Looking for experience...

[VonWorm]

Hi everyone,

I have been keeping a brazilian blonde since december 2014. I find myself wanting a king baboon. With that being said I'm aware they are for experienced keepers. Not 100% why this is. Just the aggressive behavior?

What species could i look into that is a step up from my b. Blonde but not quite aggro as a king? Keeping a few T's isnt an issue for me. So if i need to acquire a couple that is also possible.

Many thanks,
-Von

 

[Therasoid]

Hi everyone,

I have been keeping a brazilian blonde since december 2014. I find myself wanting a king baboon. With that being said I'm aware they are for experienced keepers. Not 100% why this is. Just the aggressive behavior?

What species could i look into that is a step up from my b. Blonde but not quite aggro as a king? Keeping a few T's isnt an issue for me. So if i need to acquire a couple that is also possible.

Many thanks,
-Von

I'll try to explain why Pelinobius muticus, King baboon, is for experienced keepers.
1) they are a HIGHLY defensive, not aggressive, species.
2) attain an 8" DLS as adults.
3) largest obligate burrower in the hobby.
4) as juveniles and adults are well known to "stand and fight" than "run and hide" characteristics.
5) extremely fast for their size, a beginner will be shocked by the speed. Easily quicker than Brachypelma, Aphonopelma, Phoneyusa and majority of Acanthscurria species.
6) bites, from just the mechanical damage alone are horrific. Think of two 5/8" fangs penetrating the soft tissue in your hand. [emoji6]
7) big appetites, my 6.5"+ consumes 7 large cricket/roaches weekly. Will eat more if offered though, and sometimes I toss an extra 1-2.
Can't be of any real help to suggest the next step T for you. Reason is I don't know wth a Brazilian blonde is. Had you posted the binomial name, instead of common name, I would be more helpful. I'm sure someone will give some suggested species for you to consider acquiring.
Enjoy the hobby and always respect the T. [emoji3]

 

[spidey noob]

i totaly agree with therasoid 100% !!!
i like your self i want a king baboon but dont have the experince yet to keep one safely, so i decided to to get some Ephebopus murinus as there very defensive !!! (plus there a super cool looking species) deffinatly a good species for getting used to defencive/aggressive behavior.

 

[VonWorm]

Thank you very much for the reply. Lots of information there, which i appreciate

My T was sold to me as a brazilian giant blonde. Closest name i could attach to "her" was Nhandu Tripepii. Shes somewhat calm. Lets me do what i need to without much issue. Sometimes she will climb onto the wall of her enclosure. Never rears or anything.

Thanks again for your reply. Going to google thing you said. As I'mba complete noob to T's.

-Von

 

[spidey noob]

i was thinking it may be a Nhandu Tripepii !!! (thats a species im after my self)

 

[VonWorm]

Thank you very much for the reply. Lots of information there, which i appreciate

My T was sold to me as a brazilian giant blonde. Closest name i could attach to "her" was Nhandu Tripepii. Shes somewhat calm. Lets me do what i need to without much issue. Sometimes she will climb onto the wall of her enclosure. Never rears or anything.

Thanks again for your reply. Going to google thing you said. As I'mba complete noob to T's.

I will good that species, i need to gain more knowledge and experience. Safely for both me, and the T's. Thank you spidey noob



-Von

 

[VonWorm]

Sorry. First time using tapatalk

 

[Therasoid]

Thank you very much for the reply. Lots of information there, which i appreciate

My T was sold to me as a brazilian giant blonde. Closest name i could attach to "her" was Nhandu Tripepii. Shes somewhat calm. Lets me do what i need to without much issue. Sometimes she will climb onto the wall of her enclosure. Never rears or anything.

Thanks again for your reply. Going to google thing you said. As I'mba complete noob to T's.

