Trapdoor spider started its burrow underground?

[mcl1029]

Hey yall! I recently got a trapdoor spider ( Damarchus workmani) from a local petshop. They kept it in a deli cup, but it stayed on the surface as there was no room for it to dig but I brought it home and put it with about 8 inches of substrate. Overnight, the spider must've buried itself. I created a starter hole, but it looked like it caved in. So, it either started a burrow but caved in, or it just dug itself a hole and is staying there. Its been about a week or two, should i dig it up? There is no trapdoor or web, so do i dig out the spider so it can start a new burrow? Any advice is appreciated, thank you!!

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

Hey yall! I recently got a trapdoor spider ( Damarchus workmani) from a local petshop. They kept it in a deli cup, but it stayed on the surface as there was no room for it to dig but I brought it home and put it with about 8 inches of substrate. Overnight, the spider must've buried itself. I created a starter hole, but it looked like it caved in. So, it either started a burrow but caved in, or it just dug itself a hole and is staying there. Its been about a week or two, should i dig it up? There is no trapdoor or web, so do i dig out the spider so it can start a new burrow? Any advice is appreciated, thank you!!

The whole point of a trapdoor is that it looks like there isnt a burrow there at all... how do you know its not in its trapdoor right now?

 

[mcl1029]

The whole point of a trapdoor is that it looks like there isnt a burrow there at all... how do you know its not in its trapdoor right now?

I don't, because there's no trapdoor or web or anything visible, the surface is basically flat. I even dropped a small cricket in overnight and nothing. I'm wondering if it caved in and if I need to do anything about it

 

[NMTs]

I don't, because there's no trapdoor or web or anything visible, the surface is basically flat. I even dropped a small cricket in overnight and nothing. I'm wondering if it caved in and if I need to do anything about it

Pictures would help. If you can take a couple of clear, in-focus pics of the enclosure and the surface of the substrate, and the burrow that you started and think may have caved in, we can maybe help you figure out where the spider is.

 

[mcl1029]

Pictures would help. If you can take a couple of clear, in-focus pics of the enclosure and the surface of the substrate, and the burrow that you started and think may have caved in, we can maybe help you figure out where the spider is.

Here ya go, lemme know if more would help

 

[Pmurinushmacla]

I don't, because there's no trapdoor or web or anything visible, the surface is basically flat. I even dropped a small cricket in overnight and nothing. I'm wondering if it caved in and if I need to do anything about it

The spider knows what it is doing, Ive never actually heard of a spider who died because its burrow caved in.

 

[NMTs]

I'm guessing because it is the only picture that includes the side of the enclosure that you made the starter burrow in the corner there and now it looks filled in - so you assumed it caved in, yes? I think the burrow probably didn't cave in, but what you're seeing is the spider lining the burrow with web and substrate. I don't see any reason that burrow would just cave in - the mix of substrate you used and the moisture in it seems like it would hold it's shape pretty well if you made a hole in it, so I'm assuming the spider is in there and making it home. Be patient and keep offering food occasionally and it'll turn up!

 

[mcl1029]

I'm guessing because it is the only picture that includes the side of the enclosure that you made the starter burrow in the corner there and now it looks filled in - so you assumed it caved in, yes? I think the burrow probably didn't cave in, but what you're seeing is the spider lining the burrow with web and substrate. I don't see any reason that burrow would just cave in - the mix of substrate you used and the moisture in it seems like it would hold it's shape pretty well if you made a hole in it, so I'm assuming the spider is in there and making it home. Be patient and keep offering food occasionally and it'll turn up!

Will do, I mean it's like someone else said, they know what they're doing lol. Thank you for your help

 

[viper69]

Leave it alone, what do you know about trapdoor making

 

[RezonantVoid]

Hi mate, trapdoor keeper from Australia here. Good job rescuing it from a petshop, most of them are hopeless when it comes to caring for them.

Damarchus sp. including D.workmani are referred to as tube trapdoors, as far as I'm aware the majority dont make lids and instead do something like the following photo (pic not mine, found on google). I've kept a few tube building species and trust me, this behaviour is too awesome to not see.


The big thing you'll notice in that pic is the substrate is sticky clay soil. I've brought this up a number of times on arachnoboards already, but crumbly peat moss or coir/cocofibre is a very poor substrate choice for most trapdoors, the primary reason being structural integrity.

I won't deny that many lidless species are fine when kept on those substrates, but pretty much any species you can think of that builds structures like tubes or thick plug lids has a strong preference for clay soil. Peat/coir doesn't stick to itself well and often results in fragile flimsy lids that the spider continually has to repair. For a number of species, this results in:
- The spiders regularly coming to the surface and pacing around at night looking for a more ideal location to dig.
- The spiders taking days, weeks or months to start digging (fortunately not the case this time).
- The spiders being unable to behave naturally due to an inability to create their certain style of lid.
- The spiders showing decreased interest in food.

Damarchus don't appear to make thick plug lids or super tall 12" structures, but if you notice any of the behaviour mentioned above after a while, it might be worth looking into changing the substrate to natural clay soil or an excavator clay mix to see if it improves. I'd also put some dry twigs and small dry leaves on the surface, as some pics on google show D.workmani using debris to construct their short turrets.

Hope this might help!