I'm confused about tarantulas drinking from substrate

[lostbrane]

So then, are sponges still no bueno? Or are there other factors (harboring mold or fungi for example maybe) that make them not worth it no matter what? I'm not going to ever use one but the knowledge isn't bad to have...

just wanted to add that I've personally seen "feeder forms" still attack

While not a t, a cricket that had jumped on my hand decided my knuckle seemed pretty delicious and started to nibble away. So yeah, I can see them going after t's no problem whatsoever.

 

[Dovey]

Black crickets, especially, are capable of a pretty significant bite. But any Cricket is capable of doing damage, especially if a spider is helpless after a molt and the cricket is hungry. Another reason to favor roaches!

But I intermittantly wet down the substrate of all habitats containing slings and juveniles, rather than offering them water bowls. This has worked very well for me.

 

[Greasylake]

I had a small whip scorpion at one point and I dropped in a cricket to feed it. I came back the next morning and the cricket was on top of the whip scorpion eating it.

 

[Krystal Anne]

While not a t, a cricket that had jumped on my hand decided my knuckle seemed pretty delicious and started to nibble away. So yeah, I can see them going after t's no problem whatsoever.

Goodness, I literally shivered imagining that happen to me. Crickets are the worst. They're gross and icky but I'm still using them until my roach colony stabilizes. My friends think it's funny that I'm scared of crickets but not spiders

 

[viper69]

To the best of my knowledge this 'tarantulas drink from substrate' theory has never really been proven, though... I'm not saying it isn't true, I'm just saying I haven't seen irrefutable proof that they even do that.

It's not a theory hahah. What are you guys doing over there?? I have Ts that drink from moistening substrate (coco fiber). In fact I have a very species that almost exclusively drinks from sub from my observations. Which is a real pain in the rear because she's a rare species in the hobby, and I'm always making sure she is not dehydrated. This one T will ignore a full water bowl and go for wet sub almost all the time, it's pretty crazy and nerve racking.

 

[MattjediEdmonds]

How do T's "drink' from substrate / sponges? Their fangs are not connected to their stomachs. If they "drink" from substrate / sponge it would have to be literally soaking wet. If a T doesn't have a water dish, I'm sure some people have seen their T's "drinking" from the substrate, but really, they were seeing T's desperate for water and trying to suck gross dirty water from the dirt.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

How do T's "drink' from substrate / sponges? Their fangs are not connected to their stomachs. If they "drink" from substrate / sponge it would have to be literally soaking wet. If a T doesn't have a water dish, I'm sure some people have seen their T's "drinking" from the substrate, but really, they were seeing T's desperate for water and trying to suck gross dirty water from the dirt.

The fangs have nothing to do with the uptake of any fluid whether it is water or predigested food. Although the fangs are used to grab, envenomate, and masticate their prey, they have nothing to do with drinking fluid. When drinking, you will see that tarantulas will move their chelicerae and fangs out of the way of the mouth by spreading them apart. When drinking from an open source of water, like from a cup or water drops, it can be reasonably assumed that the pumping stomach is working to pull in the water. However, when they drink from wet substrate it is hard to tell if they are sucking on it or if some other means of fluid uptake is in play such as capillary action. My own observations of tarantulas drinking from substrate and from a cup are inconclusive in this matter. I have seen my tarantulas press their mouths against wet dirt and also seen them hold wet dirt with their fangs and pedipalps like they were eating it. It has always been a mystery to me if the pumping stomach can be used without the regurgitation of digestive enzymes.

You are right though in that the substrate has to be sopping wet for them to get enough fluid from it. Otherwise they will struggle to get enough water. In nature, tarantulas mostly live in soil heavy in clay which absorbs water at a very slow rate. Not to mention burrows could be surrounded by vegetation or other objects which don't absorb water. After a rain, a tarantula's burrow in theory could be flooded which allows them to drink from water that pools from inside or there could be enough standing water on the outside of the burrow to drink from.

In captivity, we use a whole mess of different types of substrates from top soil, potting soil, coco fiber, peat moss, etc. which absorb and hold onto water at a much faster rate than clay soils. These soils we use for tarantulas are intended for plants so they work as intended. My advice though is for the casual keeper to stick with water dishes for their tarantulas and not try to raise them without unless there is a good understanding of the signs of dehydration. My own experience has shown that tarantulas can be raised without water dishes up until a certain point where they can comfortably lower themselves onto the water while keeping all eight legs touching the substrate.

And by the way, there is no need to put the words "drink" and "drinking" in quotes. These words are being used quite literally and by putting them in quotes it implies they are being used figuratively. Tarantulas can literally drink from the substrate or a sponge.

 

[MintyWood826]

Huh. Well I guess we better stop saying they can't drink from sponges.

 

[viper69]

I’ve “flooded” burrows to make sure certain Ts drink; it works.

 

[MattjediEdmonds]

Yes, my point was that drinking from a sponge or substrate is pretty much impossible unless it is completely, 100% saturated - which is rare and only last for a short time when it is saturated. So having a water dish is the best way for spiders to drink. Most people think spiders suck fluids through their fangs... which, they don't. Wild tarantulas don't have water dishes... and over 99% of them die before adulthood. Not just because of water, but I'm sure it contributes. Having a water dish certainly doesn't hurt and it does help.

 

[Toddydog]

They can drink from the substate in my experience. I have an extremely finicky P. subfusca that I noticed was pretty dehydrated. It has a water dish that is always full but for some odd reason it prefers the substrate. I've even pushed this one on its water dish and it still would rather drink from the "dirty" substate. My B. hamorii would rather drink from his dish than the bit of wet substrate that overflowed from the dish when I was filling it. So I think it comes from personal preference.
Heres a picture of my P. subfusca. Its water dish is legit right behind it. This was right after I poured some water in this corner because I noticed it wasn't drinking from the dish.