First Time OBT Owner

Belinir

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May 13, 2016
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So, here's what happened: At the time I opened the thread I had purchased most of the stuff including the spider, tried to e-mail my dealer about changing the spider to C.Marshalli shortly after I got confirmation that the order is being processed, it was late evening, thought he'd just check his e-mails and send me the other spider then. Well, he didn't, instead I got an e-mail, that the package was already on its way. He also put in a freebie, which he couldn't ID because he lost the tag. I think it's a Pteronochilus Chordatus. However, the relocating went very smooth, I'll post pictures once my DSLR battery is fully charged. Do you mind confirming the ID in this thread, or should I make a seperate ID thread?

I'll also get the C. Marshalli and maybe even an M. Balfouri next month then. :)
 

Poec54

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However, the relocating went very smooth

Of course it does, they're only slings. But what happens all too often is a few months later the OBT is a lot bigger, suddenly changes attitude, and they're afraid of it. This is what we're trying to avoid with you.
 

Belinir

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May 13, 2016
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Of course it does, they're only slings. But what happens all too often is a few months later the OBT is a lot bigger, suddenly changes attitude, and they're afraid of it. This is what we're trying to avoid with you.
I'll give my best to treat the animal right, without being arrogant enough to be an idiot and get bit. I'll also gather more information on the whole topic of OBTs. What do you think could be a fitting container? I think I'll go ahead and make a temp enclosure for the P. Murinus then, to get used to it growing out of it and getting rehoused so I can actually get experience with it. Its current size is around 1.5".

I've got this plastic container which has LWD of 6.3" - 4" - 2.8"

In other news I contacted a few people and my freebie is most likely a Psalmopoeus Reduncus, which is pretty cool, also my first arboreal. :)
 

Chris LXXIX

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You can keep without problems of all sorts those little 'Baboons' (aren't giants 0.1 H.gigas or P.muticus after all) in a medium (large if you want) sized KK. That's how I keep mines, in medium KK, with enough room for everything.
 

Belinir

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You can keep without problems of all sorts those little 'Baboons' (aren't giants 0.1 H.gigas or P.muticus after all) in a medium (large if you want) sized KK. That's how I keep mines, in medium KK, with enough room for everything.
I put it in a large shallow KK first, but that was way too much room, he just clung to the lid the whole time. So I got him another rehouse and a nice piece of bark he can decorate with web. I'm glad I knew that trick with the soda bottle now, since he just didn't want to come out of the catch cup without running a few laps in the tub.


 

Toxoderidae

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I put it in a large shallow KK first, but that was way too much room, he just clung to the lid the whole time. So I got him another rehouse and a nice piece of bark he can decorate with web. I'm glad I knew that trick with the soda bottle now, since he just didn't want to come out of the catch cup without running a few laps in the tub.


Um.. What is that substrate? Change that out immediately! Give the spider more substrate too, as it IS a burrowing species. (use coco fibre or something like that... not sand or pebbles.
 

Belinir

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Impressive how moody they are, My Marshalli girl has always been "nice and easy" to me, but the OBT, crap that girl is pure mean :D
Glad mine's still a little one and only runs instead of threatposing me. Still a challenge to rehouse, they are soooo quick so suddenly. But at least mine tends to run a straight path. :D
 

Belinir

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May 13, 2016
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Which kind of substrate you used, prior? Minestrina???
It is very rough sand, I had a lot of that stuff. Bought it thinking that it is just regular sand. Turns out it's more like a lot of little pebbles. Mixes well with coco fibre though, makes two bad substrates somewhat usable.
 

Chris LXXIX

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It is very rough sand, I had a lot of that stuff. Bought it thinking that it is just regular sand. Turns out it's more like a lot of little pebbles. Mixes well with coco fibre though, makes two bad substrates somewhat usable.
I see. But I wouldn't call coco fiber a bad substrate, otherwise all of my obligated burrowers wouldn't create quite deep, long, nice tunnels using that :-s
 

cold blood

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Agree, coco fiber isn't a bad sub, its actually the industry standard and easily the most used sub in the hobby.

Sand is no good, although mixing a little in with top soil helps keep it nice and smooth.
 

Belinir

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May 13, 2016
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From what I have heard it is a bit overused and only in rare cases it mimics the usual habitat of the spider in the enclosure. I mean it's totally okay if it works, but I wouldn't like to have my enclosures all look the same just because one substrate does the trick for most inverts. I like eco earth and some kinds of sand, I also ordered new sand which isn't as rough for the bigger enclosure of the P. Murinus. I saw several enclosures of people who put sand on one side and earth on the other but probably they didn't know their stuff either, since the substrate was only like 1 1/2 inches deep.

I guess I would try to mix earth and brown sand to get a bit of a tundra / desert feeling. Their natural habitat looks pretty cool from what I have seen.
 

Belinir

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May 13, 2016
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What is it what vermiculite does by the way? I got a bag of that stuff and heard it mixes well, but it's basically a bit chunky and seems to be spongy and nothing else. Doesn't really give firmness or anything.
 

Chris LXXIX

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What is it what vermiculite does by the way? I got a bag of that stuff and heard it mixes well, but it's basically a bit chunky and seems to be spongy and nothing else. Doesn't really give firmness or anything.
I use vermiculite, a fine grain one, only for help mantain the humidity level for those T's that needs humidity on a higher side (which obviously isn't the case of a P.murinus of course) like H.gigas, M.robustum, E.murinus and so forth.

I just add an "hint" of that in the substrate when I make, days prior, the set up for certain T's. Works pretty well for me. I have no clue about the more bigger, rough one, on the other hand.

It's an additive basically and not IMO something to be used as "substrate".
 
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