MistIng v) water bowl v) both

[Abyss]

Edit title* Misting v) water dish v) both

Wanted to visit a popular debate and see if any new ideas/info/opinions can run rampant here lol

As the title suggests, i wanna hear arguments for/aginst misting, wayer bowls, or a combo of the 2

My goal is for this thread to be a good source of info for hobbiests new an old

I have noticed many keepers here suggesting any/all practices so let le share what i do as a general rule (species dependant of course)

Arboreals:
Loads of good cross ventilation and i provide a sizeable water bowl along with what some consider misting although i dont actually mist. I water the plants with a pipet or syringe when the sub dries out fully, then let it dry again and repeat all while keeping fresh filtered water in the dish.

Higher humidity terestrials:
Same practice for arboreals minus the anple cross ventilation (i use cross ventilation just not as much is all)

Dry terestrials:
Dry sub with a water dish and only fake plants so no extra humidity is provided outside of a once every few months misting (a good ammount too all at once to simulate a fast/hard rainfal)

Heres my thoughts on this:
Misting benefits-
Spikes humidity as if it rained in nature (which happens believe it or not even in the dry deserts). Since tarantulas have 0 learning capabikity i assume they cant diferentiate between captivity and the wild so to me, misting is the best way to provide the natural rain cycle of each specimens climate.
Downsides-
I fear ppl tend to over do it and saturate the substrate which is (IMO) not that big of deal for arboreals with ample crossventilation because natural airflow will allow the extra moisture to flow free causing minimal negative effects. But when done to a dry sub burrower/terestrial, it will stay too humid too long an cause adverse effects. Another downside isthat it evaporates fast so if your expecting the T to drink from the droppets your leaving only a narrow window for the T to drink.

Waterbowl benefits-
Idiot proof in that as long as there is water in the dish, there is generally the proper ammount of humidity being provided for most species. Also there is an ample water supply so the T can drink at its leisure rather then playing aginst the clock with misting.
Downsides-
Not much comes to mind outside of bacterial growth. I combat this by using 2 water dishs per enclosure (the one in use and the clean one waiting for use). Once per week i remove the wayer dish and replace with a fresh one. I wash the old one then repeat weekly.

Combo misting/water bowl:
Benefits-
All mentioned above in both
Downsides-
All mentioned above in adition to a higher risk of providing too much hunidity depending on enclosure setup.

I said what i do and have done for years and have had good success with my various T's (mostly arboreal and/or more hunidity dependant species).

So what say the experts?????

 

[TarantulasWorld]

I think it all depends in all honesty. I have Ts that use a waterdish and drink out of it and I have Ts that hate a waterdish and resort to dumping soil in it everytime its filled who now get their water source from me misting.

Now this is also for terrestrials, arboreals and fossorials.

I think at the end of the day its your responsibility as a keeper to keep an eye out on what works best for your tarantula.

Id recommend starting with a waterdish and if that fails go to spraying/misting or both (depending on what u need to keep your T hydrated or environment humid)

 

[TownesVanZandt]

I give all my T´s water dishes. If you by "misting" mean using a spray bottle, I never do that with any species. For the arid ones I just keep the water bowl filled and nothing else. For the tropical ones I do the same, but also pour some water directly into the substrate to keep it as moist as I see fit that particular species. Misting with a spray bottle doesn´t really do much to keep the substrate moist IME.

 

[LittleT]

I mist the side of enclosures for slings, it is just something that has always worked for me.
Juveniles, sub-adults and adults get water dishes

 

[Abyss]

Yea misting is a loose term sort of open to interpretation. I would consider misting to be adding water artificially.

Plants do it naturally and i would consider a water bowl natural (if that makes anys sense lol).

Thats why in my OP i clarified the "misting" i do as simply watering the plants.

I was just thinking about water dshes vs misting because often here i see some keepers advicate water bwls while others advocate misting and was curious as to the actual arguments in favor and agibst each method of providing hydration and humidity to enclosures

 

[EulersK]

First and foremost, I never mist to provide humidity. That is only done via the water dish or syringes.

I do, however, have a spray bottle that I use almost daily. Why? I use it to mist slings for drinking water. Given my environment, those tiny water dishes dry out much, much too quickly. For spiders under 1", they get the misting treatment. I've raised plenty of slings with this method and have yet to have an issue with it.

For any spiders over 1", I provide either a bottle cap or (much more commonly) a 2oz condiment cup for water.

 

[Abyss]

@EulersK
Thanks for pointing out not just species requirements but sling vs lrger requirements as well as how the clinate you live in can play a factor

 

[Poec54]

I don't understand the phobia about water bowls. They'll provide hydration and humidity long after a misting has dried.

