Your spider turned down food again. You offered the prey, they looked away, maybe retreated to the corner. Now you’re worried. Here is how to figure out why, and what to do about it, in the next ten minutes.
Why Your Jumping Spider Stopped Eating: The Short Answer
The most common reason a jumping spider stops eating is premolt: the process of shedding its exoskeleton. Check for a darkened or swollen abdomen and extra silk woven around the retreat. If you see those signs, remove live prey and leave your spider alone. Most premolt fasts resolve within one to three weeks.
That covers roughly half of all food-refusal cases. The rest of this guide walks through every other cause in order of how often it actually happens.
Key Takeaways
- Premolt is the most likely cause. Look for a dark or swollen abdomen and a sealed retreat.
- Prey too large? The feeder should be no bigger than the spider’s abdomen.
- Temperature too low? Below 68 F (20 C) and digestion slows to a crawl.
- Newly arrived spider? Give it at least one week to settle before worrying.
- Dehydration can suppress appetite. Check for a shrivelled abdomen and offer a water droplet.
- Handling stress is real. A session before feeding will often kill the hunt instinct for the day.
- No eating, plus lethargy, plus shrivelled abdomen for more than 3 to 4 weeks is vet time.
The Decision Tree: Work Through This in Order
Think of this as a flowchart. Start at Step 1 and stop as soon as you find your answer.
Step 1: How Many Days Has It Been?
Under 5 days: Not a problem yet. Jumping spiders are intermittent hunters and can comfortably skip several meals. Adult spiders only need feeding every 5 to 7 days. If your spider is otherwise active and alert, put the feeder away and try again in two days.
5 to 14 days: Worth investigating. Move through the steps below.
More than 14 days with no food taken and no molt: Start at Step 6 (illness signs). Something environmental or physiological needs addressing.
Step 2: Is This Premolt? (Most Likely Cause)
Premolt fasting accounts for the majority of food-refusal reports from keepers. Before a molt, the spider’s body rebuilds the exoskeleton underneath the old one. Hunting is both physically difficult and risky during this window.
Signs your spider is in premolt:
- Abdomen looks darker than usual, sometimes almost charcoal
- Abdomen looks swollen or unusually round
- Spider has laid extra thick silk inside the retreat and may have sealed the entrance
- Spider is less responsive to prey movement but not lethargic
- No interest in food for 5 to 14 days
What to do: Remove any live feeders immediately. A cricket left in the enclosure can bite a molting spider and cause serious injury. Mist one corner lightly every other day. Leave the spider completely alone: no handling, no disturbing the retreat. Check on it once a day from a distance.
Timeline to resolve: Most premolt fasts last 1 to 3 weeks. After the molt you will see the shed skin. Wait 5 to 7 days before offering food again. The new exoskeleton needs time to harden, and the fangs must be fully dark before hunting is safe.
For a full walkthrough of what to expect, see our guide on jumping spider molting signs and timeline.
Step 3: Is the Prey the Right Size and Type?
Jumping spiders are visual hunters. If the prey looks too big to take down safely, they will walk away. This is instinct, not stubbornness.
The size rule: The feeder should be no longer than the spider’s abdomen and no wider. When in doubt, go smaller.
Signs prey size is the problem:
- Spider approaches, studies the prey, then backs off
- Spider shows stalking behavior but won’t commit to a strike
- Spider has been eating fine until you switched to a larger feeder
What to do: Downsize. If you have been offering adult crickets, try small crickets, waxworms, or bottle flies. If the spider is very small (sling or juvenile), fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are the right starting point.
Some individuals also have preferences. A spider that consistently refuses crickets but takes flies readily is just being selective, not ill.
Timeline to resolve: Usually immediate. Offer the correctly sized prey at the next feeding window.
See the complete feeder guide for size charts by spider instar.
Step 4: Are Temperature and Humidity in Range?
Jumping spiders are ectotherms. Their metabolism is directly tied to ambient temperature. A spider in a cool room will digest slowly, feel “full” longer, and lose the drive to hunt.
