Spiders are fascinating creatures all around the world; that is why a number of kids and adults like to keep them as pets.
People show great interest in knowing spiders’ daily habits, food-eating activities, and their unique abilities because spiders are literally quieter than any other pet. It is exciting to watch them hunting insects and building their own homes. This is why it is exciting to adopt different species of spiders as pets.
Are you also planning to buy a spider? Are you wondering how long a house spider lives without food or water?
Well, spiders can live for months and even years without drinking and eating (when they are fasting), but it actually varies according to their size and species. You might have seen spiders in your room or bathroom’s corner living without water and food for so long.
This article covers detailed information about the eating and drinking routine of some common spiders and pet spiders; style along to explore!
How are Spiders Unique?
Now, many people, instead of getting scared of spiders, make them their pets. Yes, there are many spider species that are not harmful and can be adopted as pets.
If the spiders get a healthy environment to thrive, they can live even for two decades. An essential factor for having a spider is taking care of its diet, as it is the main reason for its health maintenance.
You can keep your pet spiders in a cage under a controlled environment so you can feed them directly.
What do Spiders Like to Eat?
Before keeping the spiders as pets, it is essential to consider the fact that they are carnivores so they can hunt their prey to live and survive, and they like to eat mealworms, crickets, Superworm, and even roaches. These insects are healthy meals for the spiders, and they love to hunt, kill, and eat them.
But you can also feed your pet spider, and the food that your pet spiders love to eat depends upon its size, maturity level, and native environment. You can also make your spider addicted to certain insects by feeding them repeatedly; for instance, if you have bought Mealworms and Superworms for them, you can buy the same insects from the store regularly.
The insects must be stored live and then should be served to the spider as live bait, so they get pleased to hunt them on their own.
● Insects for Small Spiders:
You can neither feed a random amount of insects to your spider nor any size. For smaller spider species, one well-grown cricket is sufficient for one meal. Even some species can spend several days eating one large cricket. It means feeding spiders isn’t anything strenuous; it can be expanded from every other day to one week.
● Insects for Massive Spiders:
The spiders that are big in size; probably need two or more crickets, but it depends upon the cricket size. With time, it becomes easier to understand which of the insects is your spider’s favorite one, how much it can eat in one meal, and how often it really needs to be fed.
If you want to get a clue about its favorite insect, you can figure out the native insects of your spider.
How Frequently do Spiders Eat?
Just like the quantity of the food, it also depends upon the size and species of the spiders. If spiders are young, they will need food on a daily basis to build their metabolism and to aid in their growth.
But, when they are mature or learn hunting skills, they can be fed after every alternative day; it will help them to maintain a healthy weight. If an average-sized spider gets a cricket after every other day, they will feel happy and healthy.
Apart from being carnivores, spiders are also nocturnal, so you can feed them at night, but they prefer to hunt and move around the home in the early morning hours.
You can put one or two crickets at the place of the spider before bed; in the morning, you will find them fully fed and well slept. Providing them in the daytime is not even wrong, but chances are they will hunt the live prey at night, particularly if your spider is older.
Periodically, your pet will go on fasts and will not eat like its regular routine, and these fasts can prolong from a few days to a few weeks – vary for every spider.
There is nothing to be worried about their fasting routine as it happens when they are in the mood of homemaking and eating on their reserves.
The bodies of spiders change and acclimate to their environment; this way, their eating routine also keeps changing throughout their life.
How is it Possible for Spiders to Live So Long Without Food Or Water?
Spiders can live about four to eight weeks without food and for three weeks without water; actually, spiders can store water and food within them that help them use at the time of fasting or when they don’t have anything for them. If their food storage is consumed, still, they can spend many weeks without having access to food.
If you are feeding your spider after several weeks, you are supposed to give them the insect that is live and in a smaller size than usual. Your spider really likes to eat live insects because they are attracted by their movement. Moreover, the spiders like to eat insects that are smaller in size than their abdomen. If you give them large insects, they will overeat and get sick.
The following are different species of spiders and their ability to avoid in the absence of prey:
● American House Spider
Often, the American House Spider keeps a special reserve of food stored once it is used up; they can still live four to eight weeks without food and water.
American House Spiders can survive this long because they get protein by eating their web.
● Wolf Spider
Without food, Adult Wolf spiders are capable of spending more than three weeks; as far as water is concerned, they can spend a week without water. More than one week means they are pushing their limit.
● Black Widow Spider
If the prey is scarce, Black Widow Spiders can spend almost a year without eating as they can lower their metabolism to meager metabolism rates. Averagely, spiders can live only one week without water but several months without food.
● Brown Recluse Spider
Adult Brown Recluse Spiders can survive almost 1 to 2 years without prey.
● Daddy Longlegs
Daddy longlegs spiders have the ability to regulate their metabolism according to food availability. On average, they can survive up to 2 months without drinking and eating food.
However, Daddy Longlegs are capable of spending a long time without food but not water because they are susceptible to dehydration.
