Female tarantulas of popular ground species typically live 15–20 years or more (Zoo New England; Smithsonian's National Zoo), and a lab colony of curly hair females averaged about 21 years (Criscuolo et al. 2010). Males live only a few years and usually die 1–2 years after their maturing moult. The longest-lived pet species are slow-growing ground dwellers: female Mexican red-knees reach 25–30 years (Animal Diversity Web). Tree-dwelling pink toes are shorter-lived, at about 6–9 years for females.
This page answers the questions keepers ask most: how long do tarantulas live, which kinds live longest, how often they moult at each age, and how to estimate the age of a spider you didn't raise. Every figure comes from a zoo, a study or a care guide, named inline, and the calculator uses the same numbers.
Tarantula lifespan: how long do tarantulas live?
The short answer to how long do tarantulas live is "far longer than most people expect — if they are female". Zoo New England gives the popular Chilean rose 15–20 years or possibly longer, and Smithsonian's National Zoo says females of that species live up to 20 years in human care. The National Wildlife Federation describes tarantulas as long-lived arachnids that can reach 30 years in the wild. In a laboratory colony of curly hair tarantulas, the females averaged about 21 years (7,824 days) from leaving the egg sac to death (Criscuolo et al. 2010).
The long answer depends on sex. Males grow up, make one final moult, then search for a mate and die. In that same lab study the males averaged only about 6 years (2,229 days), and the authors summarise the pattern for the large Theraphosinae group: males mature at 4–8 years and then live only one or two years after their last moult, while females mature at 5–10 years and live about 20 more. That single fact explains most of the confusing "5 years or 25 years?" answers online. If you don't yet know which you have, the male vs female tarantula page walks through sexing and the male maturity timeline.
Pet tarantula lifespan at a glance
- Long-lived ground species: about 15–20 years or more for the kinds most often sold as first pets (Zoo New England; Smithsonian; University of Kentucky).
- Tree-dwellers and small species: shorter. One study summarised on Wikipedia gives the common tree-dwelling pink toe 6–9 years.
- Males of every kind: a few years in total, and usually one or two after the maturing moult (Criscuolo et al. 2010).
- Upper limit in our sources: about 30 years (National Wildlife Federation; Animal Diversity Web's Mexican red-knee account). The calculator treats anything older as an input error.
So the pet tarantula lifespan you should plan for is the long one. Animal Diversity Web notes that Mexican red-knee tarantulas can live 25–30 years — longer than many dogs and cats. A child given a spiderling at ten could still be caring for it at thirty, so think about who will look after it if you move, travel or go to university.
Why the numbers you read online disagree
Care sheets quote everything from 5 to 30 years for the same animal. Three things cause most of the spread. First, many figures mix the sexes. Second, some count from hatching while others count from the day of purchase. Third, wild-caught adults arrive at an unknown age, so their "lifespan in captivity" is really only part of a life. The calculator keeps the sexes apart, counts from hatching, and labels where a number comes from — a zoo, a study or a pet-care guide.
Pet tarantula lifespan by species
The table gives one line for each popular pet species we cover, with typical ranges for each sex. Click a name for that species' own calculator and care notes. The "Basis" column tells you how solid each figure is: zoo fact sheets and lab studies first, pet-care guides only where nothing better exists.
| Species | Females | Males | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose hair Grammostola rosea | 15–20 years | 2–5 years | Zoo |
| Brazilian black Grammostola pulchra | about 20 years | 6–8 years | Zoo |
| Curly hair Tliltocatl albopilosus | 19.4–23.4 years | 5.8–6.4 years | Lab study |
| Green bottle blue Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens | 12–14 years | 3–4 years | Pet-care guides |
| Pink toe Avicularia avicularia | 6–9 years | 2–3 years | Study (via Wikipedia) |
| Brazilian jewel Typhochlaena seladonia | 6–9 years | 2–3 years | No data — pink toe proxy |
Ranges are typical captive figures, not maximums. "About 20 years" means the source gives a single figure. One captive male Chilean rose lived about 8.5 years, with three as an adult — an exception its authors described as outside the usual range (Cortés-Fossati & Martín-Rodríguez 2022).
