My tarantula drinks a lot of water

[cyjack53]

You're probably getting a kick out of that title, but I am somewhat concerned and do not know if I should be. I recently purchased a Honduran Curly Hair female, about 1 year old. I have been filling her 4oz water dish everyday. She seems to drink the whole entire thing within about 24 hours of me filling it. I've had one tarantula before and he wouldn't even finish his water dish before I needed to pull it out and clean it. I don't know if there might be some underlying health concern that's requiring her to drink so much, or if she really is that thirsty.. any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cyjack53]

You're probably getting a kick out of that title, but I am somewhat concerned and do not know if I should be. I recently purchased a Honduran Curly Hair female, about 1 year old. I have been filling her 4oz water dish everyday. She seems to drink the whole entire thing within about 24 hours of me filling it. I've had one tarantula before and he wouldn't even finish his water dish before I needed to pull it out and clean it. I don't know if there might be some underlying health concern that's requiring her to drink so much, or if she really is that thirsty.. any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I would like to note that I do not keep her dry. I keep her enclosure at 50-60% humidity, in case someone may think that is a factor

 

[Konstantin]

Hi
Even if they drink often its very unlikely to finish 4oz dish in that short time.
its most likely there is a web string,piece of substrate that wicks the water out that fast or you live in very dry area and it just evaporate very quick but thats not as likely.
Before refil make sure you take the dish out and clean any webbing or other debris from the edges.
Regards Konstantin

 

[cyjack53]

Hi
Even if they drink often its very unlikely to finish 4oz dish in that short time.
its most likely there is a web string,piece of substrate that wicks the water out that fast or you live in very dry area and it just evaporate very quick but thats not as likely.
Before refil make sure you take the dish out and clean any webbing or other debris from the edges.
Regards Konstantin

okay i will try this, thank you

 

[m0lsx]

Do you use one of the commercial water dishes?

The Above type of thing? If so I stopped using them, as almost all the ones I used lost water. I now use plastic milk bottle tops, peanut butter lids etc etc. And find they hold water much better.

I now have a small collection of unused commercial water bowls, that I have collected with T's that I have brought complete with enclosure etc. And I keep thinking I need to sell them on & declutter.

 

[MBullock]

Your dish hasnt been sealed, alot of these are just clay that's been kilned and painted, never sealed, so they leak moisture.

Get clear-wrap or cling wrap and line the dish with it, and the water wont drain.

 

[octanejunkie]

Bottle caps, condiment cups, etc. Easy to clean, cheap to source and replace.

 

[m0lsx]

Your dish hasnt been sealed, alot of these are just clay that's been kilned and painted, never sealed, so they leak moisture.

Get clear-wrap or cling wrap and line the dish with it, and the water wont drain.

Yes they are cheap rubbish, hence why I do not use them. The idea of having to line them with Cling Film is awful & a potential danger to my T's. It sticks to us & we have hands to remove it, image it getting stuck onto your T & the damage / stress that would, or could cause. And Cling Film does not like moisture. Moisture stops it from clinging.

I use plastic lids, as water bowls, in all of my enclosures.

 

[MBullock]

Yes they are cheap rubbish, hence why I do not use them. The idea of having to line them with Cling Film is awful & a potential danger to my T's. It sticks to us & we have hands to remove it, image it getting stuck onto your T & the damage / stress that would, or could cause. And Cling Film does not like moisture. Moisture stops it from clinging.

I use plastic lids, as water bowls, in all of my enclosures.

It literally cannot cling to spiders as it requires a smooth surface. it's not meant to cling to the dish but rather simply prevent water from leeching. i use it for my homemade sculpey dishes and have zero issues, and a bonus is you wont have to scrub or clean the dish afterward. that said, i simply use 3.5 oz deli cups for water dishes and they do just fine.

 

[augiemolly]

I've had the same issue. Using the water dish that come with Jamies T's large housing kits I've had a couple that just would not hold water. I believe that they are some kind of resin but not sure. I removed them from the enclosure and refilled them and left them on the lip of my sink and sure enough almost empty overnight. I'm not sure but guessing hairline cracks or just not sealed well enough to prevent seepage. They probably make a great humidifier for Moisture loving T's. Llke everyone else I would suggest plastic bottle or jar lids. Then at worst all you have to worry about is cleaning out the dirt and debris out of the dish everyday if your T is industrious

 

[cyjack53]

update: I changed the water dish (I'm now using a plastic plant feed catcher,) and the issue has stopped. I cannot figure out why my previous dish was losing water, there seems to be no cracks or anything of the sort. but i've ruled it as the issue because since I switched a few days ago her water supply has been fine. Thank you for all the replies