P. Murinus (orange baboon tarantula)

[SuleymanC]

Hey guys I have 2 female OBTs and I'm really in love with them.. But as you all know they are very defensive and some are actually beyond defensive which is aggressive... I don't have any questions I just want to know how you guys keep yours.. When you open the lid to clean/refill water dish what do you guys do so that tarantula doesn't attack or escape.. I personally use syringe through ventilation holes for watering because I think it's very risky to open lid every week with these species.. Ohh one of my female molted today and she looks a bit bigger which is awesome and love the new color orange..

 

[Trenor]

I don't have an OBT but they should be kept like any other baboon species. For baboons, I like to get them plenty of sub with a buried piece of corkbark for a stater burrow/hide. I also add in some fake plants and a lot of mine seem to like webbing around their burrow. I give them a decent amount of space from the sub to the lid. This helps with the T in the box reaction and seems to disturb them a lot less when need to work with them. As with any tarantula, I like to know where it is (or at least where it isn't) before opening the enclosure lid. I keep the water dish as far from the burrow and plants as I can to help with watering and reduce webbing on the dish. I've not had a lot of trouble with feeding or water baboons and it's not often I get a threat posture from any of them.

I've used droppers for watering before when I started but I don't much anymore. I do make sure to drill dropper water holes in my enclosures where the water dish is located. I have to go out of town for work at times and this allows my sister to come by and top off water if they need it. She doesn't open enclosures and while they can go a while without food I like to keep them plenty of water due to the temps in my tarantula room.

I'm pretty fond of baboons. IMO they are not overly hard to work with once you get them settled in. Good luck with your OBTs.

 

[TylerFishman5675]

Hows cleaning up leftovers?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

When I'm lazy I use a syringe and refill.

But, as you know, everything can end into the water dish (poop, substrate, prey remains) so yes, I completely remove the top of the KK (a medium size one, nothing too much "little" nor "big") and, lol even with hands when I'm particularly lazy (don't copy me -.-) took out the w. dish, clean that, with hands again I put that inside and with a plastic glass full of room temperature water simply I refill.

Now the thing is that, providing a lot of (dry) inches of substrate and (I suggest this) a piece of cork bark for hide, well chances that 8 out of 10 the OBT will burrow under said piece of cork are higher... thus turning mostly the bugger into a "escape in the safe haven first rather than stand & hiss & bite" Theraphosidae.

This is how basically I keep my 'baboons' (humidity levels apart like H.gigas etc) and this is what perfectly works for me :-s

 

[Venom1080]

I like to give all my baboons plenty of sub for burrowing. My OBt made a tunnel and runs down everytime I open the cage

 

[0311usmc]

I have two obt's, one of them I have had for almost 10 years now and was my first tarantula the second one is about 2.5" now, I have had for around 7-8 months now. Both are kept as fossorial. I have had zero issues with both of mine. They both go straight down one of their tunnels at the slightest disturbance. I take the lid off and use 12" tongs to drop in dubais and remove leftovers and i add water with a turkey baster. The lids are never off for more than a minute or two. I honestly don't see what the hype is about obt'.s I cannot relate to the horror stories I hear about almost daily on arachnoboards.

 

[Ungoliant]

I honestly don't see what the hype is about obt'.s I cannot relate to the horror stories I hear about almost daily on arachnoboards.

I think many people keep their OBTs terrestrially (without much room to burrow), and that makes them more defensive, as their space is being invaded every time the lid is opened.

 

[0311usmc]

I think many people keep their OBTs terrestrially (without much room to burrow), and that makes them more defensive, as their space is being invaded every time the lid is opened.

I am going to have to agree with you on that. Most of the pictures I see on here the obt is set up terrestrial. You can do it but I personally wouldn't.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I honestly don't see what the hype is about obt'.s I cannot relate to the horror stories I hear about almost daily on arachnoboards.

Try this "set up"

Almost no substrate, no hide nor a piece of cork bark... nothing. The web is the only 'house' of the 'OBT' and it's normal, since they adapt, just like it's normal to receive such kind of 'welcome' when/if someone is a complete 'Scrooge' :-s

"Silent Hill 3" on the left, lol

 

[0311usmc]

Try this "set up"

Almost no substrate, no hide nor a piece of cork bark... nothing. The web is the only 'house' of the 'OBT' and it's normal, since they adapt, just like it's normal to receive such kind of 'welcome' when/if someone is a complete 'Scrooge' :-s

"Silent Hill 2" on the left, lol

Uuuuuuuuhhhhh I don't think I will be doing that buddy. Lol. I will let them enjoy lots of packed down substrate.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Uuuuuuuuhhhhh I don't think I will be doing that buddy. Lol. I will let them enjoy lots of packed down substrate.

Yes. That's only an example. One of the many.

Sometimes certain keepers thinks that substrate, nothing but dirt at the end, is kinda gold from Klondike and they turns 'Scrooge'. Combined with the (however true) "OBT's can adapt" motto, those are the results.

 

[0311usmc]

Yes. That's only an example. One of the many.

Sometimes certain keepers thinks that substrate, nothing but dirt at the end, is kinda gold from Klondike and they turns 'Scrooge'. Combined with the (however true) "OBT's can adapt" motto, those are the results.

I loved the webbing, reminded me of my green bottle blue but that would be no fun to open a lid to that everytime. No sir.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I loved the webbing, reminded me of my green bottle blue but that would be no fun to open a lid to that everytime. No sir.

Of course. Try to imagine to take out, for clean, the water dish from an enclosure with a set up like that one, where inside there's a pissed off female 'OBT'.

Eventually, that someone in the long run would even think to not anymore use said water dish: issues after issues... only for save what?

A bit of dirt and a piece of wood/cork as hide? Mah

 

[SuleymanC]

I recommend putting delicup on top of aggressive tarantulas so that they can't come after you to attack if something you do triggers them..that's how I rehouse the OBTs too....I put delicup with holes around it, slide hard cardboard at bottom of it to take the tarantula in the delicup and transfer to new home, or if you are just doing cleaning garbage/molt/left over foods that method works too.. I think letting obt be free when doing these is very risky if they think tongs you use are food, jumping on it and bite you...not worth the risk, I always treat OBTs like they are live bombs so I don't get hurt from them, but I personally think all tarantulas can be like this so I use precaution for all...my hamorii adult female was climbing off enclosure (she is such sweetheart) but even with her I am careful just in case if she decides to bite