Red Trapdoor spider enclosure with feeding video.

[RichardF]

Hi all. I'm new to the site and thought I'd share my enclosure for my female Red Trapdoor. I took a different route than most. Instead of using the plastic jar that almost all use, I purchased this 1.5 gallon jar- http://www.wasserstrom.com/restaura...u^700758-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^45649633484

For substrate I used potting soil and a little bit of Reptisand. I also threw in some moss to keep some humidity in and some mulch for the trapdoor to use. I think the finished result turned out beautiful.

This was the day I got her! As you can see, she was not happy at all.

Here she was digging out the burrow more and constructing the trapdoor. She took to the premade burrow! Success!

Here is the jar. I cut the top portion of the lid off for air.

Different angle. I keep a piece of paper taped over the burrow so she doesn't get upset.

She is still digging out the burrow but it looks like she made herself at home.

Her trapdoor is camouflaged perfectly! What an amazing creature. I'm very impressed by the amount of work she has done in the three weeks that I've had her!

And here is the video of her feeding. Sorry the video sucks, I was using my cellphone and thought I had it all in picture. This is the first spider that I have owned (I know people say this species should only be owned by experienced keepers) And so far I really, really enjoy having her. I know people find them boring, but for me, watching them feed outweighs them doing nothing 90% of the time. I might be getting an African Black soon as I have a spare jar! Enjoy the pictures and video, cheers!

 

[RichardF]

Got a great video of her feeding! Never mind the annoying music, I was watching the Tremors marathon (fitting, given the situation the cricket was in lol) and got the video on a commercial

 

[spidey noob]

nice trapdoor !!!

 

[PetTarantulaWorld.com]

Thats a very nice setup for a trapdoor. They are one of my favorite spiders that i own..so interesting to watch. I film mine a lot with a high speed camera and post slow motion trapdoor feeding videos on my youtube channel.

 

[DVirginiana]

Nice! Something about trapdoor spiders kind of freaks me out, but I love watching them hunt.

 

[RichardF]

Thats a very nice setup for a trapdoor. They are one of my favorite spiders that i own..so interesting to watch. I film mine a lot with a high speed camera and post slow motion trapdoor feeding videos on my youtube channel.

Thanks! I love your videos.

 

[RichardF]

Any tips on keeping mold down? Mold is starting to grow on the substrate (white fuzzy stuff that I thought was web at first). A piece of mulch fell into the bottom oh the burrow as she constructed the door and it is getting moldy as well. I'd hate to rehouse her after such a short time.

 

[DVirginiana]

If you rehouse her, you might want to try eco-earth bedding. I've used it in tropical frog tanks for years and never had any mold. The sphagnum moss you have will mold really quickly though, especially if you're doing wet/tropical conditions.

 

[RichardF]

I ended up putting her in a new enclosure. She wasn't happy, but she now has a much deeper burrow (she could only burrow 4 inches before due to a blockage) that is about 11" deep. I did not add any moss this time. Hopefully this helps.

 

[PetTarantulaWorld.com]

I have had constant issues with mold growth with my trapdoor. I think it has something to do with the fact that she sprays poop all over the enclosure walls and then it runs down into the moist substrate so its a breeding ground for mold. The way i have dealt with it is to spot clean and do frequent rehousings which isnt ideal but she has been okay with it.

 

[TheJuicyFruit]

Thats a very nice setup for a trapdoor. They are one of my favorite spiders that i own..so interesting to watch. I film mine a lot with a high speed camera and post slow motion trapdoor feeding videos on my youtube channel.

I've seen those videos, they're good, but you don't post them enough, moar please! Pardon for the off-topic, but how's Toby doin'? Still better?

 

[PetTarantulaWorld.com]

Haha, yeah i know i need to post more. Its hard with my job. I try to minimum get out at least one new video a month. Toby is doing good, he got upgraded into a glass aquarium with a big hide (its actually the glass tank from my last video on how to set a up a tarantula enclosure) he has slowed down since it has gotten colder out which i suspect is normal since he would normally be burrowed in for winter at this pnt in the wild. He is still eating, got pretty chunky, and he has much better movement of that back leg now.
Thanks for asking,
-J

 

[PetTarantulaWorld.com]

I've seen those videos, they're good, but you don't post them enough, moar please! Pardon for the off-topic, but how's Toby doin'? Still better?

I actullay just posted a short but new trapdoor spider video on my channel, i usually try to save up my videos to make them longer... so instead i just made this one short (and super weird) hope you like it.