Substrate too dry?

pauls

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I was changing the water dish when I noticed how dry my spider's substrate was. It felt darn near bone dry. I have a 60/40 peat/vermiculite mix. The humidity hangs around 50% and my rosie always chills in her small hide. Should I worry about such dry substrate? What's an easy way to fix it? Mist? Thanks!
 

Code Monkey

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Actually, you can keep a G. rosea bone dry with a water dish so I wouldn't worry about it.
 

pauls

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I have also noticed that my rosie does not drink. She eats crickets, stays close to her hide, but never goes to the dish to drink. Is that a problem, or does the humidity keep her "saturated" enough?
 

dennis

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they get enough liquid from the crickets they eat, it's even said rosies don't even need a waterdish ...
 

Gillian

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Pauls,
The only time I have EVER noticed my rosie drinking was, at 4 a.m., one morning. She is a quite secretive girl..(as well as psycho) But, she is my very first, and I wouldn't trade for ANYTHING.
Peace,
Gillian
 

MrDeranged

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All misting a rosehair does is annoy it. Just make sure the water dish is full. No need to mist or for a moist substrate.

Chances are you won't see most tarantulas drinking from their water dish.

Scott
 

dennis

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When I got my rosie, I put a water dish in its container, and it started drinking immediately... Could it have been dehydrated?
Anyway, he's okay now :)

Ðennis
 

nocturnalpulsem

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Originally posted by mrderanged
All misting a rosehair does is annoy it. Just make sure the water dish is full. No need to mist or for a moist substrate.

Chances are you won't see most tarantulas drinking from their water dish.

Scott
I've seen my former avic. do it. Actually, it scared the hell outta me, because she was half submerged in the dish. I thought she'd drown. Since I had cricket troubles, I've switched to "jell-o-type" drinks for my Ts and their food. No more wasted cricks, and the Ts are all taking it. It's kinda cute seeing a T sitting in a dish of jell-o LoL

N.
 

Jono_mad

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i saw my rosea drink the other day in the middle of the afternoon. she just walked up to the water dish and sat in it. then she put all of her legs on the edge of the water dish and lifted herself so that just her chelicerae were in the water. then she walked off again. that was the first time i actually saw her drink.

Jono
 

nocturnalpulsem

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Originally posted by Jono_mad
i saw my rosea drink the other day in the middle of the afternoon. she just walked up to the water dish and sat in it. then she put all of her legs on the edge of the water dish and lifted herself so that just her chelicerae were in the water. then she walked off again. that was the first time i actually saw her drink.

Jono
I bet that was cute. Did you get it on film? I think we can all learn something from the owner of tarantulacam.com. Though, I'd be tempted to use time-lapse, as they don't move around enough.

N.
 

Raveness

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One time I picked my rosie up and put her over the water dish.. she she sank her face into the water and drank for about 10 or 20 minutes. Awwww... it was too cute! I also did this with my P.murinus and got the same results :D I was afraid they did not know they had a water dish.
 

Arachnopuppy

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Originally posted by Raveness
One time I picked my rosie up and put her over the water dish.. she she sank her face into the water and drank for about 10 or 20 minutes. Awwww... it was too cute! I also did this with my P.murinus and got the same results :D I was afraid they did not know they had a water dish.
Are you sure they drank the water or they were just trying to hide from this gigantic hand that picked them up by immersing their faces into the water? :D
 

Katy

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My wolf spider seems to come across her water dish by accident. She'll run into it, look really surprised like "Ooh! Now what's this!" and take a nice big drink for a couple of minutes. I'm not sure how to describe a pleasantly surprised spider, but she sure looks it! That's about the only time she looks cute, all other times she's a little monster!
 

bwhatch2

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Originally posted by nocturnalpulsem
, I've switched to "jell-o-type" drinks for my Ts and their food. No more wasted cricks, N.
what do you use? did you find something cheaper than the flukers cricket stuff?

thanks
bryan
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by bwjunk2
what do you use? did you find something cheaper than the flukers cricket stuff?

thanks
bryan
You use the dry form sold for gardening and just make your own (it's a polymerised polyacrylamide). Same stuff, 1/500th of the cost (if that). You can sometimes find it at hardware or gardening stores, or you could just go here: www.watersorb.com - it's actually cheaper including the shipping than I got mine at Home Depot. I don't use mine with Ts but I use it with the crickets, the roaches, and I mix it in substrate to help it retain moisture, and put a layer of the stuff in the bottom of sling vials to guarantee high humidity. It's the duct tape of, well, whatever you want to classify it as.
 

bwhatch2

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code monkey,
cool, ill check out the polysorb. it sounds like it would be a lot easier than using fruit for my roaches and crickets. and if i understood one of the other posts it can also be used for tarantulas. know anything about that?

bryan

ps. sorry 'bout bumping heads earlier. considering how things turned out you were you had a little better grasp of the situation than i did.
 

Raveness

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No.. they were... They all drink like that... I have seen everyone do it.I looked andthey also had their fangs open to drink the water. lol
I don't think my P.murinus knew it had a water dish..hehehe


Originally posted by lam
Are you sure they drank the water or they were just trying to hide from this gigantic hand that picked them up by immersing their faces into the water? :D
 

Jono_mad

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Originally posted by nocturnalpulsem
I bet that was cute. Did you get it on film? I think we can all learn something from the owner of tarantulacam.com. Though, I'd be tempted to use time-lapse, as they don't move around enough.

N.
no i didn't get it on film, sorry. but yeah it was cool.

Jono
 

chid

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I took this first thing this morning when I first put the lights on.
She was half way in the water dish just before I got the camera.I dont often see her drinking.
Chid
 

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