# OBT enclosure...



## Benson1990 (Mar 20, 2021)

Iv'e decided on an OBT as my next T and looking for opinions on my planned set up, I'l add some pictures but its a 5 gallon really useful box. dimensions are 12.4" long x 8" wide and 10.6" deep, I'm hoping to get a young female and want this to be its permanent enclosure.

Going for 6 inches of dry substrate, with a cork bark hide and a starter burrow.


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## rock (Mar 20, 2021)

more ventilation


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## Benson1990 (Mar 20, 2021)

rock said:


> more ventilation


This is only a picture for reference, I'll obviously ventilate it properly before putting anything in it.


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## rock (Mar 20, 2021)

cool. it will work until the spider is 3 or 4 inches. Don't forget the water dish, they sometimes web over the dishes entirely I usually just add another rather than disturb the web. 
+


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 20, 2021)

These guys are pretty much bomb proof, but yes, more ventilation would be good

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Matts inverts (Mar 20, 2021)

Looks like a good size for a small t. Also, is that a super worm farm?


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## Matts inverts (Mar 20, 2021)

Your worm farm needs more oats. I don’t see any hides for them

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Tarantuland (Mar 20, 2021)

I might be mistaken, but I think one of these would be ok for an OBT through adulthood. They don't get as big as some other spiders and normally stay hidden anyway.  I just rehoused mine into something like this.


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## Matts inverts (Mar 20, 2021)

It is a couple inches short. They need a 12x12x12 or a bit bigger. It might be good for one that’s almost an adult but can grow a bit more


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## Tarantuland (Mar 20, 2021)

Matts inverts said:


> It is a couple inches short. They need a 12x12x12 or a bit bigger. It might be good for one that’s almost an adult but can grow a bit more


I'm not convinced that you can throw out a size and say that they _need_ that large.  I've heard of males of this species maturing at under 4"

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Matts inverts (Mar 20, 2021)

that was the basic enclosure size but if it a small one, I guess it can work.


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## Tarantuland (Mar 20, 2021)

This is a 32 quart sterilite container I just moved min into. It’s about 11x16x11. I plan on this being the permanent enclosure, but I will upgrade if necessary. In general I just don’t think OBTs get particularly big

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Matts inverts (Mar 21, 2021)

that size tub should work. That bigger than a 12x12x12 so I was confuse.


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## viper69 (Mar 21, 2021)

Matts inverts said:


> It is a couple inches short. They need a 12x12x12 or a bit bigger.


They don’t.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 3


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## Benson1990 (Mar 21, 2021)

hmm some conflicting opinions on the size, I personally thought a 5 gallon would be enough for an adult OBT from my research.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Chris LXXIX (Mar 21, 2021)

Since here where I live we don't use inches (and I'm too lazy now for convert that in cm), using my eyes only I can say that your enclosure is fine.

Just follow your plan (substrate, cork bark). Add the usual water dish. You can add nearby the cork bark a couple of fake leaves, if you want. Really nothing else


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## Tarantuland (Mar 21, 2021)

Matts inverts said:


> It is a couple inches short. They need a 12x12x12 or a bit bigger. It might be good for one that’s almost an adult but can grow a bit more


Do you have an OBT? If so , what’s your set up like? 



Benson1990 said:


> hmm some conflicting opinions on the size, I personally thought a 5 gallon would be enough for an adult OBT from my research.


5 gallons should be plenty, but your eyes are more important than the numbers

Reactions: Like 1


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## Benson1990 (Mar 25, 2021)

So I have the enclosure set up, as I said 5 gallon RUB, 6 inches of substrate, cork hide, little starter burrow and a fake plant...any thoughts? it's a set up where I hope to encourage her to dig.


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## ccTroi (Mar 25, 2021)

i would give max 3” sub if at all. give more anchor points especially at the middle of the enclosure or else it will tend to web the lid

Reactions: Dislike 1


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## Benson1990 (Mar 25, 2021)

ccTroi said:


> i would give max 3” sub if at all. give more anchor points especially at the middle of the enclosure or else it will tend to web the lid


It's been suggested on here that these are fossorial and encouraging them to burrow is the best way to keep them.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Funny 1


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## ccTroi (Mar 25, 2021)

Benson1990 said:


> It's been suggested on here that these are fossorial and encouraging them to burrow is the best way to keep them.


