Is there a general rule for the size a water dish should be? I've been using gatorade caps for my 2 in slings. Would a gatorade cap still be ok for a 3 1/2 inch juvie B. smithi or do I need to find something bigger? A gatorade cap has a diameter of 1 1/2 inches.
Size of water dish
- Thread starter baf236
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A gatorade cap should be fine for your smithi, as long as there is always water available for it.
I use a cap from 3L bottled water, which is about the same size as the gatorade cap.
I use a cap from 3L bottled water, which is about the same size as the gatorade cap.
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i use all my used powerade bottle caps. they work great for any T's from 2.5-9.5". easy to clean, easy to come by.
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It doesn't matter how big it is, as long as the water isn't deeper than the T is tall I guess. I wouldn't use a tiny bottlecap for a six-inch tarantula, but that's about it. You should be able to tell by sight whether your T is having trouble with a small bowl. 
And obviously if you see it drinking constantly or hovering over an empty cap, it probably needs something that holds more water.
And obviously if you see it drinking constantly or hovering over an empty cap, it probably needs something that holds more water.
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Being from Florida and a Gator powerade does not work nearly as well as Gatorade, trust me. Gatorade bottle caps are the water dish of choice for any T keeper that strives to be #1. Its a fact, look it up.
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usally i dont us water dishes till my T's get about 3"s and depending on their humidity requirements is how i decide on water-dish size
Wayne
Wayne
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What about for a Green Bottle Blue and a Singapore blue that are both 2 in" what would be good for keeping water in there?
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none really... as prey + misting, usally take care of any hydration needs...
look, without getting to technical... you in all actuality, could have a WB the size of the enclosure
if you wanted.. just as long as you have safe guards like stones or plants, that would give a T a way out of drowning if it fell in...so there really isnt a limit, other than imagination or common sense to what a size of a WB could actuality be.....wayne
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Once the spider is over 2", usually if the water dish is @ the size of the abdomen, is a good measure I been using since I read this On AB awhile ago, My T.apophysis and T.blondi get XTRA big and shallow water-dishes...
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Trying to keep a usable water bowl in a GBB tank is an exercise in futility. Once they start webbing, anything you put in there will be unusable in no time flat. They don't really need much anyway, just feed them hydrated prey and mist/pour small amounts of water on one corner of the webbing once in a while - especially after a molt.
Thanks for all your replies! I was just concerned because I havn't seen my B. smithi drink for a couple of months. I thought that the gatorade cap might be too small for her to get her cephalothorax down into. Her abdoment is plump so she is probably just drinking when I'm not looking or she is just getting enough water from her crickets.
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I agree that for most terrestrials/ burrowers water dishes are more trouble than they are worth, cleaning out webbing, dead prey, and substrate every day is a pain. Between prey and a little mist on the side of the enclosure none of my T's have ever shown signs of dehydration, though I do make certain to offer a water bowl for a day or two to any new T that arrives because shipping containers generally lack any usable moisture and I've had some drink what I consider large amounts. That being said I do keep water bowls, the small plastic condiment containers, stuck up on the enclosure wall for any arboreal and I have seen those being used in preference to getting water left from misting, strange I guess but thats been my experience.
Rev
Rev