A. geniculata keeps putting dirt in water bowl

[Azuiden]

My A. geniculata is a juvie, not sure if that's important, and this behavior isn't causing any problems but it has me very curious. She seems to be deliberately putting her substrate in the water- she doesn't accidently kick it in, she intentionally puts it in the bowl. I know this because the bowl was a bit too big so I put a rock in there for her to navigate over but still allow her to drink around it if she wanted, and she shoves little balls of dirt in those corners. At some point she picks them up again and puts them somewhere else (I have caught her moving them out but only once, most of the dirt moving seems to happen while I'm asleep). In her old enclosure she seemed to be stacking all her wet dirt in one corner.

I've been trying to rationalize it... Is her substrate not damp enough and shes fixing the problem herself? Does she just hate water?? Wondering if anyone else has seen similar behaviors in their own T's.

 

[Baby T]

My A. geniculata is a juvie, not sure if that's important, and this behavior isn't causing any problems but it has me very curious. She seems to be deliberately putting her substrate in the water- she doesn't accidently kick it in, she intentionally puts it in the bowl. I know this because the bowl was a bit too big so I put a rock in there for her to navigate over but still allow her to drink around it if she wanted, and she shoves little balls of dirt in those corners. At some point she picks them up again and puts them somewhere else (I have caught her moving them out but only once, most of the dirt moving seems to happen while I'm asleep). In her old enclosure she seemed to be stacking all her wet dirt in one corner.

I've been trying to rationalize it... Is her substrate not damp enough and shes fixing the problem herself? Does she just hate water?? Wondering if anyone else has seen similar behaviors in their own T's.

I wouldn't worry about the dirt moving. I would however worry about putting rocks in the enclosure...
If you can post pics people can help more

 

[Neonblizzard]

It's literally one of the most common things that T's do. No one is exactly sure why, nothing to worry about

 

[Hakuna]

Could try moving the water dish. The way you make it sound...possibly consider a smaller water dish and ditch that rock; just going to harbor bacteria

 

[vancwa]

Get used to it.

 

[Azuiden]

I dont really understand why everyones replying to this like I have a problem, I was just curious with what she was doing. oh my god

 

[Dorifto]

Maybe because you wrote it that way?

 

[Matt Man]

because you could have done a search "dirt in water bowl" and got half a dozen answers

 

[Westicles]

Honestly, I have no idea whatsoever why they do that, but it's pretty normal. All of mine do it as well

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

My A. geniculata is a juvie, not sure if that's important, and this behavior isn't causing any problems but it has me very curious. She seems to be deliberately putting her substrate in the water- she doesn't accidently kick it in, she intentionally puts it in the bowl. I know this because the bowl was a bit too big so I put a rock in there for her to navigate over but still allow her to drink around it if she wanted, and she shoves little balls of dirt in those corners. At some point she picks them up again and puts them somewhere else (I have caught her moving them out but only once, most of the dirt moving seems to happen while I'm asleep). In her old enclosure she seemed to be stacking all her wet dirt in one corner.

I've been trying to rationalize it... Is her substrate not damp enough and shes fixing the problem herself? Does she just hate water?? Wondering if anyone else has seen similar behaviors in their own T's.

If you want to know if it is deliberately putting dirt in the water, then move the water somewhere else in the cage a few times. If it puts the dirt in the water no matter where the water is, then you can say it is deliberately putting dirt there. If the tarantula is putting dirt in the water, then moving the wet dirt somewhere else, then it might be smart enough to know that wet dirt is easier to move than dry dirt.

Maybe because you wrote it that way?

The first sentence of the original post says "...this behavior isn't causing any problems..." so it is odd anyone would reply as if there was a problem. The question is not "is it normal?" or "should I worry about it?", the question is asking for insights as to why an Acanthoscurria geniculata would be putting dirt in the water.

 

[wonderful]

It’s kinda like how cats like to knock stuff over. Like opossums playing opossum. It’s just what they do. Their daddy tarantula did it before them, their grand-tarantula did it before daddy t.

quick edit: now I’m going to have Hank William Jr’s song “family Tradition” stuck in my head.

 

[viper69]

My A. geniculata is a juvie, not sure if that's important, and this behavior isn't causing any problems but it has me very curious. She seems to be deliberately putting her substrate in the water- she doesn't accidently kick it in, she intentionally puts it in the bowl. I know this because the bowl was a bit too big so I put a rock in there for her to navigate over but still allow her to drink around it if she wanted, and she shoves little balls of dirt in those corners. At some point she picks them up again and puts them somewhere else (I have caught her moving them out but only once, most of the dirt moving seems to happen while I'm asleep). In her old enclosure she seemed to be stacking all her wet dirt in one corner.

I've been trying to rationalize it... Is her substrate not damp enough and shes fixing the problem herself? Does she just hate water?? Wondering if anyone else has seen similar behaviors in their own T's.

Normal

 

[Morganlumer]

My A gen also loves to cover her water dish (also a Juevie). I have a theory. They have nice soft substrate, moss ect (mine does) to walk upon and they then feel a hard, cold plastic water dish. They instinctively cover it as they would a stone or sharp stick in their burrow- for ‘comfort’. I suspect many terrestrials like A gen treat their entire enclosure as a burrow.

just my two cents

 

[Brewser]

T is Making Mud Pies.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

It has been hypothesized that water in the wild would be moving, so anything put in water would flow away from them. Poop and boluses also get deposited in water dishes.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

It has been hypothesized that water in the wild would be moving, so anything put in water would flow away from them. Poop and boluses also get deposited in water dishes.

I’m certain that in the wild they are feeding the fish boluses?

 

[Brewser]

I’m certain that in the wild they are feeding the fish boluses?

Especially Dolomedes (Fishing Spider)
Gotta lure Em in... By Chuming the water.

 

[Matt Man]

why you have a pile of spare 'bowls'. Why experienced collectors have a bucket of gatorade lids

 

[herpetogeorgie]

I have a theory that if they're not thirsty they just see a water dish as a big hole that needs filling.

Just watched my auratum drag a huge clump of moss from the corner into her dish and then ram it down her hide so it's either what I've said or she doesn't like the way I've decorated

 

[Hydrazine]

Well, anyway, your tarantula is tarantuling. Move along, nothing to see here.