Funny Petstore Mayhem - New Usambara Starburst Baboon (OBT) Report

ryancreek

Arachnopeon
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Nov 27, 2010
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Hello everyone! I've been a reader for a while, thought now would be a good time to post.

Brief backstory... I owned several T's as a kid and teenager, and have just now decided to get back into the hobby at 25 years of age (couldn't stay away from such awesome creatures). In the last couple months I started a collection up again.

Anyway, there's a pet store close by, a real hole of a place, but convenient for some supplies and crix. Each time I went, I couldn't help but check out this Usambara Starburst Baboon for $30 in it's web tent. All of my other current and past T's were new world species, and this is a really beautiful specimen with bright orange coloration and blue highlights on the legs. Well today the wife went on a 3 day trip... and I decided to go buy it if I could determine it to be a probable female. Epigastric furrow looked VERY female to me - so it was a go.

To say this thing is a speedy little demon is an understatement. Perhaps this story will not be surprising to anyone who has owned one of these before. I knew it would be aggressive, but not this fast, nor this capable of climbing and escaping. Maybe it's just cause this is my first old world T, I don't know.

I explained to the guy that transferring this species to a container for me to take it home was not going to be easy. He worked with me and we decided to get a large plastic bin where we would do the transfer in and hold the container with tongs. At this time a customer came in and decided to stand around and watch as we wrangled the T. As I was moving it out if its home into the container, it started moving in slowly. Things looked good. That's when it got thoughts of a prison break. It took a sudden right out into the large plastic bin, scurried up out of it (so much for keeping it contained), and NO KIDDING, cleared about a 10" wide gap with a jump off the rim of the bin and down onto the nearby parrot cage! Yes I swear it actually jumped! It then ran around the parrot cage and down to the bottom where it started hanging by it's rear legs. The guy quickly caught it in the container as it dropped off towards the ground. Luckily it was not injured...

So I am now the proud new owner of a beautiful OBT. Funny thing though, it is now HANGING happily on the LID of the new enclosure. Aren't they a mostly terrestrial species? I have all this substrate for burrowing, but it doesn't look like it is going to use it at all. It seems very well adapted to climbing.
 
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Bill S

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"Terrestrial" in the wild means a species that stays relatively close to the ground. We find terrestrial Aphonopelmas here as much as 10 feet above the ground. When people put these species in small cages they seem to think that "terrestrial" now scales back to less that two inches above the ground - but spiders don't follow this new set of rules. Hence it is very common to see purely terrestrial species clinging to the tops of their cages.

As for OBTs - they are one of my favorites. They are indeed fast, but I haven't seen any aggression. (A little defensive at times, but not bad.)
 

ryancreek

Arachnopeon
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Nov 27, 2010
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When people put these species in small cages they seem to think that "terrestrial" now scales back to less that two inches above the ground - but spiders don't follow this new set of rules...

As for OBTs - they are one of my favorites. They are indeed fast, but I haven't seen any aggression. (A little defensive at times, but not bad.)
Now that makes a lot of sense actually with the terrestrial description. Thanks. And "defensive" is certainly a better term than "aggressive", since spiders just want to be left alone and only bite when molested. I do think though that my particular specimen is a bit more on the ornery side. It is far more defensive than my old T. Blondi. It went into threat display and started striking the tongs with little provocation at all (not that I purposely try to anger T's). I don't think I'll ever even put my finger in there.
 
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Stan Schultz

Arachnoprince
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... At this time a customer came in and decided to stand around and watch as we wrangled the T. ...
But, you failed to tell us about this other customer! Did they require a call to 911? Or, merely a full roll of toilet paper and a little privacy? {D
 

PrimalTaunt

Arachnobaron
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I've read varying reports of these ranging from digging a burrow to going arboreal. So when I recently got six slings I decided to give them the option of what they wanted to do. I put them into deli cups with about 1.5 inches of substrate in it to give them the option of burrowing. The deli cup is also wide enough to give them room to roam around if they decide they just want to hang out on the ground and there are also fake plants in there to give them space to climb around on.

Of the six three of them have set up webs on the very top of the enclosure with webbing stretching from the leaves to the side of the cup. The remaining three have all built tube webs that go down to the bottom of the cup to most of the way up it and I find them spending most of their time at the top as opposed to holed up at the bottom.

