Florida Trapdoor Spider for sale from Big Z's (Cyclocosmia torreya). Spice-rated keeper notes, care guidance, and live-arrival packing where eligible.
Cyclocosmia torreya (Florida Trapdoor Spider / Torreya Trapdoor Spider)
One of the strangest spiders in North America, and one of the hardest to find. The Florida Trapdoor's abdomen ends in a hard, ribbed disc that looks like an old coin and works like a cork: when anything gets past the trapdoor, it dives head-first to the bottom of its burrow and seals the shaft with its own armored rear end. It is a native with a tiny known range along the Apalachicola River, it almost never comes up for sale, and captive-bred slings are rarer still. Set it up once in deep, firm, moist soil and you get a spider that digs its own tunnel, hangs its own door and hunts from it while you watch. Grab a captive-bred Florida Trapdoor sling today while they last.
Why do hobbyists keep Cyclocosmia torreya?
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The Coin Butt: that flat, hardened disc on the rear of the abdomen is one of the wildest adaptations in the spider world. Everyone who sees one does a double take.
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True Rarity: a U.S. native known only from North Florida and southwestern Georgia, and listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. Very few collections have one.
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A Real Trapdoor: it digs a silk-lined shaft, hangs a hinged lid on top and ambushes from the doorway after dark. Catching that door pop open never gets old.
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Set It and Leave It: packed soil, a starter hole and small prey every week or two. Once the door is built, the less you do, the better it does.
How should Cyclocosmia torreya be kept?
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Adult Size: a small, stocky trapdoor. Published adult measurements are scarce, so every one is measured before it lists: these slings are 0.33 to 0.5 inch.
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Enclosure: depth beats footprint. Start a sling in a tall deli cup or vial packed almost to the top with firm, clay-rich soil, and give a growing spider at least 5 to 6 inches of packed soil. Poke a starter hole and let it take over.
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Temperature: 68 to 78 degrees F. Cool and steady: no heat lamp, no sunny window.
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Humidity: 65 to 80 percent. Evenly moist soil, never wet: water from the edges so it wicks toward the burrow without flooding it.
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Water: the moist soil is its water source. A droplet by the door now and then is plenty.
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Diet: small crickets or roach nymphs dropped by the door at dusk, every 1 to 2 weeks. If the prey is still wandering the next day, pull it and try again later.
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Temperament: secretive and not defensive, but its bite is not documented, so keep your hands out. A no-handling display animal: you watch the door, you never dig it out.
Are there any additional notes or considerations?
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Captive-Bred: captive-bred slings at 0.33 to 0.5 inch. A native with a tiny known range: keep it for life and never release it.
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Never Dig It Out: a trapdoor that loses its burrow may not rebuild well. Expect long stretches with the door shut, especially around a molt. That is normal, not a problem.
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Spice Level 3: Intermediate. One animal, shipped live on FedEx Overnight. Live Arrival Guarantee on overnight orders.
The numbers live in the care guide. Enclosure size, temps, humidity, feeding schedule, premolt signs, handling boundaries: it's all in the care guide for this exact fella. Start with the full Advanced guide, or click for the quick Open the Simple version →
- Lane
- Spice 3 — Intermediate
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
- Lifestyle
- Fossorial: a burrower. Deep, packable substrate.
- Origin
- Native US species.
- Keeping
- Display animal — kept behind glass, not in hand.
Hot sale
−20%
