At what stage do you add a water dish to your sling's enclosure?

[cold blood]

But now I'm worried I'm feeding it too much as it's definitely filled out a bit.

Keep in mind, you CANNOT over feed a spidering.....everything is going towards growth and they grow faster now than at any other point in life.


Just be aware of when it's pre-molt and stop feeding at this point and just wait.

 

[jennywallace]

Another vote for adding a water dish straight away here.

 

[Charliemum]

Soon as I am making an enclosure I add a dish no matter what. Ink caps for tiny slings , they are pretty cheap n can get them online. I have skull ones atm .

 

[Kada]

For me, the day it arrives and enters its new home, it gets the option of water. Never an exception outside hatching from eggs and the first couple molts.

 

[drolmaeye]

Really appreciate everyone's perspective. I took a "medium" tattoo ink pot and cut it down a bit.

 

[Charliemum]

Really appreciate everyone's perspective. I took a "medium" tattoo ink pot and cut it down a bit.
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When your baby goes into premoult believe they will appreciate that water, you did the right thing .
I will say you may have to clean it , t's tend to dump any rubbish in their water dish, eg leftover food, sub they dig up ect, but it's because in the wild water/rain will wash stuff away , just empty it out n refill. N if the sub gets a little damp just wait for it to dry out a bit n readd the dish. It's a pain but better your baby has that water then not. Gl to you both .

 

[Arachnophobphile]

I see many keepers do not use a water dish for small slings. My understanding is there are various ways to keep slings hydrated: through feeding, keeping lower/lowest levels of substrate damp, periodically adding water through mist or drops, etc.

For those who do not use a water dish for small slings, at what stage do you introduce a water dish? Is it when the enclosure is large enough to include one? Or when your sling reaches an approximate DLS? Any broad/specific guidelines to consider?

I am new to the hobby with a small A. geniculata sling living in a water dish-less home and looking for some insight for the future.

About .5 to 5/8 of an inch I'll provide a waterdish for terrestrials and arboreals. Smaller slings will acquire a lot of moisture from the feeders or pieces of mealworms they eat.

Smallest sling I raised was 1/16 of an inch. That equates to a tiny speck and even 1/8 is a speck. Never gave them water dishes. Those tarantulas when they were that size would drink from the tiny moss I added water to, the side of the deli cup and moisture from the feeders they eat.