Just bought the trapdoor spider yesterday, why it not burrow to make nest yet Help!!

[DbleCbhatana]

I bought it yesterday ,I dont sure why it doesnt burrow to make it nest or it take more days than this to make the nest or I might disturb her. Pls anyone help

 

[viper69]

Do they come from areas with soaking wet moss?

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

Use clay or other substrate of similar consistency. And pack that substrate tight and provide a lot of it.

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

@RezonantVoid

 

[DbleCbhatana]

U mean their habitat? I think so the seller gave me the moss.

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

Okay, while they do occur in clay embanks that sometimes have moss growing on them, what they burrow into is the clay itself. I'm not sure what the substrate in your enclosure is, but even assuming it's clay (or a close enough substitute-coco peat isn't going to work), the spider needs a LOT more of it as well as a starter burrow (a small hole you make in the clay that the spider can further excavate to dig out its burrow).

 

[Wolfram1]

way too wet, needs more ventilation

can you show us a picture of the lid?

@The Grym Reaper always has good examples

(edit: at the very least i would add a row of ventilation holes about a cm above the substrate level, that should give you a chimney effect/better air exchange)

and it can take them time to start building

 

[ladyratri]

I'm not sure what the substrate in your enclosure is, but even assuming it's clay (or a close enough substitute-coco peat isn't going to work), the spider needs a LOT more of it as well as a starter burrow

edit: at the very least i would add a row of ventilation holes about a cm above the substrate level

Make sure you add enough sub before you judge where to put the ventilation on the sides. If you do put it too low and then have to cover it with sub, it's not a big deal -- just make sure you put another row above the sub.

 

[Wolfram1]

Make sure you add enough sub before you judge where to put the ventilation on the sides. If you do put it too low and then have to cover it with sub, it's not a big deal -- just make sure you put another row above the sub.

yes but you also need to consider any excavating by the spider will rase the substrate level on top of what is already there

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I bought it yesterday ,I dont sure why it doesnt burrow to make it nest or it take more days than this to make the nest or I might disturb her. Pls anyone help

Loads of Cross ventilation and deeper substrate would help you don’t want condensation forming . Does it require t blondi like wet sub ?? Check the location this species is found . Make sure it’s not over saturated. Wet muggy conditions are bad .. lack of ventilation could prove deadly .

 

[RezonantVoid]

Okay, while they do occur in clay embanks that sometimes have moss growing on them, what they burrow into is the clay itself. I'm not sure what the substrate in your enclosure is, but even assuming it's clay (or a close enough substitute-coco peat isn't going to work), the spider needs a LOT more of it as well as a starter burrow (a small hole you make in the clay that the spider can further excavate to dig out its burrow).

Hit the nail on the head. I'll chime in a little later with my own suggestions as well, but great advice right here

 

[Nastynickynack89]

Too moist

 

[RezonantVoid]

To anyone who reads my suggestions below, please do not criticize the OP, as there is very little actually good information regarding trapdoor husbandry floating around and the overwhelming majority of examples others see are housed incorrectly. They likely set this spider up as good as they could, so bare that in mind.

1. Alright so first up, addressing the choice of enclosure, not only is the setup way too small, it's the completely wrong shape. Something you'll hear thrown around is "trapdoors like a gentle slope to their substrate", but simply gently sloping it completely ignores the reasoning behind why they do this. Many heavily build lid making species, nearly the entirety of Liphistius including, dig horizontally or diagonally downwards into near vertical soil embankments as a mechanism for preventing water flooding their burrows. They do not know they don't need to worry about this in captivity and therefore will seek an environment where they can burrow as such, resulting in the regular wandering and constant making of new burrows seen in many captive traps. To combat this, a large square or rectangular tank with sufficient both length and height allows the optimal amount of steep angling and substrate depth to satisfy a huge range of mygs.

2. Substrate choice is the single most important factor in housing a trapdoor and one that the overwhelming majority of trapdoor keepers either ignore or choose to overlook. They DO NOT want peat, coir, or coconut based substrates. Try building a house out of sticks and sticky tape, and you'll understand what it's like for them to try and construct a functional lid out of loose coir. With the exception of species that make use of debris to construct lids, the majority of global trapdoors will vastly prefer clay based substrate with a small sand drainage layer at the bottom. Such a mix can be made fairly quickly using excavator clay and desert sand in varying ratios. My general rule of thumb is the closer to a rainforest a species is found, the more clay you want in your mix, and the further away, the more sand, etc. Liphistius would probably be best in a mix made of 2 parts excavator clay to 1 part sand, with enough water added to the mix to make it bond but without becoming wet and sticky. Mosses will also grow MUCH better on this mix than if you use peat or coir, as the firmer surface allows them to anchor themselves while retaining moisture better.

I use small fish tanks to make clay wall setups for many of my rainforest mygalomorphs, from trapdoors to curtain webs. Here are 2 of the setups in my collection, for multiple Euoplos turrificus trapdoors and a large Australothele nambucca curtain web


Below you can see how sharply I angle the substrate in these setups.


Using the tips above, you should have a fully burrowed spider in less than 24 hours. You can keep her in what you've got temporarily, but to summarise, I would HIGHLY recommend upsizing and changing the substrate completely as soon as possible

 

[DbleCbhatana]

To anyone who reads my suggestions below, please do not criticize the OP, as there is very little actually good information regarding trapdoor husbandry floating around and the overwhelming majority of examples others see are housed incorrectly. They likely set this spider up as good as they could, so bare that in mind.