So far I haven't noticed any of them having difficulty in getting the prey and I plan on continuing the identical enclosures (or as close to identical as I can create) that give them all three options whenever I need to upgrade.
 

Stan Schultz

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I've read varying reports of these ranging from digging a burrow to going arboreal. So when I recently got six slings I decided to give them the option of what they wanted to do. I put them into deli cups with about 1.5 inches of substrate in it to give them the option of burrowing. The deli cup is also wide enough to give them room to roam around if they decide they just want to hang out on the ground and there are also fake plants in there to give them space to climb around on. ...

So far I haven't noticed any of them having difficulty in getting the prey and I plan on continuing the identical enclosures (or as close to identical as I can create) that give them all three options whenever I need to upgrade.
And when finished, you will write this little experiment up and submit it to either the British Tarantula Society's Bulletin or the American Tarantula Society's Forum Magazine for publication, won't you? (Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge!)
 

boonbear

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Dec 31, 2008
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I know this seems to be creeping a little from the original thread, but I also have similar results with OBT slings. I gave plenty of room for burrowing. Not much vertical space though. The slings still seem to gravitate towards the top of the enclosure. Quite a bit different than what I was suspecting, since most slings burrow, whether they are considered terrestrial or not, until they mature a bit (at least that has been my experience with LP's and nhandu's).
 

Scorpionking20

Arachnoknight
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I use a thin coat of oil on the top of my bathtub when rehousing. OBTs (as you've learned) bolt like crazy, are incredibly fast and spastic (unpredictable) and just SO MUCH FUN. My OBT has changed how it lives quite a bit since I've had it. If you want details, I just started a thread about it this morning.

Anyway...when rehousing in the future, you can put a lining of oil on the top of the tub to keep them contained, and just have a catch cup you can use to put them in their new home. It's probably near impossible to rehouse like you would with other species. You can't just coax it to move from one container to the next.

Also, enjoy! They are beautiful, interesting spiders. They have a really cool personality, grow like weeds, beautiful coloration, and are adorable when hunting prey.
 

PrimalTaunt

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And when finished, you will write this little experiment up and submit it to either the British Tarantula Society's Bulletin or the American Tarantula Society's Forum Magazine for publication, won't you? (Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge!)
It's not exactly the most scientific of experiments as there really aren't controls nor is it a very large test group. If I had more time, money, and space I'd love to do something on a larger format but right now it's just to satisfy my own curiosity.
 

PrimalTaunt

Arachnobaron
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As far as rehoming goes I got an idea when watching a Good Eats episode that I've been wanting to try. It was a fish episode and Alton Brown was showing his invention to help keep fish scales in an easily cleanable area when descaling them. Essentially what he did was take a large, clear rubbermaid container (like what many people use to keep their roach colonies in), cut two fist sized holes in it and attached rubber gloves to those holes so that he could put fish in the container with the top on and through putting his hands in the gloves he can descale them without making a mess.

I've been thinking about creating something like that to contain bolt-prone species when rehoming. I would just have to make sure that the bin is large enough for both enclosures and the gloves are long enough to give me enough movement to do the job and roomy enough that I can easily get out of it. Yes, it seems like a lot of needless work for what could easily be done in a large clear room with a handy catch cup but I like doing random projects.
 

Scorpionking20

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As far as rehoming goes I got an idea when watching a Good Eats episode that I've been wanting to try. It was a fish episode and Alton Brown was showing his invention to help keep fish scales in an easily cleanable area when descaling them. Essentially what he did was take a large, clear rubbermaid container (like what many people use to keep their roach colonies in), cut two fist sized holes in it and attached rubber gloves to those holes so that he could put fish in the container with the top on and through putting his hands in the gloves he can descale them without making a mess.

I've been thinking about creating something like that to contain bolt-prone species when rehoming. I would just have to make sure that the bin is large enough for both enclosures and the gloves are long enough to give me enough movement to do the job and roomy enough that I can easily get out of it. Yes, it seems like a lot of needless work for what could easily be done in a large clear room with a handy catch cup but I like doing random projects.
That sounds like a lot of fun! Don't forget to post pictures of your' contraption when you are done!
 

