Do Ts get most of their water through their food, a water dish, or misting?

aspieguy

Arachnopeon
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Feb 18, 2010
Messages
31
Hey,

I provide most of my medium sized and larger Ts with water dishes, however I am unsure of whether or not they are even used. A lot of the times they bury their water dishes, fill them with dirt, web them, etc. Can Ts do just fine without a water dish, like my centipedes and scorpions do?

Then there are Ts too small for a water dish. Where do they get their water from? Small Ts never live very long in my captivity. I usually mist them and hand feed them pre-killed crickets, but they still die?

Where do Ts get their water from? Do only large Ts need a water dish? If so, how large of a T needs a water dish?
 

hassman789

Arachnobaron
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Dec 2, 2009
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I think Tarantula Keepers Guide says a tarantula over 3 inches can have a water dish. And tarantulas with water dishes can use them, some more than others. Today I saw my pink toe sitting on her water dish and it was to low to drink some. I pourd some water in and it immediatly started drinking!
 

Ictinike

Arachnobaron
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Aug 30, 2009
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I would say it depends what's offered at least in regard to your question..

Primarily I would say prey since we actively feed them and they have moisture, misting would be second and lastly water dish.

This however is if you use all three methods but when presented with only 2, prey and misting, well.. then in that order and if presented with prey and dish they'll find it and use it.

I provide anything > 2-3" with a water dish as well misting once or twice a week and I actively see them scurry to the droplets but I've only caught one, my P. regalis use the dish when not misting.

I think it's more natural to them to find moisture from rain and the such off of leaves and the such but think of a dish as just a leave on the ground that has collected water as well.
 

aspieguy

Arachnopeon
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Feb 18, 2010
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31
I would say it depends what's offered at least in regard to your question..

Primarily I would say prey since we actively feed them and they have moisture, misting would be second and lastly water dish.

This however is if you use all three methods but when presented with only 2, prey and misting, well.. then in that order and if presented with prey and dish they'll find it and use it.

I provide anything > 2-3" with a water dish as well misting once or twice a week and I actively see them scurry to the droplets but I've only caught one, my P. regalis use the dish when not misting.

I think it's more natural to them to find moisture from rain and the such off of leaves and the such but think of a dish as just a leave on the ground that has collected water as well.
If what you say is true, why do my slings, under an inch, die? I mist them and feed them well.
 

Ictinike

Arachnobaron
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If what you say is true, why do my slings, under an inch, die? I mist them and feed them well.
May I ask why you feel water is the key source of failure in your experience?

They are simple creatures that have simple needs. Food, Water, Shelter.

You obviously by your own words feed and water them well but those two right there have many variables. While I don't think your feeding them canned dog food nor giving them vodka martini's the source and quality of food and water can be completely different so maybe it's not what your providing for them but the quality of said needs.

Have you looked into the source of water you use? Could it have contaminates that may affect tarantulas differently than humans?

Your food source. Could it also have become contaminated?

Shelter as well is a key role. Do you provide adequate ventillation or clean air? I state clean air because lets say your mother or wife uses cleaning products that disperse through the air near or around the slings?

While I understand your frustration and dilemma I also believe it's nothing your actively doing that's killing the slings. You are providing basic needs to simple creatures and they are still dieing so obviously something lower level that your not aware of or looking for is causing the deaths.

I would try a few things like changing water source, food sources and housing them in different areas. It could be a multitude of things and while you may never know exactly at least you can offer alternatives to try and determine what the true cause is. Simply believing that you feeding, watering and providing shelter is causing the issue is somehow making them die is wrong and adding undue stress upon you.

I promised, inside my head, I wouldn't get this wordy so if you want to further discuss that's fine but I don't want to come over "preachy" :)

Again, think on a lower level than you have already been doing in my opinion is the key..
 

Arachnoholic420

Arachnoangel
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If what you say is true, why do my slings, under an inch, die? I mist them and feed them well.

You can easily over mist a sling enclosure!!!!

how do you keep your slings?

Do you have a hot box?

I too live in canada but my sling death ratio is like 1/30, if that....
I have had only 3 slings that passed 1 due to molting issue... the others just didnt survive ucd...
 

aspieguy

Arachnopeon
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Feb 18, 2010
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You can easily over mist a sling enclosure!!!!

how do you keep your slings?

Do you have a hot box?

I too live in canada but my sling death ratio is like 1/30, if that....
I have had only 3 slings that passed 1 due to molting issue... the others just didnt survive ucd...
You can over mist?!

Of the few that I have had that were really small, they were kept in medication vials with a little substrate. No hot box. What does UCD mean?
 

JimM

Arachnoangel
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aspieguy, make the search function your friend.
We've discussed this many times.

In short, no your T's do not need a water dish. I maintained T's for many years without providing one. I do provide a water dish now for some species who's enclosure are easily (and safely) accssed strictly on a "just in case" basis. However I have enough direct experience to be able to say that with proper husbandry they do fine without it.

I've never given an Avic or a pokey a water dish, still don't.
No harm in providing one for any species - at worst your erring in favor of the animal.
 

rustym3talh3ad

Arachnoangel
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Sep 22, 2008
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I would say it depends what's offered at least in regard to your question..

Primarily I would say prey since we actively feed them and they have moisture, misting would be second and lastly water dish.

This however is if you use all three methods but when presented with only 2, prey and misting, well.. then in that order and if presented with prey and dish they'll find it and use it.

I provide anything > 2-3" with a water dish as well misting once or twice a week and I actively see them scurry to the droplets but I've only caught one, my P. regalis use the dish when not misting.

