Do you mist your T's

[cichlidsman]

i think it depends on were you live and the natural huminity,for example i live in newfoundland and the huminity is usualy high, but if you live in north alberta(fort mcmurry) the air is a lot dryer. but i am no expert.

 

[Jesse607]

Since all of my T enclosures are well ventilated, I just keep the substrate moist for tropical species but I let it dry out before I moisten it again. For desert species I leave the substrate dry for longer periods of time. In my experience misting just "upsets" the T and makes the new worlders kick their "hair" off.

 

[Overmenneske]

i think it depends on were you live and the natural huminity,for example i live in newfoundland and the huminity is usualy high, but if you live in north alberta(fort mcmurry) the air is a lot dryer.

I live in Norway. Half the year, the air is drier than the sun. Still no problems.

 

[Scorpiove]

I live in the mojave desert........ one of the most driest places on earth, I do not mist my Rose Hair, Curly Hair, or Usambara tarantulas. No problems at all.

 

[jayco_heat]

4 or 5 times a day? Wow, that is really unnecessary, very experienced keepers have kept a variety of species in bone dry environments (with water dish of course) with great success.

We need some words of wisdom/experience: >Click here< >Click here< >Click here<

Yeah, thats just down right &ss backwards.

 

[MatthewBerfield]

when i say 4 or 5 times a day i don't mean i drench the tank with water i give it a squirt or two....and i do it like every 5 hours or whenever i go hangout wit my friends and i know i'm going to be awhile, cause it is like 90 in my room all year round....and i know that may not matter but i don't want to tank any risks...misting them will not kill them, i've never heard of sumthing dieing when it rains out (except for chickens) its a fact that without water every living thing on earth would die....

 

[Overmenneske]

The chances of your spiders dying are greater if you add moisture like that. As you say, every living thing on earth needs water, mold and fungus being two of them. The more humidity, the greater chance of such problems.

Experienced keepers keep telling us we don't need it, they have proved many times that only a very limited number of species require special treatment like that. What makes you think otherwise?

 

[Overmenneske]

I just wanted to add here that you of course need a water dish (as I said earlier). As long as you provide your spiders with that, they will not die of dehydration.

 

[MatthewBerfield]

You are right, i agree with you, but everyone it making it seem like i drench my spiders cage and that is not what i do i squirt the bottle like twice and i've been cutting back, i just don't like how people are critisizing me and being real A$$holes to me, i'm supposed to be a fellow Tarantula lover and you treat me like crap cause i made a mistake.


By the way i do have a water dish in every tank for my spiders....

 

[MizM]

I really can't think of anyplace on earth that "mists" 4 or 5 times a day!

I USED to freak about humidity... until I had problems with mold, fungus, mites and nematodes. Out in the wild, there are natural defenses against these problems. If we could duplicate their environment and ecosystem PRECISELY, we could mist 5 or 6 times a day without harm to the T. But in a sterile enclosure, with nothing to eat the mold and parasites, they will run rampant... and eat your T!

The very best defense AGAINST these dangers is to KEEP YOUR ENCLOSURES DRY!! Your T will drink if it needs water. If it gets so dehydrated that it cannot walk to it's water dish, then it's not been kept properly. A T on dry substrate with a full, clean water dish will live a healthy, happy life.

The only exception to the rule is moisture-dependent species such a T. blondi, which NEED to be kept at high humidity. In this case, I use predatory bugs in the enclosure to eat mold and such. The ventilation MUST BE VERY HIGH, as it would be in the wild, to prevent infestations. Also, I keep slings and pre-molt individuals SLIGHTLY more humid, but let them dry out as needed.

 

[MatthewBerfield]

thanks for the adivce

 

[oogieboogie]

when i say 4 or 5 times a day i don't mean i drench the tank with water i give it a squirt or two....and i do it like every 5 hours or whenever i go hangout wit my friends and i know i'm going to be awhile, cause it is like 90 in my room all year round....and i know that may not matter but i don't want to tank any risks...misting them will not kill them, i've never heard of sumthing dieing when it rains out (except for chickens) its a fact that without water every living thing on earth would die....

Im hoping you say 90* in an exaggerated sense. Because that is way way way to hot for any T. o) Try and keep the temps at 80* maybe 82* and nothing higher then that for any species. Some even lower.

Dont take it as were being asses twords you. Just take it as constructive criticism. o)

 

[MatthewBerfield]

its acually prolly between 80* and 85* but yeah i only spray them like once a day now if that.

 

[oogieboogie]

Good to hear.

I did exactly what youd id when I first started, if not worse. I kept the substrate moist moist, and on top of that I sprayed every day. Soon found out how bad of a problem mold was. O(

Good luck with the T's!

 

[Tranz]

Only when I'm gone a long time.

 

[MatthewBerfield]

Good to hear.

I did exactly what youd id when I first started, if not worse. I kept the substrate moist moist, and on top of that I sprayed every day. Soon found out how bad of a problem mold was. O(

Good luck with the T's!

thanks man, good luck with yours too!

 

[NYbirdEater]

My rosehairs like it bone dry. Larger female likes to drink from a water bowl. The male refuses to have a water bowl and immediately fills it with substrate if I put it in the tank. He even went on a 4 month stretch without eating and no water so I don't think all T's need it. I mist some other T's every few days, especially small ones who have no water dish, except for the GBB that stays dry as well. All of them are healthy and active that don't get misted so I see no need to mist every T you have.

 

[lta3398]

I mist my slings, but my adults i just have a water dish in there...i live in South Florida, and we have a high humidity level here, even inside with the a\c on....so it's not too necessary for me to mist the adults....

 

[NYbirdEater]

Gotta mist them dog gone tarantulas, at least once a week! And gotta have a water bowl. If a tarantula becomes dehydrated it will cease to do anything. They dont have muscles....

Tarantulas do have muscles! In fact they have a complicated array of muscles and motor nerves and tendons which probably helps them be so flixible. There are tons of other biological facts about tarantulas that most people think they don't have, like bones or "endoskeleton". Here's a quote from Rainer Foelix's "biology of spiders" book:

"It is a little known fact that spiders also possess an internal skeleton. Parts of the exoskeleton invaginate into the body. Such invaginations are termed apodemes or entapophyses, and they serve as attachment points for muscles. A typical example is the tergal apodeme, which projects from the thoracic groove of the carapace into the prosoma and provides the attachment site for the dorsal muscles of the sucking stomach....."

 

[Hairyspider]

re

I mist my Avics, at least once a day. I never see them drinking from the water dish,like my other T's, but when I mist them they will drink from the sides of the tank.
Later
Hairy