OBT Husbandry

[ronoverdrive]

Ok so recently I bought my first Old World: an OBT sling. Figuring its -THE- beginner Old World for the moment there would be plenty of husbandry notes out there, but all I can find is references scattered all around in a mix of youtube feeding/molting videos. Anyone got any good husbandry notes for the OBT so I don't kill it by winging it?

Also since the day I got it, it took to a starter burrow I made and has become a pet hole vs webbing like they're known for. As you can see I have it in a 32oz food container with about 2.5 - 3 inches of coco fiber substrate. When I checked up on it today I've found its sealed up its burrow. Dunno if its gone into premolt or just wants to be left alone since I can't seem to find any good notes on it.

 

[cold blood]

Figuring its -THE- beginner Old World for the moment

That's absolutely an incorrect assessment...they're a terrible beginner OW and an even worst starter.

Basically all baboons should be kept on dry substrate and add a water dish as soon as there is room. Care sheets should not be read, much relied on....same for "beginner T" lists.

A good starter OW would be A. ezendami. Slower growing, rarely exhibits defensive tendencies and you see them a lot more than an OBT, which tend to disappear for long periods.

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• cold blood
• Mar 8, 2017
• 3

 

[Ellenantula]

OBTs are plentiful and cheap and therefore OBTs are the first OW Ts for many beginners. This doesn't translate into them being GOOD first OWs -- they aren't a good beginner T.
The good news is they are a hardy species that can survive some fairly poor husbandry.
They are fast growers - often reaching maturity quite quickly.
The are great webbers, like to burrow, and prefer things dry. Always offer a waterdish and that is it as far as moisture goes.
The bad news is they are super fast and speedy; and if bitten -- their venom will make you hurt... bad.
They will often stand their ground in threat posture if they feel threatened. Your best case scenario is them staying burrowed when you need to feed or do maintenance.
They may bite you if the room light is too bright. Or if a rerun is playing on tv. Or if the moon is full. Or waxing. Or waning.
They can escape easily and run faster than your eye can track.
Good luck -- you may well need it.

 

[Venom1080]

they grow super fast and have a nasty attitude and venom. its quite a step up from some one used to NWs.
a better choice would be a E pachypus, Ceratogyrus sp., Augacephalus, or a young P muticus.

id sell the OBT if i were you. there will always be thousands available for super cheap prices. its more fun to own a spider you dont stress about doing simple maintenance on.
Deep dryish substrate (considering yours is young), hide, water dish. done.
you put some sticks and stuff in at weird angles to make a cool looking cage when its all webbed up.

 

[Devin B]

OBTs are plentiful and cheap and therefore OBTs are the first OW Ts for many beginners. This doesn't translate into them being GOOD first OWs -- they aren't a good beginner T.
The good news is they are a hardy species that can survive some fairly poor husbandry.
They are fast growers - often reaching maturity quite quickly.
The are great webbers, like to burrow, and prefer things dry. Always offer a waterdish and that is it as far as moisture goes.
The bad news is they are super fast and speedy; and if bitten -- their venom will make you hurt... bad.
They will often stand their ground in threat posture if they feel threatened. Your best case scenario is them staying burrowed when you need to feed or do maintenance.
They may bite you if the room light is too bright. Or if a rerun is playing on tv. Or if the moon is full. Or waxing. Or waning.
They can escape easily and run faster than your eye can track.
Good luck -- you may well need it.

Ive also heard that they may bite if they don't like the color of your shirt or, if the temp is to high, low, or right on. Is this true.

 

[ronoverdrive]

Thanks for the info. I guess the fact that they're an extremely hardy species is why I don't see much in the way of husbandry notes on them. Also I'm well aware of their speed, attitude, and venom which doesn't turn me off to keeping one. I'm a very hands off keeper and I'm always careful as best I can with my T's.

 

[Devin B]

I dont think I've ever read the words beginner and old world in the same sentence lol. Also you may want to look into the husbandry before buying your next tarantula. Trust me I know how hard that can be especially when you see these little buggers for cheap at an expo or something.

 

[Ellenantula]

True. With their advanced ganglia, I always wore a camouflage shirt when feeding mine and kept my room temps dynamic --- I never let temperature remain constant for more than a few milliseconds to keep 'em guessing. No bites here!

 

[Ellenantula]

Thanks for the info. I guess the fact that they're an extremely hardy species is why I don't see much in the way of husbandry notes on them. Also I'm well aware of their speed, attitude, and venom which doesn't turn me off to keeping one. I'm a very hands off keeper and I'm always careful as best I can with my T's.

Well, as long as you're careful what could possibly go wrong? It's seems obviously clear that you've got this!

 

[Devin B]

True. With their advanced ganglia, I always wore a camouflage shirt when feeding mine and kept my room temps dynamic --- I never let temperature remain constant for more than a few milliseconds to keep 'em guessing. No bites here!

Wow that's a really good idea. Ill have to try that next feeding day

 

[ronoverdrive]

Well, as long as you're careful what could possibly go wrong? It's seems obviously clear you've got this!

Knowing the nickname of Orange Bitey Thing I at least had an idea what I'd be getting into before I purchased it. I was just surprised that I could find basic care info. Right now its burrowed in and likes staying there so I'm guessing that's how its going to be for a while.

 

[Devin B]

Knowing the nickname of Orange Bitey Thing I at least had an idea what I'd be getting into before I purchased it. I was just surprised that I could find basic care info. Right now its burrowed in and likes staying there so I'm guessing that's how its going to be for a while.

Very much so. I have seen mine for less than 1 second in the past month. That 1 second was when I fed mine. Ive read on here that someone hadnt seen their OBT in over a year.

