Questions about my tarantulas :)

[Braden]

Hey all, hope you're doing well right now(I know im going a little nutty stuck inside lol)

I just had a few questions:

Do tarantulas NEED a water dish? Can they survive without one even if their enclosure is dry, like for my P murinus and T albopilosum(I keep both species dry)

How long can slings typically go without food?(same species as above)

I typically like to feed my T's a good sized meal then wait a week or two(even slings). How long can they go without food if I previously fatten them up a bit?

Humidity doesn't matter right?

Thanks, I have had T's for almost 2 years and I feel it's good to get a refresher

 

[Edan bandoot]

Tarantulas get most of their moisture from their food it seems, water dishes act as a good post-molt safeguard against dehydration

Slings can go months without food, as long as you're offering it and they're declining it and their abdomen looks healthy you have nothing to worry about. Personally I feed twice a week but I use fairly small crickets.

 

[Konstantin Konstantinov]

Hi
Waterdishes are safe brace.
Tarantulas will take a lot of their fluid intake trough their pray but sometimes thats not enough.I don't see most of my tarantulas drink often but I do observe the majority I keep on bone dry substrate especially to have a drink now and then. Waterdishes are useful when tarantulas are nearing a moult especially if they have refused food for quite a while to get the fluids they need to moult successfully.
Sling size matters in regards how often you should offer pray. The tiniest of slings I offer pray twice a week.Once they hit 1-1.5 inch I offer once a week.I am giving them an option but they not always eat it.(most of times they do).I don't feed large pray as most of my slings are scatty and refusing them but feed multiple smaller pray items.
I have 0.5cm DSL slings of various species go without food for over 20-30 days with no issues when in premoult while I keep some moisture in substrate for them to have a drink from if they need.
Humidity is irrelevant but moisture is NOT especially with slings as they dehydrate very easy.
Can't coment on P murinus as had a large juvenile for short time but T albopilosus even as adults will appreciate some moisture in the substrate (I moist 1/3 to 1/2 of the enclosure allway to the bottom and let it dry before I do it again)

Regards Konstantin

 

[Smotzer]

Tarantulas get most of their moisture from their food it seems, water dishes act as a good post-molt safeguard against dehydration

I will agree with thats probably how they get a lot of water in, but that being said I have seen individual use waterdishes fairly often. We dont watch them 24/7 so I really dont feel safe saying that even if you have never seen it use it, that they dont use it....

Need, is subjective, a lot of what we do they probably dont need, outside of the very basics of husbandry.

OP It is very clear to me, for even with the species/individuals I have not seen drink, I know they know where the waterdishes are; they will poop in them, discard molts in them, or put dirt in them. They know they are there, at least in my observations. Which is why regardless of the size, except maybe 1/8 and smaller, I always include a waterdish. There is no downside to including one, but there can be downsides to not including them IMO.

How long can they typically go without food- that is also very subjective, multiple factors go into that, and we dont really have a standard to base anything off of. They can go many months and some times much more. hydration and abdomen size play roles in here, as well as temperature and probably other genetic factors (but we dont really understand these). They can go very long times without food, but not the same for water, all creatures are like this, Humans die quickly without water, but food is not the same. Hence why dishes are helpful.

Humidity- we have varying degrees of soil moisture dependent species. I have never measured humidity, all have lived with the correct soil moisture levels.
If we had humidity dependent species then soil moisture likely wouldn’t matter as much, but it does.

 

[Liquifin]

Do tarantulas NEED a water dish? Can they survive without one even if their enclosure is dry, like for my P murinus and T albopilosum(I keep both species dry)

No they don't need a water dish, but providing one is a good measure in case of something dire. A lot of my collection do and don't have water dishes so it varies for me so 50/50.

How long can slings typically go without food?(same species as above)

It all depends on abdomen size for me. If I see a fat abdomen or a decent abdomen then no feeding until next time. If I see a thin specimen, then it gets fed and maybe extra in some cases.

I typically like to feed my T's a good sized meal then wait a week or two(even slings). How long can they go without food if I previously fatten them up a bit?

A couple weeks all the way up towards a molt. But it varies depending on your care and abdomen size of slings.

Humidity doesn't matter right?

Unless you're incubating eggs then no, humidity isn't too relevant as it throws new keepers off at times.

