Oklahoma Trapdoor Spider

[Beedrill]

Hey guys,

We are currently undergoing some hardcore rain and flooding here in OK and it has led to an awesome find for me. I found a juvanile trapdoor spider wandering in our church. (and thank God indeed that I saw it first) I’m gonna set up a nice enclosure for her when I get home. I think I’ve narrowed it down to Ummidia sp. but without an expert, that’s all I can say. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pic!

 

[Ungoliant]

I think I’ve narrowed it down to Ummidia sp. but without an expert, that’s all I can say.

It looks like Ummidia to me. Nice find.

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

Hey guys,

We are currently undergoing some hardcore rain and flooding here in OK and it has led to an awesome find for me. I found a juvanile trapdoor spider wandering in our church. (and thank God indeed that I saw it first) I’m gonna set up a nice enclosure for her when I get home. I think I’ve narrowed it down to Ummidia sp. but without an expert, that’s all I can say. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pic! View attachment 287225

What a beautiful find! Poor little spud, probably got their hole flooded and had to escape. Both of you are indeed lucky, as they could have been slaughtered, but you saved it, and it has likely proven to be the focal point of your day. Good luck sir, and if treat your new friend kindly, they might outlive your other pets.

 

[RezonantVoid]

Wow! Trapdoors are pretty hard to come by , hope the little one is doing okay

 

[WildSpider]

Looks like a cool one! Were you able to get it to burrow?

 

[RTTB]

Awesome find.

 

[Beedrill]

Wow! Trapdoors are pretty hard to come by , hope the little one is doing okay

Yeah doing just fine. Eats about once a week, but never while I'm watching sadly.

Looks like a cool one! Were you able to get it to burrow?

I actually made it a starter burrow by pushing a pencil down into the substrate about four inches since it was just about the right diameter. She apparently liked it because by the next morning, it had been taken over and excavated quite a bit. In just two days there was a trap door waiting to accept unsuspecting prey.

 

[WildSpider]

That's awesome! Glad it took to it's new home so quickly !

 

[RezonantVoid]

Yeah doing just fine. Eats about once a week, but never while I'm watching sadly.



I actually made it a starter burrow by pushing a pencil down into the substrate about four inches since it was just about the right diameter. She apparently liked it because by the next morning, it had been taken over and excavated quite a bit. In just two days there was a trap door waiting to accept unsuspecting prey.

thats great! the only trapdoors i have that eat while im watching are the lidless ones. They will viciously accept food from my hand or tweezers, but the lidders really keep to themselves
nice she made a lid too, i have a few lidmakers that refuse to do so and im trying to work out if its my fault or if im being trolled

 

[Beedrill]

@RezonantVoid Hmm, I dunno. I would assume that they'll make a lid when they feel like they need one, but I don't know. XD
So speaking of the lids, is it alright to occasionally lift the lid to check on the spider inside? I have no intention of breaking the lid off or checking daily or anything like that, but I would just like to make sure it's still doing ok in there weekly or so.
And another question. How do they dispose of waste and sheds? I haven't seen any bolus's around and I don't know how to tell when they've shed.

I'll see If I can post a pic of the enclosure later too.

 

[WildSpider]

nice she made a lid too, i have a few lidmakers that refuse to do so and im trying to work out if its my fault or if im being trolled

This is what happened with the male I kept .

@RezonantVoid Hmm, I dunno. I would assume that they'll make a lid when they feel like they need one, but I don't know. XD
So speaking of the lids, is it alright to occasionally lift the lid to check on the spider inside? I have no intention of breaking the lid off or checking daily or anything like that, but I would just like to make sure it's still doing ok in there weekly or so.
And another question. How do they dispose of waste and sheds? I haven't seen any bolus's around and I don't know how to tell when they've shed.

I'll see If I can post a pic of the enclosure later too.

I've heard before that if you just gently tug upward on the lid and it doesn't open, then the spider's alive. He's holding the door closed on the other side. If it does come open, that doesn't necessarily mean it's dead though. If fact, you might even see him darting further into his burrow.

I've heard too that some keepers try to make the burrowing spider's burrow on the side of the enclosure so that you can look through the side at it and find out about molts, etc..

