How to "mist" substrate?

[Cuttszo]

Dump a bottle of water over the substrate?

 

[Aurelia]

...spray it with a spray bottle?

 

[Cuttszo]

...spray it with a spray bottle?

Where do you purchase these "spraybottles" Empty out a bottle of windex?

 

[Aurelia]

Don't be stupid. Any convenient store or grocery store sells empty plastic spray bottle.

 

[Cuttszo]

Don't be stupid. Any convenient store or grocery store sells empty plastic spray bottle.

Rgr that, will do.

 

[fartkowski]

Any dollar store will have spray bottles.

 

[ErinKelley]

Personally I prefer overflowing around the water container or pouring in an area. Misting creates water spots which look nasty. In my smaller enclosures that do not have water bowls I will use a syringe(without a needle) for a more controlled amount and placement.

 

[Moltar]

Misting really isn't that effective for raising humidity. If you only mist the substrate it evaporates pretty rapidly, raising the humidity for a short time but a few hours later you're right back where you started.

A better approach is to soak a small area of the substrate like a corner or maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the cage for "wetter" species. This lasts longer than just misting and gives the t the oppurtunity to pick a moist or dry area depending on how it feels at the given moment. When I do this, I still supplement with misting for the immediate effect and to give drinking water to some arboreal species.

Another thing i'll do to supplement is have some dried sphagnum moss in there that I can spritz or dribble water over. It absorbs a good amount of water and holds it for a while. My E murinus gets out there and wallows in the moist moss then webs it all over her burrow entrance. You'll need to swap out the moss from time to time as it gets funky and begins to decay or (gasp) even mold.

 

[IdahoBiteyThing]

ditto

Personally I prefer overflowing around the water container or pouring in an area. Misting creates water spots which look nasty. In my smaller enclosures that do not have water bowls I will use a syringe(without a needle) for a more controlled amount and placement.

. . . it's the Boise way Misting creates a temporary rise in humidity, which really isn't all that helpful. Misting IS useful for arboreal slings that take water off the side of the enclosure I guess, but in general, if you want to create a moister environment, control the dampness of the substrate. Creating a damp area at one end also helps you to judge the T's reaction. Does it tend to hover in the moist corner, or over it's water dish, or does it stay well away from the dampness on dry substrate?

Gosh ETown, way to type faster than me! Identical posts at the same time!

 

[JayzunBoget]

I agree whole heartedly with everyone that has stated that misting can be OK, but is a short term spike in humidity. Coco coir, peat and vermiculite will slowly release the moisture that they hold throughout the day.
The one thing I wanted to add was that when you do choose to mist your cage, do not mist your tarantula! Especially if you own a T. blondi, but I've been hearing about other Ts with the same sensitivity. You could wake up one day to this;

So, spray your cage walls, spray the substrate, hell even spray your wife or S.O. if she's nearby (but be ready to run!), but do not spray your tarantulas!

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Where do you purchase these "spraybottles" Empty out a bottle of windex?

Just because this needs to be driven home again in case other people reading this don't know: DO NOT EVER USE A BOTTLE THAT HAS CONTAINED CHEMICALS OF ANY KIND. NO AMOUNT OF CLEANING WILL MAKE IT SAFE FOR DRINKING WATER.

But yeah, I mostly just get the substrate wet nowadays too, for my Ts that can't have bowls (they're big enough, they just bury them every day and I got fed up digging them back out ).

 

[jeff1962]

I just overflow the water dish for the T.s I have that like some moisture. To keep down on mold or other unwanted growth make sure you let it almost dry out completly before you soak it again.

 

[AubZ]

I tried some of the empty spray bottle's but was not happy with the way they sprayed. Ended up finding a spray bottle that was filled with liquid candy for kids and that has worked far better than anything else I've tried. Only problem is it takes a long time for the candy smell and taste to dissappear.

 

[jeff1962]

I tried some of the empty spray bottle's but was not happy with the way they sprayed. Ended up finding a spray bottle that was filled with liquid candy for kids and that has worked far better than anything else I've tried. Only problem is it takes a long time for the candy smell and taste to dissappear.

You can buy empty spray bottles in the garden section of most stores.

