Red trapdoor spider

[Bayushi]

As some of you will know, I got my Wife one of these bastiches at the BC arachnoparty this past sunday.

Anyways i have a couple of Q's and i used the search but didn't find the answers to my questions. So here goes.

We kept it in the deli cup when i got home, seeing how late it was and the fact i didn't want to transfer it while tired from the road. It has a good depth of substrate and we started a couple of holes for it. The thing is, instead of burrowing it has actually spent the past day and night filling in the premade holes. Is it normal for one to hang out above ground for long periods of time?

Also Falyn is wondering if they are climbers or capable of climbing the side of the tank?

Lastly.. should we put in some kind of a hide for it, since it seems to not want to burrow?

thanks for your time and any info you might have for us.

 

[EDED]

if it is Gorgyrella, it wont be able to climb glass IME

transfer it asap, you will stress the spider out in the open i think..

just straight moist peat or peat/vermiculite mix packed tight in a small but tall container should be good, also add some kind of sphagnum moss or leaves or some sort of debris (make sure they are clean enough),,,since the spider will need something to camoflauge its trap door.


mine did not build the burrow/trapdoor right away,,,first in made a slight burrow right under neath the moss, then out of nowhere it constructed a burrow.

it will be only active at night, worse than T's, so give it lots of darkness and quietness until it makes a burrow.

another thing i noticed with mine is that it only feeds at night, and IF i didnt disturb the container prior to introducing a cricket,

once it constructs a burrow, you dont really need a cover, i use a lid just sitting on top unscrewed since it will shoooot out its poop and lots of it.


i got most of the info i needed from the site www.giantspiders.com

goodluck

 

[Bayushi]

thanks for the info. we have a bag of sphagnum moss that we used for our emp tank. i'll spread some of that around the TDS's enclosure as soon as I finish this post. Also thanks for the link...

 

[Bayushi]

Well after following EDED's advice we now have a very nice pet enclosure. If anyone asks me what's in the tank I'm just gonna say it's the tank of the vanishing cricket.

 

[EDED]

your welcome

Guy's website helped me alot too, and he also told me to feed them like Ts,,,one cricket per week or every 10 days or so.


i dont know about other people's TDS, but mine is very fussy and shy,,,like i said earlier, it only eats if i dont disturb the enclosure while introducing the prey, i must look like im deactivating a bomb or something opening the lid.

and once it misses the prey (it happens sometimes) it wont bother attacking again, so you should take the prey out right then with forceps.

if it doesnt eat, just give it some time,,,mine didnt eat for a month at first when i got it but now it eats once a week, at nightime regularly

what kind of setup do you have now? has it made a burrow already?

 

[Bayushi]

We have it in a KK filled just about 1/2 or 3/4 with substrate. It's currently being a little tunnel making bugger and has already eaten on large cricket. all seems to be Going well for it. It does seem to mind the tank being disturbed, as it will come out of the burrow slightly to look around before resuming what it was doing.

 

[cloud711]

trapdoor spiders are very venomous right? :?

 

[EDED]

cloud711 ive never heard of it, who knows, i am not worried about escaping


Bayushi, thats cool, seems like its happy and i think you have a 'cooler' one, cuz i never see mine other than when it comes out to feed, its a sensitive bastard.

 

[cloud711]

can you guys post some pic of your trap door spiders? do they live long like t's? :?

 

[Bayushi]

Falyn's TDS is out of it's burrow right now. it looks to be dragging some more moss over to the "lid" of it's burrow. Probably going to add it.

As soon as we get a better cam, Falyn says she will snag some pics of Seraphim and post them.

 

[ScorpDemon]

i picked up a red trapdoor saturday at a show.. i started a burrow for it in the corner.. most of the time it just sits ready just slightly below the level of the rest of the substrate.. every now and then it will start webbing, or will look like its webbing.. i dont see any web, hasnt started tunneling yet, im looking forward to that.. anyone know how long these guys live?

 

[Falyn]

put some moss or sumthin like that into the tank so it has it to incoperate into the lid if you havnt already done that.. Seraphim wouldnt start doing anything for a tunnel till we added that into the tank for her.

 

[chris73]

I've had mine since May. Picture is here: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=45089

I house it in a clear 1 gallon Rubbermaid container with a white screw top that I get at Walmart for $2.50. Substrate is 100% peat packed tight about 4" from the top and kept wet. The starter burrow I made went unused. It actually filled it in and made it's own right next to the side. I keep the animal in total darkenss which minimizes the webbing and I get to see it sitting in the burrow. 2 crickets or large mealworms every other week seems sufficient. I include a water dish but I think it goes unused. Temp is 82 degrees. Seems to be thriving under these conditions. I only see it for a split second when I feed it - and I've tried peeking in at 3am, 4am, etc. It's never out and about.

Keeping in mind these are considerd very venomous spiders, a secure top is essential. Weather or not it can jump or climb is irrelevent in my opinion, because I've seen enough escape attempts and enough animals that acted contrary to their "normal" behavior to expect anything and try to prevent it.

Other than an oddity in a collection, it's really the original pet hole. Cool, but a hole nevertheless.

 

[ScorpDemon]

put some moss or sumthin like that into the tank so it has it to incoperate into the lid if you havnt already done that.. Seraphim wouldnt start doing anything for a tunnel till we added that into the tank for her.

do i need to cover the entire substrate with the moss? or just put enough for it to do what it needs to do in there?

 

[Bayushi]

do i need to cover the entire substrate with the moss? or just put enough for it to do what it needs to do in there?

We just took a "pinch" from the bag and dropped it in the tank. Seraphim went immediately under it and by the next morning had dug a burrow. I removed all the excess in the morning and noticed by that afternoon the lid was all neat and tidy.

And as Chris said a lid is definately needed. Seraphim somehow managed to get to the top of the enclosure and pooped down the side of the tank. No clue how seeing it couldn't climb the tank side when we placed him/her in it, but the next day there was the smear....