Crickets and Pesticides

pbirckhe

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
13
Being a first time owner, one of my biggest concerns is hydration. I want to make sure my new sling doesn't get dehydrated, but I am worried about putting in a water dish and oversaturating the substrate. I decided to make sure my crickets were well saturated with water by giving them oranges to ensure she got the water she needed. I bought "USDA Organic" oranges to avoid pesticides. When I got home, I researched what "USDA Organic" meant... and was rather upset to find out it is just a marketing term. Organic foods of any quality may still have harsh, chemical pesticides in them. Feed them to the crickets, they pass it to the spider. This can lead to a poor end for my new pet as it builds up over time :( Should I just get the cricket water crystals from petsmart? Or is there another way to hydrate my crickets I have overlooked?

Thanks,
Phil
 

assidreemz

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
68
What is the DLS (diagonal leg span) of your spiderling? No need for an precise measurement, an estimate will do.

Most on this forum have concluded that any spider over 1/2'' is large enough for a water dish.
General rule of thumb is not to have anything larger than the DLS of the specimen to be using the dish.
If larger than the spider I would say it shouldn't be more than 1.5X the legspan, and you should place ONE small rock or equivalent item in the center of the dish to provide an island in the water.

An appropriate sized, regularly cleaned water dish should solve all of your potential hydration issues, as well as humidity. As always though you should do research for yourself and the species you are keeping.

Best of luck pal!

:biggrin:
 

pbirckhe

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
13
okay thanks, I will try a water dish then. she was sold to me with a 1/2" label, but she looks somewhere between 3/4" and a full inch. I'll try a bottle cap. Should I put aquarium rocks in it to be extra safe from drowning?
 

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
Feeding fruit to crickets draws flies. Any pulpy food does. Better to give them romaine lettuce, carrots, and potatoes. There's enough water in those that you don't need to provide it in any other form. Keep it simple. You're worried about chemicals and want to give crickets water crystals? Whoa. How natural is that?

Too much humidity and moisture quickly kills crickets. Keep them dry and warm, no substrate, with good ventilation.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

Arachnoemperor
Arachnosupporter
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Oct 13, 2011
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4,545
Feeding fruit to crickets draws flies. Any pulpy food does. Better to give them romaine lettuce, carrots, and potatoes. There's enough water in those that you don't need to provide it in any other form. Keep it simple. You're worried about chemicals and want to give crickets water crystals? Whoa. How natural is that?

Too much humidity and moisture quickly kills crickets. Keep them dry and warm, no substrate, with good ventilation.
I got flys from feeding roaches fruit , should I get Ispods or something to make sure fly's do not bother cages?
 

assidreemz

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
68
Should I put aquarium rocks in it to be extra safe from drowning?
I would suggest finding a smooth round rock or maybe a glass bead. Singular, meaning only one. This is to decrease bacterial growth, because there is less area that will be dark AND wet. Using a little pile of aquarium rock is a great place to incubate bacteria. By decreasing the number of stones to one, you cut down on all that nonsense and also make it easier to clean. This is just opinion though.

EDIT: a water bottle cap is a great idea for a dish. they're plentiful, cheap and just about the perfect size/depth. I use them for my dishes, but i personally don't fill them up over halfway, just preference.
 

pbirckhe

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
13
Feeding fruit to crickets draws flies. Any pulpy food does. Better to give them romaine lettuce, carrots, and potatoes. There's enough water in those that you don't need to provide it in any other form. Keep it simple. You're worried about chemicals and want to give crickets water crystals? Whoa. How natural is that?

Too much humidity and moisture quickly kills crickets. Keep them dry and warm, no substrate, with good ventilation.
I'm not concerned with things being natural or not, but I know pesticide is not good for my spider. What chemicals in water crystals are bad for the spider? Do they contain something that causes damage over time to my spider?
 

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
okay thanks, I will try a water dish then. she was sold to me with a 1/2" label, but she looks somewhere between 3/4" and a full inch. I'll try a bottle cap. Should I put aquarium rocks in it to be extra safe from drowning?
You don't need rocks, you're just going to have to deal with bacteria. I give water bowls to all my slings that are 1/2", the plastic lid form a 16 oz water bottle. Out of hundreds, none have ever drown. For smaller slings, I use long fiber sphagnum, and mist it before it dries. They drink from it and can make a retreat in it.

Don't worry so much.

---------- Post added 11-23-2014 at 10:45 PM ----------

I'm not concerned with things being natural or not, but I know pesticide is not good for my spider. What chemicals in water crystals are bad for the spider? Do they contain something that causes damage over time to my spider?
Why screw around with something as bizarre as crystals, when they get all the water they need in lettuce, carrots, and potatoes? Why over complicate it?
 

pbirckhe

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
13
I KNOW pesticides (i.e. lettuce, carrots, and potatoes) are bad for spiders. I am curious: what is bad about crystals? Are crystals actually worse than trace amounts of pesticides because of something in them? I am not trying to complicate anything, I just can't find any science on the subject of tarantula nutrition.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
11,044
Just an FYI. Always wash all fruits and veggies with dishwashing liquid. I toss everything, dirty dishes and them all into the sink together. Let dry thoroughly and the chlorine is in the water evaporates as well and they can be considered safe.

The label 'Organic' doesn't mean beans. Nor does Pesticide Free. That simply means a certain time duration between the last spraying and marketing the produce has elapsed. The time duration in America has been established primarily by lobbyists on the payroll of those wonderful folks at Monsanto. (Fact).

You have to find the label 'Grown without pesticides' and while searching for that in your local supermarket, pick me up some hens teeth and cat feathers.
 
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