why are all tarantulas obsessed with burying water dishes?

[Shaithisferenczy]

from my A. seemani to my bleedin' P. regalis, water dishes end up buried, upside down, on the other side of the tank or down a flippin' burrow! they never do it with any other object in the enclosure Have 22 T's currently, mix of OW/NW/terrestrial/arboreal and they all do it!

just looked over at my seemani before posting and guess what its done?! TWONK OF A SPIDER

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Using a glass water dish (nothing fancy or too cumbersome, btw) is a good way for avoid to end with those upside down. Light stuff used as water dish (like water caps etc) are very easy to move for T's.

As far as the dirt inside those, there's no remedy, but not every of mine do that... I have water dish that remain 'clean', mostly

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I'm right there with ya bud. I was shaking my fist at my LP for this earlier today. They look so smug when they do it in front of you

I'm trying something, we'll see how well it works. I just rehoused my N chromatus, and I used some clay to build a wall/ramp up to the edge of the dish. I should still be able to pull the cup out and replace as necessary, hopefully it discourages her dumping substrate into it! (I'll probably end up doing the same for my LP. That spider needs a hobby )

Nhandu chromatus

• Mirandarachnid
• Apr 22, 2018
• 6
• brazilian red and white tarantula chromatus nhandu nhandu chromatus

Lady got a new house

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

I don't think there is just one answer for why they do this, but here are a few possibilities I have come up with.

- Tarantulas don't like to be wet and therefore hate standing water so they get rid of the water by burying it. Tarantulas don't make the association of a small container of water being beneficial for them.

- Tarantulas hate loose debris in the vicinity of their hides/ burrows since it may impede their ability to ambush their prey. I've noticed that tarantula burrows of Aphonopelma hentzi in north Texas have a small clearing around their burrows that have very little debris (sticks, rocks, grass, etc.) which they usually spread their legs out on when waiting for food to walk by. I like to call the area the "ambush zone" and the area around their burrow is surprisingly clean aside from the occasional discarded egg sack, prey remains, or molts. When you put a tarantula in a cage, the whole cage essentially becomes their ambush zone due to lack of environmental conditions that would tell them otherwise and they need to keep it clear to chase down and tackle their food.

- Tarantulas that burrow or extend their hides by digging, take the substrate and dump it at the farthest point from the entrance of their hides/ burrows. It might just be a coincidence that they dump the substrate in the water since the water dishes are usually placed in a corner furthest away from their hides.

- Tarantula burrows in the wild (again my frame of reference is Aphonopelma hentzi) are more often associated with objects buried in the ground. I have noticed sometimes with my tarantulas, they try to dig under or next to the 2 fluid ounce condiment cups but the cups are not sturdy and the tarantulas end up just tossing them aside and try to dig in the depression in the substrate the water cup was in. Sometimes when the water cups in my tarantulas' enclosures get dry, I catch them trying to hide in the cup and dig in it. Then some time later the cup is on the other side of the cage from where I put it.

 

[chanda]

Ah, the dreaded water dish - the ancient foe of tarantula-kind! These two species have waged war against one another for centuries. The water dish - while seemingly harmless and inanimate - is well known to your tarantula as a sneaky bastard, lying in wait for when her defenses are down. It is only by trapping the vile water dish under layers of webbing, dirt, or other substrate that your tarantula is able to gain any peace of mind - yet you constantly ally yourself with the dish, freeing it from her carefully placed restraints.

 

[Mithricat]

I use those ceramic decorative dishes that look like natural rocks in my enclosures. They haven't tipped them over so far, I believe they can't because the weight distribution makes them very stable.

Dirt does accumulate but I'm not worried about that, however it is important to clean the water dish once a month to prevent salt deposits from forming on the sides.

 

[volcanopele]

While I agree with @Chris LXXIX that using a heavier water dish would keep them from moving it around, you have to balance that with the fact that many Ts like to use their water dishes as toilets, and I’m with @EulersK, it’s just easier to use a 2oz deli cup and replace it when its soiled. With some of my Ts that like to move their water dishes around, I give them two water dishes, one empty and the other filled with water. At least with the 2 or 3 that I’ve done this with, they prefer to mess with the empty one.

I don’t think there is a rhyme or reason for them putting dirt in their water dishes. I doubt they have any conception of a basin from which to draw water from on a semi-permanent basis. That’s not an argument against water dishes, just that they don’t see it as something to drink from exclusively. In the wild, water I presume typically flows and they don’t encounter many tiny stagnant pools. Flowing water can help to carry off evidence of their presence like poop or dirt from an excavation.