Two patterns stand out. Heavy-bodied ground dwellers sit at the long end. Fast-growing and tree-dwelling species sit lower. Growth speed and lifespan seem to go together: Beardsley Zoo describes the Brazilian black as slow-growing, with females taking around 8 years to mature, and it is also one of the longest-lived in the table.
Which tarantula lives the longest?
Among the species on this site, the curly hair has the best data, at about 19–23 years for females in a laboratory colony, and the rose hair and Brazilian black reach about 20 years in zoo care. Beyond our six, Animal Diversity Web lists female Mexican red-knees at 25–30 years and wild desert tarantulas (Aphonopelma chalcodes) at up to 20, or 25 in captivity. So when someone asks which tarantula lives the longest, the honest answer is: a female of a slow-growing ground species from the Americas, kept well, with 20–30 years possible.
Tarantula molting by age
A tarantula grows by shedding its whole outer skeleton — in females that includes the lining of the sperm stores, which is why a female must mate again after each moult (Smithsonian's National Zoo). During the moult the spider lies on its back and should not be disturbed (University of Illinois vet college). How often that happens depends far more on age than on species, which is why tarantula molting by age is one of the best clues to where your spider is in its life.
| Stage | How often | What you'll notice |
|---|---|---|
| Sling (first year) | Very often: every 2 weeks for the first 4 months in the Mexican red-knee (ADW); 5–6 moults in the first year in the Chilean rose (Smithsonian) | Feeds well between moults; refuses food for a short time before each one |
| Juvenile | Less and less often as it grows (ADW); intervals stretch from weeks to months | Each moult adds size; colours often change |
| Adult that keeps growing | About once a year, or once every other year, depending on age and species (Cincinnati Zoo) | Each moult also replaces worn hairs and sheds any stored sperm (Smithsonian) |
| Mature male | Usually never again — the maturing moult is the last (ADW; Criscuolo et al. 2010) | Hooks and palpal bulbs appear at that last moult |
How often do tarantulas molt?
Very young spiders moult every couple of weeks: Animal Diversity Web says Mexican red-knee spiderlings moult every 2 weeks for their first 4 months, and Smithsonian's National Zoo expects five or six moults in a Chilean rose's first year. The gaps then stretch. The Cincinnati Zoo describes adults moulting once a year or once every other year, depending on age and species. In the curly hair lab study, spiderlings went through four moults in their first year before being moved to larger boxes for the juvenile moults (Criscuolo et al. 2010).
The answer to how often do tarantulas molt changes again at maturity. Adult females keep moulting for life — that is how they keep growing, and Animal Diversity Web notes that moulting also removes external parasites and fungus and renews worn sensory and protective hairs. A mature male usually never moults again (ADW; Criscuolo et al. 2010). The moult that gives him his mating hooks and palpal bulbs is his last.
Signs a moult is coming
- Refusing food: tarantulas fast before a moult (University of Illinois vet college).
- Darker, duller colours and, in species with a bald patch, a dark shiny abdomen as the new skin shows through.
- Webbing a mat or sealing the burrow, then lying on its back. That is normal — don't flip it over.
- Afterwards: the new skin and fangs need time to harden, so remove live insects that could nibble the soft spider. Wikipedia's care notes for one small species suggest waiting 3–7 days before feeding juveniles and 5–10 days for adults.
How to tell how old your tarantula is
There is no ring, tooth or scale that dates a tarantula, so how to tell a tarantula's age really means "narrow it down". These are the clues that work, from most to least useful:
- A record from the seller. If you buy from a breeder, ask for the hatch date or the sling's size at sale, and keep it. A wild-caught adult has no reliable age.
- Size against the species' adult size. A spider well under the adult leg span for its species is still growing. Smithsonian's National Zoo gives adult female Chilean roses about 5 in (12–13 cm) across the legs, for example.
- Moult frequency. Several moults a year means a young spider; one moult every year or two means an adult (see the table above).
