trapdoor question!!!

[nzcookie]

I have two trapdoors both of which have not done anything for a couple months now, worried they had past due to unknown reasons I tipped one out to check and she was fine and as plump as can be :sarcasm: ! after setting up new substrate for she she has half dug a burrow and I can see she has molted, to avoid disturbing my other trapdoor how long should I wait before introducing food to them again? how long does it normally take to molt? :: thanks! any info on molting welcome!!

---------- Post added 11-17-2013 at 01:09 AM ----------

excuse the grammar and spelling haha

 

[Ambly]

Mornin, kiwi friend If they are burrowed and under a trapdoor, you can offer them food. In the wild, they keep out intruders and most prey items won't be so bold. If they do not feed over night, remove it. They usually will let you know when they are hungry, leaving the door cracked a bit. Though no clue about the native NZ species - which I hope to check out in person one day soon. Usually if they go inactive like you are describing, they are indeed molting or have just eaten enough. Mine will eat nearly any time fed and then, seemingly random, stop feeding and chill for a while. Sometimes, at the end of this period they have expanded the lid and probably molted, other times nothing.

I'd love to see pictures of your spiders and their lids - especially in the wild. Enjoy!

 

[nzcookie]

Mornin, kiwi friend If they are burrowed and under a trapdoor, you can offer them food. In the wild, they keep out intruders and most prey items won't be so bold. If they do not feed over night, remove it. They usually will let you know when they are hungry, leaving the door cracked a bit. Though no clue about the native NZ species - which I hope to check out in person one day soon. Usually if they go inactive like you are describing, they are indeed molting or have just eaten enough. Mine will eat nearly any time fed and then, seemingly random, stop feeding and chill for a while. Sometimes, at the end of this period they have expanded the lid and probably molted, other times nothing.

I'd love to see pictures of your spiders and their lids - especially in the wild. Enjoy!

thanks for the insight!!! its so hard to just leave them alone sometimes! especially after such a long time of no activity!! they are indeed molting! we have a few trappies here in nz, only a few though! two species are all I know of, we lack mygalomorphs being so isolated, we do however have a few tunnel webs too though such as porrhothele antipodiana!! if you look through my posts iv uploaded a few pics of my trappies

 

[Ambly]

awesome. Just did some reading on some of the species there and in AUS... incredible, man.

Sean

 

[josh_r]

You have to remember that trapdoor spider, or "trappie" is a general name given to just about all mygalomorph spiders in Australia and New Zealand that are not a tarantula or funnel web spider. Most of these spiders do not even make a trapdoor. They make a simple open burrow like a tarantula. There are a few that do make really nice trapdoors, for example.. Euoplos and Idiommata. Very impressive spiders. I have a lot of pictures of Australian trapdoor spiders from when I was there. You should be able to find them here.

 

[Smokehound714]

A common mistake new trapdoor owners make is worrying about them after a week or two of inactivity. These spiders are the masters of energy conservation- They move very slowly and carefully while building their tunnel, often pausing for several hours before continuing again. Completion of the door does not mean their burrow is finished, they will continue to make touch-ups inside, im unsure of non-american species, but Bothriocyrtum will actually build a second door towards the end of their tunnel, and that takes quite a long time to complete.