Over-misting can be a real problem with arboreals, who are used to breezes drying things out regularly, especially Avics. With terrestrials from dry climates, misting can lead to wet substrate, which can kill those species. Misting sends loose urticating hairs airborne, something you don't want with some species.

 

[Abyss]

I don't understand the phobia about water bowls. They'll provide hydration and humidity long after a misting has dried.

Over-misting can be a real problem with arboreals, who are used to breezes drying things out regularly, especially Avics. With terrestrials from dry climates, misting can lead to wet substrate, which can kill those species. Misting sends loose urticating hairs airborne, something you don't want with some species.

I dont get the water bowl phobia either tbh, even slongs as small as 1/2" in my care have tiny little lego sized ones lol.

Personally, with seeing so many folks say "use a water bowl" an then on the other hand i see many say "just mist" i figured this would be a good thread for everyone to info gather from lol.

 

[Abyss]

@Poec54
I think alot of ppl for some reason still think a T may drown even tho they wont

 

[Poec54]

@Poec54
I think alot of ppl for some reason still think a T may drown even tho they wont

And then they end up over-misting. In the wild, sunshine and breezes dry things out. In the unnatural conditions of a cage kept inside a house, we have to manage water more carefully.

 

[EulersK]

And then they end up over-misting. In the wild, sunshine and breezes dry things out. In the unnatural conditions of a cage kept inside a house, we have to manage water more carefully.

Agreed, but there's also something to be said about finding out what works best for the individual keeper. Personally, water bowls in sling enclosures lead to mold for me. And like I said, they just dry out to quickly. True, misting dries out quicker, but it's far easier to mist than it is to fill/replace a water dish.

The myth of tarantulas drowning is just silly. It needs to be ignored.

 

[saturnthegrey]

I don't use water bowls if they are under 1". I keep the substrate somewhat damp and put a few drops of water (depending on the dryness of the sub) on one side of the enclosure and let it run down to wet one corner of the substrate. After a day or two it spreads out to the rest of the substrate and you can tell whether or not it is moist enough for the sling. Its worked great for me so far and they usually stay closure to the damper side of the sub. I check them all several times a day but don't have to re water them but every few days. Its far easier then removing, cleaning and refilling a bottle cap. Not that the bottle cap is necessarily hard but is it a little more hassle than just checking the sub and adding the necessary amount of water droplets needed. But if they are over 1 inch and under 2-2 1/2 I give a water dish and also keep a corner somewhat damp (but not as damp as when they are smaller). Usually I fill the water dish and pour a little water in the same corner as the dish.

 

[Poec54]

I don't use water bowls if they are under 1". I keep the substrate somewhat damp and put a few drops of water (depending on the dryness of the sub) on one side of the enclosure and let it run down to wet one corner of the substrate. After a day or two it spreads out to the rest of the substrate.

I don't want moist substrate for east and south African slings. Same with Avics. That can kill them.

 

[saturnthegrey]

@Poec54 all of mine are NW terestrials and from what I've gathered on here, that's the way to go.

 

[Poec54]

@Poec54 all of mine are NW terestrials and from what I've gathered on here, that's the way to go.

I don't keep US Aphonopelma on moist substrate.

 

[Venom1080]

i "mist" by pouring some water on the sub whenever it drys out for my humid loving species. dry species just get a water dish. if its under 1/2" and in a vial, i use a piece of fiber sphagnum moss and wet that here and there to make it act like a water dish. i start keeping dry species dry with just a water dish at around 1". spray misting is pretty useless and not worth it. water dishes are much more reliable and easy, no guessing when its too dry, just keep the dish full. IMO, anyone who mists for their Ts is just doing unnecessary maintenance. (depending on your climate)

 

[saturnthegrey]

@Poec54 I don't have any aphonopelma species either? Its not wet or saturated, its slightly damp on parts of the substrate for SLINGS that require more moisture than larger T's. Am I missing something? I've spend almost a year researching Theraphosidae on this forum and the consensus (though most of you like to disagree with each other) is that slings need their sub to have some moisture in it. Its not like I'm putting juvie or adult Brachypelma, Chromatopelma and Grammostola species on damp substrate.

 

[Quixtar]

I use a combo of the two. Almost all of my Ts older than juveniles have water dishes. I mist frequently for more humid species and less frequently for more arid species.

 

[Andrea82]

Everyone gets a waterdish as soon as the enclosure permits it. I use slightly bigger enclosures for avics so there is a waterdish for humidity. That said, I occasionally overflow the dishes when needed for slings and spritz some water on the webbing. For my Psalmopoeus, Lasiodora and Tapinauchenius I wet part of the substrate every now and then to up the humidity, they seem to like that, sitting out in the watered parts after I do it.
I do al of this with a spray bottle which works under pressure. No need for syringes, it drops, sprays and mists.