 

[RezonantVoid]

Trapdoors are perhaps the longest living of any spider group, (the oldest spider ever was a Cataxia trapdoor from Western Australia, it only recently died at 46years and not even of old age) and from the photo it doesn't look like it's quite fully grown as most species have solid colouring and aren't opaque as adults. Feel free to lift the lid occassionally, just keep it to once or twice a week max. As for bolus/rejectamenta often they make a chamber to just stuff it all into if the container is deep enough, overwise they web it to the burrow wall and start leaving it outside once there isn't enough room. Once a month I go through my lidless species containers and just remove it all with tweezers

 

[Beedrill]

Trapdoors are perhaps the longest living of any spider group, (the oldest spider ever was a Cataxia trapdoor from Western Australia, it only recently died at 46years and not even of old age) and from the photo it doesn't look like it's quite fully grown as most species have solid colouring and aren't opaque as adults. Feel free to lift the lid occassionally, just keep it to once or twice a week max. As for bolus/rejectamenta often they make a chamber to just stuff it all into if the container is deep enough, overwise they web it to the burrow wall and start leaving it outside once there isn't enough room. Once a month I go through my lidless species containers and just remove it all with tweezers

Wow very cool! Currently, the enclosure is at least 6 inches deep. It was the deepest one I had. I haven't seen it hit the bottom yet either though so I think it's ok. I hope it isn't quite done growing, but alas any information I've found on our local trapdoor spiders is extremely limited. I've gotten estimates that they get to be an inch or more, and I've gotten estimates that they don't exceed a few centimeters. Ultimately, it seems that alarmingly little research has ever been done on many of the spiders here in the states. Oh well, I think I'll really enjoy having this little pet hole.

Though I did just consider a few more questions. Do you ever rehouse trapdoors similar to tarantulas, or do they like to stay in one place permanently?
Also is mositening the substrate good enough for water or should there be a water dish?

 

[RezonantVoid]

Wow very cool! Currently, the enclosure is at least 6 inches deep. It was the deepest one I had. I haven't seen it hit the bottom yet either though so I think it's ok. I hope it isn't quite done growing, but alas any information I've found on our local trapdoor spiders is extremely limited. I've gotten estimates that they get to be an inch or more, and I've gotten estimates that they don't exceed a few centimeters. Ultimately, it seems that alarmingly little research has ever been done on many of the spiders here in the states. Oh well, I think I'll really enjoy having this little pet hole.

Though I did just consider a few more questions. Do you ever rehouse trapdoors similar to tarantulas, or do they like to stay in one place permanently?
Also is mositening the substrate good enough for water or should there be a water dish?

I never rehouse unless there's a burried eggsack. Moistening the substrate is all that's necessary, female Trapdoors can die in as little as 72 hours of being outside the burrow from rapid dehydration so they will pretty much never look for a water source. A dish can be used if the spider doesn't appear happy and regularly paces around the container at night but it sounds like you've nailed it with the setup. If you just put a few little ventilation holes in the lid it will keep the sub just right for a while, the spider lives in a sealed environment to hold moisture so doing this should also increase the chances of seeing her wait at the burrow entrance

 

[RezonantVoid]

Also, strange question, but is the soil type around where you found her red? I have noticed here in Australia that almost all our major hexithelids and Trapdoors stick to areas of high elevation with red soil, I have noted over 10 species across several genus and am regularly discovering more that prefer this environment type. I want to confirm if this trait is unique to Aussie species or not, if not it may be a breakthrough in field specimen collecting

 

[Beedrill]

Well believe it or not, most of the soil here in Oklahoma is red. Here in the states we are kind of known for it. Pretty much the only soil around here that isn't red is like the first 3 inches or so in some places. I'll double check this Sunday to see exactly what kind of soil is around there, (I've never really payed attention to it) but it's pretty likely that it's red.

Do you think that soil with a high iron content may play some role in their life cycles or maybe just the consistency of the soil makes it ideal for tunneling? We also have a TON of clay in the soil around here. It's like 40% clay pretty much anywhere you dig. Is it similar in Australia?

 

[RezonantVoid]

Well believe it or not, most of the soil here in Oklahoma is red. Here in the states we are kind of known for it. Pretty much the only soil around here that isn't red is like the first 3 inches or so in some places. I'll double check this Sunday to see exactly what kind of soil is around there, (I've never really payed attention to it) but it's pretty likely that it's red.

Do you think that soil with a high iron content may play some role in their life cycles or maybe just the consistency of the soil makes it ideal for tunneling? We also have a TON of clay in the soil around here. It's like 40% clay pretty much anywhere you dig. Is it similar in Australia?

depends on where you go, but any places i have gone to with just brown or sandy soil never have any burrowing species. We do have alot of red soil areas though and i think the clay in it plays a role, as it is ideal for holding the burrow shape and moisture to prevent dehydration. I think my little hunch may be correct!