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Tarantula feeder nutrition depends on more than a protein percentage: the available sources do not establish one universally “best” feeder or tarantula-specific nutrient requirements. Practical veterinary guidance instead supports offering appropriately sized, captive-bred live prey with variety, while using nutrient tables as comparisons—not as a prescription. Crickets are a practical option; mealworms are not typically recommended by the Royal Veterinary College, and waxworms should be offered only in small quantities.
What do tarantulas eat, and is one feeder the most nutritious?
Tarantulas are carnivores that eat live prey. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine lists gut-loaded crickets, mealworms, king worms, silkworms, dubia roaches and hornworms as possible foods. The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) recommends variety among captive-bred invertebrates, including crickets, locusts and flies, with fruit flies for young spiders and waxworms in small quantities.
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Neither source identifies a single feeder as nutritionally optimal for all tarantulas. Published comparisons show that feeder insects differ in protein, fat and mineral composition, but the available figures do not define what a tarantula needs. The practical answer is to choose prey that is suitable for the individual spider and manageable to feed, rotate among appropriate options, and avoid treating a nutrient table as a tarantula diet formula.
That distinction matters: an insect can have a higher protein figure on a table without being proven to produce better tarantula health. The available comparisons concern foods that may be offered to reptiles or feeder insects assessed against rat or poultry requirements—not controlled tarantula feeding trials.
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What do the published feeder-nutrition figures show?
Merck Veterinary Manual lists the following protein, fat and calcium-to-phosphorus (Ca:P) figures on a dry-matter basis. They illustrate differences in composition; they do not rank feeders for tarantulas.
| Feeder | Protein (% dry matter) | Fat (% dry matter) | Ca:P ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locusts | 61.7% | 19.4% | 0.13 |
| Crickets | 55.3% | 30.2% | 0.31 |
| Mealworms (Tenebrio) | 52.8% | 35% | 0.11 |
| Waxworms | 15.5% | 22.2% | 0.13 |
Composition figures from the Merck Veterinary Manual table of animal foods that may be offered to reptiles. Figures are on a dry-matter basis. They are not tarantula nutrient requirements. Checked November 2026.
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Dry-matter figures also need careful reading. They describe nutrient proportions after water is excluded; they are not “as fed” percentages of the live insect. The supplied table does not provide moisture percentages for these four entries, so it cannot show how much protein or fat a spider gets from a particular live feeder by weight. Nor does it provide a complete feeding plan or a target amount for a tarantula.
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The Ca:P values are ratios in the source table, not a tarantula-specific prescription. Merck’s separate discussion that the Ca:P ratio of many foods offered to reptiles is inadequate concerns reptile nutrition. It should not be converted into advice to calcium-dust tarantula prey or a claim that tarantulas have the same mineral needs. The available sources do not establish that.
Why can’t these figures identify the best tarantula feeder?
Because the measurements do not answer the central tarantula-specific question: which prey composition best supports tarantula health? The comparative sources do not supply a tarantula nutrient-requirement table or report a controlled comparison of tarantula outcomes on different feeder species.
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The 2015 study of four commercially raised feeder insects examined crickets, mealworms, superworms and waxworms raised on enhanced diets. Its abstract reports that all four were poor calcium sources. When assessed against rat or poultry requirements and energy density, waxworms and superworms—with high fat and low moisture—were deficient in more nutrients than crickets or mealworms. That is useful context about the insects and the limits of their composition, but it is not a tarantula feeding trial. The comparisons with rat or poultry needs do not establish tarantula needs.
The Merck table is similarly framed for animal foods that may be offered to reptiles. A reptile’s nutritional requirements cannot be assumed to apply to an arachnid. Taken together, these sources help describe prey and explain why variety is recommended; they do not support a numerical “winner” for tarantulas.
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Which feeders do tarantula care sources recommend?
The RVC’s tarantula care factsheet, reviewed in November 2023, emphasizes variety to minimize dietary deficiencies. It lists captive-bred cricket species, locusts, Musca flies, Drosophila fruit flies for young spiders, and waxworms in small quantities. It says mealworms are low in nutritional value and tend to bury into the substrate, so they are not typically recommended.
The University of Illinois guidance gives a broader list of possible live foods: gut-loaded crickets, mealworms, king worms, silkworms, dubia roaches and hornworms. These are presented as food options, not as a nutrient ranking. The difference between the lists is a reason to consider practical suitability and variety rather than trying to build a universal ranking from them.
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- Crickets: A commonly cited, practical live-food option in the Illinois guidance and RVC’s list of captive-bred prey. The Merck table reports 55.3% protein and 30.2% fat on a dry-matter basis, but those values do not make them a proven optimal feeder.
- Locusts: Included in the RVC’s variety guidance. The Merck table reports 61.7% protein and 19.4% fat on a dry-matter basis. The higher table protein figure is not evidence of superior tarantula outcomes.