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

Mine has been out quite a bit. For me, my OBT seems very strange. She never takes to a hide unless it is against the glass, or else she webs up a shallow burrow and stays tere. Now though, it seems she is busy webbing the enclosure Personally, I love OBT's. It was my first OW, and knew everything about it as best I could. IME, they are pretty easy so long as they have their burrow to hide in. Mine has never come at me, but is certainly very defensive if you mess with her. Just be careful and I'd say 'most' would be fine. The colors are gorgeous! Here is a quick few pics of mine right now as I type this : Being so close to the lid worries me, but hopefully she moves to a new location, or else...

 

[Ellenantula]

Mine was nearly always out topside, sitting in the middle on his web hammock. From a tiny sling to an adult -- he seemed to just sit there tirelessly and wait for cricket drops. He even moulted topside a couple times. He had an elaborate fancy webbed burrow but rarely utilized it.
If I cracked the lid -- he was ever quick & ready to spring upwards to catch his meal before it touched ground. I believe he actually brushed my hand with his leg once in during a feeder drop -- nearly gave me a heart attack. Or it may have just been a waft of wispy silk from the air current created by his pounce. I always had such heightened senses & awareness during his lid liftings and that contact happened in a split second. I know I broke a speed record for lid closure at any rate...
Anyway, no more OBTs for me. I'll take life in the slow lane for a while and just enjoy seeing mine in my avatar.

 

[EulersK]

Just a note on the growth rate on these guys, because I don't think it's been driven home. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know of a faster growing spider. Expect mature males within 6-12 months and mature females within 12-18 months. The last one I raised from a 3i sling became a mature male in 8 months to the day. The sooner you can get it into a "forever home" the better, but be careful to not house it in a massive enclosure. Massive enclosures usually mean large gaps, which lead to escapes. Tarantulas are like cats in that they can fit through any gap that they can get their head through.

As for the burrowing aspect... I mean, yeah, this is a fossorial tarantula. The webbing happens eventually, but they are burrowers first and foremost. I haven't seen my adult female in months.

I was just surprised that I could find basic care info.

Our very own @cold blood once said that if you have to ask about them, then you're not ready for them. You'll find that a lot in this hobby. The advanced spiders have very limited husbandry guides, often amounting to a few lines outlining moisture requirements, arboreal/terrestrial/burrower, and disposition. Not much more than that is needed at the end of the day.

 

[Ellenantula]

Just a note on the growth rate on these guys, because I don't think it's been driven home. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know of a faster growing spider. Expect mature males within 6-12 months and mature females within 12-18 months.

Exactly -- mine was male so my OBT experience was short. Thing moulted like every 3 weeks until suddenly, you've got a full grown venomous speed demon. While I did manage to rehouse mine -- I wouldn't want a repeat.
So a beginner gets practically no time to 'learn' or gain experience before they suddenly have an adult to deal with.

(edited to change 'successfully' to 'manage' my rehousing -- it was more luck than anything else and fraught with challenges)

 

[KezyGLA]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Harpactirinae. We hope you enjoy your stay

 

[ledzeppelin]

There's a nice quote from some guy's OBT bite report on youtube: "Huge, huge amount of pain. I've never experienced pain like this in my life, and I've been stabbed before. This brought me to my knees for about 30 minutes."

Luckily this one is one of the easiest tarantulas to keep alive. But seriously man, don't get bitten. That's all I have to say.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

A thing I will never, never, and never understand is why beginners or not so experienced keepers buy P.murinus slings and not directly, if P.murinus at all costs should be, a sexed female, cheap as well, no matter.

You can put a female in her final enclosure, and chances that she will remain here are very high. Basically this way someone avoid "risky" rehouses.

P.murinus grow like weed, so it's not the best to end after not even two years with a MM crawling all the enclosure searching for a 0.1 that doesn't exists.

With that said, while the venom is brutal, they aren't the orange monsters in general considered :-s

 

[Walker253]

My first purchase jumping into the hobby included a 1.5" OBT. I read everything I could about it and it scared the crap out of me. I sold it 2 days later. I stayed scared for 4 months and said no way no how. Then, realizing I may be overreacting a bit, I bought a mature female.
I gave her a big enough enclosure with a lot of soil depth. They are burrowers. In my research I found if allowed to burrow, they are more content and easier to deal with. Psycho OBT's tend to be kept with little soil and have webbed up the whole container. I think they have to be more on guard. It's just my opinion to the nay sayers.
That being said, I don't think you should sell your OBT. It isn't a beginner old world, but give it the right environment, you it's not pandemonium when you do feeding or small tasks.
Again, they are burrowers, they are reclusive. Like mine, you'll rarely see it if it's content. Mine burrowed against the side, but she lined her den with webbing so I still can't see her. With mine, as most burrowers go, eating is sporadic. If you feed too much at once, you may see a long fast.
When you have the enclosure open, don't just take your time. Open the lid only what you need to. Use tongs to do your maintenance. While your OBT may be content, it's still her (or his area). Leave it alone as much as possible. Never take your eye
I didn't notice the size of yours. But the one real time, you will likely see chaos is during a rehouse. You have to have a game plan before you start. I'd do it in the bathroom (or the smallest room in the house) in the tub. Seal off the room, the drains, any little place the OBT could crawl into. Have your catch cups ready and be ready for anything. If that scares you, it should. The more ready you are before, the likelihood of a successful rehouse should occur. At a certain size, a move into it's final home, imo should be done. Even if it's a little big, the less rehousings, the better.
Why all this now? You might as well know now. The separation is in the preparation - Russell Wilson. Good quote to go by in your hobby