# "Don't bother with a water dish"



## ShaunMot (Apr 27, 2017)

To all those saying not to bother with a water dish, here is my H. Arizonensis taking a much needed drink!

Reactions: Like 8 | Agree 4 | Love 1


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## RTTB (Apr 27, 2017)

Whatever works. Maybe he was looking at his reflection.

Reactions: Like 6 | Funny 2


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## ArachnoDrew (Apr 27, 2017)

RTTB said:


> Whatever works. Maybe he was looking at his reflection.


Lmao

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## Galapoheros (Apr 27, 2017)

Yeah I think people went a little overboard with the idea they don't need water, typical on the internet.  I at least put a cap of water in a corner for anything.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Connerl8k (Apr 27, 2017)

"New" owner here, had my first and only Scorp Asian forest giant for a year and have watched him/her go long periods without food but have never left it without water and it drinks a fair bit.


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## GingerC (Apr 27, 2017)

Mine took a huge drink for at least five minutes the very second I brought her home. Not only does my scorpion drink from a water dish, she knocks it around, buries it, climbs on it, throws dirt into it, and seems to love tipping it on her face and getting angry at it.

I think it was a worthwhile investment.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 3


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## darkness975 (Apr 27, 2017)

Yes, they absolutely need a water dish, even a small one. 

Here is one of mine taking a drink. This is the only non adult specimen of Hadrurus spp. That I currently own,  so it drinks more than the others. But even the adults will grab a drink now and then.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Connerl8k (Apr 27, 2017)

darkness975 said:


> Yes, they absolutely need a water dish, even a small one.
> 
> Here is one of mine taking a drink. This is the only non adult specimen of Hadrurus spp. That I currently own,  so it drinks more than the others. But even the adults will grab a drink now and then.


That's a beautiful scorp how old?


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## darkness975 (Apr 27, 2017)

Connerl8k said:


> That's a beautiful scorp how old?


Sub adult. I have had that one in that picture for 4 years now? Maybe 5.

Here are a few of my other Hadrurus spp specimens.  I have several adult H. arizonensis and several adult H. arizonensis pallidus.

Looking for an H. spadix next

Reactions: Like 3


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## Scorpionluva (Apr 28, 2017)

I don't use any water dishes for arid species as it becomes an issue with drownings and unwanted bacteria buildup   If you mist the side of the tank opposite of their hide 1-2 weekly , they will drink droplets right off the side of their enclosure.  
I've lost more arid species due to water dish drownings than any/all other occurrences combined !  So when it comes to arid species - a water dish is a bad idea.  That's my observation from over 10+ years of me keeping arid species

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 4 | Informative 2


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## Galapoheros (Apr 28, 2017)

I've seen that drowning problem with babies and water bottle caps, it does work with safely with adults but I've had no problems with misting before also.  At times I've put a cap of water in for a day or two in smaller containers holding arid sps so I know they get their fill, then I've removed it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## darkness975 (Apr 28, 2017)

Scorpionluva said:


> I don't use any water dishes for arid species as it becomes an issue with drownings and unwanted bacteria buildup   If you mist the side of the tank opposite of their hide 1-2 weekly , they will drink droplets right off the side of their enclosure.
> I've lost more arid species due to water dish drownings than any/all other occurrences combined !  So when it comes to arid species - a water dish is a bad idea.  That's my observation from over 10+ years of me keeping arid species





Galapoheros said:


> I've seen that drowning problem with babies and water bottle caps, it does work with safely with adults but I've had no problems with misting before also.  At times I've put a cap of water in for a day or two in smaller containers holding arid sps so I know they get their fill, then I've removed it.


I don't use a water dish large enough to be a problem. If an adult _H arizonensis_ can't get out of a bottle cap then all hope is gone.


