Why is P. murinus the "Big Bad" of the hobby?

[Asgiliath]

I have talked about this a few times, but, my experience with OBT's doesn't compare much at all to the defensiveness of other spiders In my collection and i've never understood their reputation as the most challenging or a "rite of passage" to an "advanced keeper".

Why this species in particular??

I open the P. murinus enclosures for watering (for ex.) and they flee into their web tunnels. Do the same with most any Asian (And maybe even my T. vagans ) and they are immediately reared up and slapping.

I just don't understand where the hype and stigma of this particular species came from. In my experience, they are an averagely manageable old world.

 

[EpicEpic]

I don't know but I just turned one down as a freebie! LOL...RCF too!

TBF my collection is currently all NW

Affectionately known as THE NEW WORLD ORDER.

No outside members allowed

Since I mentioned my order I'll share

3.5" Juvenile Female N. coloratovillosus + a 1.5" G. iheringi

Birthday gifts from my beloved! (7/28)


(I think the acronym has tarnished its reputation some btw)

 

[0311usmc]

My experience has been the exact same as yours. They would rather flee than stand ground and fight. I always kept mine fossorial and never had any issues. I only have good things to say about them.

 

[moricollins]

Constant threat poses, running. Mine ran up my tongs (was picking out leftover cricket bits), up my arm and onto my back... Scared the living (you know what) out of me.

 

[Liquifin]

The internet is kind of responsible if you think about it with the youtube videos and whatnot. Tarantulas are more of those kind of things where you have to experience it yourself rather than hearing or seeing from other people because it can sometimes be blown out of the water and specimens can always vary from one to another. Mines are chill as a rock and are very good eaters, but that's just how mines are but I'm not saying it's the same for others out there.

 

[TheDarkFinder]

I have been keeping tarantulas for way too long. The only advice I can give you is this. Every tarantula is different. They have their own personalities. They have their own attitudes. OBT have a rep for being more defensive then others. I have seen people hand hold an OBT. I have seen people treat them like they where B. smithi.

But you can not treat EVERY one like that. I had one that was a rescue that was evil from the day I got her to the day is died in a molt, 10 years later. She would strike at the water in the water dish. Anything that entered her cage was bitten. She was that way. I respected it. I will say after 10 years, we where going through the experience with out much drama. She was like "oh watering again, ok, let me get ready." Stab stab stab... "See you next time."


The other thing that you need to be careful off. I find that if your OBT is not defense, it might have some housing issues. They can not defend a territory that they don't feel is theirs. And OBT that is stressed is one that will run and huddle when scared, 90%. But everyone is different. If yours is house properly and still retreats then it might be fine. But from experience, if you can see her she is not house correctly.

The last thing that needs to be said about OBT. They have some pretty strong venom. Strong enough to be life medically significant for some people. When an OBT does bite it will not stop, 2-5 injects are to be expected. They seem to have enough venom to offer full doses with each one.

So you have a tarantula that has no problem going from threat pose to bite. You have one that can move with a fair amount of speed. When they do bite, they inject a medically significant amount of venom 2-5 times.

They get a rep for that alone. Bottom line. It is easier to scare the newbies to something less then teach them how to care for a species that can be a little much for even moderate keepers. They are not a species you get sloppy with and newbies will be sloppy. A mistake with a B. smithi is quite different then a OBT.

 

[Poonjab]

Come over and try to feed or water my cranky lil gal. You’ll need a change of shorts after.

 

[cold blood]

I will say, MM OBTs are among the orniest of all living things.

Mr Giggles

• cold blood
• Aug 15, 2018
• 6
• male mature male mombasa golden starburst tarantula murinus obt orange baboon tarantula pterinochilus pterinochilus hindei pterinochilus leetzi pterinochilus mamillatus pterinochilus murinus threat

I'm pretty sure this one bites:/

 

[Matt Man]

my first OBT would come out and throw threat posture and strike at the tongs when I was removing Bolus or debris. She was on the cranky side, My second one, only a juvenile is more of a run and hide version. as others have said, they have their own personalities

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Some are skittish but some will stand their ground and even come at you if you don't take the hint.
I do think they are misunderstood, though.
They don't deserve all the hype.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

I've never had issues with them being aggressive. I think the key is to make sure that they have a hiding place so that they can escape from any disturbances. Mine has only given me a threat posture when he felt cornered during rehouses. Even as a MM, he runs and hides instead of throwing a threat posture. My experience with others of this species has been similar. But, of course, each specimen is different. I think that they have the reputation because they're well known, have been in the hobby for a while, and many people don't keep them in the correct setups which contributes to defensiveness. I'm sure there are specimens out there that are probably much more defensive in general, though.

