Talk about B-Smithi's drinking glass

[Rittdk01]

Maybe a smaller cup buried to the surface might work? You don't have to worry about your tarantula not drinking from the dish though. In two yrs I've NEVER seen either avic or the Rosies drink from theirs.

 

[tapkoote]

Okay, real discussion time.

Concerning the foam, I can't seem to find anything online that lists it as safe for consumption. It looks like it is used exclusively for furniture and padding for harnesses.
http://www.silicone-sponge-supply.c...de_Silicone_Foam/fda_grade_silicone_foam.html
I believe that you do have the best interest of your spider in mind, clearly. But think about it - you've got well over a hundred years of cumulative experience on these forums, and the vast majority haven't had an issue with water dishes. Spiders will bury them, sure, but so what? It's not like they need water 24/7. They're a durable creature, they can wait until you get around to watering them

Yes think about it.
My thought was , nature evolved these amazing creatures, with straws to eat/drink from. I haven't seen any thing to say there is a screen on their straw. Why would nature cause them to dirty the drinking glass they have, just to spit and struggle with bits of dirt and bark floating around and surlp it all up. Why? My Anna quit the chore of hauling brambles to the watering hole, as soon as I privided a place to place her feet.
I will be sure this is food safe, yer right there.
http://www.silicone-sponge-supply.c...de_Silicone_Foam/fda_grade_silicone_foam.html

 

[Ghost56]

Yes think about it.
My thought was , nature evolved these amazing creatures, with straws to eat/drink from. I haven't seen any thing to say there is a screen on their straw. Why would nature cause them to dirty the drinking glass they have, just to spit and struggle with bits of dirt and bark floating around and surlp it all up. Why? My Anna quit the chore of hauling brambles to the watering hole, as soon as I privided a place to place her feet.
I will be sure this is food safe, yer right there.
http://www.silicone-sponge-supply.c...de_Silicone_Foam/fda_grade_silicone_foam.html

Straws? You do know T's don't eat/drink through their fangs, right? Maybe you're just referring to the sucking stomach, idk.

 

[tapkoote]

Straws? You do know T's don't eat/drink through their fangs, right? Maybe you're just referring to the sucking stomach, idk.

Is that not a straw through their brain? Could be wrong- only armed with the tranulas keepers guide.

 

[EulersK]

Yes think about it.
My thought was , nature evolved these amazing creatures, with straws to eat/drink from. I haven't seen any thing to say there is a screen on their straw. Why would nature cause them to dirty the drinking glass they have, just to spit and struggle with bits of dirt and bark floating around and surlp it all up. Why? My Anna quit the chore of hauling brambles to the watering hole, as soon as I privided a place to place her feet.
I will be sure this is food safe, yer right there.
http://www.silicone-sponge-supply.c...de_Silicone_Foam/fda_grade_silicone_foam.html

I understand your worry, but it's a bit misplaced. Have a read, this is wonderfully written:
http://atshq.org/articles/Digestion.pdf

Specifically, this section.

The initial filtering of inappropriately large particles is done by a plentiful amount of hair surrounding the mouth. Further filtering is completed by the palate plate located in the pharynx. The palate plate is composed of platelets arranged like roofing shingles in this flattened region. The larger particles are removed by the platelets. Later, an intestinal discharge of fluid cleans them off the platelets and to the outside regions of the mouth, where the spider removes them with its pedipalps.

In other words, the spider needs no help drinking clean water. They could be drinking murky, dirt-ridden water and still get what they need. As for your question of why they would dirty their dish, that is largely up to speculation. Many believe that the spider is trying to remove any uneven earth, and personally I believe that it's less about the water and more about trying to get rid of trash. Think about it; in nature, a constant water source will wash away any unwanted trash.

 

[Ghost56]

Is that not a straw through their brain? Could be wrong- only armed with the tranulas keepers guide.

You said "straws", which is plural, so I just figured you were referring to the fangs. Anyways, here is a post I copied from an older thread talking about ingesting solids to ease your worry with that.

"Tarantulas filter out particles larger than a micron (one twenty-five-thousandth of an inch) using their palate plate, and their sucking stomach is only designed to pass liquids. They CANNOT intake solids.
Like everyone else says, this is a non-issue, non problem, everything's fine. The spider will clean itself of unwanted debris."

 

[tapkoote]

I understand your worry, but it's a bit misplaced. Have a read, this is wonderfully written:
http://atshq.org/articles/Digestion.pdf

Specifically, this section.


Think about it; in nature, a constant water source will wash away any unwanted trash.

Thank you 100%
And I see where she's well equipted to filter drinking water.
But I'm sticking but my guns, and it's speculation also. She doesn't seem to use any enegery to clean house, play, pratice moving dirt. She did have a period of moving stuff around untill she got the place where she liked it. It's possible the yard is so big, she can leave trash out and not worry about it. My eyes are old and I can't find a dump site, but it's not her water dish I'm sure of that.
Thank you for the link.
Waite a minute your saying this spider knows water will remove waste?
Sorry had to think it out. That sounds human to me.

 

[EulersK]

Waite a minute your saying this spider knows water will remove waste?

Instinctual behavior. Just about everything a tarantula does is instinctual. Does a bee know that a flower has nectar? No, it's just evolved to be instinctually drawn to the colors of a flower.

 

[Octagon]

This is a really interesting discussion. If T's are dumping stuff into their dishes to "wash away" trash, that would explain why they dump not only dirt but boluses into the water. Furthermore, could it be possible that when they dump dirt into the water, they are not just dumping random dirt but dirt that they consider to be soiled somehow, e.g. dirt they have pooped in? But I guess that wouldn't explain all the poop that they do leave sitting around.

Or here's another random theory...when they dump dirt in, are they trying to make the clean water dirty because they think clean water might attract thirsty predators? (and as @EulersK said, they themselves do not need the water to be clean).

 

[EulersK]

Or here's another random theory...when they dump dirt in, are they trying to make the clean water dirty because they think clean water might attract thirsty predators? (and as @EulersK said, they themselves do not need the water to be clean).

I doubt it. There's a reason that they either dump an exuvia in the water or hide it deep in a burrow - they don't want predators to know that there is a spider anywhere nearby. Boluses, exuvia, and piles of dirt would be a dead give away that a meal is nearby for a hungry bird. Plus, there would be a difference between dirty water and festering water. A drinking source that has rotting boluses in it would not be good news for even a spider.

 

[Octagon]

I doubt it. There's a reason that they either dump an exuvia in the water or hide it deep in a burrow - they don't want predators to know that there is a spider anywhere nearby. Boluses, exuvia, and piles of dirt would be a dead give away that a meal is nearby for a hungry bird. Plus, there would be a difference between dirty water and festering water. A drinking source that has rotting boluses in it would not be good news for even a spider.

That would certainly seem to make sense.

 

[darkness975]

I use 2oz plastic souffle cups for a water dish. After 2 or 3 weeks I pull the old one out and replace it with a fresh new one. I have a bag of them that I get at WalMart for a few bucks and they last forever. It saves me the time of having to scrub slime and nasty stuff off of a permanent style water dish.