Target parameters:
- Temperature: 72 to 82 F (22 to 28 C) during the day
- Humidity: 60 to 80%
- Photoperiod: 12 to 14 hours of light daily (natural light or a full-spectrum lamp)
Signs temperature or humidity is the problem:
- Spider is sluggish and slow to track prey
- Enclosure sits in a cool corner or away from windows in winter
- Abdomen looks slightly shrivelled (low humidity or dehydration)
- Spider drinks eagerly from a misted drop but ignores food
What to do:
- Move the enclosure to a warmer, brighter spot for 30 minutes before offering prey
- Mist one corner of the enclosure lightly every 2 days to maintain humidity
- If the shrivelled abdomen is obvious, offer a small droplet of water on the glass wall. Watch for your spider to drink before worrying about food.
Timeline to resolve: Within one feeding cycle (a few days) after conditions are corrected.
Step 5: Was the Spider Recently Moved or Handled?
Newly acquired and recently relocated spiders are often too stressed to eat. A jumping spider that was shipped, moved to a new enclosure, or handled extensively before feeding time needs time to feel safe.
Signs stress is the problem:
- Spider arrived within the last 7 to 14 days
- Spider was handled for an extended session shortly before feeding
- Enclosure was recently redecorated or moved to a new location
- Spider spent time outside its enclosure before the feeding attempt
What to do: Give the spider a full week of quiet time. Place the enclosure somewhere calm, offer prey, and leave the room. Many keepers find that a spider ignoring food in front of them will eat overnight on its own.
Minimising handling in the first week or two after acquisition is the single most effective way to get a new spider eating. Our jumping spider handling guide has the step-by-step taming progression.
Step 6: Could It Be Dehydration?
Dehydration is the most commonly overlooked cause of appetite loss in captive jumping spiders. A dehydrated spider lacks the hemolymph pressure to move and hunt normally.
Signs of dehydration:
- Abdomen looks distinctly shrivelled or wrinkled (compare to photos when the spider was healthy)
- Spider is sluggish and slow to respond to movement
- Spider has not had fresh water access recently
What to do: Mist the glass wall of the enclosure and watch for your spider to walk over and drink. Do this before each feeding attempt if the enclosure is on the dry side. A small, shallow bottle cap of water placed in the enclosure also works for spiders that ground-drink.
Timeline to resolve: A spider that rehydrates over 24 to 48 hours usually resumes eating at the next feeding attempt.
See our dedicated guide on jumping spider dehydration signs and treatment.
Step 7: Is Something Actually Wrong?
Most food refusals have a benign explanation covered above. But occasionally the answer is illness or injury. This is uncommon in jumping spiders kept in good conditions, but it happens.
Signs that may indicate something more serious:
- Spider has not eaten in more than 3 to 4 weeks and no molt has occurred
- Spider is hanging at the bottom of the enclosure instead of in the retreat
- Abdomen is severely shrivelled despite adequate humidity
- Legs are curled under the body (“death curl” position)
- Spider is unresponsive to movement or touch
What to do: An exotic-animal vet with arachnid experience is your next step. Internal parasites, infections, and injuries are not diagnosable from the outside. If your spider is in the death curl position, check the sick jumping spider guide while you locate a vet.
Causes at a Glance
| Cause | Key symptom | Fix | Time to resolve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premolt | Dark or swollen abdomen, sealed retreat, extra silk | Remove prey, raise humidity slightly, leave alone | 1 to 3 weeks until molt |
| Prey too large or wrong type | Stalks but won’t strike; backs away | Downsize feeder; try a different prey type | Immediate (next feeding) |
| Temperature too low | Sluggish, slow tracking, ignores prey | Move to warmer spot; check ambient temp | 1 to 3 days |
| New or stressed spider | Recently arrived or handled; otherwise alert | Leave alone for 7 to 14 days | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Dehydration | Shrivelled abdomen, lethargy | Mist glass; offer water; let spider drink before feeding | 1 to 2 days |
| Already full | Active, alert, just ate recently | Skip a feeding cycle | Next week |
| Illness or injury | 3 or more weeks no food, death curl, unresponsiveness | Exotic-animal vet | Depends on diagnosis |
After the Molt: Getting Your Spider Eating Again
The post-molt window confuses a lot of keepers. Your spider has just molted (you can see the old skin) and you immediately want to celebrate with a cricket. Hold off.