● Jumping Spider
In unavailable situations, adult Jumping Spiders can last about a month without food, but without water, they can not spend more than a week.
Conversely, the baby Jumping Spiders can last about five days without food but less than five days without water.
● Chilean Rose Tarantula
An adult Chilean Rose Tarantulas can live one year or two years without prey; particularly, if they have water available throughout their time.
If the spiders are juvenile, their survival time without food is downsized.
● The Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula
By pushing limits, these Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula spiders can survive without food for more than two years. If these spiders get water consistently, on average, they can live without water for almost five months.
How About Their Water Intake?
Water is necessary for spiders as they need it to stay hydrated, and they need water even more frequently than food; therefore, they try to get water from different resources.
Many spiders get their moisture from the prey they hunt; wild spiders get water even from dewdrops over the tree leaves, bushes, web. House spiders get water from the window sill, while the pet spiders are provided with a water dish.
Spiders are also sensitive to the water type, so when you give water to your spider, ensure that it is fresh and chemical-free. If your spider has not drunk the provided water, you are supposed to change it regularly.
Spiders of different species and sizes drink different amounts of water. A small spider needs a little water (like a cap of a small pet bottle) to quench its thirst, and this water is enough for a couple of days. Instead of the bottle cap, you can also use a shallow dish so the spider can easily access the wide space.
Those spiders that need a lot of water want a humid tropical environment; hence, it is essential to understand the native habitat of your pet spiders then fulfill their water needs according to their requirement.
Baby Spiders – How Long Can it Remain Without Food Or Water?
The baby spiders and adult spiders have different stamina of storing food in their bodies; therefore, their duration of living without water and food is also different. Adult fish can spend even months without eating food, but smaller fish can not regulate their metabolism so well.
Thus overall, spiderlings or baby spiders can go for a month without eating but a week without drinking.
How Can Spiders Live Without Food or Water for So Long?
Spiders can live without food for so long because they evolve their metabolism according to their situations and environment in scarcity of food. A carnivorous diet and the low metabolism rate of the spiders help them live without food for a long time because they consume their available energy.
Like other organisms, spiders also need water, but many desert species die due to dehydration because their only water source is their prey. So, despite metabolism regulation, spiders need water to survive.
When It Comes To Food And Water Scarcity, What are Most Capable Spiders?
Almost all spiders are strong-willed and can last one to two months without food, but a few spiders are more capable of surviving in scarcity because they have low metabolism. Spiders with high metabolism have less chance of survival than those with low metabolism rates because they burn less energy and consume reserved food slowly.
When it comes to scarcity, the following are the spiders who can live longer:
● Tarantulas
Tarantulas are large-sized spiders that can store a larger water and food reservoir to go much longer than smaller-sized spiders. Many Tarantulas are extraordinary as they can last up to 2 ½ years without eating.
● Web Building Spiders
Web-building spiders can eat parts of their web (like cobweb spiders) to get the protein they have spent making the web. This way, these spiders always have a food backup for them that they consume whenever needed.
Can a Pet Spider Survive for Long Vacation?
Spider is a sustaining creature as it can endure a lot. If you go on vacation by leaving your spider alone, it will feel okay and enjoy the time well, even without having anyone around.
You just need to take a few safety measures, and then you can enjoy your vacation, and your spider can enjoy its stay at home.
And, here are those tips for serving the pet spiders before going on vacations:
- Before leaving your home, feed your spider and ensure that he has eaten his food. Leaving the live prey in the tank is risky, so don’t do that. Herbivore insects can attack a molting spider, so be careful.
- To provide water, you can take a medium mister to spray around the sides of the tank so that the spider can drink the water. Don’t spay over the spider or on the ground; you can keep the water bowl, but the spray can provide better moisture.
- The increase or decrease in the temperature of your spider habitat can put him under stress, which is dangerous.
- Must check the security all-around your spider – look into the cage and examine everything inside and around it. You also need to check the rips in the screen and lock. Don’t forget to remove everything that can harm your spider in any way. Removing the items from the shelf that is close to the tank is also recommended.
- Keep the things hassle-free; abrupt rearranging the tank can give the spider stress. If you want to do the setting of the spider tank, you can do it a couple of weeks before your vacation.
How Long Does It Take For A Spider To Go Into Starvation – Overview
So, till now, we have found that it is common for spiders to live without food and water. A spider can safely fall into starvation for 30 to 120+ days.
The spiders that are large in size, such as Tranualas, can survive longer because they have a larger reserve of water and food in their bodies. Spiders that are small in size, such as jumping spiders, if they starve, their lifespan will get shorter.
Though smaller spiders can also push their limits by regulating their metabolism, still, without water and food, they won’t last long.
Our Summary
All species of spiders are not scary because many of those species can be your pet; however, whether it is your pet or not, spiders’ eating and drinking style is very mysterious because spiders can live so long without preying on others.
This article has elaborated on how long can a house spider live without food or water, which species have more capabilities to live without food and water, and why spiders can live so long without water. So, if you are also curious about this all, you can explore this article and spend a good time with your spider.