The best way is subjective. 6" is what I would give the majority of the Ornithoctoninae spp. given the floor space of OP's enclosure. In my eyes, the best way is being able to open the enclosure for observations and maintenance without the OBT displaying its iconic behavior. Height and anchor points should be more focused on rather than a deep substrate. I am 99% sure the specimen will not use half of the OP's given substrate depth. I'm even willing to put money on it lol. Encouraging them to burrow is funny. I have yet to see the majority of P. murinus specimens in the hobby resort to burrowing. There may be a specimen that burrows as a quintessential fossorial, and I would like to see it. It would just be a shame seeing that much substrate not being used especially when it's given to an OBT. 3" of substrate is adequate for an adult, and she should be given more anchor points with an enclosure to accommodate them.

Edit: I didn't realize you were the OP otherwise I would have mentioned you directly sorry lol. I'm not telling you what to do but rather I'm just saying what I would do. Do what you want lol it's your spider after all uwu


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## ccTroi (Mar 25, 2021)

@Tarantuland I would like to hear your thoughts on my post lol


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## Tarantuland (Mar 25, 2021)

Needs more anchor points definitely. How big is the spider you’re getting? I don’t think 3” is enough sub, but 6” may be more than you need. It really depends on the spider, some of these guys like to web up high, others like to burrow. Since I put mine in something this size, it’s stayed under the corkbark. My spider is about 3” and it’s only been a week but it has eaten though

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Tarantuland (Mar 25, 2021)

ccTroi said:


> @Tarantuland I would like to hear your thoughts on my post lol


I just don’t think 3” of substrate for an adult or subadult OBT is enough. Maybe I’m wrong, as mine are juveniles, but they both like to burrow. I think it’s important that they have room to web and burrow

Reactions: Funny 1


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## ccTroi (Mar 25, 2021)

Tarantuland said:


> I just don’t think 3” of substrate for an adult or subadult OBT is enough. Maybe I’m wrong, as mine are juveniles, but they both like to burrow. I think it’s important that they have room to web and burrow


Burrow as in going down to the bottom? Or burrowing as in using only about an inch of the sub?


ccTroi said:


> I am 99% sure the specimen will not use half of the OP's given substrate depth. I'm even willing to put money on it lol. Encouraging them to burrow is funny. I have yet to see the majority of P. murinus specimens in the hobby resort to burrowing. There may be a specimen that burrows as a quintessential fossorial, and I would like to see it. It would just be a shame seeing that much substrate not being used especially when it's given to an OBT.


it's just interesting to me bc ive raised over two dozens of obt and a handful of the variant localities. none has burrowed but rather used an inch of the several sub provided to them


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## Liquifin (Mar 25, 2021)

OBT's are probably one of the hardiest OW African tarantulas there are out there. They'll adapt to whatever enclosure is provided for them, whether it's a fossorial, terrestrial, or a bare enclosure. I've so many variations of care, enclosure styles, and designs for them which many OBT's just use whatever is given to them in their enclosures.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Benson1990 (Mar 25, 2021)

I no the OBT is highly adaptable so it can thrive in any of the above type enclosures, but from the research I've been doing (mostly from this forum) the best set up is a fossorial one with plenty of substrate to encourage burrowing, this way tending to be the best way of avoiding the classic threatening behavior and ending up with an angry jack in the box tarantula, so accordingly this is the way I went for a set up...5 gallons RUB, 6 inches of dry substrate, cork bark hide with a fake plant...I was thinking of adding an other plant for an anchor point but all in all this is the set up I was going with, any thoughts? Im starting to get a bit of paralysis by analysis now due to the the differing opinions of how these should be set up.


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## BoyFromLA (Mar 25, 2021)

Benson1990 said:


> I no the OBT is highly adaptable so it can thrive in any of the above type enclosures


Yes, and no.

It maybe highly adaptable, but at the same time, it has no choice but to live in whatever set up the keeper provided.



Benson1990 said:


> this way tending to be the best way of avoiding the classic threatening behavior and ending up with an angry jack in the box tarantula


It will try to high-five you or hug you whenever it feels like to, it is completely normal, and very natural to be defensive from the threat, in this case, human.

Below is my set up for it. First and second are right after rehouse, third, and fourth are what’s it like currently.

Reactions: Like 1 | Love 1


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## Benson1990 (Mar 25, 2021)

BoyFromLA said:


> Yes, and no.
> 
> It maybe highly adaptable, but at the same time, it has no choice but to live in whatever set up the keeper provided.
> 
> ...


Do you find it webs up the lid a lot?


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## BoyFromLA (Mar 25, 2021)

Benson1990 said:


> Do you find it webs up the lid a lot?


It is a heavy webber, and it will web whenever, whatever. It’s only natural.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Craig73 (Mar 25, 2021)

Mine is still small, but used a piece drift wood and some fake plants.  It’s basically got plenty to web from and a bunker.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Edan bandoot (Mar 25, 2021)

Set it up terrestrially and give it anchor points if you want a web castle


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## Chris LXXIX (Mar 25, 2021)

Fossorial!

