Regarding temperature and humidity; Safetly heating your T's enclosures.

[Exo]

Mark, you know, only those tarantulas native to drier places can have it a bit tougher to find open water, but of course thei are native from those places, so they are gonna be fine.

Most of The rest of the NW t's, come from incredibly humid jungles, with dump areas,floded burrows,and tons of open water sources. Tons.

I have been in the Rain forest of Venezuela where its almost unbearable Mark. The temps are around 83-4 F and you cant make it because it feels WAY hotter just because of the high humidity.
You dont stop sweating and the clothing is stuck to your body.

I've been to Borneo, so I know what hot and humid feels like.

As far as arid Ts go, they make up for the lack of water by metabolizing it from their food.

 

[Fran]

I'm not saying that my way is the only right way. I never called Fran wrong. I'm saying that adaptability is the key. More than one method is effective. Fran is unable to have a reasonable discussion about tarantula keeping and is resorting to insults. I am calmly discussing another effective method of keeping tarantulas hydrated.

I have never insulted anybody.

 

[Exo]

If I wanted to correct your grammar, this would be a much longer post.

Hey Katy, This kinda looks like a thinly veiled insult.....let's all pick on the foreign guy.

 

[equuskat]

Hey Katy, This kinda looks like a thinly veiled insult.....let's all pick on the foreign guy.

Very thinly. heh After he told me to go back to kindergarten to correct grammar...which I wasn't doing. I was correcting a scientific term which should be used as such in a thread that is directed at inexperienced keepers and he took offense to it, so I came back. I was not ever picking on the foreign guy - his profile says he's near NYC. I don't know where he is from originally.

You pick this one comment out of my entire conversation, but ignore where he tells me to go back to kindergarten, to get my facts straight, and the wealth of biting sarcasm he has aimed at me throughout this thread?

 

[Exo]

Very thinly. heh After he told me to go back to kindergarten to correct grammar...which I wasn't doing. I was correcting a scientific term which should be used as such in a thread that is directed at inexperienced keepers. I was not ever picking on the foreign guy - his profile says he's near NYC. I don't know where he is from originally.

He's from Spain, actually.


I've seen people from the U.S. with worse grammer than his.

Don't go complaining about insults when you just as guilty yourself.

 

[Fran]

Very thinly. heh After he told me to go back to kindergarten to correct grammar...which I wasn't doing. I was correcting a scientific term which should be used as such in a thread that is directed at inexperienced keepers. I was not ever picking on the foreign guy - his profile says he's near NYC. I don't know where he is from originally.

It was pointless to correct that out, it didnt add anything important to the thread...So I said that this was not the place to correct grammar, so maybe a kindergarden would be a much more adecuated place.
This is simple Katy, if you dont want to follow the advices, then dont. Do as you wish.

You jumped on my neck since your very first thread.You have said things along the way that honestly, no offense, doesnt show a lot of skills/knowledge. So...I dont know what else to say besides do as you wish.

 

[equuskat]

He's from spain, actually.


Iv'e seen people from the U.S. with worse grammer than his.

Don't go complaining about insults when you just as guilty yourself.

LOL wow, this thread is hilarious, really. That is the one insult I've had, in response only to one of his, and you ignore everything that he has said throughout this thread? Oh sheesh, AB is so fun. :worship:

 

[Exo]

LOL wow, this thread is hilarious, really. That is the one insult I've had, in response only to one of his, and you ignore everything that he has said throughout this thread? Oh sheesh, AB is so fun. :worship:

Really? I have a hard time finding any "actual" insults in his posts. :?

(other than the kindergarten thing)

 

[equuskat]

Really? I have a hard time finding any "actual" insults in his posts. :?

(other than the kindergarten thing)

I can't help but be insulted when I am told repeatedly that I am practicing poor husbandry.

And you acknowledge the kindergarten thing, so we're what, 1 to 1?

 

[Fran]

I can't help but be insulted when I am told repeatedly that I am practicing poor husbandry.

And you acknowledge the kindergarten thing, so we're what, 1 to 1?

Well, not keeping water dishes in most of your tarantula tanks, is a poor husbandry practice in a general opinion.

The kindergarten WAS NOT AN INSULT.

I said, let me say it again, I said that if you feel the urge of correcting grammar this is not the place, so maybe you should go to a kindergarten to correct their grammar.

 

[Exo]

I can't help but be insulted when I am told repeatedly that I am practicing poor husbandry.

And you acknowledge the kindergarten thing, so we're what, 1 to 1?

Yeah, so call it even and stop complaining.

And most keepers would agree that not giving a T a water dish is poor husbandry.....

 

[BCscorp]

Well, not keeping water dishes in most of your tarantula tanks, is a poor husbandry practice in a general opinion.

[/B]

Kinda like feeding your Ts till they look like they eat at Mcdonalds 24/7.

 

[Fran]

Kinda like feeding your Ts till they look like they eat at Mcdonalds 24/7.

Im sure you needed 20 minutes to come up with that post, BCscorp.
If you dont have anything interesting to offer to the thread, just dont post. No one is forcing you to do it.

 

[BCscorp]

Actually it took 30 mins and I called my mommy for help...ty

 

[Exo]

Kinda like feeding your Ts till they look like they eat at Mcdonalds 24/7.