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## Stugy (Apr 28, 2017)

My scorpions pretty much drink from their substrate (really small ATM) except my H.arizonensis in which she keeps burying her water bowl (she did this four times until i ended up removing it completely in sheer annoyance) I'm probably going to put the water bowl back in in a bit anyways lol


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## Scorpionluva (Apr 28, 2017)

darkness975 said:


> I don't use a water dish large enough to be a problem. If an adult _H arizonensis_ can't get out of a bottle cap then all hope is gone.


Yes I agree to a point but in the OP's pic ... It appears to be more of a swimming pool sized water dish as opposed to a bottle cap LOL   I'm just giving my observations over the years of keeping hadrurus and almost 100 other species combined. 
  Tropical species ... Need a water dish no questions about it 
Arid .... Does not need 1 at all with proper misting during their night time hours  
This is how they drink water in the wild also as I'm sure most don't have access to bowls of water on a regular basis   
I always try to recreate their habitat in the wild in my own enclosures as that seems the most sensible option to have the most success  and has worked for me quite well

Reactions: Like 1


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## Smokehound714 (Apr 28, 2017)

Arizonensis absolutely requires a large water dish.  they take enormous drinks, and they also sponge-bathe.  if they're dehydrated, they cannot groom properly and suffer as a result.


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## JoshBC (Apr 30, 2017)

Scorpionluva said:


> I don't use any water dishes for arid species as it becomes an issue with drownings and unwanted bacteria buildup   If you mist the side of the tank opposite of their hide 1-2 weekly , they will drink droplets right off the side of their enclosure.
> I've lost more arid species due to water dish drownings than any/all other occurrences combined !  So when it comes to arid species - a water dish is a bad idea.  That's my observation from over 10+ years of me keeping arid species


I'm in the same boat. Done away with water dishes in my arids. They always just buried them. Mind you I'm talking about Androctonus not H. Arizonensis. My Heterometrus and Pandinus Cavimanus both use/used them though. The andros seem to prefer drinking misted droplets off the glass or off a rock. I just poured a small amount through the screen lid today for Hector and sure enough within a minute he was out sucking up a big drop.


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## Anoplogaster (Apr 30, 2017)

RTTB said:


> Whatever works. Maybe he was looking at his reflection.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## C1gam9550 (May 3, 2017)

From my experience(heterometrus.longimanus, spinifer, petersii/cyaneus?(still having ID issues) Pandinus.imperator, Dictator, cavimanus and C.gracilis), ive found personally with alot of scorps water bowls are nkt necessary. My cavimaus will drink directly off of her claws after mistings(done every other day to every three days) and my Imperator seems to drink directly from the moss. But then again it varies from scorp to scorp.


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## ShaunMot (May 3, 2017)

Scorpionluva said:


> Yes I agree to a point but in the OP's pic ... It appears to be more of a swimming pool sized water dish as opposed to a bottle cap LOL   I'm just giving my observations over the years of keeping hadrurus and almost 100 other species combined.
> Tropical species ... Need a water dish no questions about it
> Arid .... Does not need 1 at all with proper misting during their night time hours
> This is how they drink water in the wild also as I'm sure most don't have access to bowls of water on a regular basis
> I always try to recreate their habitat in the wild in my own enclosures as that seems the most sensible option to have the most success  and has worked for me quite well


Yeah i can see your point. My water bowl in my tank is probably a bit on the large side, however it is rare i fill it up and even then i let it run dry, so the chances of the scorpion dying are probably quite small.


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## Newports (May 3, 2017)

Out of all my andros the mauris tend to be the most hardy from humidity imo.  And Yes they do indeed drink out of small sources of water. I put in a large bottle cap with water every few days with a cotton ball in it. They dont need this if they eat frequently from my experience but they do indeed drink from it.


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## chanda (May 4, 2017)

I have water dishes for my a few of my scorps (Heterometrus sp., Hadogenes troglodytes, Ophistothalmus walberghi) but the local desert species (Hadrurus arizonensis and Paravaejovis puritanus) do just fine with the occasional misting. They invariable overturn or bury their water dishes anyway. I've never actually seen any of them drinking, but I do make sure they have some sort of water - whether in a dish or on the glass.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## darkness975 (May 4, 2017)

Newports said:


> I put in a large bottle cap with water every few days with a cotton ball in it.


