Weak OBT's???

[Titandan]

I don't know why, but my OBT's keep on dying on me. I have had three slings about 1" and they are all doing well and then they all died one by one. It's kinda upsetting because they are one of my favorite species.

I have several other T's and the others seem to be doing really well! It's just the OBT's that are dying. Are they known as a very fragile species?

I have New River, Moderatum, Tiger Rump, King Baboon, Guatemalan Red Rump, H. Gigas, Brach Smithi, and Boehmi to name a few.

Well hopefully someone can give me an answer 'cos I want to get an OBT...

 

[Hobo]

They're often described as "bulletproof".

How are you keeping them (temps/humidity/enclosure/etc.)?

 

[BigJ999]

Are you you keeping them dry?? OBT's like it bone dry they don't tolerate moister well

 

[Titandan]

OH!!! Maybe 'cos I over-watered the enclosure!

I thought they were from a very humid area in Africa. Too much moisture can do that huh? I guess that might have been it.

---------- Post added at 05:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:33 PM ----------

Thanks guys!

 

[Hobo]

Edit
Eww, double posted. Sorry bout that.

 

[BigJ999]

Yep they are from a very dry and hot part of Africa Keep it dry they'll do fine

 

[JC]

Are you you keeping them dry?? OBT's like it bone dry they don't tolerate moister well

Slings should not be kept bone dry.

OBTs are not all that hardy, so don't neglect them like G.roesa.

 

[BigJ999]

Well not really done dry but dry thanks for the correction

 

[Bill S]

OBTs, also known as Usambara Baboon Spiders, come from the Usambara Mountains between Kilimanjaro and the Indian Ocean. This is not an especially dry area (somewhat dry and scrubby in some parts, forested in others). I keep my OBTs in semi-dry containers and they are, as someone above suggested, bulletproof. (I live in a desert environment, so slight humidity in the substrate might help balance against the dry air.) However, I think some of the species the OP keeps are more tolerant of moisture than OBTs would be (or more appreciative of it), so it might be worth evaluating how wet all the spiders are being kept. Also, I notice that the OP is from Glendale California. Definitely a more humid environment than the one I live in. It would be easy to keep the cages too moist, so perhaps a drier substrate would be a good idea. Are the containers well ventilated? in a humid climate, good ventilation could help.

 

[Titandan]

They were slings so I kept it moist in the containers because I didn't put in any water bottle caps with water in it. I just assumed the containers would need some water in the substrate so that the T's can get some at their leisure.

I also assumed Africa would be humid... but then again, it's my ignorance. Africa has humid and dry areas. I should have known. Thanks for the input guys! And btw... Southern Cal is known to be fairly dry. Especially in the winter time. I just need to make sure I don't over humidify the enclosures from now on. Thanks!

 

[Najakeeper]

I keep mine dry with a little spray once a week and she is doing great. I guess it was the extra moisture in this case. I have managed to kill a P.metallica sling with wet substrate so it can happen to even humidty loving spiders. It is better to give both choices to the animal.

 

[Bill S]

And btw... Southern Cal is known to be fairly dry. Especially in the winter time.

I grew up in southern Cal. I now live near Tucson Arizona. Believe me, southern California is more humid. I guess "fairly dry" is a matter of what you are used to.

What size containers are you using for your OBTs? At one inch I'd be keeping them in deli cups. And with deli cups you can use a bottle cap and moisten on part of the substrate while leavig another part dry.

If you are still keeping them in vials, don't moisten the substrate, but put a small piece of tissue near the opening of the vial. Keep that piece of tissue moist, and let the spider choose where to hang out.

 

[Titandan]

Hey Bill,

My last OBT died last week...

Until then, I kept them in deli cups. I wet the substrate so that I could suck water out from it. I guess I over did it on the watering.

They were only an inch long or so. Not too big. Now I know not to water them too much!

Thank you! And I guess I've never lived in AZ so I wouldn't know how dry it gets over there. I just hear about how humid it is in the rest of the country and I'm very thankful that SoCal isn't too bad in that area! Even in the hottest of summers, not too humid here so it's bearable!

 

[Royal_T's]

Pterinochilus murinus should be kept at 60-70% humidity and 70-80 deg. F. I have raised multiple OBT slings and I house them in tall deli cups with an inche of substrate and a piece of cork bark. It's not typical to keep them like arboreals but it encourages webbing and I provide enough substrate to be incorporated into the webbing.

I have a 3 inch sub-adult male living in this one.

This one had less substrate than normal... being male I wanted it to have a little more room to wander.

---------- Post added at 03:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------

Thought I'd share this one too.

 

[J Morningstar]

As far as I could tell, I looked at several pics of them in their natural habitat, and the ground and they were...dusty, to say the least, so their native environment seems more dry than humid, I had lots of millipedes that were from very humid climates in Africa, but the pics of them there were just that, rainforesty and moist. I have had my OBT for several months now, it has molted at least twice and seems very happy so far, fingers crossed..I have good ventalation and I put no extra moisture in the jar, the droplets rise in the morning up the cooler side of the glass, the OBT drinks from that and it dissapates at night. I will add a touch of mist if this stops but I thinkk it will outgrow the jar before that.

 

[Titandan]

Beautiful spiders you two!!!

Now I want an OBT!!! And now I feel so stupid.... :?

 

[J Morningstar]

hey, we do all make mistakes with care from time to time, but you're an adult, now...research llike one, use all those buttons on the keyboard to your advantage, search photos, search wiki/anything, search all the forums out there...I belong to about 10, ask questions, after you think about them and search yourself. And keep looking. The info is out there, if you try. And this is my first time keeping T's, I may have just been a litte lucky so far.