Reactions: Love 1


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## Tarantuland (Mar 25, 2021)

ccTroi said:


> Burrow as in going down to the bottom? Or burrowing as in using only about an inch of the sub?
> 
> it's just interesting to me bc ive raised over two dozens of obt and a handful of the variant localities. none has burrowed but rather used an inch of the several sub provided to them


That's more than I've raised, so I'll take your word for it, as my first two are still juvies. Did they never burrow more than an inch at any point? Or is that something you noticed at a specific stage in their lives?


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## ccTroi (Mar 25, 2021)

Tarantuland said:


> That's more than I've raised, so I'll take your word for it, as my first two are still juvies. Did they never burrow more than an inch at any point? Or is that something you noticed at a specific stage in their lives?


they tend to burrow as slings but not like a Cyriopagopus spp., for example. the tendency for them is to web all over. but i wouldn’t be surprised if there are specimens that burrow. i would compare them to a gbb. i think it depends on the keeper. i like to see web castles so i’m partial to less sub haha

Reactions: Like 1


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 25, 2021)

This is a heavy webbing terrestrial, IMO 

IME burrowing seems to have been outgrown at the juvie stage

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Matt Man (Mar 25, 2021)

heavy webbing terrestrial. Set up with a Burrow / Hide and have lots of branches at the doorway. This was right after rehouse, she is headed toward the entrance of her burrow. She webbed it up pretty heavily












Aggie Post 1



__ Matt Man
__ Aug 14, 2017
__ 5



						This was my (our) first T. (???) It was a rescue, and even though I was a newb and this was an...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Ian14 (Mar 25, 2021)

I have an obt that I have raised from a sling. He/she is about a year old. I started off keeping it on a small vial, then into a larger pot. Now it's in a small KritterKeeper and needs to be rehoused again soon. I have a dry substrate which is 50% coco fibre/50% play sand. Substrate depth is half the height of the enclosure. The OBT has webbed up near enough the rest of it!! It has dug itself a long, deep burrow but is out on the silk most of the time. But rather than throwing defense postures as soon as its disturbed, it retreats into its burrow.
My understanding is that this is key to avoid the full on aggression they are known for. That seems to be shown when they are on a shallow substrate with no opportunity to burrow.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Matt Man (Mar 25, 2021)

Ian14 said:


> I have an obt that I have raised from a sling. He/she is about a year old. I started off keeping it on a small vial, then into a larger pot. Now it's in a small KritterKeeper and needs to be rehoused again soon. I have a dry substrate which is 50% coco fibre/50% play sand. Substrate depth is half the height of the enclosure. The OBT has webbed up near enough the rest of it!! It has dug itself a long, deep burrow but is out on the silk most of the time. But rather than throwing defense postures as soon as its disturbed, it retreats into its burrow.
> My understanding is that this is key to avoid the full on aggression they are known for. That seems to be shown when they are on a shallow substrate with no opportunity to burrow.


yes, if they have a retreat that will be choice 1. Then your only issue is the rehouse


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## Hoxter (Mar 25, 2021)

Best thing you can do is to give your OBT options. Provide lots of substrate with premade burrow and also give anchor points in case it didn't actually want to burrow.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## ccTroi (Mar 25, 2021)

i would like to see how your obt settles after a few weeks of that setup. keep me updated. very curious what it’ll do


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## viper69 (Mar 26, 2021)

OBTs spicy species enjoy


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## ccTroi (Apr 15, 2021)

@Benson1990 updates on your obt?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Benson1990 (Apr 15, 2021)

ccTroi said:


> @Benson1990 updates on your obt?


The very first day I put it into it's enclosure it went and sealed itself inside the cork bark hide I provided so I have not seen it since so no updates.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Benson1990 (May 5, 2021)

Bit of an update....she's made a nice burrow under her cork bark hide, I honestly have not seen much of her I'm lucky to catch a glimpse of her sitting at the entrance of her burrow but the moment I touch the enclosure she retreats back inside...she's been taking pre killed morio worms no problem, I just crush the head and place it outside the burrow and it's gone the next day, so all good so far have had no issues with her!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Spoodfood (May 5, 2021)

Benson1990 said:


> hmm some conflicting opinions on the size, I personally thought a 5 gallon would be enough for an adult OBT from my research.


It is. A lot of Ts are more comfortable in smaller enclosures anyway. They aren’t reptiles. Adult females in the wild typically don’t stray more than a few inches from their burrow. That’s not to say squeeze it into something but that size should be perfectly fine.


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