Take the cotton ball out of the dish.  All that is doing is attracting bacteria.  Water in the dish by itself is fine.












H. arizonensis Drinking



__ darkness975
__ Apr 27, 2017
__ 6





@chanda


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## Newports (May 6, 2017)

darkness975 said:


> Take the cotton ball out of the dish.  All that is doing is attracting bacteria.  Water in the dish by itself is fine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It rarely stays in there anyways. They like to drag it out ha.  Also my mauris love a light sprike of water. They drink the beads of water or hover over a damp spot. Very hardy to humidity compared to australis imo.


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## gromgrom (May 6, 2017)

I always mist the corner of enclosures, and for my gravid females, they get actual waterdishes. Never had a problem with it. I've even got a photo of my female Androctonus australis, Hottentotta jakayari, etc, you know, arid species, drinking from dishes or the side of an enclosure. 

I think it's something parroted by new members repeating what outdated and bad care sheets/books have said for years.


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## Arachnomaniac19 (May 7, 2017)

I feel they don't need it in the same way that people don't need a varied diet. If something goes slightly wrong, which is likely, they'll need it. If not, they'll be fine but not as happy.


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## Pipa (May 7, 2017)

great picture hahaha


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## Nomadical (May 30, 2017)

To all those saying not to bother with a water dish, here is my H. Arizonensis taking a much needed drink![/QUOTE]




loves his water dish.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ArachnoDrew (May 30, 2017)

You mean Asian forest  (heterometrus)?

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Scorpionluva (May 31, 2017)

I raised 3 generations of hadrurus without a single waterbowl.  This includes hundreds of babies and subadults that molted and thrived just fine in my captive care. So all this debating about do they or don't they need it comes down to personal preference and the methods you use to keep your scorps.

Reactions: Like 1 | Clarification Please 1


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## darkness975 (May 31, 2017)

Nomadical said:


> To all those saying not to bother with a water dish, here is my H. Arizonensis taking a much needed drink!



View attachment 241894


loves his water dish.[/QUOTE]

You need a shorter dish, like those fake rock reptile dishes they sell.  The one you have is too smooth and too tall.  Also, remove the rocks.  All they do is harbor bacteria.  With the proper depth water dish you will not feel the need to use rocks as it will be low enough for it to get out of it climbs in.



Scorpionluva said:


> I raised 3 generations of hadrurus without a single waterbowl.  This includes hundreds of babies and subadults that molted and thrived just fine in my captive care. So all this debating about do they or don't they need it comes down to personal preference and the methods you use to keep your scorps.


I have seen all of mine drink directly from the dish, hence why I always offer one to them.












H. arizonensis Drinking



__ darkness975
__ Apr 27, 2017
__ 6


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## AphonopelmaTX (May 31, 2017)

Scorpionluva said:


> I've lost more arid species due to water dish drownings than any/all other occurrences combined !  So when it comes to arid species - a water dish is a bad idea.





Scorpionluva said:


> Tropical species ... Need a water dish no questions about it
> Arid .... Does not need 1 at all with proper misting during their night time hours


I don't think I have posted in this forum before but this conversation interests me.  I have a question here based on these two posts.  If a reason for not providing a water dish for arid species of scorpion is because they can and will drown, why wouldn't the tropical species drown in a water dish?


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## Smokehound714 (May 31, 2017)

I keep arid species exclusively and they definitely need a water dish.  Especially vaejovidae.  V puritanus actually isnt really a desert species, it simply can tolerate arid conditions, it can be found right next to the ocean, and that species really needs a water dish.

