Early Fathers day

[londelsh]

Morning all, my other half gave me my fathers day gift early to day, so i opened it to find she's gone and got me a O.B.T sling . As soon as i unboxed it it ran right up my arm, fast little thing lol. So what can people tell me about them and what do i need to know to help this little one thrive. Will uploads pictures later when i get chance.

 

[Tomoran]

What a father's day gift...congrats!

It sounds like you've already experienced their speed, and I'm sure you've heard about the legendary attitudes that have earned them the colorful nicknames "Orange Bitey Thing" and "Pterror murinus." This is an Old World species with strong venom that can be more than willing to bite, repeatedly, if it feels threatened. This is a species that demands respect and caution; you definitely don't want to get tagged by one. Although some folks report rather docile specimens, and I must admit that mine is fairly chill, you won't know if you have one of the orange balls of fury until yours puts on some size.

When it was a sling, I kept mine on dry substrate with a piece of cork bark and some extra depth for burrowing. I've found that if they are able to burrow and hide, they will be more likely to bolt than stand their ground if disturbed. If you pick a large enough enclosure, a bottle cap water dish will be great. Otherwise, I used to use an eyedropper to drop some water on its webbing a couple times a week (I didn't spray because the force of the spray made it go crazy). Some folks also keep this species as a semi-arboreal by leaning a piece of cork bark against the side and giving it an enclosure with a bit of extra height. I certainly wouldn't set it up like a true arboreal, but they seem to adapt quite well to an enclosure that allows them to climb a bit.

The OBT is also a prolific webber, so it will likely cover it's enclosure right to the top with thick webbing. They eat very well (I fed mine 2-3 times a week when it was a sling) only refusing food when in premolt. The one I've had from a sling proved to be a rather slow grower, although others report that theirs grew very quickly. Keeping this in mind, you may want to start it in a larger enclosure than you would normally use for a sling that size. This will give it some room to grow and minimize the amount of times you will have to rehouse it (rehousing can cause some folks fits with this species).

This species is recognized as being nearly indestructible. They do fine at room temperature, but higher temps will likely lead to faster metabolism and growth.

Hope that helps!

Tom

 

[Nicolas C]

Well, is it possible your other half wants you dead, for one or another reason?

Jokes asides, congrats on the gift: Pterinochilus murinus are stunningly beautiful.

But they are also fast and very very defensive (in their case, we might dare to say: agressive!). Caution is needed in every interaction you have with it. Beware of escapes and of bites. Mine is so nervous that she sometimes happens to bolt out of her hide (which is however secure and cosy) when I open the terrarium, as if she wants to attack me.

Keeping P murinus is very easy: bone dry substrate with a water dish, some cork barks and enough substrate for it to dig a burrow. It will web its hide and decorate the enclosure with silk if you give it some decoration. The better the burrow, the less likely it will be nervous and attack, but as I said, there are some exceptions anyway... Choose an enclosure big enough to have some extra space for your own reaction if yours decide to run away.

If yours is a tiny sling, you can add a little moisture in the substrate (but LITTLE) but I'm not even sure it's needed. P murinus are very hardy, one of the hardiest tarantula around.

As other african spp., they are good eaters, but are not used to find lots of food around, which means they can fast for sometimes when they are full. My murinus (adult female now) eats one cricket a week, then doesn't seem interested at all for weeks... and then eat again. For your young one, one or two right-sized crickets a week is good.

As I don't know how many experience / tarantulas you have, I'm not sure about what you need. But don't hesitate to ask more questions.

 

[Nicolas C]

Oups @Tomoran, I wrote my answer same time as yours!

 

[Tomoran]

Oups @Tomoran, I wrote my answer same time as yours!

Hahahaha! Well, now he has TWO very similar and thorough answers to choose from.

 

[londelsh]

This is my third T I have a C.rosea and a LP sling both fit and healthy so I have no problems with them. I've put it in a deli cup and a little bit of water on the side. Going to give it a few days before feeding .

Thanks for all the advice it's greatly appreciated.

 

[londelsh]

 

[londelsh]

Here's the little one