already been said a thousand times but worth repeating...

[moricollins]

all you experienced tarantula keepers know the importance of keeping a water dish in your Ts tank (assuming the T is at least a couple inches big) but it's worth reminding all those new to the hobby that a water dish is a MUST.

Funny, only one out of my ~100 tarantulas has a water dish, and that's only because i've been too lazy to take it away from her (a large unhappy female Phormictopus cancerides), water dishes can't be that important or none of my tarantulas would be alive now .

 

[DrAce]

I agree... it's probably not that important. But I feel safer with it there.

 

[jr47]

o.k. a little common sense. it has been stated here over and over that t's in the wild seldom venture much more than a foot from the burrow. so if fresh water is so very vital to them then that must mean they all nest within a few feet of fresh water or in rains every day or every one is wrong and they venture out every night to find water.
i am no expert but my h. gigus no longer gets a water dish and hasnt for the past 6 months. she is fine, and i really can tell no change in how she behaves or her health from when she had one. when i did put one in her tank she would just fill it in with dirt.

 

[RottweilExpress]

So judging form countless threads on this subject, I feel safe saying that you can raise and care for a tarantula without the presence of a waterdish. Perhaps even without misting.

However

A good and caring keeper should always look out for the animal, and therefor create an atmosphere and environment that the tarantula is comfortable living in.

I'm sure you could make a human survive in very low/high humidity conditions with way off temperatures and a setting that remembles nothing like we really like living in. But we would feel like crap, and our general condition could be very bad indeed, even if our vitals where ok.

I'm pretty sure there's lots of Ts out there that suffers from poor conditions without the keeper ever taking notice of them. Who would notice dried out and cracked lips on a little human in a container, if you were 180 times taller and from another species?

 

[phil jones]

So judging form countless threads on this subject, I feel safe saying that you can raise and care for a tarantula without the presence of a waterdish. Perhaps even without misting.

However

A good and caring keeper should always look out for the animal, and therefor create an atmosphere and environment that the tarantula is comfortable living in.

I'm sure you could make a human survive in very low/high humidity conditions with way off temperatures and a setting that remembles nothing like we really like living in. But we would feel like crap, and our general condition could be very bad indeed, even if our vitals where ok.

I'm pretty sure there's lots of Ts out there that suffers from poor conditions without the keeper ever taking notice of them. Who would notice dried out and cracked lips on a little human in a container, if you were 180 times taller and from another species?

thats a excellent reply good for you as i think the same

 

[bonesmama]

Me too!:clap:

 

[monitormonster]

During postmoult my C. cyanopubesence sucked up half it's water dish in a day and a half ! Thirsty fella ! I'd rather he has it and doesn't need it, then need it and doesn't have it ...

Yeah, the angry little Chilobrachys Burmensis at our place has been sitting in its water dish for 3 days straight now....It's a good ideer to put the dish in there, just to be safe. It adds to the ambient humidity in the whole cage

 

[Vys]

Lets see here, 23 years of keeping tarantulas, have right now 734 tarantulas in my care. 230 are in the permanent collection. I have lost maybe 10 to unknown reasons.

I never give a dish to them. The only way they get a dish is that they come to me in less then great condition and need to get them healthy. After they are healthy and not breeding, no dish and no problems. I do not even mist, I just keep proper humidity and I am fine.

I am glad you feel well, but how about your sp..haha, seriously though:

Well, bar completely air-tight containers, you either keep your spiders in New Orleans, or you have some sort of humidifier in the room they are kept in?

My take on the whole dish-vs-no dish thing is that either way will work, but a dish is generally easier, especially a larger one, as misting pretty regularly will elsewise be needed, if you also keep the enclosure pretty well ventilated. Unless the ambient humidity is great, which really puts an emphasis on ventilation. Of course, this is heavily dependant upon the species involved.

 

[jr47]

So judging form countless threads on this subject, I feel safe saying that you can raise and care for a tarantula without the presence of a waterdish. Perhaps even without misting.

However

A good and caring keeper should always look out for the animal, and therefor create an atmosphere and environment that the tarantula is comfortable living in.

I'm sure you could make a human survive in very low/high humidity conditions with way off temperatures and a setting that remembles nothing like we really like living in. But we would feel like crap, and our general condition could be very bad indeed, even if our vitals where ok.

I'm pretty sure there's lots of Ts out there that suffers from poor conditions without the keeper ever taking notice of them. Who would notice dried out and cracked lips on a little human in a container, if you were 180 times taller and from another species?

i do atcually consider myself to be very responsible for careing for any animal i have. ive worked with rescues over the past 30 years and cared for everything from racoons to hawks. i raised snakes for ten years and although im fairly new to t's ive done alot of research on them and from that i think there are just as many good keepers that do care for there pets that dont see the need for water dishes.
ive seen alot of people keep snakes and other reptiles that didnt follow my way of doing things. that doesnt mean they are not good keepers or they dont care for the animals they keep. my opinion isnt final and im sure alot of people tend to the needs for t's the way they feel best. i can get on the internet and find 5 experts on t's and find just as many opinions on how they need to be kept.
i also read a thread on another forum that claimed his h. gigus died after one week of no water dish. mine hasnt had one for six months and i am happy to say its doing just fine. digging, hunting down crickets and everything its always done. ive watched closely for any change and there has been none.

 

[wicked]

o.k. a little common sense. it has been stated here over and over that t's in the wild seldom venture much more than a foot from the burrow. so if fresh water is so very vital to them then that must mean they all nest within a few feet of fresh water or in rains every day or every one is wrong and they venture out every night to find water.

Have you ever been camping and left an article of clothing on the ground? The next morning it is soaking wet even though it didn't rain. People seem to think too big when the availability of water is brought up. They don't need to live next to a roaring river or pond to get a drink. A few dew drops will do.

I use both water dishes, and, for those pain-in-the-butts that bury or web the dish all the time, I mist the side or silk plant so they can sip up the drops. Well hydrated prey items are important too.
Dehydration kills. But my mist vs waterdish Ts all seem to be equally happy.
Of course it is best to take into consideration species too. I fuss over my avics way more than I do over my rosie. some Ts are just naturally tough as nails.
I do try to keep water dishes in most of the tanks for my own peace of mind.

 

[138]

my 1" s. ardnsti sling moulted last night. it spend most of the afternoon in the chapstick cap. i was wondering what the hell it was doing since it almost looked like it was trying to get all the water out and make it its hide. so i put in another cap filled with water.

nope. it moulted. spent most of the night after a succesful moult drinking and what seemed like splashing water on its fangs.

again, no mater how small, try and provide some sort of dish with water.

 

[TheDarkFinder]

I am glad you feel well, but how about your sp..haha, seriously though:

No special humidity requirements. My house is naturally at 50-70% all the time, hello live in portland oregon and have about 300 orchids in the house. Very few tarantulas need humidity above 70%.
But it needs to be said that I do not have bone dry substrate. I keep damp substrate to let it completely dry out for a few days then moist it again.

I do not have mold problems. There is a way to do this right and a way to do it wrong.

By the way. except for one adult female I have had zero molting problems, none, zip, zero.
Only two of my tarantulas, must be well over a 1000 individuals over the 23+ year, have every died in a molt. One female that had a genetic disorder and a mature male try to go for the second mature molt, ripped off the legs. I decided that I had enough and put him down.