Automatic waterer

[gvfarns]

I recently built an acrylic enclosure and experimented with an automatic watering system. basically it's an outside pool that I can pour water into and is connected to an inside pool.

I don't like the system of using a shallow water dish possibly with pebbles because:
1. it needs refilling frequently because it's shallow
2. it gets moved around/buried by the tarantula
3. you have to lift the lid to refill and unbury it, which costs just a little extra time and effort

Anyway here's a picture:

This setup works well to address the issues I just raised (btw the picture was the original configuration. I had to drill more ventilation holes later and I changed some other things, but this is to show you the watering system) however, it fails in two respects:

1. It drowns crickets and roaches like crazy. I put a comb in it hoping they would crawl out but they don't.
2. It has a very small leak somewhere, so my substrate is always wet deep down.

I've been thinking of doing a little more work with it to resolve these issues, but thinking about other enclosures I'd like to make, I kind of would like to have a better system.

One system that comes to mind is what I saw in someone's roach setup, with a tupperware of water and a rope coming out of the top of it, so the rope wicked water out. If I had some kind of a synthetic rope with one end in water and the other end somehow in the enclosure, do you think that would work for watering purposes? Think it would get all nasty?

I have also thought of just affixing a shallow water bin to the side with a small hole over it an feeding a plastic tube into it, which is connected to water somehow.

There has to be an optimal (or at least better) way to water tarantulas that lasts a long time, doesn't drown stuff, doesn't get nasty, and allows me to refill without opening the lid.

Do you have any suggestions about automatic watering solutions? I'd love to see pictures of some of the things you have worked out.

 

[gvfarns]

Actually, comments/suggestions on this solution would be appreciated also.

 

[Aurelia]

I just use plain water dishes for mine, but I think aquarium glue might be a solution for the leaking problem. You'd have to keep your spider in another container for a few days while it dries though.

Neat idea!

 

[insekta]

I don't know where I saw it, but the idea that I once saw someone use seemed to be a simple but effective method. They basically built a small dish that was like a drawer that they could slide out a bit and refill the water. They could also remove it entirely for cleaning. This isn't a fully automated system, but I thought it a clever solution to opening the lid and reaching a hand in.

 

[tabor]

Nifty work! I just used bottle caps

 

[gvfarns]

Yeah in the next couple of weeks I'm going to repair the leak. My first choice is to dissolve some acrylic chips in solvent and make a paste to fix it, but if that is problematic I'll go ahead and try the aquarium cement. Though I understand it doesn't stick as well to acrylic as it does to glass.

The drawer is an interesting suggestion. That will stretch my acrylic working ability!

I have been searching in vain for the photo of the watering system someone was using on their roaches, using a rope as a wick. I seriously can't find it. It was on the boards not that long ago I thought. If anyone remembers that post or can find it, I'd like to include it in the thread.

 

[tabor]

aquarium gravel in water dishes usually prevents crickets from drowning

 

[gvfarns]

aquarium gravel in water dishes usually prevents crickets from drowning

That's true, and that seems to be more or less the state of the art at the moment, but I think we should improve tarantula watering technology. Gravel displaces even more water in the already shallow water dishes so very little is in there at a time and it dries out quickly.

Although...I have thought about having a small hole in the side of the enclosure so I can insert a little dropper and refill a normal shallow water dish with gravel in it with minimal effort, that's still not optimal I don't think.

 

[mwh9]

I hope you have better luck repairing your leak. I tried building a pool with small gravel in it into a tank. It always found a way to leak and kept the substrat too wet all the time.

 

[gvfarns]

Update: I removed the T and everything in there (the substrate was getting moldy, which the T did not like) and slathered all the interior joints of the water pool with marine epoxy. It's not clear unfortunately, but it does a real good job. It took a whole day to dry but it's working like a champ now. I can let my substrate get bone dry. Also I can fill the waterer up to the very brim, which reduces my cricket drownings (haven't had one since, but that doesn't mean I won't). Turns out the crickets drown because they tried to get down into the waterer when the water was low.

Anyway it's a good setup now, but I really do want to try a wick-type waterer. I'm getting a new avic this week and I will need to build an enclosure for her, so I'm going to experiment with rope a little bit. Put the waterer up high where it will be more convenient for the T.

 

[Brian S]

Do you have problems of the spider filling it up with substrate?

 

[gvfarns]

Not yet. She used to do that back when I used lids, but hasn't in this enclosure. The odd bit of substrate goes in there, but this spider hasn't tried anything hard core. It's a pretty deep pool so she'd have to toss a ton in there to make a big difference. If that did happen I'd have to pull it out by hand (I also use a turkey baster if I want to empty it out for cleaning or something).

That is one thing I worried about when I built the enclosure. Good question.

 

[ShellsandScales]

I don't see your pictured solution being any more efficient than using a water dish.

 

[Le Wasp]

I like that idea. If you put an upside down small bottle of water/vial/test tube/etc. into the outside portion, it would make it even easier to keep it filled.

 

[gvfarns]

I like that idea. If you put an upside down small bottle of water/vial/test tube/etc. into the outside portion, it would make it even easier to keep it filled.

Yeah that was actually my original ideal. It's a good one. the capacity of this solution and ease of filling have kept me from taking that step yet, but if I ever leave them for like 6 months or something I will rig something like that.

 

[gvfarns]

I don't see your pictured solution being any more efficient than using a water dish.

It's not particularly better at hydrating the tarantula, but it's easier to keep filled and refill. I kind of think one of the cool things about T's is how low maintenance they are, and part of the enjoyment for me is optimizing on that. Eventually I'd like to get a whole room full of T's all in enclosures that are automatically watered by the same machine so I don't have to do them individually.

Handy for aggressive T's (though I don't have any) too I should think.

I've considered automatic feeding too (imagine little roaches climbing down tubes toward their death) but it probably won't be as easy or useful.

 

[gvfarns]

Ahh I finally found the wick waterer post that I mentioned before. It was in the article about dubia roach keeping on page 11. It was posted as an alternative way to hydrate roaches without using water gel or drowning any of them.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=654586&postcount=155

I think something similar could be used to hydrate arboreal T's without making them go down to the substrate level where the water dish is.

 

[Buckshot]

Is there someone here who have the Exo terra water well?
Does it work well for spiders?

 

[ShellsandScales]

It's not particularly better at hydrating the tarantula, but it's easier to keep filled and refill. I kind of think one of the cool things about T's is how low maintenance they are, and part of the enjoyment for me is optimizing on that. Eventually I'd like to get a whole room full of T's all in enclosures that are automatically watered by the same machine so I don't have to do them individually.

Handy for aggressive T's (though I don't have any) too I should think.

I've considered automatic feeding too (imagine little roaches climbing down tubes toward their death) but it probably won't be as easy or useful.

I can see you point especially with a room full of T's. It'd be like keeping several rodent breeders fed off one 5 gal bucket. still seems somewhat problematic. maybe if there was a secure way to make the dish part removable for cleaning or if the T filled it with strate.

 

[made of hate]

i wish i was willing to put in the time, effort, and $$$ to do something like that but... wat evvsszz