- Adult male features. Tibial hooks and swollen palpal bulbs mean a male has made his final moult — so he is at the end of his life, whatever his age in years.
- Colour changes. Several species change pattern as they grow, such as tree-dwelling pink toes, whose juveniles have dark feet and pinkish bodies before the colours reverse (Wikipedia; Fukushima & Bertani 2017).
The limits matter. Growth speed changes with temperature and food: Animal Diversity Web notes that captive Mexican red-knees mature faster than wild ones. A well-fed spider can be years "ahead" of a lean one of the same age. So the calculator asks for an age you already know — or the time since you bought it as a sling — rather than guessing from size.
What shortens a tarantula's life
Most pet tarantulas that die young don't die of old age. These are the common causes reported by vets, labs and care guides. This is general information only: for a hurt or sick spider, look for an exotic-animal vet who treats invertebrates.
| Risk | What the sources say | How to reduce it |
|---|---|---|
| Falls | A drop onto a hard floor can split the soft abdomen. A lab case report describes a fatal abdominal tear with blood (haemolymph) loss; the cause — a fall or the moult itself — could not be told (University of Guelph). | Keep enclosures low for heavy ground-dwellers, avoid handling over hard floors, and don't let tree-dwellers climb high above a hard base. |
| Dehydration | A keeper forum relays an invertebrate vet's view that dehydration was the most common diagnosis they saw (keeper anecdote, Arachnoboards). | Always offer a water dish (University of Kentucky). |
| Bad moults | Moult problems are one of the most common reasons tarantulas see a vet (University of Illinois vet college). | Never pull at a moulting spider; ask an exotic vet. |
| Stale, wet air | Setups kept too wet and stagnant kill tree-dwelling species (Wikipedia, citing keepers and studies of Avicularia). | Ventilation plus a water dish, not a soaked enclosure. |
| Parasites and mould | Oral nematodes are a known reason for vet visits (University of Illinois); mould grows without air exchange (University of Kentucky). | Ventilated lid; remove leftover prey; see a vet for white discharge around the mouth. |
| Pesticides | Tarantulas are spiders, so household insect sprays and treated soil are a danger. | Use plain, untreated organic soil (University of Kentucky) and keep sprays out of the room. |
Handling safety: hairs and bites
Many species from the Americas defend themselves by flicking barbed urticating hairs from the abdomen. The National Wildlife Federation says these cause minor irritation in people, but they can be miserable in eyes or on sensitive skin, so wash your hands after enclosure work and never rub your eyes. All tarantulas have fangs and venom; Animal Diversity Web compares the bite of the desert tarantula to a bee sting, and the NWF says tarantula venom isn't toxic enough to threaten humans — but allergies are possible. The University of Kentucky's advice is simplest: tarantulas are best not handled at all, which also protects the spider from falls.
Tarantula lifespan in the wild
Out of doors the pattern is the same, only harsher. Animal Diversity Web's account of the desert tarantula of the US Southwest says both sexes take about 8–10 years to mature; males then live only 2–3 months after their final moult, while females continue to moult and may live 20 years. In south-eastern Colorado, National Wildlife magazine describes male Oklahoma brown tarantulas (Aphonopelma hentzi) maturing at 5–10 years, walking up to a mile in search of a female, and dying within months — from predators, cars, cold, or the female herself — while females live around 30 years.
So the tarantula lifespan in the wild is long for females that keep a safe burrow and short for wandering males. Most spiderlings never reach adulthood: Animal Diversity Web notes that most desert tarantula spiderlings don't survive to sexual maturity. Wild figures are therefore not a target for a pet; they show what the species can do when nothing goes wrong.
How this tarantula lifespan calculator works
Pick a species and sex, and enter an age. The calculator looks up the typical range for that species and sex from one shared data table — the same one used on every tarantula page on this site, so a 5-year-old female curly hair gives the same answer here, on the male vs female page and on the curly hair page. It treats the middle of the range as the average. "Unsexed" uses the female range and also shows the male figure.
