Sitting in her water bowl

[Neil Cooper]

Hi can anyone help?
My Curlyhair has been sat in her bowl of spider gel for the last few days (4)
is this normal or is she just REALLY thirsty?? or is something more sinister afoot ?
any comments would be welcomed (helpful ones anyway )

[Paul Moulton]

Both my Curly hair and Fireleg do this whether the bowl has water in or not. They seem to just use it as a refuge.

[karen Hampton]

Can you use gel with T's....I was told on another site never to use gel in with spiders!!!!

[Neil Cooper]

Can anyone add to the gel question??

[MichaelTabor]

Have u checked the humidity levels or maybe try given her some water see if she drinks it

[Yvonne Woolley]

Hello Neil, I have allways been led to believe that when this happens it usually means that your Tarantula is dehydrated somewhat. I did lose one of mine i am sad to say after the same behavior when i first started to keep Tarantulas and i was devastated, Now i always use a good size water bowl also I put fresh moss in one corner and keep it moist and for me this seems to work fine as this keeps up the humidity. but of course i do not mean dripping wet all over the viv.and all Ts may vary somewhat.
Hope this helps.

[Nicola Dolby]

Blimey, can't a spider take a bath in peace! Seriously though I'd get rid of the gel and use water. Yvonne is completely right, sounds like spid is thirsty.

[Peter Lacey]

Gels and cotton wool and sponges and ... are the curse of the earth and will kill anything that comes within 10 miles of it
But in reality, they're often avoided in place of the simple wide water bowl/plant saucer. Personally I keep my B. albopilosum a little more moist than other Brachypelma species but I notice many species sit in their bowls and I'm not entirely convinced its because they expect water to arrive. Fill your bowl, and overflow onto the substrate, or like me you could just water the whole enclosure.

[Yvonne Woolley]

I have tried that myself Peter,I felt a bit guilty when several of my ladies ( Ts )refused to set a foot on the floor LOL and so now just overflow the dishes a little and use the moss to add the extra humidity.
It just goes to prove that even Ts of the same species all differ in one way or another doesnt it?Or mybe its just us females LOL

[Neil Cooper]

Thanks for all your replies folks, I have removed her gel and given her more water and sprayed around a bit humidity is around 65% and she is still sat in the bloody dish,
maybe she just likes to bathe !
she's eating ok and seems fine otherwise
Thanks again for all the replies

[Peter Lacey]

I wouldn't worry about it too much Neil as long as there's water available.

Yvonne, seeing other peoples set-ups can often help to direct our own set-ups but sometimes they are so different as to be alien to how we perceive they should be. This just indicates how diverse and adaptable tarantula can be. But it never fails to amaze me that so many people keep T. blondi and T. apothysis in dry enclosures when mine are permanently on the moist side, although definitely not swampy. This, I believe, mirrors their natural environment but doesn't answer the question of why they can tolerate such dry enclosures.

[Yvonne Woolley]

What i should have mentioned Peter is that apart from my two large T. blondi girls who are in 3 foot and 2 foot tanks which I do keep one end really quite moist and a huge water bowl in each.I do havea T.apothysis who is doing really well she is due to be rehoused as she is fast outgrowing the tank she is in, I would be glad of your input into just how wet you keep yours as I feel I may not be keeping her moist enough. Do you treat your just as your T. blondi ?Thanks

[Yvonne Woolley]

What i should have mentioned Peter is that apart from my two large T. blondi girls who are in 3 foot and 2 foot tanks which I do keep one end really quite moist and a huge water bowl in each.I do havea T.apothysis who is doing really well she is due to be rehoused as she is fast outgrowing the tank she is in, I would be glad of your input into just how wet you keep yours as I feel I may not be keeping her moist enough. Do you treat your just as your T. blondi ?Thanks

[Peter Lacey]

yes, keep both my T. blondi and my 3 T. apothysis in similar conditions - I never let the substrate dry out, it includes coir and chopped sphagnum moss and each enclosure has a colony of springtails and tropical woodlice. The blondi has the obligatory flower pot in a deep filled RUB whist the others are in a glass tank, pet pall (to be rehoused) and cadbury/shoe box which I shall rehouse once it gets too much bigger. The T. blondi is nearly 7", the T. apothysis are about 4".
The blondi gets a fortnightly spray where I soak the substrate surface and fill the plant saucer. There's not a huge amount of ventilation in here so it retains its humidity but doesnt develop mould.
The apothysis get as least a weekly spraying, although usually with a spout directly onto the substrate and furnishings rather than a general fine spray.