Water Dish for Slings???

hcsk8ter

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
43
Hi. Had some questions. I have a couple of slings now and have not installed water dishes/2 liter bottle caps or the like in fear that they may drown, so mostly I've just been misting their enclosures. Should I have dishes in for them? If so, what are the optimal moisture conditions for a:

1. 1" Poeilotheria Fasciata
2. 1.5" Grammostola Aureostriata
3. 1.5" Brachypelma Vagans
4. .25" Brachypelma Smithi
5. .25" Aphonopelma Seemani

Sorry for the loaded question and thanks in advance.
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
Messages
2,151
At the 2 inch mark, it is safe to put a water cap in the enclosure but not before. Mist until then.
 

anderstd

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
156
What size enclosures are you using? At .25 I would still have them in small vials with damp substrate.
 

patexan

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 9, 2006
Messages
47
I have a 1" B. Smithi sling and I use a bottle cap, however it is filled with small pebbles. I still mist occasionally.
 

FOOTBALL FAN

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 24, 2006
Messages
108
no need for a water dish, to be honest they get all the moisture they need from there food when they are tiny but you could spray a little just to be on the safe side dont make it too damp though
 

Ando55

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
488
For the smaller then 2inch slings I would mist or soak a paintbrush(only used for giving the T water) and run water on it, I then brush 1-3 droplets on the enclosure. My rosie sling is in a thornton vial and it gets 1-2 drops a week but nothing this week as it got enough from a medium cricket it ate, the cricket was almost as big as the T itself. :D As stated by Football Fan, that small slings get enough moisture from food and make sure you don't make it too damp especially for the Brachys you have and your Grammostola aureostriata, they will wander up on the enclosure and come down once it's dry enough, until then they will hang out for the ventilation...
 

Varden

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
May 22, 2005
Messages
704
Once my slings are upgraded from vials to peanut butter/mayo jars, I give them water dishes. That's about the 1.5" mark. I've never had a drowning. If you're only using a bottlecap, then they can climb out of that quite easily.
 

AfterTheAsylum

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Messages
674
I have a great method to giving slings water dishes. I get a pack of gum (Orbit, or whatever). Cut out one of the plastic sleeve things that hold the gum. You then end up with a tiny bubble of a water dish that holds two or three drops of water. It works great.

ATA
 

Cerbera

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 12, 2005
Messages
540
When tiny, mine get a small piece of tissue paper which can be soaked if it is then left to dry out completely before being replaced. if webbed to the floor, it can be left, and re-used but not for long because of bacteria build-up.

Or if there is any sort of webbing, a manual eyedropper can nicely land a few drops on the web where they can find it if they want it.

I go to coke bottle tops at just under 1", and fill them with sterilized gravel so they can't drown.
 

Amanda

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
652
Once my slings are upgraded from vials to peanut butter/mayo jars, I give them water dishes. That's about the 1.5" mark. I've never had a drowning. If you're only using a bottlecap, then they can climb out of that quite easily.
This is exactly what I do... at about 1"-1.5". We can debate T-intelligence forever, but a T that size can't drown by accident in a bottle cap, and they aren't stupid enough to stand in it and suffocate on purpose. No need to worry.

As for your .25"ers, you should keep watering their substrate exclusively for a while longer.
 

anderstd

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
156
That was an interesting video. I'm just glad the T didn't wind up as fish food.
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
Messages
2,151
I hope the T in the video was close to land. It could not have kept that up long at all. T's have absolutly zero endurence.
 
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