Worked examples with the curly hair's lab figures: a 2-year-old female has used about 9% of an average lifespan, a 5-year-old about 23% and a 10-year-old about 47%, with about 11.4 years left on average. A mature male is handled differently: once a male has made his maturing moult, years left come from the post-maturity range instead — for the curly hair, 0.9–1.5 years after that moult (Criscuolo et al. 2010). For "Other or not sure", a female uses 6–30 years, so a 5-year-old has used about 28%.
Stages follow the sources: the first year is the sling stage (Smithsonian; Criscuolo et al. 2010); females count as adult from the species' maturity age where one is published; males count as mature only when you say they have made their maturing moult. The moult note under each result comes from the table above. Ages past the typical range show a "beyond typical" message, and ages over 30 years show an error, because no source in our list reports an older tarantula.
Frequently asked questions
How long do tarantulas live?
Females of popular ground species typically live 15–20 years or more (Zoo New England; Smithsonian's National Zoo), and some species reach 25–30 (Animal Diversity Web). Males live only a few years and usually die within one or two years of their maturing moult (Criscuolo et al. 2010).
How long do pet tarantulas live?
A well-kept female of a slow-growing ground species can live about 20 years; a lab colony of curly hair tarantulas averaged about 21 years for females and 6 for males (Criscuolo et al. 2010). Tree-dwellers such as pink toes are shorter-lived, at about 6–9 years for females.
What is the average tarantula lifespan?
There is no single average, because the sexes differ so much. For females of common pet species, about 15–20 years is typical; for males, a few years. Use the calculator with your species and sex for a specific figure.
Which tarantula lives the longest?
Females of slow-growing ground species from the Americas. Animal Diversity Web gives female Mexican red-knees 25–30 years; among our six species, the curly hair, rose hair and Brazilian black reach about 20 years or more.
How long do tarantulas live in captivity?
Often longer than in the wild, because they avoid predators and bad weather. Smithsonian's National Zoo says female Chilean roses live up to 20 years in human care.
How long do tarantulas live in the wild?
Wild females can live 20–30 years (Animal Diversity Web; National Wildlife Federation). Wild males usually die within months of maturing, after leaving their burrows to find a mate.
How often do tarantulas molt?
Spiderlings moult every few weeks — every 2 weeks for the first 4 months in the Mexican red-knee (ADW). Adults moult about once a year or every other year (Cincinnati Zoo), and mature males usually stop moulting altogether.
How can I tell how old my tarantula is?
Only roughly. Use the seller's records, its size against the adult size for its species, how often it moults, and, for males, whether it has hooks and palpal bulbs. No physical sign gives an exact age.
Do tarantulas grow after they become adults?
Females do: they keep moulting and growing slowly through adult life (Criscuolo et al. 2010). Mature males stop moulting, so they stop growing.
Why did my tarantula die after only a few years?
If it was a male, maturing and then dying within a year or two is normal. In females, common causes of early death include falls, dehydration, moult problems, stale wet air and pesticides.
Is it normal for a tarantula not to eat for months?
It can be. Tarantulas fast before a moult (University of Illinois vet college), and one adult male Chilean rose refused food for most of its adult life, with a longest fast of 22 months (Cortés-Fossati & Martín-Rodríguez 2022). Keep water available and ask an exotic vet if it also looks shrunken or weak.
What should I do if my tarantula gets stuck in a moult?
Don't pull at it. Moult problems are among the most common reasons tarantulas see a vet (University of Illinois vet college), so contact an exotic vet who treats invertebrates for advice.
Can a tarantula live 30 years?
Some can. The National Wildlife Federation says wild tarantulas can live up to 30 years, and Animal Diversity Web gives female Mexican red-knees 25–30. It is only possible for females.
Are tarantulas dangerous to people?
Rarely. The NWF says the venom isn't toxic enough to threaten humans, though bites hurt and allergies are possible. Urticating hairs irritate skin and especially eyes, so wash your hands after enclosure work.
General information only — no medication advice. For a stuck moult or injury, see an exotic vet who treats invertebrates.