Magically emptying water dishes

[Cody-Myles]

My vittatas water dish stays mostly full and I rarely have to fill it.
With my buried Chaco (7 weeks now) and my zebra knee, it's a different story.
My zebras water dish mostly stays full but on random occassions I'll notice it's suddenly completely empty. Because she is still feeding and active I just assume the parched girl has drank the lot and just refill occordingly. With my buried Chaco though, the dish stayed full and immaculately clean and has done for weeks which shows she hasn't been roaming around whilst I've not been there. The other day though, I checked on them all and the chacos dish was completely empty, not a drop left, but there has been no disturbance of the substrate or evidence that she has come out, drank and buried herself again.
Surely the dish couldn't have evaporated over night when it's been full for weeks?..... or is she just a super smart and cunning T and HAS come out, drank, buried and left the substrate exactly as it was?!


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[sdsnybny]

Even with one strand of webbing thats hard to see it will wick the water out of the dish

 

[Arachnoclown]

I've seen my B. Sabulosum come straight through her entrance plug to her burrow. It was like watching a elevator door open and close.
I personally think she has had ninja training....

 

[Arachnoclown]

I haven't got a video of her coming out yet...but she will hunt through it. This is an example...she will part the middle and walk out.

 

[Cody-Myles]

I've seen my B. Sabulosum come straight through her entrance plug to her burrow. It was like watching a elevator door open and close.
I personally think she has had ninja training....

That my friend, is pure talent [emoji23]


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[Cody-Myles]

Even with one strand of webbing thats hard to see it will wick the water out of the dish

Hmmmm I never thought of that, I'm gonna put a little trench around the bowl and see what happens, will my LED video light I should see the silk thread if any appear.


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[Arachnoclown]

@Shampain I use a hot glue gun...not sure what type of glue it is but I've used it for years with no problems.

 

[Floodmeister]

I had a similar problem with one of those glass water dishes from Petco. It would be fine for a few days then magically be empty. I switched it out with one of those condiment cups you can find at grocery stores in a pack of 50, or small water bottle caps, and haven't had the problem since. I later found out there was a small leak in the Petco water dish.

 

[Cody-Myles]

In my experience most Ts will challenge you to a battle of wills regarding the water dish, they seem to hate them except when they want a drink... Bumba Cabocla is the greatest offender in my collection... She’d throw the cap at me I’m sure... This is a great opportunity to ask what glues are safe to use around Ts... I’m gonna glue arboreal Ts water dishes the the side instead of on the ground, any advice would be appreciated

TBH I think any glue, that once it's cured fully and pre-aerated is fine for them. I've not had to use any yet but when my zebra knee gets to big for her hide I will have to make her a new one by gluing pieces of cork bark to a flat piece to raise it off the ground enough so I will pick my poison when that time comes.


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[Cody-Myles]

I had a similar problem with one of those glass water dishes from Petco. It would be fine for a few days then magically be empty. I switched it out with one of those condiment cups you can find at grocery stores in a pack of 50, or small water bottle caps, and haven't had the problem since. I later found out there was a small leak in the Petco water dish.

What's confusing is how it can stay full and clean for weeks, then empty overnight ‍. There definitely isn't a hole in it anywhere cus I tested for a leak before I put it in, it's a tiny white plastic ball I cut in half across the joint line and the other half is holding up fine in my ghost ornamentals enclosure.


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[Whitelightning777]

It could be a change of humidity in your home. I always check mine twice a day. Webbing and sphagnum moss can drain away water through capillary action.

 

[Cody-Myles]

Well the emptying water dish may be solved....... a very thirsty T I think. After months of hibernating I finally caught the girl, 50% larger than before with gorgeous orange tinges and sat in an empty water dish , by the night time she had gone back into her hide and blocked it up again. Aaaaaaaargh, just behave for once, she's been nothing but trouble from the start!.


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[Whitelightning777]

It might be worth trying to elevate the water dish slightly by putting something underneath it such as corkbark as long as it isn't too high up for the T to find easily.

 

[Cody-Myles]

I switched out her half-ball water dish for a cider bottle cap (washed of course so she doesn't get pissed), I'll see how that goes but on a brighter note, I found her last night half out of her hide and she dart back in after I took the lid off so I left a stunned mealworm at her hide entrance. Came back to her this morning and she has taken it and dragged it back into her hide so she has finally eaten something, I'm hoping that prompts her to spend more time outside her hide.


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