Can tarantulas drink something other than water?

[AphonopelmaTX]

Please disclose your sources on this.
Do they drink honey water in the wild? Dipping into Winnie the Pooh's honey pot? Not likely.

You should consider that something a wild tarantula wouldn't have access to could still be beneficial. I always hate those "in the wild" arguments for doing or not doing something in captivity because "the wild" is such an unforgiving place for any creature to live. Some seem to think nature knows best, but in case anyone hasn't noticed, nature appears to do its best to kill off life. This is what makes life in general so incredible.

If a wild tarantula suffers a puncture wound so severe its own body couldn't clot it, they would bleed out and die in the wild. In captivity we can help recovery by clotting such a wound using cornstarch, something wild tarantulas wouldn't have access to or be able to apply on their own. So assuming a tarantula would actually consume it, who is to say that that an energy boost from diluted honey or sugar water wouldn't help a captive tarantula with an ailment?

 

[Frogdaddy]

So now we're giving tarantulas honey water to wash down their Angus steak? How do we know they don't prefer bourbon? But only Kentucky bourbon of course.
After millions of years on earth does any tarantula show physiological adaptations for drinking honey water? Surely if it were a beneficial source of nutrition there would be tarantulas crawling all over bee hives. Oh wait, maybe that's why honey bees are threatened globally.
Any proof they can even digest the sugars in honey?
I thought Arachnoboards founding principle was to promote good husbandry of tarantulas and other inverts, not hair brained ideas.
So who is going to volunteer to feed their tarantulas beef and honey water? Any takers? Puh-lease.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I have to wonder why the OP could've thought milk in particular could be okay for a spider. Milk is produced by mammals to be fed to their babies, and humans are the ONLY mammal that can drink milk during adolescence and adulthood, as well as the only mammal that can drink the milk of other animals. Some humans can't do that either, they're lactose intolerant. So why would a spider be able to safely drink the stuff? They're not even mammals, not even closely related.

Better question is why would anyone give a spider milk to drink ? Haha
cmon man .. or juice or rum or beer ..

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

So now we're giving tarantulas honey water to wash down their Angus steak? How do we know they don't prefer bourbon? But only Kentucky bourbon of course.
After millions of years on earth does any tarantula show physiological adaptations for drinking honey water? Surely if it were a beneficial source of nutrition there would be tarantulas crawling all over bee hives. Oh wait, maybe that's why honey bees are threatened globally.
Any proof they can even digest the sugars in honey?
I thought Arachnoboards founding principle was to promote good husbandry of tarantulas and other inverts, not hair brained ideas.
So who is going to volunteer to feed their tarantulas beef and honey water? Any takers? Puh-lease.

Better yet , that honey would most likely settle at the bottom of the spiders water dish making it unable to drink the honey.
Likely inviting Amy’s of ants!

 

[TechnoGeek]

This may sound odd, but I've ALWAYS had the urge to give my tarantulas juice, or milk or something other than just plain water. It just seems like they might want some added nutrients lol. Are there any specific vitamin/nourishment needs for tarantulas? Have you ever heard of giving them another liquid?

P.S.: No, I would never do it unless I know it's good for them!

Please don't do that.

Commercial fruit juice is jacked full of sugar and isn't healthy even for humans. Fresh fruit juice like the stuff you can squeeze at home contains lots of things that might prove very bad for a T depending on the fruits in question, for example it'll almost invariably contain fructose which isn't something tarantulas evolved to deal with or digest. Milk contains lactose and I'm almost certain tarantulas don't have the enzyme needed to digest lactose (which is called lactase) since they have no use for it. They shouldn't be given anything other than water.

 

[TechnoGeek]

Better yet , that honey would most likely settle at the bottom of the spiders water dish making it unable to drink the honey.
Likely inviting Amy’s of ants!

This is the most probable outcome. The T will ignore these things, but many insects, potentially dangerous ones, will be attracted to the T's enclosure which could end up very very badly for the T.

 

[TechnoGeek]

Some seem to think nature knows best, but in case anyone hasn't noticed, nature appears to do its best to kill off life. This is what makes life in general so incredible.

I couldn't agree more. Nature doesn't care at all, it doesn't give a damn if one tarantula or 1000 tarantulas die horribly.. responsible keepers should. In fact most spiderlings don't make it to adulthood in the wild, which is why they lay a crap ton of eggs usually. Yet people still think nature is a loving caring mother and animals enjoy a pristine and peaceful existence there

The reason why I don't think this is a good idea has nothing to do with it being natural or not, it's just because there's a decent chance the T won't eat it, in which case it would attract insects, mold, parasites etc.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Better yet , that honey would most likely settle at the bottom of the spiders water dish making it unable to drink the honey.
Likely inviting Amy’s of ants!

If an attempt is made to make a sugar solution using honey, then of course the honey would have to be dissolved in water first. Just as one would if using table sugar, except the viscosity of honey would require heat to dissolve it. The visual of someone giving a tarantula a dish of raw honey, or just putting honey in water, and wondering a why a tarantula wouldn’t touch it, is amusing though.

The reason why I don't think this is a good idea has nothing to do with it being natural or not, it's just because there's a decent chance the T won't eat it, in which case it would attract insects, mold, parasites etc.

There are many different liquids being discussed in this really old post so I’m not sure which one you are stating a tarantula wouldn’t consume then attract other organisms. Of course I would never advocate trying to give milk or fruit juice to a tarantula. That’s just absurd for so many reasons, but “they don’t consume it in the wild” is not a logical reason against it. Sugar solutions are not too far fetched of an idea as a potential aid for ailing tarantulas, but not as a staple source of liquid.

 

[Mountaindani]

For a treat I like to chew up a variety of feeder insects and feed them like a mother bird. It's a really special bonding experience.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

If an attempt is made to make a sugar solution using honey, then of course the honey would have to be dissolved in water first. Just as one would if using table sugar, except the viscosity of honey would require heat to dissolve it. The visual of someone giving a tarantula a dish of raw honey, or just putting honey in water, and wondering a why a tarantula wouldn’t touch it, is amusing though.



There are many different liquids being discussed in this really old post so I’m not sure which one you are stating a tarantula wouldn’t consume then attract other organisms. Of course I would never advocate trying to give milk or fruit juice to a tarantula. That’s just absurd for so many reasons, but “they don’t consume it in the wild” is not a logical reason against it. Sugar solutions are not too far fetched of an idea as a potential aid for ailing tarantulas, but not as a staple source of liquid.

Can arachnids consume sugar and is there any benefit from this ?

For a treat I like to chew up a variety of feeder insects and feed them like a mother bird. It's a really special bonding experience.

good way to get haired or bitten in the face , but very entertaining!
lots of people eat insects, and bugs super gross to me . But most sea food is also bugs .. and shrimp etc is great. Tarantulas can probably eat a shrimp.

 

[tarantulas118]

What if it was like, water with a few drops of lemon???

 

[Mountaindani]

Can arachnids consume sugar and is there any benefit from this ?

good way to get haired or bitten in the face , but very entertaining!
lots of people eat insects, and bugs super gross to me . But most sea food is also bugs .. and shrimp etc is great. Tarantulas can probably eat a shrimp.

It's not love if there is no risk

 

[Pyrelitha]

I have trouble believing that this is a serious question.

Why, humans have thoughts lol