First Time OBT Owner

[Ellenantula]

C. marshalli is a great choice, I thoroughly enjoyed mine when I had one. Having T's is already interesting in and of itself, but one with a HORN? A UNICORN TARANTULA? That's pretty special lol

hehe It was a good case: "They have a horn. 'Nuff said."

 

[Belinir]

@edesign Alright, guess I'll probably find a better deal once I moved to California then, because in Germany they are not that cheap at the moment (Got to check out more dealers though).

@Shawnee The horn really steals the show

@cold blood I bet you've got some tips about how to set up the C. Marshalli enclosure then - I read Mike's Basic Tarantulas short care sheet for it, which looks like most of the care sheets he wrote. That means you only put some substrate and a water dish in and hope that it's not a pet hole

 

[Hellblazer]

I understand why people advise new keepers not to keep OBTs or other OW species (in most cases they're right), but it is possible to get them early as long as you fully understand what you are dealing with. My first T 15 years ago was an OBT and the person I got it from made sure I knew how fast & defensive it was. I respected it's speed and never got complacent and never had a problem. My years of snake experience may have helped.

 

[Shawnee]

Personally though I do quite love my OBT's. I have four, bought for $5 each, they grow quickly, are great eaters, striking orange color as adults. But I love marshalli's too. The marshalli's, in my experience, are less over the top than the murinus. My favorite African baboons, though, are the ones in the Augacephalus genus.

 

[viper69]

I know the speed of this tarantula

I know that bullets move fast, but it's unlikely I can dodge one good luck w/that OBT. I owned a nice AF, was the only T that gave me a threat pose every time I opened the lid. It's a beautiful animal, but their attitude is why I no longer keep them. It wasn't worth the hassle hahah.

Funny that you mention M. Balfouri as it's also on my to buy list.

I own these as slings. They are among the fastest slings I've ever owned, about tied with N. incei. They are extremely nimble. Much faster than any Ceratogyrus I've owned.

 

[cold blood]

@edesign

@cold blood I bet you've got some tips about how to set up the C. Marshalli enclosure then - I read Mike's Basic Tarantulas short care sheet for it, which looks like most of the care sheets he wrote. That means you only put some substrate and a water dish in and hope that it's not a pet hole

Be careful gaining info from care sheets, although mike's aren't too bad, they still stress humidity numbers and too specific temp requirements, both of which can cause confusion.

How you set it up depends on the size of the t. But yes, they will burrow and web a lot, but they will also be predominantly visible...they're not big hiders like many fossorials. Set ups are fairly easy, although you can spruce things up a bit by adding plastic plants or nice pieces of wood to start a burrow beneath.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

The only thing I don't understand, man, is... why buy a 4 cm unsexed? They grow like weed, and it's not rare to end with a mature male within not even 2 years. I would had buy a sexed female, or at least, a first instar sling.

Anyway you can't go wrong, they are very easy to care. If you will offer a cork bark and an helluva of (dry) substrate (6/7 inches) you will probably reduce the chances % of a "web only" OBT enclosure, which isn't the best scenario for maintenance and for refill/clean the water dish when those are involved. On the other hand, if given the chance to burrow, they will. Things IMO are by far more easy with an OBT under the cork, rather than one in his/her "web" nest.

 

[shining]

@Belinir

If you have experience with fast moving critters and understand the severity of the situation and practice precaution and caution religiously you should good. Don't ever skip the catch cup and preparations before maintenance even if you have one of the chillest obts ever, like mine. Never become complacent or it will show you why they call them a fireball nor orange demon.

All that being said it is possible you have the experience to be able to responsibly handle situations it may pose as an obt was my first T. I didn't want any Ts til I saw that one. My obt showed me the light to a whole new world.

 

[Andrea82]

@viper69 @Chris LXXIX
He's not getting the obt read tge whole thread.
@Belinir
You shouldn't have any trouble finding a decent priced C.darlingi. in case you didn't know this site already, check out
www.terraristik.com

Good to see you heeding advice.
It's one thing to get bitten yourself by an OW, but there are always others to concern as well.
Germany has, in some places already strict rules and regulations for keeping T's, if I remember correctly.

 

[shining]

I like to scare mine back into its burrow before I even think about opening to lid on the enclosure.

I just come back later. Unless it's a psychotic sling, there is no time that is a better time.

 

[Belinir]

@cold blood In the case of the Marshalli mike made it really specific to wet half the substrate and then let it dry over 4 months, that was kind of weird. But the humidity shouldn't be a problem, learned how to control humidity by keeping Heterometrus in a similar glass tank with good ventilation.

Would it be a good idea to make a starter burrow? My Eupalaestrus for instance was very happy to find something to dig in, last time I changed its enclosure it just sat around for weeks until I decided to dig a little hole.

@Hellblazer Definitely backing that up, once you are prepared it's just a matter of double checking everything before you open the lid.