 The thing about the desert is it actually gets rain in summer, and desert species all drink water during the monsoon- they'll even leave their burrows in broad daylight to scramble frantically for puddles

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Anoplogaster (Jun 1, 2017)

So I've had my A. australis for about a week now. Following this thread, I've gone back and forth on the water dish thing. I'm desperate for a consensus


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## basin79 (Jun 1, 2017)

Anoplogaster said:


> So I've had my A. australis for about a week now. Following this thread, I've gone back and forth on the water dish thing. I'm desperate for a consensus


Pop a small dish in a corner and let the scorpion tell you.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## mconnachan (Jun 1, 2017)

Newports said:


> It rarely stays in there anyways. They like to drag it out ha.  Also my mauris love a light sprike of water. They drink the beads of water or hover over a damp spot. Very hardy to humidity compared to australis imo.


It could still become infected with bacteria, whether it's in the dish or out, remove it as soon as possible, it's not helping in any way, shape or form and can cause major problems, just leave the water dish...


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## ArachnoDrew (Jun 1, 2017)

Get a spray bottle fill it up with filtered water and spray a corner and leave water drops on a side it will drink the drops, their are MANY people who don't use them at all EVER  like @Scorpionluva  who have great success breeding
smokehound another very knowledgeable reccomends them.  So your going to be tossed around constantly here, to ease your mind try a bottle cap they dry out pretty quickly. Don't use a sponge or anything else inside the cap.  Just straight clean water


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## basin79 (Jun 1, 2017)

Scorpionluva said:


> I raised 3 generations of hadrurus without a single waterbowl.  This includes hundreds of babies and subadults that molted and thrived just fine in my captive care. So all this debating about do they or don't they need it comes down to personal preference and the methods you use to keep your scorps.


Would you please be able to give details on how you provided the right parameters to get your Hadrurus to successfully moult?


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## Anoplogaster (Jun 1, 2017)

So I misted a corner of the enclosure last night. Within 5 minutes, he was out drinking. So I concluded that he was thirsty as hell, and could probably benefit from a water dish. As for a water dish causing bacteria buildup, I guess the same could be said about a water dish for ANY animal. As for the drowning risk, I suspect that would only be problematic if the dish were way oversized to where the animal had difficulty getting out.

He has a dish, and I'm satisfied with my decision.


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## Scorpionluva (Jun 1, 2017)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> I don't think I have posted in this forum before but this conversation interests me.  I have a question here based on these two posts.  If a reason for not providing a water dish for arid species of scorpion is because they can and will drown, why wouldn't the tropical species drown in a water dish?


It's not an issue of an arid species will drown in a water dish and a tropical species won't drown in it - it's more about the environments of the 2 types instead.  An arid species comes from a region that has minimal humidity and less frequent amounts of rain as opposed to let's say a heterometrus specie that comes from a rainforest which is constantly soaked with rain + humidity. 
I don't keep any tropical species anymore but when I did - I used waterbowls for them and almost every keeper I know who keeps tropical uses waterbowls  
When I first started keeping scorpions - I gave them all waterbowls. 
When I lost rare species like Australis hectors , parabuthus pallidus , parabuthus mossambicensis (all were in the 2i-3i range ) due to drowning in a nestle pure life water bottle cap which is about the smallest waterbowl you can give them  -  I tossed the whole waterbowl idea in the trash ! 
Since then I've only misted my semi/arid species 1-2 weekly and have had great success with it.
  Even with a semi tropical species such as rhopalurus junceus ( and everybody on AB should know by now I've had incredible success with this species ) 
I've never used a single waterbowl with any of them either !


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## ArachnoDrew (Jun 1, 2017)

Ooohhh man I woulda puked losing a Hector and a p mossy!!!!!!! Poor little guys


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## Scorpionluva (Jun 1, 2017)

ArachnoDrew said:


> Ooohhh man I woulda puked losing a Hector and a p mossy!!!!!!! Poor little guys


I cried , screamed , cried again and then i puked. Still hurts me many years later 
It was several of each specie that were dead the next morning after filling their tiny waterbowls


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## Scorpionluva (Jun 1, 2017)

basin79 said:


> Would you please be able to give details on how you provided the right parameters to get your Hadrurus to successfully moult?


