Cloud is burying the water dish (again) XD

[iridescentBug03]

Why do tarantulas do this ? very curious

 

[viper69]

No one knows- lots of ideas no scientific data.

 

[goofyGoober99]

Tarantulas are just really into interior design

 

[darkness975]

Why do tarantulas do this ? very curious

There is no official data that I am aware of.

They likely get caught up in the webbing and substrate as they are bulldozing around.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Burying, sleeping inside water dish who knows why?? tarantula is tarantuling

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

This question is asked all the time and the answer is so simple. Tarantulas bury their water dish because the water is usually in the way of its excavation activities. It's really that simple. Even in the video you can see it placed the soil next to the bottle cap instead of directly in it.

Here are a couple of tests anyone can do to find out if their tarantula is actually targeting the water dish.

Take the water out. Does the tarantula continue to put the soil in the same location the water used to be?

Assuming you house your tarantula in a large cage, put the water somewhere far away from the location of the excavation activity. Does the tarantula make the effort to walk a great distance to find the source of water and dump the dirt in it?

More often than not, tarantulas are provided a cage too small to account for digging activity, a water dish, a hide, and the tarantula itself. As a tarantula digs, the excess dirt has to go somewhere and a tarantula just doesn't have the intelligence to stop and think about whether filling its source of drinking water with dirt is a good idea. Most tarantula housing makes me think of a fictional situation of someone deciding to put a hot tub in a small bedroom then a neighbor posts a picture of it on the internet to ask why such a person has half of their furniture in the hot tub. Because there is nowhere else to put it! LOL

 

[SpooderMooder23]

It could be a purely instinctual thing. Water moves, takes away any left over prey. It's also somewhere to drink. However, water also brings other creatures. So dumping mud into it would stop that happening. (this is my own theory)

Or, that they purposefully do it, as they know it winds us up

 

[LilithArachne]

Oh tarantulas.... never change

 

[kingshockey]

just how they manipulate you into opening its cage planning its escape

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

With water dish filling, I’ve always assumed it’s because water in the wild would generally be moving and would carry the refuse away. Boluses and poop end up in there, too.

 

[Tarantulasareanimalstoo]

Why do tarantulas do this ? very curious

Iv'e heard that sometimes they have "played" around with things like ping pong balls so maybe they find it entertaining watching us slow giants come to their every whim like cats .

Also I've never actually seen a T move dirt before so that's actually awesome. But yeah sticking with my "miniature eight legged cat" theory

 

[darkness975]

This question is asked all the time and the answer is so simple. Tarantulas bury their water dish because the water is usually in the way of its excavation activities. It's really that simple. Even in the video you can see it placed the soil next to the bottle cap instead of directly in it.

Here are a couple of tests anyone can do to find out if their tarantula is actually targeting the water dish.

Take the water out. Does the tarantula continue to put the soil in the same location the water used to be?

Assuming you house your tarantula in a large cage, put the water somewhere far away from the location of the excavation activity. Does the tarantula make the effort to walk a great distance to find the source of water and dump the dirt in it?

More often than not, tarantulas are provided a cage too small to account for digging activity, a water dish, a hide, and the tarantula itself. As a tarantula digs, the excess dirt has to go somewhere and a tarantula just doesn't have the intelligence to stop and think about whether filling its source of drinking water with dirt is a good idea. Most tarantula housing makes me think of a fictional situation of someone deciding to put a hot tub in a small bedroom then a neighbor posts a picture of it on the internet to ask why such a person has half of their furniture in the hot tub. Because there is nowhere else to put it! LOL

Mine will often move the dish if it gets too empty and then sit in the depression left in the substrate.

 

[kingshockey]

filling the dish with dirt isnt all they do my lp used to try stuffing its water dishes into its burrow this time it ended up locking itself outta its own burrow

 

[goofyGoober99]

filling the dish with dirt isnt all they do my lp used to try stuffing its water dishes into its burrow this time it ended up locking itself outta its own burrow

They gave up on their passion for interior design and have resorted to a life petty theft. Very sad

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

They gave up on their passion for interior design and have resorted to a life petty theft. Very sad

Yea stop theif !!spiders steals water dish

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Mine will often move the dish if it gets too empty and then sit in the depression left in the substrate.

Yeah, some of mine do too and some even use the empty water cup (1-2 fl. oz. condiment cups) as a hide. Sometimes mine hide in the water cup when there is still water in it! It is kind of sad to see a large tarantula squeeze itself in such a small container. In either scenario they only do this when they have no other option to hide themselves or they disagree with what I provided them to hide away in. In contrast to those that agree with my housing configuration, I hardly ever see them interact with the water at all. And it helps that when I have a burrowing tarantula that fills its water cup with dirt as it is digging, I usually just take the water out until it is finished. The problem of dirty water is then solved.

 

[darkness975]

Yeah, some of mine do too and some even use the empty water cup (1-2 fl. oz. condiment cups) as a hide. Sometimes mine hide in the water cup when there is still water in it! It is kind of sad to see a large tarantula squeeze itself in such a small container. In either scenario they only do this when they have no other option to hide themselves or they disagree with what I provided them to hide away in. In contrast to those that agree with my housing configuration, I hardly ever see them interact with the water at all. And it helps that when I have a burrowing tarantula that fills its water cup with dirt as it is digging, I usually just take the water out until it is finished. The problem of dirty water is then solved.

I use the condiment cups too. Cheap and easy, but very light if the water wicks out.