Antrodiaetus unicolor care?

[Scorpionkid]

Hi, I found some trapdoor spiders in southwestern PA, and I believe they are A.unicolor. Any suggestions on how to care for them? Does anyone know if their are any other trapdoors in Pennsylvania?
Thanks!

 

[Scorpiobsession]

The general care for trapdoor spiders is to put them in a tub with slanted substrate and after they form a trapdoor offer them food every 1-2 weeks. But first make sure it is legal to keep them.

 

[Scorpionkid]

Ok, thanks! The ones I found were a centimeter or less, what would a good size enclosure be?

 

[Scorpiobsession]

I would start with a 16 oz deli cup. Then work your way up deli cup sizes and then storage containers when it gets older.

 

[Scorpionkid]

Alright, thanks so much!

 

[RezonantVoid]

As far as I've seen with photos of wild Antrodiaetus, most of them prefer clay/loam embankments and usually burrow horizontally into the side of these. The overwhelming majority of lid building species I'm aware of also do the same, a stark contrast to the usual method of captive housing I see with just deep cocofibre setups with a flat surface.

I'd try and recreate something similar if at all possible. For my traps I start by adding a half inch lower of peat moss at the bottom of the setup, and compress a thin pillar of it in one random corner reaching up to the surface of the rest of the substrate. For the main substrate mixture, I use wild crumbly clay soil and wet it in a large tub until it turns all soft and squishy. I then add dry peat moss (not cocofibre, molds too easy. Dry sand is also a good additive, and may be more favorable to species that like more sandy substrate) until it dries to a consistency where it is reasonably malleable and not sticky, but still somewhat easy to poke your finger into it. I compact this mix into the setup, with the back reaching nearly all the way to the lid. In one corner or along one edge, I sharply slope it to make a 40-60mm vertical wall that the spider can dig horizontally into, and add a starter burrow.

The clay holds moisture and shape better and for far longer than straight peat moss and allows them to make natural turrets/lids, as well as growing moss excellently which allows some species to incorporate it into their lids. The peat moss layer and pillar allows moisture to drain and evaporate from the clay which prevents the bottom of the setup slowly building up water and becoming gluggy. Here's a few of mine using this method.







Hopefully this may be helpful, however you choose to house her definitely send some pics. Always love to see more mygalomorph keepers around.

 

[Scorpionkid]

Alright, I will take this all to mind! They are very small now, so I keep them in smaller enclosures, and the ground is pretty much 100% clay here. I've had them for a few days, and they all made burrows, but they just don't eat. I put tiny little baby roaches in, about the size of the largest spider's abdomen, and they have been in there a couple of days. Any idea when they will feel comfortable enough to eat? Also, it seems you are really knowledgable about trapdoors, is there anywhere in the U.S. that you
know of that regularly has larger species like California Trapdoors in stock? I have been looking for waferlid trapdoors for sale for literally years!
Thanks so much for all your help!

 

[RezonantVoid]

Alright, I will take this all to mind! They are very small now, so I keep them in smaller enclosures, and the ground is pretty much 100% clay here. I've had them for a few days, and they all made burrows, but they just don't eat. I put tiny little baby roaches in, about the size of the largest spider's abdomen, and they have been in there a couple of days. Any idea when they will feel comfortable enough to eat? Also, it seems you are really knowledgable about trapdoors, is there anywhere in the U.S. that you
know of that regularly has larger species like California Trapdoors in stock? I have been looking for waferlid trapdoors for sale for literally years!
Thanks so much for all your help!

Unfortunately being located in Aus I don't have much info on US vendors sorry! But as for the feeder issue, I would highly recommend trying pinhead crickets instead. I've tried a few different roaches with pretty much all my mygs and I never get a feeding response. Crickets get noscoped from underground in seconds

 

[RezonantVoid]

Also depending on if you use discord or not, a group called Critter Corner may be of interest. I've been giving some members there a few trapdoor trapping tips and we got one bloke who is dead centre of 2 overlapping colonies. They might have more knowledge than I do. Maybe the classifieds on here would also be a good place to look

 

[Scorpionkid]

Ok, I will try crickets and check out Critter Corner. I have been scouring the classifieds for a while, and whenever I message someone they are already out of stock on trapdoors! Thanks so much for all your help!
Also, do you have Instagram? I'd follow you.

 

[Scorpionkid]

Is critter corner a website? The only thing that come up when I search it is a pet store near me.
Thanks

 

[RezonantVoid]

Ok, I will try crickets and check out Critter Corner. I have been scouring the classifieds for a while, and whenever I message someone they are already out of stock on trapdoors! Thanks so much for all your help!
Also, do you have Instagram? I'd follow you.

Nah I don't do insta just yet, but I do have a new YT channel called Rezonant's Arachnids. Critter corner is a group on discord, so you sign up for it and and join. I'm happy to send some more details via PM's.

I know the feels of stuff running out of stock too quickly