As the Subject reads, "Can a tarantula actually drown?" :spider:

Has anyone ever heard of a spider drowning? that is with out much interference from an outside source.

The normal advise is don't give your small sling/spider to much of a water dish, if you do, put a small pebble in side so if it does fall in, it can climb out, or drowns in turn.

But I think this information is incorrect, I don't think a spider can just drown, with out you holding it under, washing it down the drain, or putting it into Ice cold water.
Especially the smaller slings and Juvenal spider, I think larger heavier bodied spider will have an issue swimming ontop of the water, but the smaller spider will walk on water.

This is the shocking example that got me thinking.(Please Note!!! This was not my spider, it was given to me with a couple of other spiders, the person lost interest in the hobby) The deli cup did not have holes in.





So seeing this I was a bit shocked and amazed at the same time, I don't know for how long the spider was like this for but it is fine know, I have moved it over to a drier deli cup, with plenty of holes this time. :swaet:

So I thought I need to see if this sling was just lucky or if indeed this is the case with most smaller spider.

I did a test with 3 spiders, 2 slings and a female H. incei all the spider floated and walked on water.
All spiders are doing Fine, they put next to the heaters and are all fine.

Wow that quite interesting Cascade :thumbsup:

Cool bit of experimentation...and no T's harmed. It's most likely that the slings and juveniles are so light that they don't break the surface tension of the water and so float happilly until they can climb out or get rescued.

Awesome share cascade.

Well I have thought about this myself. I have 2 types of water containers. The one is smallish and I used initially because it holds water for just under a week.
The second type is a deli cup cut in half and holds water for up to 2/3 weeks. I was worried that T's might drown in the deli cup water container because it is bigger than the other water container. I have not had any T's drown.

My nigricolors almost like the deli cups and often stand over it with some of its legs (not making direct contact with the water).

In my mind tarantulas must seek water quite often to survive so they cannot be far from a water source. I have found local baboons in my grans garden and I have found a baboon spider in mozambique next to a tap connected to a water tank. It was so close to the tap that if the tap was left running for a minute the baboons burrow would be flooded and he would be forced out.

This makes me think they have evolved to be pretty hardy creatures yet I believe their booklungs do seem to make them vulnerable to water.

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The BTS claim:
"It is impossible to drown a tarantula because they are covered in water-repellent hair,"
thebts.co.uk/keeping_tarantulas.html

And some more reading info:
www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?...ny-tarantulas-lately

Have you ever tried to wet a molt?

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