# First trapdoor spider



## MutedUziel (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm very new to the hobby little over two months. I would like to add a Trapdoor to my collection. Was hoping you could suggest a good starter for me. Give a little basic info on set up. Direct me to a good web sight for care sheets.  And suggest a good place to buy from...    Thank you very much for your time.


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## ErikWestblom (Jun 16, 2009)

Since you are new to the hobby, I would suggest something more fun. Trapdoors are really boring... Don't get fooled by the cool youtube videos, that is all the action you will see once every two weeks I'm afraid.

Huntsman spiders and wolf spiders are a lot more active. If you want a mygalomorph, try to get hold of a Dipluridae species, like Linothele or Ischnothele. Macrothele are cool too. 

That being said, I actually think a trapdoor makes a good addition to a collection, but with only one spider, and that being a trapdoor, one could easily get bored.


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## ErikWestblom (Jun 16, 2009)

Oh forgot, any trapdoor species would be fine. Just give it enough substrate to allow it to dig  Depth is a lot more important than floor space.

The "For sale" part of this forum is a nice place to start looking.


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## MutedUziel (Jun 16, 2009)

*First trapdoor.*

While this would be my first true spider i have a G. rosea and 3 scorpions. I have a tank that is small on floor space but deep about 7" Diam by around 11" deep. I was thinking a trapdoor would be a good match for this tank.


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## ranchulas (Jun 18, 2009)

MutedUziel said:


> While this would be my first true spider i have a G. rosea and 3 scorpions. I have a tank that is small on floor space but deep about 7" Diam by around 11" deep. I was thinking a trapdoor would be a good match for this tank.


That tank sounds fine. Trapdoors are neat to watch, and as stated are a nice addition to your collection. I try and create a small "starter" burrow close to the sides hoping the spider with burrow in where I can see it. This has worked for me a few times but is not a sure deal. Have fun.


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## CodeWilster (Jun 19, 2009)

I agree compared to other animals they are boring but people buy H. lividum and commonly end up with a pet hole. That being said, at least these guys make a fancy door for that hole.   Here's some species you can look into, I like them because a lot of dealers have them and they are very inexpensive than say a lot of the nicer Ts. Anyway here are some of the more commonly available species:

Cyphonisia sp "Silver" "Silver Trap Door"/"East African Tunneling Spider"
These guys are one of my favorites. They sort of resemble Calisoga longitarsus, are very aggressive and quick, and IMO make the best, most camoflauged trap doors. Until they get really fat on food they will carry out the amazing hunting skills almost every time (open door, grab cricket, go back, close door--all in about .00001 seconds  ) This would be my top choice of all the traps. I believe tarantulaspiders.com has these, ftorres, and I am sure a few others.

Next are the other various African species, such as Ancylotrypa spp, Ctenolophus spp, and Gorgyrella spp. The taxonomy with these things is a mess. Ancylotyrpa spp are the ones usually labeled "African Brown", "African Redleg", etc. I believe Ctenoluphus are the "African Red" but I have seen them labeled as Gorgyrella inermis too (they are not a Gorgyrella, though). I am not entirely sure what genera the "African Blacks" fall under. All are very unique looking, quite large and aggressive spp (the "Red" being the largest). These guys do not do as well when it comes to camoflauging their doors IMO. Also, with these ones you may end up having to "help" it burrow as someone else mentioned earlier. Tarantulainc.com, Kenthebugguy, and other dealers should have these.

Probably one of the most unique of the Trap Doors are the Liphistius spp (L. malayanus) Watch out! These things are EXTREMELY quick. They are very neat looking and if you get them set up right they will make a trap door with 5 "trip lines" to aid in detecting prey. They tend to be a bit pricey compared to the other traps, though. I believe there are a couple members in the classifieds section selling CB babies of these.

I'll quickly name a few others, Latouchia batuensis (from Cambodia, see care/info for the African species, but with more moisture), American species such as Myrrmekiaphila spp, Ummidia spp, Aptostichus spp, Bothriocyrtum californicum, (all similar care and looks to the African spp) Cyclocosmia spp (expensive and I would only recommend for the more advanced keepers) and I think that is just about it. Kenthebugguy.com sometimes carries the native spps, sometimes bugsincyberspace.com too.

Keep in mind trap doors take a long time to mature, are very slow growing and usually have awkward eating habits. They supposedly have more potent venom than Ts, some are very eager to bite you and hang on too. Although they are not exactly the most exciting, it took one of my silvers in the blink of an eye to open its door and nab a cricket and then dissapear, and then I was hooked. IMO, they are a pretty neat spider. Very understudied, underrated, and I am always trying to encourage others to give them a try. Hope this helped some!
~Cody


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