-Von

Great, I can relate Nhandu tripepii, terrestrial, aggressive eaters, grows to 6"-7" range and can be defensive/skittish. N. chromatus, their cousin, is another much liked species of the genus.
If you are at ease with N. tripepii and looking for a terrestrial with more speed, attitude, and some vibrant coloration a Pamphobeteus might be right for you. These ARE on the expensive side but, IMO, totally worth the price. Another genus to consider is Homoeomma, fast, good eaters and more docile compared to Pamphobeteus. Then you have the Lasiodora genus, fast, aggressive eaters, larger species group, and moderately priced. Lasiodora difficilis is probable the most tenacious and L. parahybana the largest of the genus. Last, but not least is Phormictopus genus, P. cancerides seems the abundant one, reaches 8", has some attitude, great eater and very well priced. If money isn't a concern check out Xenesthis immanis and intermedia, gorgeous purple and black coloration, reaches 8"+, aggressive eaters and can be very defensive if provoked.
These are JUST suggestions and you need to research the species and decide what is best suited for your experience/skill level. Only you can decide, if you have doubts, don't buy it. They will be available further down the road so no real reason to hurry the process. I'd rather people be slow and safe,than fast and regretful.
Let us know whatever species you decide on.

 

[VonWorm]

Good afternoon,

Thank you so much for the detailed info. That helps me tremendously. I will lookup the information on each of those.

Couple of them seem to be hard to find. I may need to wait it out until someone here in canada had them available....maybe pick up something else while i wait haha :-D

Thank you once again for the help.
-Von

 

[Therasoid]

You are welcome.
Lol! I can relate to some species being difficult to obtain. I have 3 lists: Want list (all of them), Need list (species to complete a genus), and Have list. [emoji3]

 

[VonWorm]

Lol I can see myself making a couple lists.

Im trying to find a Pamphobeteus platyomma sling. I find myself leaning towards this sp.

Any thoughts/opinions with this T?

 

[Therasoid]

I believe every keeper has a list of sorts, be it mental, on paper or a file on the PC. Its just a normal tool for an "abnormal" hobby. Lol!
I haven't had the pleasure of keeping Pamphobeteus species, mainly due to cost and not being obligate burrowers. Pamphs are terrestrial, mainly found in South American counties, members of the Theraphosinae sub family. If I had a sling, its sub would be moist, firmly packed topsoil, a cork hide, water dish and maybe a fake leaf in its container. Feedings would be twice weekly.
PS, I personally favor P. nigricolor in the genus. [emoji6]

 

[Ghost]

@VonWorm,
Regarding your question about P.platyomma I would say to get one for sure or any of the pamphos for that matter,Their a great species to have in your collection.
As for care their pretty easy to keep, for slings go with what Therasoid said in his above post,for adults I keep one half of the substrate slightly damp and keep the hide half dry, I find that this works well and have had no problems with them,temperature 78-80 Fahrenheit and 65% humidity is fine.
These are eating machines and hardly ever refuse food and have a fast growth rate,I've never seen a threat pose from any of mine they prefer to run and hide rather than stand and fight in my experience with them although somewhat skittish and flick hairs a fair bit and can move very quickly.
Anyway I hope this helps you decide to get one of these species,and just to wet your appetite a bit more here's a couple of photos for you....

P.platyomma Male

P.platyomma Female

Or you could also have a look at P.ultramarinus their just as good looking as the P.platyomma.Here have a look....
P.ultramarinus male

 

[VonWorm]

Those are very pretty T's!! Thank you for sharing the pics. I can see myself having a large collection lol. So many pretty and interesting species out there. I do find im drawn to old world T's more than new world. Not sure why tho.

So today i am here for advice. I haven't looked up care sheets because i trust opinions here more than caresheets i find on the web.

I picked two T's at the CRBE in Mississauga this weekend. A .25" Hapalopus sp. Columbia “Large”?
And a 1" Heteroscodra maculata.

I was informed to keep them the same as my nhandu tripepii. But my fiance told me the h. Maculata is aboreal. So could someone give me some info on what kind of substrate/moisture for these pretty please?

Will get some pics up this week. The hapalopus sp. Is super tiny tho.

Many thanks,
-Von

 

[Chubbs]

H.maculata is arboreal, but they will normally burrow when young, and even adults tend to build their retreats closer to the ground. I still give mine a tall enclosure with a cork bark slab to climb on. I use the same substrate for the majority of my tarantulas, which is either eco earth or peat moss. I take it you have some experience with old world species, otherwise you would not have purchased this species

 

[leaveittoweaver]

Those are very pretty T's!! Thank you for sharing the pics. I can see myself having a large collection lol. So many pretty and interesting species out there. I do find im drawn to old world T's more than new world. Not sure why tho.

