• Are you a Tarantula hobbyist? If so, we invite you to join our community! Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your pets and enclosures and chat with other Tarantula enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Should i wet the substrate ?

bookac

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
245
Location
Skopje, Macedonia
Does Acanthoscurria geniculata acquire the substrate to be wet, should i spray it with water ? I saw someone here saying that for keeping up the humidity, water dish is enough, but i dont know if my T wants the substrate to be a bit wet ?

Also i saw someone saying that you can grow bacterias with spraying..

Thanks
 

RedCapTrio

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,158
Hi @bookac

Not an expert and very much a noob but I am planning on acquiring this marvelous specimen myself so has been researching on its care. I gather that most if not all slings need higher humidity and this can be done by misting using distilled drinking water or dampening of substrate that is enough for it to clump together rather than produce water if you squeeze it.

Then from juveniles to adults, all you need is a water dish to maintain humidity according to @Chubbs
 

Chubbs

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,679
They don't really need moist substrate.
RedCapTrio that applies to many, but not all tarantulas.
 

MassExodus

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
5,547
Location
Outside San Antonio, TX
Does Acanthoscurria geniculata acquire the substrate to be wet, should i spray it with water ? I saw someone here saying that for keeping up the humidity, water dish is enough, but i dont know if my T wants the substrate to be a bit wet ?

Also i saw someone saying that you can grow bacterias with spraying..

Thanks
Hi. I've got a large female genic that constantly hangs out by her water, sometimes leaving her legs in the dish. I'm not real big on misting or soaking the substrate, but she seems to like it. A lot. As soon as I soak a small area she'll move to it and sit directly over it. My room usually has around 60% humidity so I have to be careful about mold and attracting mites when I do this, so I let it dry out completely before soaking a different area for her. I prefer not to soak the substrate but she seems to need it, or maybe she just likes it, I'm not really sure. It does seem to be a genic thing though, because I have a one inch sling that acts the same way. I have to put rocks in her dish because she will often sit in it. Here's my two girls
IMG_20151012_082734.jpg
IMG_20151012_082855.jpg
 

MassExodus

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
5,547
Location
Outside San Antonio, TX
Hi. I've got a large female genic that constantly hangs out by her water, sometimes leaving her legs in the dish. I'm not real big on misting or soaking the substrate, but she seems to like it. A lot. As soon as I soak a small area she'll move to it and sit directly over it. My room usually has around 60% humidity so I have to be careful about mold and attracting mites when I do this, so I let it dry out completely before soaking a different area for her. I prefer not to soak the substrate but she seems to need it, or maybe she just likes it, I'm not really sure. It does seem to be a genic thing though, because I have a one inch sling that acts the same way. I have to put rocks in her dish because she will often sit in it. Here's my two girlsView attachment 11355 View attachment 11356
Bout time to rehouse the little one, I'll probably do that today..btw, expect a little...attitude from a genic. You see the sprinkle of substrate on the big one? I'd like to brush that off. I won't try it though, :D She loves paintbrushes so much that she'll jerk them right out of my hands. Or try to climb them...
 

Chubbs

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,679
I have a curly. im not sure about the coco peat. should it be dry, or moist? someone told me to get a water bowl for the humidity... not sure at all. some sites prefer the soil moist. bacteria?
Brachys generally prefer dry substrate. No misting for them.
 

MassExodus

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
5,547
Location
Outside San Antonio, TX
I have a curly. im not sure about the coco peat. should it be dry, or moist? someone told me to get a water bowl for the humidity... not sure at all. some sites prefer the soil moist. bacteria?
Depends on if it's a sling. They sometimes benefit from a little light misting, even brachys and grammastolas. If they show signs of climbing the enclosure or getting as far away as possible, you'll know they don't need it, or care for it. I've always lightly misted my slings when they show signs of premolt, as a helping hand, all of them. None of them have ever acted like they didn't like it. You'll notice as dry species (like the above mentioned) get older, they won't care for it at all, just a water dish irritates them occasionally, and they'll fill it with substrate :p Also, different spiders will show different preferences, you just have to experiment a little, and you'll soon know exactly what each one likes. As far as bacteria, mold, and mites, that's the reason I always recommend heavy ventilation, for all species, especially ones like my genics, that seem to think they need damp substrate constantly. I check them regularly, and have had to remove mold, and got mites once as well (mites are drawn to wet substrate as well as food boluses), but I took care of it, increased ventilation and strarted misting them less often. How often you mist will depend on ambient temperature, humidity, and the amount of ventilation you give your spider. Hope this helps :)
 

bookac

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
245
Location
Skopje, Macedonia
Bout time to rehouse the little one, I'll probably do that today..btw, expect a little...attitude from a genic. You see the sprinkle of substrate on the big one? I'd like to brush that off. I won't try it though, :D She loves paintbrushes so much that she'll jerk them right out of my hands. Or try to climb them...
Yeah I already learned my lesson trying to brush her, she jumped to the edge of the enclousure in micro second :D
 
Top