Apparently I'm not allowed a water dish says.....

[Poec54]

Out of the many different tarantula populations I have seen in the wild, I have always seen the exact opposite. Of course these are Texas species and doesn't mean that it isn't impossible in other locations.

Right. It depends on what predators they have to contend with. I'd think in the tropics some predators are attracted to recently excavated soil. Tarantulas aren't arboreal in Texas either, nor do they grow to 10" there, or males mature in a year. The family is incredibly diverse.

 

[DVMT]

I got one for ya. Here is my Bumba cabocla open for feeding this past weekend. Apparently he does not like ventilation very well and filled up all his holes with substrate! Very interesting behavior indeed

 

[Poec54]

I got one for ya. Here is my Bumba cabocla open for feeding this past weekend. Apparently he does not like ventilation very well and filled up all his holes with substrate! Very interesting behavior indeed

Never seen that one before. That's more than coincidence.

 

[Storm76]

Maybe they know instinctively that a water source draws other creatures, some of which might be a threat. So eliminating the water source helps eliminate interlopers.

It also lures in the keeper to "fix" the "problem" - at least my big A. geniculata girl doesn't approve of that, either!

 

[DVMT]

Never seen that one before. That's more than coincidence.

Surprised us too. Could he be attempting to retain humidity?

 

[tbrandt]

Hilarious. My 2" Lasiodora Parahybana (LP) has been consistently filling its water dish (3cm x 1cm) with substrate since I got him/her. Then today, on my lunch, I read this thread and thought to myself, "yep, thats just something they do...clean, refill, repeat..." Apparently, however, my LP has had absolutely enough of this magical reappearing pool of hate juice. This evening when I came home it had dragged the water dish down into its burrow and is now using it to fortify the rearward wall. Very amusing.

While I had read numerous reports of t's consistently filling their water dishes with dirt, tipping them over, filling them with excrement, etc., I had not heard of a T literally relocating the whole water dish and incorporating it into its dwelling, that is, until I read this thread today. Then when I got home, coincidentally, my LP had done just that. I wonder if my LP has a username on arachnoboards...if so, I hope that it seeks good advice for rehousing the H.Mac. when that time comes. Well played tarantula, well played.

 

[Experiment397]

My chilean copper actually punctured the little deli cup I was using as a water dish. Completely drained it then proceeded to pile dry sub over the now soaked sub around the dish. I wonder if we will ever understand why they do what they do???

 

[DVMT]

Hilarious. My 2" Lasiodora Parahybana (LP) has been consistently filling its water dish (3cm x 1cm) with substrate since I got him/her. Then today, on my lunch, I read this thread and thought to myself, "yep, thats just something they do...clean, refill, repeat..." Apparently, however, my LP has had absolutely enough of this magical reappearing pool of hate juice. This evening when I came home it had dragged the water dish down into its burrow and is now using it to fortify the rearward wall. Very amusing.

While I had read numerous reports of t's consistently filling their water dishes with dirt, tipping them over, filling them with excrement, etc., I had not heard of a T literally relocating the whole water dish and incorporating it into its dwelling, that is, until I read this thread today. Then when I got home, coincidentally, my LP had done just that. I wonder if my LP has a username on arachnoboards...if so, I hope that it seeks good advice for rehousing the H.Mac. when that time comes. Well played tarantula, well played.

That is pretty amusing! On the subject of water dish relocation......I had a MM P. vittata take his from ground level and relocate it 3/4 the way up his enclosure and web a nice cradle for it. It was facing upwards and everything as if he was trying to make it easier for me to give him water. I took it as he was saying he was better than me, so I traded him for a 1" P. metallica.

 

[problemchildx]

I got one for ya. Here is my Bumba cabocla open for feeding this past weekend. Apparently he does not like ventilation very well and filled up all his holes with substrate! Very interesting behavior indeed

I'll be interested to see what mine does in comparison (tiny sling 1/4 inch). I just rehoused him/her so I think he/she will have to acclimate to this enclosure. Thank you for the very interesting picture!

 

[DVMT]

I'll be interested to see what mine does in comparison (tiny sling 1/4 inch). I just rehoused him/her so I think he/she will have to acclimate to this enclosure. Thank you for the very interesting picture!

I can tell you he has been quite the earth mover so far. He is about 3/4" right now.