The only real issue there is that it makes the T more fragile, as far as I know Fran has never had a T die from a ruptured abdomen so I guess it doesn't hurt his Ts any. I do hear about Ts dieing from dehydration pretty often though, so I'd have to say not giving your T a water dish, especially if you keep them dry like Katy does, is much more dangerous.

 

[Fran]

Kinda like feeding your Ts till they look like they eat at Mcdonalds 24/7.

Sarcasm is appreciated when it holds an intelligent point behind.

To say that my T's look like they eat McDonald's 24/7 and to compare well fed T's with the lack of open water in their enclosure is not only stupid, but not a god point to make here.

My tarantulas are being kept in quite large enclosures, that means, that prey don't even get in contact to them if they don't actively hunt for them.So they dont eat them out of protection, or because they bother them.

Another point to keep in mind is that I don't push the prey up their mouths, I just offer it to them.So if they eat it, you might wanna ask them why, not me.

Last but not least, theres not a single scientific study that proves that keeping your T's well fed is detrimental to them,rather than beneficial.
Other than making sure your T's cant take a fall inside the enclosure and rupture their abdomens,which is taken care already.


So you might wanna thaw your ideas out a bit longer,prior posting them.

 

[jeff1962]

Did not read this whole thread but here is my 2 cents. I have 28 T.s most of which I have had for over 3 years. I have them of all ages from slings to Adults. In this time I have never had a bad molt or any problems to speak of. Most are terestrials except for one Peru Purple I have been rasing from a sling.

Except for the Avic they are ALL kept dry with full water dishes. For the Avic I keep her water dish full and her substrate a little moist.

They are all kept at room tempature which is around 70-75 degrees. It is my opinion, and that of alot of other keepers, that this is all you need to do. Anything else is a waste of time, money and energy.

To me one of the beautys of T.s is the ease of care. They are by far one of the easiest pets I have ever had.

 

[maitre]

To say that my T's look like they eat McDonald's 24/7 and to compare well fed T's with the lack of open water in their enclosure is not only stupid, but not a god point to make here.

My tarantulas are being kept in quite large enclosures, that means, that prey don't even get in contact to them if they don't actively hunt for them.So they dont eat them out of protection, or because they bother them.

Another point to keep in mind is that I don't push the prey up their mouths, I just offer it to them.So if they eat it, you might wanna ask them why, not me.

Last but not least, theres not a single scientific study that proves that keeping your T's well fed is detrimental to them,rather than beneficial.
Other than making sure your T's cant take a fall inside the enclosure and rupture their abdomens,which is taken care already.

Just wanted to chime in that tarantulas are opportunistic feeders. Generally, if you offer them food, they won't turn it down. Some don't know to while others will. Most won't though.

You really don't want this:

to become this:

 

[maitre]

Regarding the little debate going on here..

It's my understanding that Katy doesn't provide a water dish but DOES mist her cages every few days to once a week - so she doesn't keep her T's in a BONE DRY enclosure like some of you guys are implying. As long as the T's can drink the water off the walls every so often, the T's should be fine. She also lives in Florida which has a much higher ambient humidity level than NYC.. so take that into consideration as well.

Fran keeps a water dish with T's larger than 2" or so and maintains a highly humid environment for them (I'm guessing by supplementing the water dish with misting?). This would work as long as he keeps the enclosures well ventilated. He also lives near NYC, which is a lot drier than Florida.

My method: provide a water dish at a lower humidity level. All my T's above 1.5" get a bottle cap w/ pebbles or a dish. I also keep my T's with a water dish on drier substrate. The ambient humidity level is probably lower but they have constant access to water. My reptile room is heated so humidity levels are lower. Because of this, the substrate in my sling enclosures are typically moist but not wet. They get a light misting everay 5-6 days. The ones with a water dish don't get mistings. Instead, I will overflow their waterdish every 7-10 days or so.

I think it's better to err on the drier side of things. If you can provide proper ventilation while maintaining a high humidity, then go for it. I think everyone just has to remember that humid, stagnant air is worse for your T than drier air with the same ventilation.

The last thing you want is fungus/mold growing in your T's booklungs. If you keep a highly humid environment without providing adequate airflow, this can happen.

 

[JimM]

I kept T's successfully for many years without ever using a water dish for any species, including the bone dry ones. I was told many years ago when I first started out that they got all the moisture they needed from their water, and I operated accordingly for quite a long time with no losses.

Now, years later, I give them water dishes as a "just in case" measure, but I've seen enough over the years to know that it's not necessary.

There was a house spider up in the corner of my shower for many months, and every time the wall got wet she'd come down and drink for several minutes. Spiders elsewhere in the house didn't have any supplemental water, but lived just as well, for just as long.

This to me reinforces the conclusion that because you see a tarantula drinking form the water dish does not by extension mean the animal needs that water source. Raising slings without water dishes over and over again reinforces this conclusion, as I don't see anything magically changing when they reach 2"...now they need a water dish. If anything they'd need it when they were smaller, and desiccate much easier.

Again, not disagreeing with anyone or taking sides, just my own experience. I provide dishes just in case as I said above.