"Don't bother with a water dish"

[chanda]

I have water dishes for my a few of my scorps (Heterometrus sp., Hadogenes troglodytes, Ophistothalmus walberghi) but the local desert species (Hadrurus arizonensis and Paravaejovis puritanus) do just fine with the occasional misting. They invariable overturn or bury their water dishes anyway. I've never actually seen any of them drinking, but I do make sure they have some sort of water - whether in a dish or on the glass.

 

[darkness975]

I put in a large bottle cap with water every few days with a cotton ball in it.

Take the cotton ball out of the dish. All that is doing is attracting bacteria. Water in the dish by itself is fine.

H. arizonensis Drinking

• darkness975
• Apr 27, 2017
• 6

@chanda

 

[Newports]

Take the cotton ball out of the dish. All that is doing is attracting bacteria. Water in the dish by itself is fine.

H. arizonensis Drinking

• darkness975
• Apr 27, 2017
• 6

@chanda

It rarely stays in there anyways. They like to drag it out ha. Also my mauris love a light sprike of water. They drink the beads of water or hover over a damp spot. Very hardy to humidity compared to australis imo.

 

[gromgrom]

I always mist the corner of enclosures, and for my gravid females, they get actual waterdishes. Never had a problem with it. I've even got a photo of my female Androctonus australis, Hottentotta jakayari, etc, you know, arid species, drinking from dishes or the side of an enclosure.

I think it's something parroted by new members repeating what outdated and bad care sheets/books have said for years.

 

[Arachnomaniac19]

I feel they don't need it in the same way that people don't need a varied diet. If something goes slightly wrong, which is likely, they'll need it. If not, they'll be fine but not as happy.

 

[Pipa]

great picture hahaha

 

[Nomadical]

To all those saying not to bother with a water dish, here is my H. Arizonensis taking a much needed drink![/QUOTE]



loves his water dish.

 

[ArachnoDrew]

You mean Asian forest (heterometrus)?

 

[Scorpionluva]

I raised 3 generations of hadrurus without a single waterbowl. This includes hundreds of babies and subadults that molted and thrived just fine in my captive care. So all this debating about do they or don't they need it comes down to personal preference and the methods you use to keep your scorps.

 

[darkness975]

To all those saying not to bother with a water dish, here is my H. Arizonensis taking a much needed drink!

View attachment 241894

loves his water dish.[/QUOTE]

You need a shorter dish, like those fake rock reptile dishes they sell. The one you have is too smooth and too tall. Also, remove the rocks. All they do is harbor bacteria. With the proper depth water dish you will not feel the need to use rocks as it will be low enough for it to get out of it climbs in.

I raised 3 generations of hadrurus without a single waterbowl. This includes hundreds of babies and subadults that molted and thrived just fine in my captive care. So all this debating about do they or don't they need it comes down to personal preference and the methods you use to keep your scorps.

I have seen all of mine drink directly from the dish, hence why I always offer one to them.

H. arizonensis Drinking

• darkness975
• Apr 27, 2017
• 6

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

I've lost more arid species due to water dish drownings than any/all other occurrences combined ! So when it comes to arid species - a water dish is a bad idea.

Tropical species ... Need a water dish no questions about it
Arid .... Does not need 1 at all with proper misting during their night time hours

I don't think I have posted in this forum before but this conversation interests me. I have a question here based on these two posts. If a reason for not providing a water dish for arid species of scorpion is because they can and will drown, why wouldn't the tropical species drown in a water dish?

 

[Smokehound714]

I keep arid species exclusively and they definitely need a water dish. Especially vaejovidae. V puritanus actually isnt really a desert species, it simply can tolerate arid conditions, it can be found right next to the ocean, and that species really needs a water dish.

The thing about the desert is it actually gets rain in summer, and desert species all drink water during the monsoon- they'll even leave their burrows in broad daylight to scramble frantically for puddles

 

[Anoplogaster]

So I've had my A. australis for about a week now. Following this thread, I've gone back and forth on the water dish thing. I'm desperate for a consensus

 

[basin79]

So I've had my A. australis for about a week now. Following this thread, I've gone back and forth on the water dish thing. I'm desperate for a consensus

Pop a small dish in a corner and let the scorpion tell you.

 

[mconnachan]

It rarely stays in there anyways. They like to drag it out ha. Also my mauris love a light sprike of water. They drink the beads of water or hover over a damp spot. Very hardy to humidity compared to australis imo.

It could still become infected with bacteria, whether it's in the dish or out, remove it as soon as possible, it's not helping in any way, shape or form and can cause major problems, just leave the water dish...

 

[ArachnoDrew]

Get a spray bottle fill it up with filtered water and spray a corner and leave water drops on a side it will drink the drops, their are MANY people who don't use them at all EVER like @Scorpionluva who have great success breeding
smokehound another very knowledgeable reccomends them. So your going to be tossed around constantly here, to ease your mind try a bottle cap they dry out pretty quickly. Don't use a sponge or anything else inside the cap. Just straight clean water

 

[basin79]

I raised 3 generations of hadrurus without a single waterbowl. This includes hundreds of babies and subadults that molted and thrived just fine in my captive care. So all this debating about do they or don't they need it comes down to personal preference and the methods you use to keep your scorps.

Would you please be able to give details on how you provided the right parameters to get your Hadrurus to successfully moult?

 

[Anoplogaster]

So I misted a corner of the enclosure last night. Within 5 minutes, he was out drinking. So I concluded that he was thirsty as hell, and could probably benefit from a water dish. As for a water dish causing bacteria buildup, I guess the same could be said about a water dish for ANY animal. As for the drowning risk, I suspect that would only be problematic if the dish were way oversized to where the animal had difficulty getting out.

He has a dish, and I'm satisfied with my decision.

 

[Scorpionluva]

I don't think I have posted in this forum before but this conversation interests me. I have a question here based on these two posts. If a reason for not providing a water dish for arid species of scorpion is because they can and will drown, why wouldn't the tropical species drown in a water dish?

It's not an issue of an arid species will drown in a water dish and a tropical species won't drown in it - it's more about the environments of the 2 types instead. An arid species comes from a region that has minimal humidity and less frequent amounts of rain as opposed to let's say a heterometrus specie that comes from a rainforest which is constantly soaked with rain + humidity.
I don't keep any tropical species anymore but when I did - I used waterbowls for them and almost every keeper I know who keeps tropical uses waterbowls
When I first started keeping scorpions - I gave them all waterbowls.
When I lost rare species like Australis hectors , parabuthus pallidus , parabuthus mossambicensis (all were in the 2i-3i range ) due to drowning in a nestle pure life water bottle cap which is about the smallest waterbowl you can give them - I tossed the whole waterbowl idea in the trash !
Since then I've only misted my semi/arid species 1-2 weekly and have had great success with it.
Even with a semi tropical species such as rhopalurus junceus ( and everybody on AB should know by now I've had incredible success with this species )
I've never used a single waterbowl with any of them either !

 

[ArachnoDrew]

Ooohhh man I woulda puked losing a Hector and a p mossy!!!!!!! Poor little guys