Water bowls. Are they really necessary???

crawltech

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
1,695
hey Fran, i noticed a statment about your LP.........i have a big 7-8 inch female, gravid aswell....i use a water dish thats about 4inches across...she spends alot of time beside it, or very near it....i figured she was tryin to tell me that its to dry in her enclosure, so i moistened the sub, but after doing that she found a dry part of the enclosure to sit(where she never usually sits), as if she was not liking the recent upping of humidity.is this pre sac making behaviour??....pre her gravid-ness, she usually chilled in her hide, or on top of it.What do you think?
 

Fran

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
1,533
hey Fran, i noticed a statment about your LP.........i have a big 7-8 inch female, gravid aswell....i use a water dish thats about 4inches across...she spends alot of time beside it, or very near it....i figured she was tryin to tell me that its to dry in her enclosure, so i moistened the sub, but after doing that she found a dry part of the enclosure to sit(where she never usually sits), as if she was not liking the recent upping of humidity.is this pre sac making behaviour??....pre her gravid-ness, she usually chilled in her hide, or on top of it.What do you think?
Yes. those behaviors are really typical from LP. They are "untouchable" when they are about to lay :). Let it dry and dont really bother her much, just keep the water dish full . As soon as you see her clining herself often and sort of climbing around the walls up and down, she will lay ;)
 

crawltech

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
1,695
Yes. those behaviors are really typical from LP. They are "untouchable" when they are about to lay :). Let it dry and dont really bother her much, just keep the water dish full . As soon as you see her clining herself often and sort of climbing around the walls up and down, she will lay ;)
Thanx dude!...i have bin keeping it dry now....and she has been cleaning a little more often, and doin a little more low climbing, sort of, i know what you mean....she is huge right now!, man i hope she drops soon....

another quick Q......she gets alot of natural light in her enclsure during the day(kinda near a window), should i minimize that by blocking of one side?, or?...
 

jimip

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 26, 2010
Messages
103
im no expert but natual day night scheduals are fine. but try and keep her out of direct sun.
 

crawltech

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
1,695
Thats what is was thinkin......thanks for the input dude!:)
 

Fran

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Messages
1,533
Natural light will be fine. In the jungle the sun comes down soon and really fast. As long as she has a quiet surroundings and lots of night hours she will be fine! :)
 

hans44

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 24, 2009
Messages
4
a quick easy answer slings do not need a water bowl juvies to adults should be offered one i dont see why you would risk a t's hydration for the sake of saying i dont use a water dish it just takes more work and observation to not have one
 

AbraxasComplex

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
1,145
Let's add some fuel to the fire.


I do not, and have not, used water dishes for over 6 years in my established enclosures. All my tanks and vases are fully planted and have little air circulation (no problems with mold). Condensation forms on the glass at night and I only have to mist once ever 3 weeks to 6 months depending on the environment.

Any losses due to dehydration? No. How many have been kept this way? Well I have 350+ now and over the years many (probably 600+) of various sizes and ages have been sold or given away. Some of these tanks contain multiple generations. One is already starting on it's 4th generation.

Do I recommend those who buy my tarantulas, but do not house them in a similar mini-ecosystem like mine to use a water dish? You bet.

Is it because I think tarantulas need one? No. It is because I don't trust people and know a portion of pet keepers buy tarantulas as a novelty and could care less to try and replicate a more natural environment.

I do however supply a small water dish for tarantulas that have just arrived and keep them in a quarantine type set up for a few weeks to make sure they do not succumb to the stresses of shipping. Other wise with my set ups a water dish is redundant.
 

killy

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
250
But if I take away the water dish where will my T's put their bolus?
{D{D{D So true!

... in the true spirit of tarantulas doing everything within their power to foil our best efforts at understanding them, ...
I LOVE this quote - it should be the required preamble to every opinion, observation, and comment that we bi-peds put in this forum! :clap::clap:

I vote for the water dish, the plastic bottle cap variety, not only because it just makes plain common sense to cover the bases whether the T ultimately needs it or not, but also for entertainment value - I laugh my simple minded arse off when I see what the wacky arackies are capable of doing with them - they bury them, they fill them with substrate, they overturn them, they even lean them up against the glass like a ladder against a wall.

And, truth be told, they every now and then use the water dish for the purpose intended -quenching a might thirst! ... As I read this thread, from beginning to end, I was surprised not to have seen (unless I missed it) a reference to another frequently-frequented thread (especially from Curiousme - it's your thread!) ... pictures speak louder than words, and a little walk through these... http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=160933&highlight=drink? ... tells me all I need to know about why absolutely there should be a water dish in the enclosure! It's a beautiful thang !!!!
 
Last edited:

curiousme

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Messages
1,661
As I read this thread, from beginning to end, I was surprised not to have seen (unless I missed it) a reference to another frequently-frequented thread (especially from Curiousme - it's your thread!) ... pictures speak louder than words, and a little walk through these... http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=160933&highlight=drink? ... tells me all I need to know about why absolutely there should be a water dish in the enclosure! It's a beautiful thang !!!!
lol I didn't think of it, because it didn't really pertain to the subject. It is definitely a reason for me to have a dish in an enclosure, because nothing is cuter than a T burying its face in its dish. ;) Thank you for sharing it for me. :)
 
Top