After a molt the new exoskeleton is soft and the fangs are not yet hardened. Offering prey too soon can result in the spider being bitten instead of doing the biting. Wait at least 5 to 7 days before offering small, soft prey (waxworms or small flies are ideal for the first post-molt meal). Normal-sized prey can resume after 7 to 10 days.
When to Contact a Vet: The Honest Version
The vast majority of jumping spider food-refusal cases resolve on their own within 1 to 3 weeks once the underlying cause is addressed. You do not need a vet for premolt fasting, prey-size issues, or a newly arrived spider that takes 10 days to settle.
You should contact an exotic-animal vet when:
- No food has been taken in more than 3 to 4 weeks and no molt has occurred
- The abdomen is severely shrivelled despite corrected humidity
- The spider is hanging downward at the bottom or showing a curled-leg posture
- There is visible injury (missing leg, oozing wound)
- The spider was healthy and deteriorated rapidly over 1 to 2 days with no obvious environmental cause
Finding an arachnid-experienced vet takes effort. Not all exotic vets see spiders. Search exotics directories or ask in the spider-keeping community for recommendations before a crisis hits, so you already know who to call.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a jumping spider go without eating?
A healthy adult jumping spider can go 2 to 4 weeks without food without harm, particularly during premolt. Some older adults have gone a month with no ill effects. Spiderlings and juveniles have less reserve and should not go more than 10 to 14 days without a meal. The key variable is body condition: a spider with a plump, round abdomen has reserves; a spider with a shrivelled abdomen is in more urgent need of food and water.
Why is my jumping spider refusing food but acting normal?
A jumping spider that is alert, active, and tracking movement but refusing to eat is almost always either in premolt, too full, or being offered prey that is too large. Check the abdomen: if it is darker than usual or slightly swollen, premolt is the most likely answer. If it looks normal, try offering smaller prey at the next feeding window. A spider that is “acting normal” is not sick.
Should I be worried if my jumping spider hasn’t eaten in a week?
Not necessarily. Adult jumping spiders only need feeding every 5 to 7 days, so one skipped meal is within normal range. Start paying attention if the fast exceeds 10 to 14 days with no molt. At that point work through the decision tree above: check enclosure temperature, humidity, prey size, and signs of premolt. A single missed meal from a spider that otherwise looks healthy and active is rarely cause for concern.
Can a jumping spider starve to death quickly?
No. Jumping spiders are surprisingly resilient about short fasts and will not starve in a matter of days. The risk window opens after 3 to 4 weeks of no food with no molt, especially if the abdomen is also shrivelling. The combination of prolonged food refusal plus dehydration (shrivelled abdomen) plus lethargy is when you need to act. Any one of those symptoms alone, in the absence of the others, is usually explained by premolt or a correctable environmental issue.
My jumping spider ate yesterday but won’t eat today. Is that normal?
Yes. Jumping spiders do not eat every day. Adult spiders typically eat every 5 to 7 days, and juveniles every 3 to 5 days. Offering food every day is too frequent and can lead to stress from repeated prey-exposure. Put the feeder away and try again in a few days. If the spider ate a meal yesterday and seems alert today, it is almost certainly just full.
What prey is best for a jumping spider that has stopped eating?
If your spider has been refusing its usual prey, try smaller or softer options. Waxworms, small fruit flies, and bottle flies are often accepted by reluctant feeders. Live, moving prey is much more likely to be taken than dead or still prey. If your spider is very small (juvenile or spiderling), fruit flies are almost always the right answer. If the spider is an adult that normally takes crickets, try a smaller cricket or a blue bottle fly and see if that breaks the refusal.
The Bottom Line
A jumping spider that stops eating is almost always either preparing to molt, too cold, stressed from a recent move, or being offered the wrong prey size. Work through the decision tree above in order. The answer is usually found in the first three steps.
If you want to prevent most feeding problems before they start, the complete jumping spider care guide covers every environmental parameter in detail. Regal jumping spider keepers will find the species-specific feeding section in the Phidippus regius care guide useful.
The single most reassuring thing experienced keepers say is this: a healthy jumping spider that is not eating is almost always a jumping spider that is about to molt. Give it time, check the enclosure conditions, and resist the urge to intervene when there is nothing to fix.