 

[RonnyT]

While I agree with @Chris LXXIX that using a heavier water dish would keep them from moving it around, you have to balance that with the fact that many Ts like to use their water dishes as toilets, and I’m with @EulersK, it’s just easier to use a 2oz deli cup and replace it when its soiled. With some of my Ts that like to move their water dishes around, I give them two water dishes, one empty and the other filled with water. At least with the 2 or 3 that I’ve done this with, they prefer to mess with the empty one.

I don’t think there is a rhyme or reason for them putting dirt in their water dishes. I doubt they have any conception of a basin from which to draw water from on a semi-permanent basis. That’s not an argument against water dishes, just that they don’t see it as something to drink from exclusively. In the wild, water I presume typically flows and they don’t encounter many tiny stagnant pools. Flowing water can help to carry off evidence of their presence like poop or dirt from an excavation.

I don't have anything to add but, my Nhandu chromatus used to empty the water dish and sit inside of it. Kinda funny.

 

[Garth Vader]

I use the heavier water dishes, and some of my messy Ts just throw dirt in there so it still makes a mess. I would be inclined to think they do this just to make me mad, but I guess that's not how it works!

 

[volcanopele]

I don't have anything to add but, my Nhandu chromatus used to empty the water dish and sit inside of it. Kinda funny.

 

[RonnyT]

View attachment 273492

Ha, that's awesome.

 

[Jesse607]

I haven't used water bowls in 15 years with no ill effects...I just keep the substrate appropriately damp, depending on the species and size.

 

[Axolotl]

Not exactly sitting in the bowl, but my male LP made his last molt mat over his water bowl. I assume he liked the added humidity. Of course it was a gross mess afterwards. And the two ladies ... they throw their freshly cleaned and filled water bowls around like beach balls. I'll have to try the bottom heavy rock bowls.

 

[RezonantVoid]

Ah, the dreaded water dish - the ancient foe of tarantula-kind! These two species have waged war against one another for centuries. The water dish - while seemingly harmless and inanimate - is well known to your tarantula as a sneaky bastard, lying in wait for when her defenses are down. It is only by trapping the vile water dish under layers of webbing, dirt, or other substrate that your tarantula is able to gain any peace of mind - yet you constantly ally yourself with the dish, freeing it from her carefully placed restraints.

This comment is precisely why I joined this website

 

[Abe yowakim]

Ah, the dreaded water dish - the ancient foe of tarantula-kind! These two species have waged war against one another for centuries. The water dish - while seemingly harmless and inanimate - is well known to your tarantula as a sneaky bastard, lying in wait for when her defenses are down. It is only by trapping the vile water dish under layers of webbing, dirt, or other substrate that your tarantula is able to gain any peace of mind - yet you constantly ally yourself with the dish, freeing it from her carefully placed restraints.

One of the greatest replies I’ve ever seen on any site hahaha. Woke up to my B. Albiceps completely moved his water dish to the other side of the enclosure and buried it near his hide!! What a weirdo, why?!?

 

[StampFan]

They think they are garbage cans.

 

[Abe yowakim]

They think they are garbage cans.

I wouldn’t doubt it! xD

 

[SonsofArachne]

I've posted these before, but for the newbies - the craziest things my T's did with their water dishes:

My Brachypelma hamorii put her deli cup on top of her hide, it's still there a year later. She's never bothered the bottle cap I replaced it with.

My big Lasiodora parahybana takes her one deli cup and moves it around her enclosure, once she even threw it down into her burrow, only to pull it out the next day. She never bothers the other one I put in there.

My Xenesthis immanis kept filling her bottle cap with dirt, so I added a deli cup in the other corner. The next day I found the bottle cap in the deli cup.

 

[Abe yowakim]

I've posted these before, but for the newbies - the craziest things my T's did with their water dishes:

My Brachypelma hamorii put her deli cup on top of her hide, it's still there a year later. She's never bothered the bottle cap I replaced it with.

My big Lasiodora parahybana takes her one deli cup and moves it around her enclosure, once she even threw it down into her burrow, only to pull it out the next day. She never bothers the other one I put in there.

My Xenesthis immanis kept filling her bottle cap with dirt, so I added a deli cup in the other corner. The next day I found the bottle cap in the deli cup.

The silly things Ts do is one of the amazing reasons why I started this hobby haha

I've posted these before, but for the newbies - the craziest things my T's did with their water dishes:

My Brachypelma hamorii put her deli cup on top of her hide, it's still there a year later. She's never bothered the bottle cap I replaced it with.

My big Lasiodora parahybana takes her one deli cup and moves it around her enclosure, once she even threw it down into her burrow, only to pull it out the next day. She never bothers the other one I put in there.

My Xenesthis immanis kept filling her bottle cap with dirt, so I added a deli cup in the other corner. The next day I found the bottle cap in the deli cup.

Ps: I’m insanely jealous of your T saledonia picture (if that’s yours). Id sell one of my lungs for one >.<

 

[SonsofArachne]

if that’s yours

I wish