can live without food before it starts to have some serious issues so it is usually better to take a more in-depth look at the various types of tarantula to try and offer some more specific advice.

Due to this, we will be going over the more commonly kept types of tarantula that are commonly kept as pets below to try and offer you more specific advice.

That said though, as we mentioned earlier in the article, if you are worried about your pet tarantula not eating then you really should be looking to take it to see a vet as soon as possible.

How Long Can A Juvenile Tarantula Go Without Eating?

When it comes to juvenile tarantulas, their food intake is usually more important than an adult tarantula due to the amount of growing they need to do.

Although the general recommendation is to try and feed a juvenile tarantula every couple of days, this is not the best advice to go by.

In our opinion, you should be trying to monitor the size of the abdomen on a juvenile tarantula and then try to feed it once the tarantula’s abdomen starts to shrink again.

Depending on the specific type of tarantula you have, this time frame can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week but the shrinking of the abdomen is usually the best indicator of when your juvenile tarantula will need to be fed again.

Just keep in mind, some types of tarantula can molt as often as once every three to four weeks when they are juveniles with this playing a role in short dietary breaks in when your tarantula will eat.

How Long Can A Mexican Red Knee Tarantula Go Without Food?

A Mexican red knee tarantula can easily go for weeks without food, especially females and their changes in their eating frequency are usually dictated by their molt cycle.

That said, the Mexican red knee tarantula will usually molt more frequently as a juvenile causing more interruptions with the feeding schedule but this does change as the tarantula gets older.

Once male Mexican red knee tarantulas get to around four or five years old, they usually stop molting and will have a more consistent eating pattern.

Female Mexican red knee tarantulas will continue to molt for longer than the males but once the are a couple of years old their growth rate tends to slow so they will molt less frequently reducing the interruption to their diet.

Mexican red knee tarantulas can be extra quirky as far as tarantulas go and this can cause your Mexican red knee tarantula to stop eating randomly for no apparent reason.

We have seen multiple people report that their Mexican red knee tarantula suddenly stops eating and just holds up for a couple of weeks or even months for no apparent reason only to start eating again at random.

How Long Can A Chilean Rose Knee Tarantula Go Without Food?

So many people worry about their Chilean rose knee tarantula not eating but in some situations, it can be normal for a Chilean rose knee tarantula to go for two years with minimal or even no food and the tarantula can be fine.

A healthy Chilean rose knee tarantula can commonly go for months without eating anything and not have any problems, especially if the tarantula is well fed.

Most people will usually see their Chilean rose knee tarantula take breaks from eating for a couple of months of the though with this being totally normal for the species.

If your Chilean rose knee tarantula does take a break from eating, it usually doesn’t mean that you have done anything wrong or that your Chilean rose knee tarantula is having any health issues, it’s just one of the quirks of the species.

How Long Can A Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula Go Without Food?

The Costa Rican zebra tarantula usually needs to be fed more frequently than other types of tarantula but even then, they can still usually go for a month or two without food without issue.

Most Costa Rican zebra tarantulas will want feeding once or twice per week depending on their age and molt cycle but as far as predictable eating habits go, the Costa Rican zebra tarantula is one of the easiest to plan for.

The species tends to molt every couple of months once at adulthood with a slightly longer break in their feeding window during the molting period but even then, they will usually be back to wanting food once or twice a week as soon as the molt is over.

How Long Can A Curly Hair Tarantula Live Without Food?

A curly hair tarantula will usually be more consistent in their eating habits than some other types of tarantula and it is rare for the species to take long breaks from eating but still, it’s not unheard of.

An adult curly hair tarantula will usually only molt once or twice per year too meaning that their natural molt cycle will not play much of a role in the molt cycle of the tarantula than other types too.

The majority of curly hair tarantulas will want food once per week, sometimes twice depending on their ages and it is rare for them to go for more than two months without eating at all.

If your curly hair tarantula has not eaten for a couple of months then it is usually a good idea to try and get some professional advice from your local veterinarian if possible.

How Long Can A Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula Go Without Food?

A pink zebra beauty tarantula can be particularly sensitive to temperature change with even a slight change in temperature being able to cause the tarantula to stop eating for weeks at a time.

To try and avoid this, you should always try to maintain a consistent temperature of between 78-80°F for a pink zebra beauty tarantula and they will usually eat consistently.

Still, just like most other tarantulas, during a molt a pink zebra beauty tarantula can slow its feeding frequency and may go for a month or two without eating.

Even then though, you may find that your pink zebra beauty tarantula may not eat for longer than this without the tarantula having minimal issues when it does decide to start eating again.

How Long Can A Pink Toe Tarantula Go Without Eating?

The pre-molt stage of a pink toe tarantula can span of a wide timeframe with two months being on the low end and ten months being on the high end with some female pink toe tarantulas fasting for longer than this.

This means that it is relatively common for an adult pink toe tarantula to go for months at a time with minimal food and then all of a sudden, you will usually find that your tarantula has molted and is back to earning normally again.

Although a number of people have tried to work out what causes the pink toe tarantula to have such a wide and unpredictable pre-molt timeframe, there isn’t much information available on if you can consistently keep the pre-molt phase to around two months.

Due to this, you will usually just have to have faith that your pink toe tarantula is in pre-molt and that they will start eating normally again after their molt is over.

How Long Can A Brazilian Black Tarantula Go Without Food?

The Brazilian black tarantula can be a temperamental tarantula when it comes to eating an even slight changes in their temperature, humidity, substrate, or wider environment can cause them to fast.

Usually, these fasts will only last for a short period of time, often a week or two and then the Brazilian black tarantula will often start to eat as it normally would again.

Pre-molt for a Brazilian black tarantula can often last as long as three months and in some rare cases, it may last longer where the tarantula will not eat much until it has eaten.

Unlike many other types of tarantula the Brazilian black tarantula usually won’t eat for a couple of days after a molt extending the fasted state by a couple of days.

How Long Can A Desert Blonde Tarantula Go Without Food?

It is estimated that a desert blonde tarantula can go as long as two years without eating and not have any issues but we have never seen anyone confirm they have experienced this with their own desert blonde tarantula.

The majority of desert blonde tarantula pre-molt stages last less than six months with between two and four months often being common.

Unlike some of the other types of tarantula on our list, the desert blonde tarantula will often do better with change to their temperature and environment.

This means that if your desert blonde tarantula is fasting, there is a high chance that it is due to the tarantula being in its pre-molt stage.

Can A Tarantula Live Without Food For 2 Years?

There are documented cases of Chilean rose knee tarantulas going for two years without food and being fine once they have started eating again.

This is rare and most of the reports of the Chilean rose knee tarantula lasting this long without food were due to a scientific experiment so this is usually not the norm.

Many people say that the desert blonde tarantula can also last for two years in its fasted state without issue but we have not seen any reports of anyone who has had a desert blonde tarantula go two years without eating.

Due to this, many people think that all types of tarantula are able to go for two years without eating but this is not correct.

Although most types of tarantula can go for months without eating and not have any problems, it is not normal for a tarantula to go two years without eating and in many cases, it may be a case of something being wrong with the spider.