PrimalTaunt

Arachnobaron
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That sounds like a lot of fun! Don't forget to post pictures of your' contraption when you are done!
I doubt I'll be making it anytime soon. The only ones that I have right now that I'd be somewhat worried about a bolt with are a pokie that is a slow grower and is in an amply large enclosure right now (and that one actually spends most it's time on the wall right at the substrate level) plus the six OBTs. So not too much of a reason at the moment to make one but if somebody else wants to give it a shot and post pictures I'd love to see them!
 

AmbushArachnids

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As far as rehoming goes I got an idea when watching a Good Eats episode that I've been wanting to try. It was a fish episode and Alton Brown was showing his invention to help keep fish scales in an easily cleanable area when descaling them. Essentially what he did was take a large, clear rubbermaid container (like what many people use to keep their roach colonies in), cut two fist sized holes in it and attached rubber gloves to those holes so that he could put fish in the container with the top on and through putting his hands in the gloves he can descale them without making a mess.

I've been thinking about creating something like that to contain bolt-prone species when rehoming. I would just have to make sure that the bin is large enough for both enclosures and the gloves are long enough to give me enough movement to do the job and roomy enough that I can easily get out of it. Yes, it seems like a lot of needless work for what could easily be done in a large clear room with a handy catch cup but I like doing random projects.
Thats a good idea but when the T bolts out and stops on the top of the lid you would have to be able to reach it with your gloves or deal with it by opening the lid. Interesting idea though.

In my experience with re homing I do most on my bed. When the T bolts it finds a little spot to hide in the blankets. Or maybe I just like them in my bed. {D ;)
 

PrimalTaunt

Arachnobaron
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Thats a good idea but when the T bolts out and stops on the top of the lid you would have to be able to reach it with your gloves or deal with it by opening the lid. Interesting idea though.
I'd have other tools in the box within grasp: paintbrush, catchcup with something to slide under it, etc.
 
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Hobo

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I've been doing my rehousings/unpackings like this for the past while.
Haven't had ANY problems so far, and I can tell you it's a lot easier and faster than using catch cups, bathtubs or anything like that (though I think you still should have a catch cup and things nearby, in case things go wrong!).

Heck, you could do it on your bed if you really wanted, if you like having 'em on there{D

I say not to puncture the bag, but I've since found that poking a very small hole just enough to get your tongs/chopstick/tweezers in to be very useful, just making sure the spider can't squeeze through it.
You can do it for nearly any type of enclosure too, assuming you find a big enough bag.
 

Scorpionking20

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I've been doing my rehousings/unpackings like this for the past while.
Haven't had ANY problems so far, and I can tell you it's a lot easier and faster than using catch cups, bathtubs or anything like that (though I think you still should have a catch cup and things nearby, in case things go wrong!).

Heck, you could do it on your bed if you really wanted, if you like having 'em on there{D

I say not to puncture the bag, but I've since found that poking a very small hole just enough to get your tongs/chopstick/tweezers in to be very useful, just making sure the spider can't squeeze through it.
You can do it for nearly any type of enclosure too, assuming you find a big enough bag.
I've read through your' example several times, but have yet to try it. I think it's a great idea, but keep forgetting to give it a go! I'll make an effort to find a suitable bag soon...I think it's great for the more problematic Ts.
 

PrimalTaunt

Arachnobaron
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I've been doing my rehousings/unpackings like this for the past while.
Haven't had ANY problems so far, and I can tell you it's a lot easier and faster than using catch cups, bathtubs or anything like that (though I think you still should have a catch cup and things nearby, in case things go wrong!).

Heck, you could do it on your bed if you really wanted, if you like having 'em on there{D

I say not to puncture the bag, but I've since found that poking a very small hole just enough to get your tongs/chopstick/tweezers in to be very useful, just making sure the spider can't squeeze through it.
You can do it for nearly any type of enclosure too, assuming you find a big enough bag.
Very nice idea! Not to mention tons more simpler than mine!
 

Stan Schultz

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It's not exactly the most scientific of experiments as there really aren't controls nor is it a very large test group. If I had more time, money, and space I'd love to do something on a larger format but right now it's just to satisfy my own curiosity.
And (I presume) you aren't a scientist either. It doesn't matter. We don't hold hobbyists to the same standards as we do people who get paid for doing this stuff as professionals.

Write it up. If you need help, ask the editors of either of those two publications for it. Or, you can even get back to me. Once you do the work you need the credit and the rest of us need to know what you learned.

Bask in the glory! You will have earned it.
 
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