Slings and waterbowls

ARspiders · Nov 16, 2015

hey everyone,

on a lot of youtube vids people say to NOT give a waterbowl to slings and just moisten a part of the substrate at the edge of the container, pill vial, deli cup they are in.

here on the forums I see people saying have a water dish...

and now I am confused,

I got 2 B. Smithi slings and 2 B. Albopilosum slings, what I do is I moisten a small part of the deli cup on the edge but now I am wondering should I give them a water bowl? and what size should the water bowl be?

thanks,

Andrew

Poec54 · Nov 16, 2015

Keep in mind any fool can make a YouTube video. I give 1/2" slings small water bowls (the shallow plastic lids from 16 oz water bowls). Smaller than that, they get some long fiber sphagnum which is kept moist and on top of the substrate. Moist substrate is a good idea for most species (but not east and south Africans, Avics, or Aphonopelma), but I don't like the idea of keeping any part of the substrate wet enough for them to be able to drink from. Slings are delicate, and it's a good idea to keep the water component separate so it can be managed better.

ARspiders · Nov 16, 2015

ok thx

I'll give them some water bowls

cold blood · Nov 16, 2015

Yup, as soon as the enclosure allows the room, all mine get water bowls....youtube vids are NOT where I would look for quality, reliable information....its almost purely a place to be entertained, not educated. You'll see WAAAAAAAYYYY more bad habits and info than you will good.

lalberts9310 · Nov 16, 2015

I have slings that had waterbowls since they were 1/3". It's vital for slings to have access to a water source as they are more prone to dehydrate.

ARspiders · Nov 16, 2015

cold blood said:
Yup, as soon as the enclosure allows the room, all mine get water bowls....youtube vids are NOT where I would look for quality, reliable information....its almost purely a place to be entertained, not educated. You'll see WAAAAAAAYYYY more bad habits and info than you will good.

true, but I thought that that guy on youtube Jon3800 was pretty knowledgeable and he keeps his slings kinda moist without a water bowl and gives them water by dampening the substrate

lalberts9310 said:
I have slings that had waterbowls since they were 1/3". It's vital for slings to have access to a water source as they are more prone to dehydrate.

yeah at the moment I do not have something that is small enough to serve as a shallow water bowl so I gave them wet moss.

cold blood · Nov 16, 2015

Raising spiders...of any size really, without a water dish is something that should only be done by very experienced keepers...Jon qualifies....promoting this to new keepers however, is IMO, irresponsible.

This is just one of those (many) things that turn me off to even some of the better keepers that might be on youtube....they do a lot of things that either should be edited out or are just poor examples for new keepers to follow. On top of the water dish, I've seen poor handling techniques, encouraging handling, even of OW species....several enclosures open at the same time, with focus only on a single t (this is a common :wall: moment I see way too much) and the lack of water dishes or simply dishes that have been allowed to go bone dry. I wanna take advice from the guy keeping pokies for years without incident, not the guy dealing with an ornata poorly enough to get tagged because he wanted to make a "cool" video.

What "not to do" educational vids, hold little actual educational value IMO.

Ts CAN be kept without water dishes, but its not advisable, IMO even for more experienced keepers....no water dish and things need to be right on, all the time, there's little room for error. No water dish and you are walking a fine line between good and not so good. Its such a simple addition that it makes little sense to ignore it.

SpiderDad61 · Nov 16, 2015

ARspiders said:
ok thx

I'll give them some water bowls

Yup put a bowl in there. No need worry about them drowning or anything. They will float. Better to give them access to water
B/c dessication is real

BobGrill · Nov 16, 2015

ARspiders said:
true, but I thought that that guy on youtube Jon3800 was pretty knowledgeable and he keeps his slings kinda moist without a water bowl and gives them water by dampening the substrate

yeah at the moment I do not have something that is small enough to serve as a shallow water bowl so I gave them wet moss.

He also keeps his larger tarantulas in ridiculously small enclosures and half of his terrestrials don't even have hides.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

ARspiders · Nov 16, 2015

1 more question,

when I give the slings water bowls, should I keep the substrate completely dry? or is it ok if it is a somewhat damp?

asking cause if it needs to be dry I need to get them new substrate

SpiderDad61 · Nov 16, 2015

ARspiders said:
1 more question,

when I give the slings water bowls, should I keep the substrate completely dry? or is it ok if it is a somewhat damp?

asking cause if it needs to be dry I need to get them new substrate

I still drip a little water on a corner, and the side of the enclosure so if the sling wants it can drink from the droplets. The entire substrate does not need to be completely wet. Just
barely moist

Poec54 · Nov 16, 2015

ARspiders said:
1 more question,

when I give the slings water bowls, should I keep the substrate completely dry? or is it ok if it is a somewhat damp?

asking cause if it needs to be dry I need to get them new substrate

Keep them on slightly moist substrate, I don't let mine get totally dry. You don't want soggy either. Slings have little drought tolerance.