@Andrea82 I think I saw this one once, but usually badly formatted websites scare me off pretty quickly I'll give it a shot and try it out soon, though.
About the regulations in Germany etc, they changed a bit over the years. A few years back you had to have a certificate from breeders for some species, including B. Smithi, to make sure, that they are not wild caught. That however got lifted again. I don't even know about species I couldn't keep in Germany. That's why I buy in German shops, everything they have should be legal to own without any complications.

 

[NJarachnidFan]

I got my first OBT when I was 12 or 13, I already owned a few New World species at the time and my dad got me a couple tarantulas as a surprise one day. The OBT was one of them but he originally planned on buying me one Avic but the pet shop employee offered him it for free with the Kritter Keeper it was in. Thinking two was better then one he got both (he knows nothing about T's by the way).

I had no idea what he bought me until he brought them home and because of the webbing I wasn't sure what the second tarantula was. I decided to try to drop a cricket on the top of the webbing so I would get a glimpse of it as it came out to grab the cricket. Well I quickly found out what I had before I even made that attempt because the second it felt the two clicks from unlocking the door of the KK it came out in a threat posture repeatedly striking at the air in my direction. I instantly knew what I had lol.

We later found out the pet store employee that gave it to him for free was afraid to feed it and give it water which is why he gave it away. In the end it worked out for me because I actually enjoyed my OBT more then most of my other T's at the time. The speed and aggression made feeding, rehousing and giving water a challenge but to me a thrill as well. I found its orange color very attractive and it's behavior interesting. That spider definitely taught me to be cautious and alert though.

I got out of the hobby for a while when that collection died out and recently got back in it (I am 31 now). I remembered enjoying my old OBT so much when I was younger I bought another as a sling and haven't regretted it. I actually rehoused it recently and boy was that a challenge lol. It didn't cooperate what so ever. I tried moving it into one of Jamie's juvenile enclosure's and it tried to dart up my paint brush instead of the direction I wanted it to go. I quickly let go of the paint brush the second I saw what was about to happen it ran out the enclosure and did laps around my bath tub at amazing speed. I just waited for it to tire out then caught it with a deli cup and round two went smooth.

Bottom line while I definitely would never want to be bitten by one I feel I always will need at least one in my collection. They're not for everyone but I'm sure I'm not the only one that enjoys them bad reputation and all. I know the OP changed his mind but just wanted to share my thoughts and experiences on owning a them.

 

[crlovel]

Marshalli is on my short list. My darlingi is wonderful. Another good starter baboon I have to recommend is the E. pachypus. They're gorgeous and pretty easy to work with.

I keep hearing about all these difficulties with rehousing. I honestly don't understand it. A one liter soda bottle with the bottom removed with a Dremel, a big tub to put your small cage into to work in. Just open the old, prod it into the one liter bottle, place it in the new. Pokies, baboons, everything I've dealt with, this has been quick and easy. The best thing about a one liter bottle - totally see-through, no surprises, and both ends open. After you catch it, it ALWAYS goes straight to the cap. That's the end you put in the new cage, carefully open the cap, and gently prod it through the narrow opening into the new enclosure. Most fit easily. If it doesn't, no problem - open the cap, and prod it through the bottom. Just be careful.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Well, OBT or C.marshalli, the care is the same, you can't go wrong, and amazing genus nonetheless :-s

Btw to be honest my female C.marshalli is even more high strung than my female OBT... just for saying how much the single temperament and that molt after molt "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. AIDS" change matters, in those issues.

 

[shining]

Well, OBT or C.marshalli, the care is the same, you can't go wrong, and amazing genus nonetheless :-s

Btw to be honest my female C.marshalli is even more high strung than my female OBT... just for saying how much the single temperament and that molt after molt "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. AIDS" change matters, in those issues.

It's funny you say that, I have an A. geniculata and a little G. pulchra that is higher strung than my AF obt.

 

[KezyGLA]

@Chris LXXIX Your avatar looks like me when I had to look after a friends OBT while he went travelling. I had only H. Gigas at the time and his OBT was a gamechanger.

 

[KezyGLA]

It's funny you say that, I have an A. geniculata and a little G. pulchra that is higher strung than my AF obt.

I'm the same. I have a little b**tard of a G. Pulchra. He's a hardcore fella.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

@Chris LXXIX Your avatar looks like me when I had to look after a friends OBT while he went travelling. I had only H. Gigas at the time and his OBT was a gamechanger.

Oh, it's a rare pic of Papa Ciccio (Pope Francis) after a day of hard work :-s

 

[KezyGLA]

Oh, it's a rare pic of Papa Ciccio (Pope Francis) after a day of hard work :-s

I want his car

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I want his car

Eh, who wouldn't that my man? There's even a special little compartment for Molotov Cocktail :-s