Sure 
I used play sand , aquarium gravel , excavator clay , coco peat mixed with little bits of cork bark and chips of broken seashells mixed into the substrate.  I used seashells for hides as well as 3/4 of a clear solo cup buried in the substrate with tiny holes poked into the top side for moisture to run down into and build up inside creating a  " humidity dome" 
 I cover the top of the cup with coco+ sand  and pour a small amount of water directly on the sub so it soaked in and stayed in the cup but dried up fairly quick on the surface.  Also id like to add the fact that although i didnt use a waterbowl directly -  the side of their tank that i would mist also had various rocks and seashells to catch small amounts of water which was essentially their " waterbowls"   but these small amounts would dry up in the matter of hours.  Every time i would mist their tank - theyd run to it like a dog runs to their dish when they here the food hitting the bowl ! 
Heres an older pic of 1 of my communal tanks of hadrurus  ( yes i did indeed keep many communal tanks of hadrurus with only a couple deaths out of hundreds kept this way)

Reactions: Informative 1


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## ArachnoDrew (Jun 1, 2017)

Oh man! I can only imagine the sight of that.... I'd be so depressed, I'm removing mine as we speak lol.... just housed the plani's,  no dishes


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## ArachnoDrew (Jun 1, 2017)

That's an awesome Setup . .. monster in the corner over there lol


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## Galapoheros (Jun 1, 2017)

I never use water caps with babies, tropical or desert species, had bad experiences with both but I found out the bad way that tropical species take longer to drown, makes sense they would.  But when they are big enough not to fall in and drown, I use caps, I also catch myself misting but not often.  I reason I offer a cap of water is that some species, especially hadogenes tend to gorge themselves with water if they are at the right stage to, I'm not sure what's going on there other than saving for not a rainy day but dry ones, other times they won't touch it.  It's hard to give them that much water by only misting.  What might be good also is something like a rock with a  shallow depression in it, water there won't last long there though.  But hey, it's all water, people do what works.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Red Eunice (Jun 2, 2017)

Galapoheros said:


> But hey, it's all water, people do what works.


 Exactly!


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## Connerl8k (Jun 11, 2017)

Scorpionluva said:


> Sure
> I used play sand , aquarium gravel , excavator clay , coco peat mixed with little bits of cork bark and chips of broken seashells mixed into the substrate.  I used seashells for hides as well as 3/4 of a clear solo cup buried in the substrate with tiny holes poked into the top side for moisture to run down into and build up inside creating a  " humidity dome"
> I cover the top of the cup with coco+ sand  and pour a small amount of water directly on the sub so it soaked in and stayed in the cup but dried up fairly quick on the surface.  Also id like to add the fact that although i didnt use a waterbowl directly -  the side of their tank that i would mist also had various rocks and seashells to catch small amounts of water which was essentially their " waterbowls"   but these small amounts would dry up in the matter of hours.  Every time i would mist their tank - theyd run to it like a dog runs to their dish when they here the food hitting the bowl !
> Heres an older pic of 1 of my communal tanks of hadrurus  ( yes i did indeed keep many communal tanks of hadrurus with only a couple deaths out of hundreds kept this way)
> ...


 Interested to know what the guy at the back is actually doing lol

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Scorpionluva (Jun 12, 2017)

Connerl8k said:


> Interested to know what the guy at the back is actually doing lol


He was a little upset that the bigger male took his woman his display of anger was hilarious

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Connerl8k (Jun 12, 2017)

So he backed himself all the way into a corner bent himself fully ass over tit in anger that's hilarious!!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## darkness975 (Jun 12, 2017)

Anoplogaster said:


> So I've had my A. australis for about a week now. Following this thread, I've gone back and forth on the water dish thing. I'm desperate for a consensus


Just stick a small bottle cap in the corner and fill it when it runs dry.  Replace it when it starts to get gunky. 

I use the tops of Aquafina water bottles. 













H. arizonensis Drinking



__ darkness975
__ Apr 27, 2017
__ 6

Reactions: Like 1


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