Well, my A. geniculata is officially an A. geniculata now.

As most seem to be known for by all the accounts I've read, it has started guarding it's water dish. It can be halfway across its container from the dish (and I use the term "dish" loosely, it's a two-litre bottle cap.) and if I pop the lid it rushes for it. Also, it started filling it with substrate.

I wonder if in the wild, each spider guards it's water source from interlopers or something...or maybe they fill in water sources so other creatures will not be attracted to the vicinity. Or maybe they are just nuts.

I put another lid on the opposite side of the container, I figure for the time being at least it will have trouble guarding both so I can maintain one or the other.

Gonna be funny when pretty soon you have an enclosure full of water dishes, with a tarantula sitting on top. And your sitting in the corner crying. It puts the water in the dish!

Tim Benzedrine said:

As most seem to be known for by all the accounts I've read, it has started guarding it's water dish. It can be halfway across its container from the dish (and I use the term "dish" loosely, it's a two-litre bottle cap.) and if I pop the lid it rushes for it. Also, it started filling it with substrate.

I wonder if in the wild, each spider guards it's water source from interlopers or something...or maybe they fill in water sources so other creatures will not be attracted to the vicinity. Or maybe they are just nuts.

I put another lid on the opposite side of the container, I figure for the time being at least it will have trouble guarding both so I can maintain one or the other.

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make me kinda happy that none of my Ts guard their water dish!

Yeah, it's kind of cute when they are 2 or 3 inches, but I'm pretty sure the charm will wear off when it hits 6 or 7 inches.

I guess my genic isnt a genic lmao oh God i got another broken T! Lol. Mines attacked the stream of water (stick blunt needle thru top/side hole of enclosure and fill it) one time.. but ahe was like sitting beside it draining the lid so i though "super slowly fill it and she wont notice" yea that didnt work xD maybe i got mine just after that fase she was ~2" when i git her and now pushes 5"

Yeah, it's kind of cute when they are 2 or 3 inches, but I'm pretty sure the charm will wear off when it hits 6 or 7 inches.

Tim Benzedrine said:

Yeah, it's kind of cute when they are 2 or 3 inches, but I'm pretty sure the charm will wear off when it hits 6 or 7 inches.

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MY A genic at that size is pretty skittish, will be a lot bolder when its bigger. One of my favorite juvies :biggrin:

Tim Benzedrine said:

I wonder if in the wild, each spider guards it's water source from interlopers or something...or maybe they fill in water sources so other creatures will not be attracted to the vicinity. Or maybe they are just nuts.

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Much more likely is that they know prey may be attracted to water, and therefore keep tabs on what comes by for a drink. Filling a low spot (water bowl) with substrate hides their digging efforts from predators, and also prevents the outside of their retreat from being an obstacle course when they have to dash back inside quickly. Very logical. Of little consideration to them is what's convenient for us.

If any would 'guard' their water source, it would be species from deserts and semi-arid regions, and they aren't known for doing that.

They aren't 'nuts.' Each species has carefully evolved their behavior over millions of years to provide the best chances of survival. We really can't expect all of that to make sense to us when we put them in cages in our houses for our amusement. They know what they're doing. We are the ones that are uniformed and ignorant.