However science about spiders is in its infancy, many doubtful statements have been made in the hobby. Plenty of them are being followed blindly, without even considering further investigation. Lacking scientifical proves, we rely on our logic and experience to give decent answers. Mythbusters is an online discussion board in our facebookgroup about those uncertainties. On this page we collect all outcomes of these discussions. We do not claim to have the truth at all, but we aim to serve as a pointer in your search for answers. Click “the myth” to see and/or join the discussion.
MYTHBUSTERS #1
The myth: Big enclosures are bad!
The outcome: BUSTED
The majority is convinced of the fact spiders find their prey easily, whatever the size of the terraria.
Quotes:
• Mimicing an animal’s natural environment should be at the forefront of any exotic keeper. (Liam fawcett)
• Mainly adult tarantulas will often go for a stroll at night. (Jan Sipma).
The exception: As they’re looking for a female, mature males are far more active. They need more energy, but often show lack of appetite. To maintain a longer lifespan, these mature males are sometimes kept in smaller enclosures.
MYTHBUSTERS #2
The myth: Water dishes are a must!
The outcome: BUSTED
Quotes:
• A water dish is not a must. Water is a must! (Patrick Meyer) (Art Derijker)
• If the spider is kept with the right parameters (humidity, spraying into the web to simulate morning dew and/or rain drops, moist soil for some spp.), they’d never need a dish. (Andreas Beier)
The exception(s):
• It is not essential, but it can be useful. (Ruben De Blas)
• It sure doesn’t hurt them and some will even drink from it. Therefore it’s a yes to water dishes for me. (David Van Berlo)
• Water dishes are a must if parameters are not right and the spider is kept bonedry. (Andreas Beier)
MYTHBUSTERS #3
The myth: Prevent health issues by sterilizing the enclosure!
The outcome: BUSTED
Quotes:
• In wild nature no creature is sterilizing a habitat. (Jan Sipma)
• All those small organisms (springtails, woodlice, small insects, arachnids, etc.) are creating a self sustainable bio-active enclosure with no mold problems. (Alem Hudovic)
The exception(s):
• I personally would sterilize an enclosure if a previous inhabitant died of unknown causes. (Jan Sipma)
MYTHBUSTERS #4
The myth: Keep humidity precise at all time!
The outcome: BUSTED
Quotes:
• How many people actually understand relative humidity? (Liam Fawcett) (more info)
• You can literally never keep it on point, especially when you have different species with different requirements in the same room. (Ahren Mnhkob)
• Nature is never ‘on point’. (Markus Meile)
• My answer -false- comes more from experience than from the background in nature. I have gotten the best results with keeping and breeding by flooding the terrarium, then waiting until everything is dried out. Then flooding it again, etc. (Hans Cools)
Submyth: Humidity is important for a good molt.
The outcome: BUSTED
• Good hydration pre-ecdysis is important for a good molt. Humidity is not.
MYTHBUSTERS #5
The myth: You can’t stress a spider!
The outcome: BUSTED
Quotes:
• Stress is a reaction on a situation. farmers use (dry)stress to get better fruit. Its a natural protection to make sure the species will survive. Dont try it with animals. (Sam Luyten)
• Stress is more than kicking hairs or giving a threat pose. Lack of “emotion”, as we know it, does not necessarily indicate a lack of stress. (Dennis Van Vlierberghe)
MYTHBUSTERS #6
The myth: Come back later!
The outcome:
Quotes:
The exception(s):