---------- Post added 11-16-2015 at 07:54 PM ----------

cold blood said:
Raising spiders...of any size really, without a water dish is something that should only be done by very experienced keepers...Jon qualifies....promoting this to new keepers however, is IMO, irresponsible...Ts CAN be kept without water dishes, but its not advisable, IMO even for more experienced keepers....no water dish and things need to be right on, all the time, there's little room for error. No water dish and you are walking a fine line between good and not so good. Its such a simple addition that it makes little sense to ignore it.

+1. One of the moderators here, Advan, an experienced collector and breeder, successfully keeps his spiders without water bowls. For, me, I'd lose half my collection in a month if I tried it, and I got my first tarantula over 40 years ago. I don't think anyone should go without water bowls until they have some serious experience and a feel for spider's needs. It's too easy to get busy and miss a day, especially when it's warm and/or dry, and lose a spider. And what's there to gain by not using water bowls?

ARspiders · Nov 16, 2015

thanks for all the info!

I really am glad I joined this forum!:worship:

Pancakensyrup · Nov 16, 2015

The wife came up with an idea for water bowls for our 1.5 mil Cyriocosmus elegans using hot glue

This is the lid she used

Radium · Nov 16, 2015

Both of my slings (L. violaceopes 1/2" and A. geroldi 1") had/have bottlecaps from 20-oz. soda bottles as water dishes. I know at least the LV used it, since it left a molt in the water dish. I also overflow the water dish to dampen the substrate, but most of the time it's just the water dish. I misted the enclosures once and never did it again. Neither of them has ever appeared dehydrated, so I take it the bottlecaps are acceptable.

EulersK · Nov 17, 2015

For my tiniest slings, I cut the end off of a pipette and use that as the water dish. They're cheap, easily made, and safe for the T. Once they get bigger, I start using soda caps. Finally, I use disposable 1 oz. cups and simply throw them away when they get dirty.

Poec54 · Nov 17, 2015

Radium said:
Both of my slings (L. violaceopes 1/2" and A. geroldi 1") had/have bottlecaps from 20-oz. soda bottles as water dishes. I know at least the LV used it, since it left a molt in the water dish. I also overflow the water dish to dampen the substrate, but most of the time it's just the water dish. I misted the enclosures once and never did it again. Neither of them has ever appeared dehydrated, so I take it the bottlecaps are acceptable.

Avics need to be kept on dry substrate, even as slings. Stuffy, moist cages kill them. At the other end of the arboreal spectrum, LV's require moist substrate, and are prone to molting fatalities, especially in a dry cage. Adjust your care accordingly.

SpiderDad61 · Nov 17, 2015

Poec54 said:
Avics need to be kept on dry substrate, even as slings. Stuffy, moist cages kill them. At the other end of the arboreal spectrum, LV's require moist substrate, and are prone to molting fatalities, especially in a dry cage. Adjust your care accordingly.

yea it's amazing how each sp needs different care in that effect

Radium · Nov 17, 2015

Poec54 said:
Avics need to be kept on dry substrate, even as slings. Stuffy, moist cages kill them. At the other end of the arboreal spectrum, LV's require moist substrate, and are prone to molting fatalities, especially in a dry cage. Adjust your care accordingly.

The LV sling died (for non-husbandry reasons), and the Avic has almost total cross-ventilation.

Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk

Poec54 · Nov 17, 2015

SpiderDad61 said:
yea it's amazing how each sp needs different care in that effect

They occur in tropical rain forests to temperate deserts, and everywhere in between. That's what makes the family so interesting: all the different adaptations to such diverse climates. Very few things apply to tarantulas across-the-board.

Slings and waterbowls

Arachnosquire

Arachnoemperor

Arachnosquire

Moderator

Arachnoprince

Arachnosquire

Moderator

Arachnoknight

Arachnoprince

Arachnosquire

Arachnoknight

Arachnoemperor

Arachnosquire

Arachnosquire

Outlaw Valkyrie

Arachnonomicon

Arachnoemperor

Arachnoknight

Outlaw Valkyrie

Arachnoemperor