If you're wondering do tarantulas eat mealworms, the short answer is a big, resounding yes. In fact, mealworms are one of the most common staples in the hobby, and most keepers keep a tub of them in the fridge just in case. They're easy to find, cheap, and provide a solid nutritional punch for your eight-legged friends.
But just because they can eat them doesn't mean you should just toss a handful into the enclosure and call it a day. There are a few quirks about mealworms—and tarantulas themselves—that you should probably know before you make them the primary source of food for your spider.
Why Mealworms are a Staple in the Hobby
If you've ever dealt with crickets, you know they can be a bit of a nightmare. They smell, they jump, they die for no reason, and they can actually be pretty aggressive toward a molting tarantula. This is exactly why so many people ask if tarantulas eat mealworms as an alternative.
Mealworms are the larvae of the darkling beetle. From a nutritional standpoint, they are high in protein and fat. This makes them excellent for "power feeding" or helping a skinny tarantula put on some weight after a long fast or a particularly taxing molt. Plus, they stay "fresh" for a long time. You can keep a container of them in the refrigerator for weeks, and they just go into a dormant state, which is incredibly convenient for keepers who only have one or two spiders.
Another reason they're so popular is that they don't fight back much. Unlike a large cricket or a dubia roach that might try to scurry away or even bite, a mealworm just kind of wiggles. For a shy tarantula or a spiderling (sling) that's a bit intimidated by fast-moving prey, a mealworm is a very easy target.
The One Big Problem: The Burrowing Habit
The biggest downside to mealworms—and something every keeper finds out the hard way at least once—is their instinct to dig. The second a mealworm hits the substrate, its first mission in life is to disappear underground.
If your tarantula doesn't grab the mealworm immediately, that worm is going to vanish into the dirt. This creates a couple of problems. First, your tarantula isn't going to go "mining" for its dinner. If it's a terrestrial or arboreal species that waits for prey to walk by, a buried mealworm is a lost meal.
Second, if that mealworm stays buried, it eventually turns into a beetle. While some tarantulas will eat the beetles, many find them unpalatable because of their hard shells and the chemical defenses they can put off. Even worse, if your tarantula goes into a molt while a stray mealworm or beetle is wandering around the enclosure, your spider is at risk. Tarantulas are incredibly soft and vulnerable during and after a molt, and even a "harmless" mealworm can nibble on them.
How to Prevent Burrowing
To get around the digging issue, many keepers use the "head-crushing" method. It sounds a bit gruesome, but if you take a pair of feeding tongs and give the mealworm's head a quick squeeze before dropping it in, the worm will still wiggle (which triggers the tarantula's hunting instinct) but it won't be able to dig.
Alternatively, you can use a shallow feeding dish. If the sides are smooth enough, the mealworm can't climb out, and your tarantula can just reach in and grab a snack whenever it feels like it. This is a great way to keep the enclosure clean and ensure no "stragglers" end up living in the substrate.
Feeding Mealworms to Spiderlings (Slings)
When you have tiny baby tarantulas, finding food small enough can be a challenge. This is where mealworms really shine. Even if you have a sling that's only a quarter-inch long, you can use mealworms.
You don't even need to find "mini" mealworms. A common trick in the hobby is to cut a regular-sized mealworm into small segments. Since slings are scavengers by nature in the wild, they will happily wander over to a piece of a mealworm and start eating. It's a lot easier than trying to hunt down fruit flies or pinhead crickets that are often too fast for a tiny spider to catch.
Just remember to remove any uneaten pieces of mealworm after 24 hours. They can get moldy or attract mites pretty quickly in the humid environment that many slings require.
Comparison: Mealworms vs. Superworms
It's easy to get mealworms confused with superworms, but they aren't the same thing. While both are beetle larvae, superworms (Zophobas morio) are much larger, more active, and have much stronger mandibles.
Superworms can actually bite your tarantula. If you're feeding superworms, crushing the head is almost mandatory because they are surprisingly aggressive. Mealworms, on the other hand, are much "chiller." They have a lower chitin (shell) content than superworms, making them a bit easier for smaller tarantulas to digest.
If you have a massive adult T-Rex of a spider, like a Theraphosa blondi (Goliath Birdeater), a single mealworm is barely a snack. In that case, you'd want superworms or roaches. But for most standard-sized pet tarantulas, mealworms are just right.
How Often Should You Feed Them?
Since mealworms are relatively high in fat, you don't necessarily want them to be the only thing your tarantula eats for its entire life. Variety is the spice of life, even for a spider. Rotating between mealworms, crickets, and roaches ensures they get a broader range of nutrients.
For an adult tarantula, one or two mealworms every week or two is usually plenty. For growing juveniles, you might feed them a bit more frequently. Just keep an eye on the abdomen. If your tarantula's "butt" is looking extremely plump and shiny, you can probably back off on the feedings for a while.
Tips for Buying and Storing
When you buy mealworms, you'll usually get them in a plastic tub with some bran or oatmeal. You can keep them like that in the fridge for a long time. However, if you want them to be as nutritious as possible for your tarantula, you should "gut load" them.
Gut loading just means feeding the mealworms high-quality food before they get eaten by the spider. A day before you plan to feed your tarantula, take a few mealworms out of the fridge, put them in a separate container at room temperature, and give them a slice of carrot, potato, or apple. They'll hydrate and fill up on vitamins, which then get passed directly to your tarantula. It makes a huge difference in the long-term health of your pet.
Final Thoughts
So, do tarantulas eat mealworms? They definitely do, and they're a fantastic tool for any keeper to have in their arsenal. They're convenient, quiet, and packed with the energy a growing spider needs.
Just keep that "head-crush" trick in mind so you don't end up with a secret colony of beetles living under your substrate. As long as you manage the burrowing and don't overfeed, mealworms are a safe and effective way to keep your eight-legged companions happy and healthy. Whether you've got a tiny sling or a full-grown display spider, a mealworm is usually a very welcome treat.