 

[viper69]

I have talked about this a few times, but, my experience with OBT's doesn't compare much at all to the defensiveness of other spiders In my collection and i've never understood their reputation as the most challenging or a "rite of passage" to an "advanced keeper".

Why this species in particular??

I open the P. murinus enclosures for watering (for ex.) and they flee into their web tunnels. Do the same with most any Asian (And maybe even my T. vagans ) and they are immediately reared up and slapping.

I just don't understand where the hype and stigma of this particular species came from. In my experience, they are an averagely manageable old world.

Because it’s so common- there’s worse, but early on in the hobby they weren’t available or common.

H macs are worse, were available when I started - I owned a nice AF, but not nearly as common as the other

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Because most people house them incorrectly (i.e. in "semi-arboreal" setups) and muck about with them and then wonder why they have a perpetually hyper-defensive jack in the box. Also, idiots on YouTube.

House them correctly and they shouldn't give you any trouble.

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Until you get bit by one of them and feel the beautiful pain they leave behind you’ll think otherwise . Funny how people think that Pterinochilus murinus are kittens .

 

[Asgiliath]

Constant threat poses, running. Mine ran up my tongs (was picking out leftover cricket bits), up my arm and onto my back... Scared the living (you know what) out of me.

ooh sounds like my MM C. conwirthi! He is WILD.

The internet is kind of responsible if you think about it with the youtube videos and whatnot. Tarantulas are more of those kind of things where you have to experience it yourself rather than hearing or seeing from other people because it can sometimes be blown out of the water and specimens can always vary from one to another. Mines are chill as a rock and are very good eaters, but that's just how mines are but I'm not saying it's the same for others out there.

I definitely thought of the T-Tubers! (as I call them) lol

Because most people house them incorrectly (i.e. in "semi-arboreal" setups) and muck about with them and then wonder why they have a perpetually hyper-defensive jack in the box. Also, idiots on YouTube.

House them correctly and they shouldn't give you any trouble.

I'd say, comfortable fossorials should rarely be seen (bc that's usually the case) but I have multiple Cyriopagopus that are housed perfectly and have just chosen not to burrow. Lividus literally just made a web tube above ground and has been in it for about a year.

All of my terrestrial juvies have been underground lately though.

Until you get bit by one of them and feel the beautiful pain they can live behind you’ll think otherwise . Funny how people think that Pterinochilus murinus are kittens .

I've been tagged by a stingray, actually...so i've had some experience with fierce venom.

(I've had surgeries, broken bones, have vEDS and nothing i've ever felt compared to THAT pain.)

All of that aside, I still use caution and respect my OW's. Not saying I don't because I "can take it".

 

[Tarantula155]

mine have been pretty mild mannered, I will say they do in fact have different personalities. The nastiest T I've ever seen was a P cancerides

 

[Minty]

Their reputation proceeds them, in my experience. My AF fits the stereotype, I only have to open the lid for her to slap the ground in front of her and start stridulating. She has deep substrate and a hide if she wants if but she spends most of her time out.

 

[Chebe6886]

I think it’s just one of the more common “defensive” spiders so most have had some experience and can relate. But yeh... there are plenty that can be just as bad and on occasion worse. My angriest spider was a cobalt blue that would slap when the lights came on and flip on its back striking if you had to fool with the enclosure at all

 

[EpicEpic]

I think that the acronym "Orange Bitey Thing" has made it an easy target.

For example if H. Mac' were commonly called Hairy Murderer Assassin Critters....they'd be right up there with them

Beginners LOVE common names.

They love silly acronyms even more!

 

[Craig73]

I don't know but I just turned one down as a freebie! LOL...RCF too!

TBF my collection is currently all NW

Affectionately known as THE NEW WORLD ORDER.

No outside members allowed

Since I mentioned my order I'll share

3.5" Juvenile Female N. coloratovillosus + a 1.5" G. iheringi

Birthday gifts from my beloved! (7/28)


(I think the acronym has tarnished its reputation some btw)

I also had the opportunity for a freebie and passed. Not particularly fond of angry red heads.