Tarantula keeps filling water bowl with substrate...

SirClassy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2018
Messages
4
Hia! man i love this site full of helpful people :), but anyways I have an A. Seemanni who keeps filling up her water bowl with substrate. She used to just flip it over all the time, then I put a pebble in it so she couldn't, but now she just throws substrate in it :rofl: man i find it so funny and cute but just curious if i should just leave it as is instead of changing it out each time she does this :smug:
 

Enrgy

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 16, 2018
Messages
135
u don't have to change it out every time she does it, she's just tarantuling, no one knows why they do stuff like that but i've read some threads like this and one theory was in the wild they put their waste and stuff in the water cus they know it'll be washed away but u should rinse it out or provide a new water dish every time u go to water (however often you do it) or just remove the water dish all together like i did with my lp sling who flipped it every time so i just water the substrate.
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
Hia! man i love this site full of helpful people :), but anyways I have an A. Seemanni who keeps filling up her water bowl with substrate. She used to just flip it over all the time, then I put a pebble in it so she couldn't, but now she just throws substrate in it :rofl: man i find it so funny and cute but just curious if i should just leave it as is instead of changing it out each time she does this :smug:
For some of the fossorial specimens, I just remove the dish altogether...they can drink directly from the sub when I overflow the burrow a little.

Saves me the hassle of having to constantly dig for water bowls lol.
 

FrDoc

Gen. 1:24-25
Arachnosupporter +
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Jul 18, 2017
Messages
832
That’s what T’s do to protest their imprisonment. “No crickets, no peace!”
 

Embers To Ashes

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 14, 2011
Messages
269
A lot of Ts do this. I usually just let them do whatever they want with it. If the dish gets burried I will flood a small part of the substrate or burrow so they can drink from the puddle or dropplets on the sides. If it doesn't get incorporated into the burrow I'll dig it out and clean it when doing regular matinance... And they will burry it again by the next morning. Tarantlas gonna tarantulate.
 

Mirandarachnid

Arachnobaron
Joined
Nov 11, 2017
Messages
532
My LP had a nasty habit of doing this. Last time I changed out his dish I gave him a stern talking too, then he got to work digging ALL of the substrate out from under his dish, and stuffing it into his hide. :rolleyes:

I did try something that seemed to work with my N. chromatus. When I set up her current enclosure, I used some clay substrate to build up a little hill around the water dish. She can still easily access it for water, but she hasn't put any substrate into it since the rehouse.
 

MaddiesMom

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
16
My LP had a nasty habit of doing this. Last time I changed out his dish I gave him a stern talking too, then he got to work digging ALL of the substrate out from under his dish, and stuffing it into his hide. :rolleyes:

I did try something that seemed to work with my N. chromatus. When I set up her current enclosure, I used some clay substrate to build up a little hill around the water dish. She can still easily access it for water, but she hasn't put any substrate into it since the rehouse.
Interesting. My newly acquired N. Chromatus is doing the exact same thing. I am brand new here and as a new T parent I have many future late night post searches ahead of me, but I had to chuckle a bit when I saw your pic above and read that your T did the very same thing. Thank you for the helpful suggestion.
 

BoyFromLA

Spoon feeder
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Joined
Oct 26, 2017
Messages
2,488
When you put a water dish into tarantula’s enclosure, several things might occur:

1. It will drink from it.
2. It will dump the substrate into it.
3. It will web over it.
4. It will drag it into it’s burrow.
5. It will bury it into the substrate.
6. It will knock it over.
7. It will (whatever).
 

Asgiliath

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 4, 2019
Messages
404
I’ve solved this problem in a couple of my enclosures by simply moving it to the other side. My fossorial T’s tend to kick the dirt in one particular direction for a while working on a burrow.
 

Paul1126

Arachnoangel
Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
818
Welcome to Hell I have 3 spiders that will do this every day without fail sometimes more than once a day
 

MaddiesMom

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
16
I built up the area and changed the water during the day when she was back in her burrow. I feel like a first time parent. Every single quirky thing she does I immediately start researching it. Now hopefully she won't decide to use it as her trash can. Bless her little heart. Thanks so much for the helpful tips.
 

MaddiesMom

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
16
I just got home today and discovered she has sealed up her burrow entrance with substrate. I have had her all of 3 days and everyday it's a new behavior from her. I suspect she may be pre molt or in a "do not disturb" mood. It's a good thing she ate a nice sized dubia last night or else I would be concerned. At least she had access to clean water prior to sealing off her burrow.

By the way, your Grammastola is beautiful!
 

AfroSamuraiX1

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 3, 2022
Messages
9
u don't have to change it out every time she does it, she's just tarantuling, no one knows why they do stuff like that but i've read some threads like this and one theory was in the wild they put their waste and stuff in the water cus they know it'll be washed away but u should rinse it out or provide a new water dish every time u go to water (however often you do it) or just remove the water dish all together like i did with my lp sling who flipped it every time so i just water the substrate.
This is what I do with my xenesthis! She flips the bowl over a million times a day and roll it around too. If you grab it she will play tug o war with you! Tge longest she's ever let the bowl stay is 2 days. Then she pulls it out of the ground and play soccer hahaha so I wet the soil real good(wet wet but not to wet) on one side! And she drinks from that. I'm sure she used the bowl as well but lately for the last month or so it's been a football and a trash bin lol
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2002
Messages
715
A. seemanni can be kept in/on moist substrate. Place the water dish in the enclosure for 24 hrs every so often (every week or two), it doesn't have to be in there 24/7, especially if the spider is on moist substrate and won't dessicate quickly.
 

Introvertebrate

Arachnoprince
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Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
1,199
I've got a Stromatopelma calceatum that does that. I've thought about hot gluing the water bowl to the side of the enclosure, so he can't flip it over. If it's somewhat elevated off the substrate, it would be harder for him to fill it full of dirt.
 

AfroSamuraiX1

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 3, 2022
Messages
9
I've got a Stromatopelma calceatum that does that. I've thought about hot gluing the water bowl to the side of the enclosure, so he can't flip it over. If it's somewhat elevated off the substrate, it would be harder for him to fill it full of dirt.
Great idea but my T is tall xenesthis so she'd just dunk dirt in it like a basketball player. Honestly wouldn't be shocked if she ripped it off the wall haha
 

Hydrazine

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
411
@OP: It's just a tarantula tarantuling. My P.cam mostly uses it as dumping grounds (she sits at the top of her bark and flicks the bolus down with frightening accuracy), my NW arboreals mostly ignore it, had a couple buried ones, as of last week my A.genic used it as a molting basin, and let's not forget my S.sp. Santa Catalina who used it as a roof for its new burrow.
 

AfroSamuraiX1

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 3, 2022
Messages
9
My arboreals are sweet on the bowl lol if anything they web over but nothing crazy. All my Ts use the bowl properly with a few that drops dirt but that xenethesis sp blue my gawd she's a terrorist to the bowl hahah
 
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