# Red African Trapdoor Spider



## kaiserbrandon (Jun 7, 2011)

So I discovered today that a shop opened up in my city that specifically sells exotic animals.  I went in today and one of the interesting critters they had for sale was a red trapdoor spider.  After doing some research at home, I have become fascinated with these clever spiders.  However, one thing I am curious about is how often you would have to clean their cage, and how you would even be able to remove it from its burrow to execute said cleaning.


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## Gnat (Jun 8, 2011)

i have a cyclocosmia ricketti that has been in the same container for a year now and has no real cleaning issues. random poops on the sides that can be wiped off. my girlfriend picked up a red trapdoor at a show in January that is kept the same way, a 32 oz deli cup with a few holes in the lid. filled with a sand coco fiber mix, more sandy, filled to about 2 inches from the rim. her red has had no real cage maintenance issues either.  if you are willing to have pet cup of sand then go for it, you will see them but very rarely.


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## Moltar (Jun 8, 2011)

Yeah, they can be pretty interesting on an academic level (see that jar? there's a spider in there somewhere!) but prove fairly dull in the long term. Watching them ambush their prey is pretty satisfying though... the most exciting .5 second of the month!

An "African Red Trapdoor" could be any of a number of different species. They will be generally similar in care, semi-arid, use a soil mix with some sand and maybe a little clay (and peat/coco), don't pack it too tight, start a little burrow and litter the surface with debris they can make a door from. Water every week, feed every month, done. Be careful that you don't get bitten, their venom can be fairly potent and they are incredibly ferocious but can't climb glass. Making them pretty much all bark.


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## BQC123 (Jun 8, 2011)

I would start a burrow up against the side of the container. With any luck it will finish the burrow, and be visible through the side. It worked on one of mine.


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## tom (Jun 10, 2011)

*red trapdoor Gorgyella*

i used peatmoss and some sawdust and some gritty soil.I used plastic vivariums with plenty of aeration: Critter Carriers with handle work okay.depth is important lost three spiders due to too low a tunnel in the substrate.Anyway, keep barely moist,not too wet to prevent moulding.
wipe the sides off as they direct the waste outside the their borrows.
cheers, tom


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