- Mealworms: Listed among possible foods by Illinois, but the RVC says they are low in nutritional value and tend to bury into substrate, making them not typically recommended. The Merck table lists 52.8% protein and 35% fat on a dry-matter basis; that composition table does not override the RVC’s practical care advice.
- Waxworms: The RVC recommends them only in small quantities. Their dry-matter figures in Merck’s table are 15.5% protein and 22.2% fat. The 2015 study also describes high fat and low moisture in waxworms when assessing deficiencies against rat or poultry requirements; neither source establishes a tarantula-specific limit.
- Other live prey: Illinois also names king worms, silkworms, dubia roaches and hornworms. RVC lists flies, including fruit flies for young spiders. The supplied nutrient figures do not compare all these options, so avoid inferring a relative nutritional ranking for them.
How should you choose prey for an individual tarantula?
Start with the spider and the feeding situation, not the highest number in a table. The care guidance supports live prey, variety and captive-bred sourcing; it also identifies prey size and feeder behavior as practical considerations. The supplied sources do not specify a universal prey-to-spider size ratio, so choose prey appropriate for that individual rather than relying on an unsupported measurement.
- Choose an appropriate live feeder. Use the care guidance as a shortlist, not a requirement to offer every listed insect. Crickets and locusts are named by both care approaches; other options vary by source.
- Favor captive-bred prey where the guidance calls for it. The RVC explicitly recommends a selection of captive-bred invertebrates. This is a care recommendation, not a nutrient figure.
- Consider what the feeder does in the enclosure. The RVC notes that mealworms may bury into substrate, making them harder to manage and one reason they are not typically recommended. A theoretically appealing nutrient figure is of limited practical use if the prey is difficult to monitor.
- Offer variety among suitable prey. RVC says dietary variety is important to minimize deficiencies. Variety here is not a proven formula, a guarantee against every deficiency, or a reason to feed an unsuitable prey item; it is the practical guidance supported by the care sheet.
- Use specialty or limited options as directed. RVC places waxworms in the “small quantities” category, while its guidance for young spiders specifically names fruit flies. Do not generalize those details into a universal feeding schedule; the sources do not provide one.
How do you feed live prey safely?
Do not leave multiple crickets or other prey in the enclosure at once. The University of Illinois veterinary guidance warns that hungry feeder insects may bite the spider and recommends removing food the tarantula has not eaten within about 10 minutes.
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That advice makes observation and prompt removal part of feeder choice. A live insect is not just a nutrient package: it remains active in the enclosure. If the tarantula does not take the prey, remove it rather than assuming it is harmless because it is a commonly used feeder. Avoid adding several insects at once; the Illinois source specifically cautions against that practice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should you take away from nutrient tables?
Use a nutrient table to understand that feeders differ, not to calculate a tarantula diet. In this set of figures, locusts lead for listed dry-matter protein, mealworms for fat, and crickets have the highest listed Ca:P ratio. None of those comparisons establishes which prey produces the best tarantula health, and the ratios do not authorize reptile-style supplementation.
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For a practical choice, combine the direct care guidance with the limits of the evidence: offer appropriate live prey, favor variety and captive-bred invertebrates, be cautious about feeders the care sheet limits or discourages, and remove uneaten prey promptly. If you are trying to address a specific health or feeding concern, these comparative tables cannot diagnose it or substitute for advice from a veterinarian experienced with invertebrates.
Sources and scope
The direct care recommendations here come from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine’s tarantula guidance and the RVC tarantula care factsheet, reviewed November 2023. The numerical composition comparisons come from Merck’s reptile-food table and are reported on a dry-matter basis. The research study compared feeder composition against rat or poultry requirements, not tarantula outcomes. Accordingly, this article does not claim a definitive most nutritious feeder, a tarantula feeding schedule, or a tarantula-specific mineral requirement.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do tarantulas need calcium-dusted insects?
The sources cited here do not establish a tarantula calcium requirement or recommend dusting prey. Merck’s calcium-to-phosphorus discussion is for reptiles, so it cannot by itself justify applying reptile supplementation practices to tarantulas.
Does gut-loading prove that a feeder is more nutritious for a tarantula?
No tarantula outcome is demonstrated by the cited study of feeder insects raised on enhanced diets. Illinois names gut-loaded insects as food options, but the available evidence does not show that gut-loading produces a particular health benefit for tarantulas.
Are the protein percentages the amount a tarantula gets from a live insect?
No. The listed percentages are on a dry-matter basis, excluding water, and are not the same as percentages by weight of a live feeder. The supplied table does not give moisture values needed to translate them into an as-fed figure.
Can a tarantula eat fruit flies?
The RVC specifically includes Drosophila fruit flies for young spiders. That recommendation is age-qualified in the care sheet; it is not a general claim that fruit flies suit tarantulas of every size.
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