Little gel balls

[pocopelo]

Hi. Has anybody attempted to use those deco gel balls that retain water on a T enclosure?
For my lingsi thought of using this instead of a water dish, but mostly to mantain humidity.
For drinking water i just drop some with my finger on top of a small wooden piece. They usually drink right away every week or so.
Im keeping a small cotton ball soaked, but was wondering on those gel balls and using them. ::

 

[Hydrazine]

Hi. Has anybody attempted to use those deco gel balls that retain water on a T enclosure?
For my lingsi thought of using this instead of a water dish, but mostly to mantain humidity.
For drinking water i just drop some with my finger on top of a small wooden piece. They usually drink right away every week or so.
Im keeping a small cotton ball soaked, but was wondering on those gel balls and using them. ::

No cotton balls, no gel balls. Just plain ol' water. Those things only attract mold and Ts can't drink from these anyway. Spiderlings get most of their liquids as a product of metabolizing their prey so all you need to do is keep the substrate moist to maintain the humidity level.

 

[pocopelo]

Even for roseas? They seem to hate their substrate if its wet.
They climb the wall of the container and remain there for hours, and when they go down they walk like crazy.
If i open the enclosure they will desperately try to escape and they wont go back in the easy way.
With the cotton ball they seem to enjoy their enclosure a little more and even burrow.
Im trying to find something to use as a water dish, but i want something really small and have not yet decided what to use to avoid ad prevent accidental drowning.

 

[EightLeggedFreaks]

If its a sling just wet one side of the container. If its a juvie or an adult give it a water dish.

 

[pocopelo]

Will try that. Thx!

 

[Stan Schultz]

Hi. Has anybody attempted to use those deco gel balls that retain water on a T enclosure?
For my lingsi thought of using this instead of a water dish, but mostly to mantain humidity.
For drinking water i just drop some with my finger on top of a small wooden piece. They usually drink right away every week or so.
Im keeping a small cotton ball soaked, but was wondering on those gel balls and using them. ::

This topic comes up about every third Monday. Unless somebody jumps the gun and posts something about it on Sunday!

When the gel came on the market a few years ago everybody was championing it for watering their tarantulas. It was just SSSOOOooo easy to use!

Then, we began to think we saw some problems with the stuff. While a lot of tarantulas seemed to survive and even thrive, some enthusiasts reported losing some of their pets inexplicably.

"Well," you might say, "tarantulas die quite inexplicably every day. Why should that be important?" Good point. But, in many cases they were long-term captives, otherwise in the prime of life. They just seemed to whither and die. It just seemed odd.

And especially, more than just a few people reported losing Avicularia, also mysteriously.

The odd deaths began to pile up and we began to notice the ghost of a strange correlation. An apparently disproportionate number of these deaths occurred with tarantulas that were given the gel as a sole water source.

So, we have little or no real proof. All we have is a suggestion and an accusation. But, most of us grizzled old f***s decided that a simple water dish and a plain rock, though a lot less high tech, worked at least as good as the gel. Cheaper, too. And, we didn't have to worry about ghosts and innuendo.

I'm as ready to embrace "New and Improved," high tech stuff as anybody (although I refuse to own a phone that's smarter than I am!). Except if I think it jeopardizes my spiders. These things have done fantastically good for hundreds of millions of years without the magic gel. Here, I'll remain an "old stick in the mud." I don't need no stinkin' gel.


Enjoy your little, 8-legged, ultra-conservative techie.

 

[sugarsandz]

water dish

My adult female rosea uses a normal water dish pretty regularly. I'd just get a small dish, it won't drown in it. You can get a small dish from most pet stores for pretty cheap or you can use something you have lying around. I don't even give my crickets water gel as I found more of them died while I was using it than when I give them oranges and other juicy produce.

 

[Bongo Fury]

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?153508-Beginner-Info-READ-before-posting

 

[sugarsandz]

Also I just realized you said deco gel balls and not cricket gel. I don't know if those are even considered safe for crickets to get moisture from as they are for crafts. They look cool but I'd stay away from them. It's just like glass balls and stones you get from craft stores are usually not safe for use in aquariums and anything you might drink out of because they have some kind of coating on them.

Also that photo I posted is of my rosea la month or so ago taking a drink, I didn't want people to think I used someone elses photo but I forgot to state that earlier!

 

[pureabsolutevoid]

I think the gel is fine, but I dont use it. I dont use any water bowls and just mist.

 

[Storm76]

Never used any gel for any of mine and not intending to. Normal waterbowls, or occasional misting into their webbing - done.

 

[Bongo Fury]

I think the gel is fine, but I dont use it. I dont use any water bowls and just mist.

No, it's not fine at all!:wall: Here is a quote from the BEGINNER info sticky, that link I posted above.

"Do not place cotton or a sponge in the water dish, it breeds bacteria and is not required. The gel that pet stores sell is completely useless for a tarantula as it cannot obtain any hydration from it at all."

C'mon man, this is day one stuff...

 

[pureabsolutevoid]

No, it's not fine at all!:wall: Here is a quote from the BEGINNER info sticky, that link I posted above.

"Do not place cotton or a sponge in the water dish, it breeds bacteria and is not required. The gel that pet stores sell is completely useless for a tarantula as it cannot obtain any hydration from it at all."

C'mon man, this is day one stuff...

I don't believe it. From a quick search I don't see any explanation for why exactly a T cannot drink from water crystals. If you explain why they can't I will believe you. I don't mean to get into a fight.

 

[Bongo Fury]

I don't believe it. From a quick search I don't see any explanation for why exactly a T cannot drink from water crystals. If you explain why they can't I will believe you. I don't mean to get into a fight.

Ah, a skeptic! Nothing wrong with that.

Unfortunately, I can't show you any scientific proof that they are physically unable to utilize the gel as a source of water. The beginners info section that I quoted cited no sources. You may be correct, Ts might be able to drink the gel. This does not mean that the gel or crystals are "fine", due to the known issues discussed in Pikaia's post (and book, BTW).

Can you point me to even a single keeper who is successfully using a water replacement?

 

[MarkmD]

I've never used the stuff, i like plain water in a water dish/bottle cap or misting, as stan said T's just died unexpectedly, over many countries and years, i was going to try it for my T's but it was cheaper to just use water. If something else comes out that proves T's can drink from and stay healthy then i will buy it, till then normal water will do for them.

 

[pureabsolutevoid]

Ah, a skeptic! Nothing wrong with that.

Unfortunately, I can't show you any scientific proof that they are physically unable to utilize the gel as a source of water. The beginners info section that I quoted cited no sources. You may be correct, Ts might be able to drink the gel. This does not mean that the gel or crystals are "fine", due to the known issues discussed in Pikaia's post (and book, BTW).

Can you point me to even a single keeper who is successfully using a water replacement?

No I can't. I guess the only way to prove it is to keep about 1000 T's from sling to maturity. I'll get back to you in like 8 years.

 

[sierra53]

i haven't had any problems..i just use the "fulkers " blue gel...(without calcium) t's dont need the calcium..its hard to find so i usallly order it from online somewhere..local petco ect wont carry the blue cuz everyone uses the yellow. i only use these gels when i go on vacation. Its hard to leave when you have crazy pets no one wants to take car of .lol i will switch up and give it to my crickets..but dries out after a few days so need to watch it. this is a similar stuff used for plants people do this so they dont have to water plants as often holds water...and saturates soil.