 

[Arachnoenthusiast]

I just saw my gbb getting a drink from its dish on the same day it was fed. So I'd say they are necessary. Feeding, I offer every other week for smaller ts. Once a month for larger

 

[Polenth]

The issue if they don't get enough water from food is suddenly you have a tarantula in a death curl or a moult gone wrong. It's clear from the tarantula death threads here that a number could have been avoided just by giving them water before it went wrong, rather than trying to fix it in a panic afterwards.

 

[Asgiliath]

I would highly suggest water dishes. I actually see my T's use them pretty often!

 

[Rigor Mortis]

I just give them a water dish because I'd rather have assurance that they can always access water if they need it - even if they never end up needing it.

 

[xhuxhurocket]

Total noob T keeper here, but I've seen my little one drink from its bottle cap water dish once, and it puts its leftovers in it so they're easy to remove. It doesn't hurt so why not have a water dish just in case?

 

[mack1855]

Lots of debate on the water dish subject.Lots have raised T,s with no water dish,many would never keep them without one.Ive gone both ways,
but have raised slings without a dish.
But to be clear,IMO,no water dish is not the same as not suppling moisture.But ,yes,its good insurance.

 

[8 legged]

A P. Cambridgei Sling after rehousing. The enclosure before had no water dish...
Whether the water dispenser is used or not, I treat my spiders to luxury!

 

[KeGathings17]

Lots of debate on the water dish subject.Lots have raised T,s with no water dish,many would never keep them without one.Ive gone both ways,
but have raised slings without a dish.
But to be clear,IMO,no water dish is not the same as not suppling moisture.But ,yes,its good insurance.

May I ask what you do for your moisture? Is a light misting on the walls of its enclosure, or is it just a substrate moisture thing?

 

[Matt Man]

it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it
I see my Ts drinking fairly regularly. If they don't drink, the evaporation adds a bit of humidity to the enclosure, and if you fill it sloppily (preferred) it moistens a section of substrate.
For tiny slings I will just mist the lid, but as soon as they are an okay size they get a dish, and there are all kinds of cheap/free things you can use

 

[mack1855]

May I ask what you do for your moisture? Is a light misting on the walls of its enclosure, or is it just a substrate moisture thing?

Well,searching for water dishes in the wild suppling T,s with water comes up empty.Not giving a water dish is counter productive in many opinions.I kind of agree with this.We see T,s using water dishes in captivity because its there.
However,some think we overfeed our T,s,therefore ending up with obese T,s with impaction.I will give my T 3 crickets in a row because that happens in nature?.
I have used soaking the substrate/prey items to supply moisture,and wetting the substrate,to replicate dew,or rainfall.I have seen slings come out of burrows/hides after misting.Drinking?.I dont know.

None of us know for sure.All of us do what is working for our selves,and animals we care for.This is just my opinion.But I like to give water dishes when i can,and the enclosure is big enough.
i just dont obsess about it.

 

[KeGathings17]

Well,searching for water dishes in the wild suppling T,s with water comes up empty.Not giving a water dish is counter productive in many opinions.I kind of agree with this.We see T,s using water dishes in captivity because its there.
However,some think we overfeed our T,s,therefore ending up with obese T,s with impaction.I will give my T 3 crickets in a row because that happens in nature?.
I have used soaking the substrate/prey items to supply moisture,and wetting the substrate,to replicate dew,or rainfall.I have seen slings come out of burrows/hides after misting.Drinking?.I dont know.

None of us know for sure.All of us do what is working for our selves,and animals we care for.This is just my opinion.But I like to give water dishes when i can,and the enclosure is big enough.
i just dont obsess about it.

Sweet, thanks for the reply. I try to give all of mine a water dish as well, but I have two without, due to enclosure size, and they seem to do fine, plus it gives me another opportunity to interact with them, even if they all just run from me anyway!

 

[Braden]

May I ask what you do for your moisture? Is a light misting on the walls of its enclosure, or is it just a substrate moisture thing?

I give a water dish, sometimes I overflow it, give a mist or pour water on one side of the enclosure

 

[LadyVonChimp]

Sweet, thanks for the reply. I try to give all of mine a water dish as well, but I have two without, due to enclosure size, and they seem to do fine, plus it gives me another opportunity to interact with them, even if they all just run from me anyway!

I use a dish in all of my enclosures, for the slings I've been using small tattoo ink cups, they work really well for tiny enclosures