1. Alright so first up, addressing the choice of enclosure, not only is the setup way too small, it's the completely wrong shape. Something you'll hear thrown around is "trapdoors like a gentle slope to their substrate", but simply gently sloping it completely ignores the reasoning behind why they do this. Many heavily build lid making species, nearly the entirety of Liphistius including, dig horizontally or diagonally downwards into near vertical soil embankments as a mechanism for preventing water flooding their burrows. They do not know they don't need to worry about this in captivity and therefore will seek an environment where they can burrow as such, resulting in the regular wandering and constant making of new burrows seen in many captive traps. To combat this, a large square or rectangular tank with sufficient both length and height allows the optimal amount of steep angling and substrate depth to satisfy a huge range of mygs.

2. Substrate choice is the single most important factor in housing a trapdoor and one that the overwhelming majority of trapdoor keepers either ignore or choose to overlook. They DO NOT want peat, coir, or coconut based substrates. Try building a house out of sticks and sticky tape, and you'll understand what it's like for them to try and construct a functional lid out of loose coir. With the exception of species that make use of debris to construct lids, the majority of global trapdoors will vastly prefer clay based substrate with a small sand drainage layer at the bottom. Such a mix can be made fairly quickly using excavator clay and desert sand in varying ratios. My general rule of thumb is the closer to a rainforest a species is found, the more clay you want in your mix, and the further away, the more sand, etc. Liphistius would probably be best in a mix made of 2 parts excavator clay to 1 part sand, with enough water added to the mix to make it bond but without becoming wet and sticky. Mosses will also grow MUCH better on this mix than if you use peat or coir, as the firmer surface allows them to anchor themselves while retaining moisture better.

I use small fish tanks to make clay wall setups for many of my rainforest mygalomorphs, from trapdoors to curtain webs. Here are 2 of the setups in my collection, for multiple Euoplos turrificus trapdoors and a large Australothele nambucca curtain web
View attachment 452043 View attachment 452044

Below you can see how sharply I angle the substrate in these setups. View attachment 452046
View attachment 452049

Using the tips above, you should have a fully burrowed spider in less than 24 hours. You can keep her in what you've got temporarily, but to summarise, I would HIGHLY recommend upsizing and changing the substrate completely as soon as possible

Thx so much I’ve changed everything now. Is this ok?

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

Thx so much I’ve changed everything now. Is this ok?

Definitely better, but the slope really should be steeper (look at ResonantVoid's pictures and how high the substrate is at the back of the enclosure compared to how it's at the bottom of the slope). As he said, it should be more of a vertical cliff surface reaching almost to the top of the enclosure than a gentle hill.

Out of curiosity, what is that dark substrate you're using? It's definitely not coco peat/coir (which is good), but curious to see if it's something that is solid enough for excavation.

 

[DbleCbhatana]

Definitely better, but the slope really should be steeper (look at ResonantVoid's pictures and how high the substrate is at the back of the enclosure compared to how it's at the bottom of the slope). As he said, it should be more of a vertical cliff surface reaching almost to the top of the enclosure than a gentle hill.

Out of curiosity, what is that dark substrate you're using? It's definitely not coco peat/coir (which is good), but curious to see if it's something that is solid enough for excavation.

I will fix the slope and the dark substrate is clay mix with soil( most of it is clay) thx so much.

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

dark substrate is clay mix with soil( most of it is clay)

Nice!

 

[Wolfram1]

@RezonantVoid
i have to repeat myself, like i once said in a PM, but i really am stumped every time i see your enclosures.

The humidity required for such lush moss and ferns to thrive seems totally counterintuitive to good airflow and yet i know your animals do very well in them.

I have to wonder to what degree this is due to the species you keep/have access to, and how adapted they are to high humidity environments.

i am also saying this, as i have recently taken an interest in growing ferns from spores. When i see your enclosures they look like my 100% closed Fern-Boxes where i hope to germinate Alsophila australis (ex. Cyathea australis) gametophytes next, but i sometimes do wonder if i could add some ventilation once the sporophyte starts growing.

 

[RezonantVoid]

@RezonantVoid
i have to repeat myself, like i once said in a PM, but i really am stumped every time i see your enclosures.

The humidity required for such lush moss and ferns to thrive seems totally counterintuitive to good airflow and yet i know your animals do very well in them.

I have to wonder to what degree this is due to the species you keep/have access to, and how adapted they are to high humidity environments.

i am also saying this, as i have recently taken an interest in growing ferns from spores. When i see your enclosures they look like my 100% closed Fern-Boxes where i hope to germinate Alsophila australis (ex. Cyathea australis) gametophytes next, but i sometimes do wonder if i could add some ventilation once the sporophyte starts growing.

Generally most of my setups have pretty good ventilation, in fact some I have to water daily to keep everything happy. But bare in mind, in deal with lid building mygs, they themselves live in still air behind their burrow lids every day of their life most aren't particularly affected by airflow, so it's not too big of an issue to have fairly humid tanks. The only setup of mine that is completely sealed over is my velvet worm colony, but I still open it frequently for feeding and occasional watering

 

[Wolfram1]

Generally most of my setups have pretty good ventilation, in fact some I have to water daily to keep everything happy. But bare in mind, in deal with lid building mygs, they themselves live in still air behind their burrow lids every day of their life most aren't particularly affected by airflow, so it's not too big of an issue to have fairly humid tanks. The only setup of mine that is completely sealed over is my velvet worm colony, but I still open it frequently for feeding and occasional watering

yea i know, it still amazes me every time i see it