So today i am here for advice. I haven't looked up care sheets because i trust opinions here more than caresheets i find on the web.

I picked two T's at the CRBE in Mississauga this weekend. A .25" Hapalopus sp. Columbia “Large”?
And a 1" Heteroscodra maculata.

I was informed to keep them the same as my nhandu tripepii. But my fiance told me the h. Maculata is aboreal. So could someone give me some info on what kind of substrate/moisture for these pretty please?

Will get some pics up this week. The hapalopus sp. Is super tiny tho.

Many thanks,
-Von

Careful with that H.mac...they are super fast and can be defensive and pack a mean bite. That's quite the step from N.Tripeppi...

I personally use cheap potting soil for substrate.

 

[Chubbs]

Careful with that H.mac...they are super fast and can be defensive and pack a mean bite. That's quite the step from N.Tripeppi...

I personally use cheap potting soil for substrate.

Yeah I've observed that there are a lot of noobs on this forum, and many of them love to dive right into more advanced species. Meanwhile species like Augacephalus or Ceratogyrus which are much better starter old worlds get completely ignored. These are fast and skittish, but not as defensive as many other baboons, and their venom is rather mild for an OW. Why not get one of these before an H.maculata or OBT? They'll get you used to the speed, but you won't have to worry about the venom. Guess all We can do at this point is hope for the best.

 

[leaveittoweaver]

Yeah I've observed that there are a lot of noobs on this forum, and many of them love to dive right into more advanced species. Meanwhile species like Augacephalus or Ceratogyrus which are much better starter old worlds get completely ignored. These are fast and skittish, but not as defensive as many other baboons, and their venom is rather mild for an OW. Why not get one of these before an H.maculata or OBT? They'll get you used to the speed, but you won't have to worry about the venom. Guess all We can do at this point is hope for the best.

Exactly! Or even better, work your way towards the speed of OW by getting some psalmos. I personally got an OBT in a trade once and I rehomed it because I didn't feel I had the experience to deal with it at that point. No need to rush it! Especially if you aren't comfortable with rehousing in general, rehousing a fast OW species is a whole different story and you really need to know what you're doing. Mistakes that cost you getting bit generally end in bad press for the hobby which is a slippery slope towards legislation against owning tarantulas.

 

[Chubbs]

Exactly! Or even better, work your way towards the speed of OW by getting some psalmos. I personally got an OBT in a trade once and I rehomed it because I didn't feel I had the experience to deal with it at that point. No need to rush it! Especially if you aren't comfortable with rehousing in general, rehousing a fast OW species is a whole different story and you really need to know what you're doing. Mistakes that cost you getting bit generally end in bad press for the hobby which is a slippery slope towards legislation against owning tarantulas.

Many people don't consider this when buying species with medically significant venom. Not to sound like I'm putting anyone down, but a lot of people in this hobby have this "Me!Me!Me!" mentality, where they are more focused on themselves and don't realize that what they do has the potential to affect everyone else in this hobby.

Psalmos are great for people who want to get used to speed and attitude, especially if you want to get into pokies and other Old World arboreals. Now I think Ephebopus are also great for this, as they can be super fast for a terrestrial (especially a New World terrestrial), and they can be pretty mean too.

 

[VonWorm]

Ok, i will start off by saying i had no idea what this creature was when i had purchased it. The person who sold it to me asked me what i had when i asked how to care for this specie. I replied with nhandu tripepii. Shouldnt i had been informed of the danger of this specie when i bought it?

i feel as though everyone who commented thinks i knew what this was and bought it lol. That is not the case. I admit, i shouldnt have been so hasty, and should have googled it. But, i really should have been informed by the seller i think.

With that out of the way. Thank you all for the detailed info, and your kind opinions :-D it is afterall the reason i come here to ask questions.

Im will try and trade this T until i get more experience. I really didnt try and find a very dangerous specie when i went lol.

Thanks everyone