Red Trap Door help

excesspeople

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
4
Its been almost a month since I first got my trap door. Ive never owned one before and am unfamiliar with there habitat needs. She eats good, about twice every other week since I got her, and also keeps hydrated from the small water dish I put inside the tank every night. But she still hasn't burrowed. I started a few holes in various places inside the tank hoping she would make home to one of them but she still remains on the surface. Is there anything else I can try or is it just one of those things that requires patience? Like I said I'm not to familiar with them and maybe it could be a defect of improper housing. Right now I have it in a 10 gallon aquarium with the substrate on the one side at 6 inches and the low point at 4 1/2 inches. The substrate is a mixture of 14 liters of Eco Earth (coconut fiber substrate) and a half cup of ground english walnut shells. I mist the substrate once or twice every day, depending on the humitity which generally flucuates between about 71%-78%
I keep the temp. range between 75-80 degrees. Theres a picture I took, not the best quality, with it sitting on top of one of the burrows I started for it. It did dig a little bit almost like its building walls instead of burrowing. And also on the left side of the corner it looks like she started building the trap door but for some reason gave up. That was about a week and a half ago though. I was reading on one of the other forums that talked about them moulting before they start their burrow. If that is the case then it should be happening fairly soon. Can anyone provide me with any further information? Thanks
 

Bayushi

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
1,236
Try adding some leaf debris and small twigs to the enclosure.

Ours refused to burrow until there was sufficient debris to make the lid of the burrow. After we added some leaf litter and what not she had a burrow and lid done in one night. ofcourse we never see her anymore because of it.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
8,325
i'd stop using walnut products. is poisonous. i researched it somewhere, let me think. oh yeah, lol. it's on tarantulas.us but i don't waste my time on there anymore so you are your own finding it


what is ventilation like?
 

excesspeople

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
Messages
4
I have a plexiglass lid that I use during the day to keep a constant temp. and I have a screen lid which I use at night.
 

Bastian Drolshagen

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Messages
488
well, maybe you should stop working on her container. changing lids is absolutely not necessary.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
8,325
try leaving the screen lid on for a couple weeks. i think it is possible that the spider is registering that it is already in a burrow (low vent, high moisture) and thus not stimulated to dig one
 
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