Did you wonder just like I did if spiders can starve to death or not? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll give you an in-depth answer to this question and I’ll also answer a few related questions after fully answering the main question, so make sure you keep on reading.
Can spiders starve to death? Just like any other animal on this earth, spiders can starve to death. It is however not that likely that they will die of starvation because spiders don’t need to feed that often to survive. It’s more likely that they’ll die of dehydration.
In what ways can a spider starve to death?
The following aspects are all the ways a spider can starve to death:
- When the spider happens to get stuck.
- If the spider is unable to hunt anymore.
- If the spider cannot find or catch any prey.
- Once the spider is too old.
When the spider happens to get stuck
There are a lot of objects in this world where the spider can get stuck in. The objects are endless but a few examples are a cup, a carton box, or a plastic bag.
If the spider is unable to hunt anymore
Many spider species can amputate their legs (also called “Autotomy”) whenever the situation asks for it. If, for example, the spider happens to get stuck between two rocks or if it happens to get stung by a wasp in its leg, it can in both cases amputate its legs. This is a great survival mechanism but it also means that if the spider amputates one leg too much (making it unable to maneuver normally) that it will likely either starve to death or die of dehydration.
Below you can see a video of a spider with six legs instead of eight (two legs were lost during its lifetime).
There are many other ways that spiders can come to the end of their lives and if you’re interested in finding out what these different ways are then I encourage you to check out the article “In What Ways Can Spiders Die? “All The Possibilities Covered“, which will give you a complete rundown.
If the spider cannot find or catch any prey
For a spider, it is essential to find and catch prey to make sure it can survive. There are situations possible though where the spider could have a hard time finding prey, for example, during colder days. Because of the cold, there will be fewer insects coming to life and therefore the spiders will have a harder time finding their prey.
Another possibility that could occur is when the spider has made different webs at different hunting spots and was unable to catch any prey during its attempts.
Once the spider is too old
Whenever the spider gets too old to hunt accordingly it will run into trouble which will eventually lead to starvation or dying of old age of course. It’s an unfortunate thing but at least, it can be said that the spider has lived a long and fortunate life as many spiders, most of the time don’t even make it this far.
How many days can a spider survive without eating?
In general, spiders make sure that they have a reserve, in case they happen to get themselves into tough situations. Once the reserve runs out then the spider will have between four and eight weeks until it will die of starvation.
The exact time of death for the spider will differ from spider to spider as every spider will be in a different condition and will have therefore either a longer or shorter amount of time to live. These conditions can, for example, be the age of the spider, what spider species it is, and how healthy the spider is.
Do spiders often starve to death?
It does happen that spiders starve to death but it doesn’t happen that often. This is the case because spiders can survive very well without having to eat for longer periods. Also, a lot of spider species don’t have to move at all because they mostly rely on their created webs for food.
Besides, the spider will move on if it happens to not catch anything in its web for a longer period. The spider will then just simply move to another spot with more potential or it might even go out and start actively hunting by walking around. Also, it is more likely that a spider would die of hydration instead of starvation.
Can House spiders starve to death?
They certainly can but they’ll also move to another spot if their current web spot isn’t working out for them. A House spider will however not die of starvation easily as they can survive for a long time without needing to eat much.
Also, they can be decent active hunters as well and don’t necessarily need to always rely on their webs to survive.
Do spiders just wait on their webs also when they don’t catch anything?
Every spider species will eventually leave their webs to find better hunting spots if no prey happens to get stuck in their webs. Many spider species are besides being great passive hunters in their webs also great active searchers/hunters.
This isn’t necessarily something humans get to see that much within their households but I can assure you that different spider species that love to sit in their webs and wait for their prey to come flying in also do actively hunt as well if the need to do so is high.
Related questions
How long does it take for a spider to die of dehydration?
The answer will differ from spider to spider as every single spider is going to be in a different condition meaning it might be young, or old, in a dry, or little moisty environment, or that it, for example, will also differ how long it has been that the spider has been in a moist environment.
Can you feed a spider?
You can feed a spider if you feel like you should help the spider in question. There are different insects you can give, and also certain larger insects you can give to spiders that are a bit larger. Examples of insects you could give to a spider are butterflies, flies, or crickets.
How long will a spider survive under a glass?
This will depend on different conditions which makes it hard to give a precise answer. Examples of these conditions are how hydrated the spider is, and how cold or hot it is under the glass. A wide answer would be that it can take a few hours to a few months.
Conclusion
Now you know that spiders can starve to death just like any other animal. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen that much that spiders starve to death as they don’t need to eat that often to survive.