Water Dish Theory

[Lochala]

My 2" chromatopelma only puts little dirt crumbs from time to time. She loves that water dish, usually drainig it in 3 days or so.

 

[misfitsfiend]

the only T of mine that fills the dish is my Carlsbad green, but I do have a few who love to hide it in the substrate or even carry it into their burrow(my E. campestratus).

 

[Dekejis]

Oh, and don't bother with the visuals of futility, such as a tarantula carrying mouthful after mouthful of dirt to the shore of a lake or ocean, as I just took care of THAT.

I'm thinking that'd make a good successory parody..

 

[Greg Wolfe]

Water dish theory...

That is interesting. Many of my T's fill in their water dishes, much to my dismay. Your theory does have a valid facet. In the wild T's caught in a thunderstorm would have to procure ways to keep their burrows dry.
Filling in depressions with earth near the entrance to their lair would be easier for them to secure lunch, rather than navigating around little pools of water.

 

[Dee]

I would clean out Aphy's water dish, and find it speckled with dirt and debris an hour later. S/he doesn't do anything to it that I can see, but there's always dirt in there when its not freshly cleaned. (Aphy is my a. seemanni. )

 

[metzgerzoo]

The only one of my Ts I've seen mess with their water dish thus far is my OBT. We have a 3 liter bottle cap in his tank, although it rarely gets water put into it. We had it on the far end of his tank away from his hide and he moved it right in front of his hide, puts his *trash* in it and has started his burrow enterence under it. At least he makes use of it I guess

 

[Zombie]

I'm thinking that'd make a good successory parody..

I don't have any idea who is bent over in front of you, but it sure isn't Merriam Webster... ;P

 

[Dekejis]

Hahaha! Alright, Mr. Bad Seed, we're gonna have to have a tattooed hand dance fight over that one..

And now, because I should probably contribute something useful to this thread.. My only T that ever really got into the waterdish burying fad was a G pulchra I had a while back. I have wondered about a few of my spiders who seem to make all their water disappear (more than they could possibly drink out of a dish that's too heavy to knock over) within a few hours.. Anyone else ever seen that?

 

[Gail]

Many of my T's also use the dish as a garbage dump - they foul it up all the time with their food bolus - it's mostly the rose hairs and curlies. The others all like to bury it.

Gail

 

[JohnxII]

About the water dish being used as a garbage can, since I figured they like to dump food boluses at the far corners, I learnt to put the water dishes at the sides but not the corners. Since then, no more bad smell and the water keeps clean.

 

[Zombie]

Hahaha! Alright, Mr. Bad Seed, we're gonna have to have a tattooed hand dance fight over that one..

And now, because I should probably contribute something useful to this thread.. My only T that ever really got into the waterdish burying fad was a G pulchra I had a while back. I have wondered about a few of my spiders who seem to make all their water disappear (more than they could possibly drink out of a dish that's too heavy to knock over) within a few hours.. Anyone else ever seen that?

Hahaha...someone's watching too much VH1...

Is there webbing on the bowls? I've seen them line the bowls with silk, and it seems to pull the water out and dampen the soil around the bowls, wether they do this on purpose or its just due to them lining the area around their burrows I'm not sure...

 

[SpiderJoe]

Redecoration

Hi,

My P. Cancerides moved her water dish, just picked it up and put it somewhere she saw fit. Now, when I change the water, I just place it back on the spot she chose for it and she leaves it alone so perhaps they have a sense of bringing order in their enclosures.

Regards,

Joey

 

[amberlecemu]

Interesting speculations...

well my Boehmei didn't do it for the first two months I got her. She'd leave the dish alone, which was rather close to its hide. N I saw it drinking from it once. The water levels dun fall so rapidly too. Nothing unusual.

but what do you know... jus after I had her rehoused after a superworm digging operation... She jus filled her water dish with substrate!! two hours ago I noticed she was chilling out at the side of the water dish with a small part of her body overshadowing the dish. and 5mins ago I went to check on her, the dish is filled with substrate to the brim, and there's almost no sign of the water left. And there she is sitting in front of the dish, looking smugly at me

the only big difference between the previous home and this one was that the water dish was put at the opposite corner as the burrow in the new set up, as compared to it being a few inches to the front side of the burrow. hmmm?

 

[amberlecemu]

Hmmm so if that happens all the time, do you guys clean out the water dish every day? and the cycle jus happens everyday.

I read somewhere on another thread that his T would drink from the water dish, den poop in it, n probably dun like the sight or smell of the poo n therefore buries it with dirt.

 

[wicked]

I have noticed the dish filling thing more with my slings than with my large Ts but they all seem to have some sort of water dish fetish.

male sub adult A chalcodes- always stays near the waterdish, sometimes keeping one foot on it (in case it tries to wander off?)

male sub adult G rosea- carries his crickets to eat next to the water dish, then gets a drink, no other odd behavior

female? adult A seemani- occasional dirt in bowl

juvenile female G pulchra- persists in tunneling under the water dish and caving it in.

adult and sub adult A avics- water dish = potty and garbage can

B albo sling-dumps, fills, poos in, drags around, burys and always messes with water dish

B smithi slings-fills water dish with substrate before molts

B auratum sling- fills water dish with substrate before molt

GBB, A avic, A versi slings- web over water dish and it wicks into substrate (humidity issue?)

I always thought it had something to do with humidity (except for the B albo, he is just a butthead)

 

[Ronj]

Interesting theory. I've noticed that many of my Ts engage in this behavior when they are close to molting.

Interesting. I have a female G Rosea that has for the first time filled her dish with substrate. She has also recently stopped eating and may be preparing to molt.

I also have a chaco who has removed all of the substrate from one end of the enclosure (2.5 gal) and down to the glass. This T has been in premolt for the past two months and the substrate is stacked to the top! Substrate is thrown everywhere except the water dish, which remains clean as a whistle.

I like the molt theory the best, but I also think it may about personalities as well. You know, some people are neat freaks and some are not.