 

[jen650s]

I tried some of the empty spray bottle's but was not happy with the way they sprayed. Ended up finding a spray bottle that was filled with liquid candy for kids and that has worked far better than anything else I've tried. Only problem is it takes a long time for the candy smell and taste to dissappear.

Fill it with hot water and a tablespoon of baking soda, wait for it to cool, rinse and dry. If it still smells it always will.

I have a 1 gallon garden sprayer. You pump up the pressure in it, adjust the spray and hold the trigger. It was about $6 and can be adjusted from a fine mist to a steady stream. I use the mist for my arboreal slings, and the spray for filling water dishes. Way easier than a syring that you have to keep filling.

As a bonus, some of my less water loving Ts love to attack the stream of water as I spray it in. You should see my adult female G. rosea when her water dish is filled this way. It is reminiscent of a dog attacking water coming out of the hose.

 

[AubZ]

Thanks for the tip I will try it.

 

[saminthemiddle]

Just because this needs to be driven home again in case other people reading this don't know: DO NOT EVER USE A BOTTLE THAT HAS CONTAINED CHEMICALS OF ANY KIND. NO AMOUNT OF CLEANING WILL MAKE IT SAFE FOR DRINKING WATER.

But yeah, I mostly just get the substrate wet nowadays too, for my Ts that can't have bowls (they're big enough, they just bury them every day and I got fed up digging them back out ).

The exception to the rule is isopropal alcohol which I use regularly as a detergent for my animal's tanks. It's great stuff, instantly desiccating (or just plain out poisoning) mites and other nasties, cleans other chemicals like calcium deposits off easier than water, and evaporates quickly leaving *NO* residue so it's safe for your T even after only a couple minutes.

Personally I prefer overflowing around the water container or pouring in an area. Misting creates water spots which look nasty. In my smaller enclosures that do not have water bowls I will use a syringe(without a needle) for a more controlled amount and placement.

Use distilled or purified water. I use purified water as it costs only $1/gallon vs. ~1.50/gallon for distilled. What causes the spots is calcium and other minerals in the water. Distilled and purified water don't suffer this problem.

Also, use purified water because house water contains chlorine and other chemicals that can *kill* some inverts if you spray it on them!!

 

[hairmetalspider]

The exception to the rule is isopropal alcohol which I use regularly as a detergent for my animal's tanks. It's great stuff, instantly desiccating (or just plain out poisoning) mites and other nasties, cleans other chemicals like calcium deposits off easier than water, and evaporates quickly leaving *NO* residue so it's safe for your T even after only a couple minutes.

That still sounds risky. I mean water bottles are literally somewhere around 50 cents at the drug store, grocery store, etc.

While you might use it to clean the cage, remember that it is dry by the time you put it in. Any residue left in the bottle in liquid form could mix with the water and you could accidentally spray it on your T, it's plants, the substrate, etc.

Just saying...better safe than sorry.

 

[saminthemiddle]

Actually, washing a new item with isopropal alcohol is a really good idea when you first buy it. Why?

You don't know what residues are on that thing you just bought. Water is really good at washing away polar molecules but non-polar molecules aren't soluble in water so those chemicals are difficult to wash away with water. Isopropal alcohol, on the other hand!

Just rinse with water afterwards (more to displace fume filled air than anything else), towel dry and let sit for a minute or so. I guarantee that the alcohol will be gone.

If you want to sterilize something for use in your enclosures use Hydrogen Peroxide. The stuff is *SUPER* unstable, the reason why they have to keep it in dark bottles is UV light breaks it down super quickly.

Dampen a cotton swab with it and scrub away. Rinse with water and towel dry. Leave in sunlight or under a black light/florescent bulb (or anywhere, really) for a couple hours. Any remaining hydrogen peroxide (there should be very little, if any) will by that time have broken down into plain ol water (the drinkable kind) and oxygen (the breathable kind). Guaranteed no residue or residual chemical and guaranteed none of whatever you were trying to kill (if you were thorough about it).

PS: might want to try testing the H2O2 on a patch of what you're cleaning first. The stuff is pretty darn reactive and can yellow some plastics.

Get 75% rubbing alcohol and 3-4% Hydrogen Peroxide.

75% Hydrogen Peroxide is a bad idea as it can eat your flesh to the bone (and then dissolve your bone) in a matter of seconds!