Free OBT. Should I take it?

[Wire Man]

So, one of my friends offered me a free OBT, enclosure included. This will be my first tarantula...... I know exactly what they're capable of doing and how they behave, and plan on never touching it if I do take it.

Is this a good idea? I really like these spiders, but the venom sounds painful.

 

[Heli]

OBT was my second T and I never got used to how fast it was. Would seriously do laps around its tank in the blink of an eye.

 

[Wire Man]

I've seen videos of their speed, it's insane. Hopefully I can convince my parents that this is a good idea.

 

[Tony C]

I'm not a spider guy, but if I was I definitely wouldn't start with an Orange Bitey Thing. I've heard too many stories from my buddy who is into Ts.

 

[mass]

They're not too bad. Cool pets.. and OBT's are super easy to breed.
Just keep your hands clear and you're all good.
If you're up to a low maintenance pet, then have at it.
OBT's are semi-arboreal. Some like to burrow in the dirt. Some like to climb and wander.. some do both.
Make sure it has some sort of hide that is half burried in the media. And give it a few things to climb on. A couple crickets once a week - every other week. And you'll have a happy tarantula for life.
As far as life goes. If it's male.. a couple years max. If it's female, anywhere from 10 -20 years.
They're also semi-communal. So they can live together for more than short periods of time.
Gravy.

Some pics of mine over the years.

Breeding:

Female eating the male, which happens more times than not.:

Female eating male #2 after successful knocken uppen.

Female with a suspended hammock eggsac. Very cool, very rare.

Angry female while I was removing the eggsac. After she was done incubating of course..

Oh the suspense of an unopened eggsac:

BABIES!!

Growing kids. Seperated for their safety. They tend to cannibalize quite a bit at this age.

I'll stop now before I get carried away. The pics of the communal OBT tank I did are pretty cool though..

 

[Rocketcaver]

Great pix, I would like to see the rest.

 

[mato]

Travis, that's pretty awesome. How much do those things tend to go for?

 

[mass]

About $1 as slings (spiderlings), or $5 as adults.
But count out the vials, and keep in mind an eggsac is ALL profit.
Females can produce 2 sacs a year. So with a collection of over 2000 tarantulas always breeding.. the money was pretty good.

 

[NewspaperFort]

im a fan of obts. of course, a good first tarantula is always one thats slow and handleable ( g. rosea) but an obt is rather undemanding so...


mass you had /have how many tarantulas?

 

[mass]

mass you had /have how many tarantulas?

I used to have no less than 2000 tarantulas at any given time. All different species.. You name it, I bred it. But those days are long behind me.
OBT was actually my 3rd tarantula ever. Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) was my first.

Here's half of the old tarantula room. The other half was wall to wall shelves full of spiderling vials.

 

[Wire Man]

Those pictures are convincing me to get her..... She had some awesome colors!

 

[Wire Man]

I'll be picking her up in a few weeks! If you guys don't hear from me for a few days, you know what happened.

 

[lance]

Good luck!! Wow mass, those pics are very convincing! Do the terrariums have to be 20-40 gallons or can they be simple 1' X 1' X 1' plexi boxes? I have a few of those with mesh tops that I'd love to put to use. What do you feed them? Does the food cost a lot or is it obtainable by the truckload so to speak?

 

[Wire Man]

I'll need it... I've already decided to name it Cupcake!
They only need a 5 gallon terrarium from what I've read. Crickets and dubia roaches are pretty easy to find and cheap.

 

[Wire Man]

Okay, not getting the OBT anymore. It was a male and matured really fast, so I'm getting a Lasiodora parahybana instead! I'm actually more excited for this one.

 

[Oregon VFT]

Very pretty!

 

[mass]

Good luck!! Wow mass, those pics are very convincing! Do the terrariums have to be 20-40 gallons or can they be simple 1' X 1' X 1' plexi boxes? I have a few of those with mesh tops that I'd love to put to use. What do you feed them? Does the food cost a lot or is it obtainable by the truckload so to speak?

a 20gal. can work for any kind or size of tarantula.
The females don't really move around too much. Just the area immediately surrounding her burrow/hide.
Males constantly wander looking to mate. It's all they live for. Mate when mature, die shortly (or immediately) after.
So males are kept in small containers. Restricting their energy use. That way when they meet the female, they have energy to burn. *giggity*

Tarantulas are fed crickets and/or roaches.
Cheap, readily available at any petshop.
Don't use wild caught food. You never know what kind of chemicals they carry.

Okay, not getting the OBT anymore. It was a male and matured really fast, so I'm getting a Lasiodora parahybana instead! I'm actually more excited for this one.

ah... good ol' parahybana (Brazilian Salmon). They actually rival the Goliath for largest tarantula on Earth.
Females can easily reach 10"-11"+.
Be prepared for an aggressive, always hungry, readily flicking BEAST!! And watch your fingers, they are fast fast FAST! Teleporters..

 

[mylesG]

mass, have you ever fed a mouse or rat to a larger spider like that??

 

[Kinjie]

I am not at all a spider fan but that is very impressive mass!

 

[Wire Man]

That's why I'm so excited for this one, the size! Wait, I thought these would be slow just because they're so large! Guess I need to start work on that chainmaille glove sooner than expected, just incase it gets over ambitious. Lucky I know some people who work with raptors, so I might be able to get a falconer's glove.

I actually like display pets. Nothing beats having a nicely setup terrarium with an awe inspiring animal living in it. Luckily this is a bold species that stays out in the open, so it should make an incredible display. I'm planning on a few low light plants and maybe some miniature orchids, with a terraced substrate to make the hide look like a hillside home. I'm also preparing myself for the food needs of this living black hole.

And two questions for you, Travis. What size enclosure will I need, and how often should I feed it pinkies or fuzzies, if ever? I'm planning on a staple of large crickets and roaches.