Pets

Pet spider food is best when it is of the live variety, yes, that means creepy crawlies of all kinds. Some spiders, such as the Black Widow, will eat absolutely anything, including people, making them very inappropriate pets. Spiders on the whole are low maintenance pets, and do not require much care and attention. But you will have to supply them with a regular supply of pet spider food, mostly live insects. One advantage concerning pet spider food is that you do not have to always buy it from a store; in fact your garden is a great source as well.

Crickets, meal worms, moths, butterflies, flies or even roaches, are all suitable for most spiders, and these can be found in plenty around the garden or your street. If you are ready to put in the effort of capturing these critters, you will need to also ensure that the insects you feed the spider have not been treated with pesticides as this could kill your spider also.

Most spiders only need to be fed a few times in a week, and they sometimes also leave some food for later. These need to be cleaned out and a fresh batch given every few days in a week. Apart from pet spider food, water is another requirement for spiders, and can either be given in a small shallow water dish or in the case of some web-weaving spiders, it can be sprinkled on the web a few times in a week.

In case a spider is not eating, it means that the spider is not comfortable in its environment, and changes need to be made to correct this. Also, while feeding make sure that the spider does not escape, which they will most certainly try to do.

Depending on the size of the spider you might have to feed up to six live crickets to your pet, a couple of times every week. This is particularly true for the larger variety of tarantulas, which are the most common species of pet spiders. An important point is to ensure that the insects you feed your pet spider are well fed before you give them to your pet. This is known as gut loading, and can be done by using several commercial products available in the market as well.

In the case of tarantulas, you do not need to panic if it does not eat for a period of time. Some tarantulas have been known to survive for months without food. Also, spiders rarely overeat, so you do not have to worry about giving them too many crickets. Just make sure to clean out the leftover food, as this can contaminate the pet spider habitat, if left for too long. These are all the main pointers you need to keep in mind regarding pet spider food.