I think it's more natural to them to find moisture from rain and the such off of leaves and the such but think of a dish as just a leave on the ground that has collected water as well.
To add to this, T's will not only suck moisture from the droplets of water (from misting) they will suck it from leaves, wood and even dirt. If u ever see a T with its fangs buried in the dirt its a good chance it may be drinking. ALSO if a T is deprived of usable water for long enough it may even resort to "Drinking" the moisture from its own stools. i have also seen this before. Just my 200ths of a dollar.
 

Arachnoholic420

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
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Unknown cause of death = ucd....
Yes you can over mist and have all sorts of nasty things growing with your sling... Specially if u have any left over prey items....

Some just dont have the energy to survive....
 

webbedone

Arachnobaron
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Aug 27, 2010
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T's have a hard time telling clean water apart from dirty water, thats why they pile debris and crap onto their water bowl but this does not mean in any way that T's dont drink from a bowl, i provide all my slings with a bowl of fresh dechlorinated water in a shape of a 2 liter cola bottle cap as soon as their leg span reaches 1-1.5 inches, hundreds of times (when i gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom) i have seen many of my T's even Slings drink from a bowl. Yes Tarantula's get most of their water/liquids from their feeders, but it pays to have a water bowl not only it provides a cool sip for you T the eveaporations alone should be kicking humidity up to around 60% without you having to mist the enclosure.



When it comes to Sling care stress is a huge factor when in comes to surviving and striving, keep the enclosure out of direct sunlight since T's are nocturnal they feel over exposed and stressed in the open sun the mentality goes something like this - "the more elumitated i am the more things can see me, the more things see me the higher the chance of getting eaten". Not to metion that sun can litteraly bake you slings to death.

The key is to keep your T's in a place where they can tell the day to night time change but are not in a direct sunlight.

All slings are secretive by nature of survival most will burrow if there is enough substrate avaliable, some will not. Its good to provide a little hide that slings can feel safe in. It is also important that you leave your slings in piece as much as you can introduce feeders and change water/mist at the same time to reduce stress exposure.



i have never had a purchased sling casualty and i follow my rules religiously, hope it helps and sorry for writing a book
 

Lorum

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
111
1.- T's have a hard time telling clean water apart from dirty water, thats why they pile debris and crap onto their water bowl

2.- keep the enclosure out of direct sunlight since T's are nocturnal they feel over exposed and stressed in the open sun the mentality goes something like this - "the more elumitated i am the more things can see me, the more things see me the higher the chance of getting eaten".
1.- How do you know this? Can you provide some link or reference? Do you mean the tarsal organs are meaningless and they can't detect fresh and clean water? I don't think so, they have chemoreceptors.

2.- Sorry, but, do you mean you know T's mentality (if they have any)? I agree they need light during daytime and darkness at night, but I don't think they have such thing as "mentality" to know what things can happen to them if they are exposed to light, is just instinct.
 

AudreyElizabeth

Arachnodemon
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Feb 10, 2003
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I maintain a water dish for only one tarantula, my Ancanthoscurria geniculata. The A. geniculata is a water dish zealot, and I feel she would not thrive without one.
The terrestrials get a flood in the corner once a week, the arboreal tarantulas get a misting once a week, and the slings get misted once a week approximately. For the tiniest slings I take a bit of water in a spoon and place a couple of drops in. Far less torrential in a tiny vial than a fast moving stream. My causalities have been very low; I lost a king baboon sling (can't remember the new scientific name :wall:) to an unknown cause. But it never seemed to thrive anyway. That is the only 'up and die' I can think of.

There maybe something deeper (as Ictinike suggested), but it is a hunch of mine that tiny slings get 'done to death'. Sometimes less is more, but that is only my opinion.
 

Bill S

Arachnoprince
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Some species of tarantulas will need more water or moisture than others. Some of the captive environments we provide have more humidity than others. In humid environments spiders may get enough moisture from thier meals that they do not need to drink water. In really dry environments dessication can be a much bigger issue and spiders will need supplemental water. So there will not be a one-size-fits-all answer here on how to provide enough moisture for your animals, especially slings. What works well for me in the Sonoran Desert may not be the ideal for someone living on an island or in a much colder place.

That said - I try to give spiders the choice. One part of the vial or cage wetter than the other, letting the spider move to the situation that it wants or needs. For slings in vials (or small species of tue spiders) I use a piece of tissue paper pushed into the bottom of the vial instead of loose substrate. I push it into the bottom of the vial in such a way as to create a sort of hollow place where the spider can hide. That paper remains dry. At the opening of the vial I place a small piece of tissue paper (about the size of a fingernail), and this paper gets dampened every day. In really dry times, maybe twice a day. (Only takes a drop of water to do this.) I always keep the vials on their side, making it easy for the slings/spiders to wander from one end to the other. I've often seen slings or spiders drink moisture from the wet section, but they usually live in the dry retreat. It should be noted that I change the paper periodically, as spiders molt or clutter the papers up with remains of their meals. This keeps mold issues to a minimum. This system works very well for me, with a very high success rate.

Once the spiders graduate to deli cups - take your pick of a wide range of opinions on how to set them up.
 
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WARPIG

Arachnoangel
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Jun 29, 2007
Messages
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IMO anything over an inch gets a water bowl. I have seen T's eat and then drink, T's need a water source, slings need to be misted or have a damp corner of their enclosure so they can drink.

PIG-
 

Mattyb

Arachnoking
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Jun 28, 2004
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IMO anything over an inch gets a water bowl. I have seen T's eat and then drink, T's need a water source, slings need to be misted or have a damp corner of their enclosure so they can drink.

PIG-
I agree and thats how i keep mine.
 
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