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Hey guys, for my first post on this forum, I wanted to start a post on an Old World arboreal (semi-terrestrial) Heteroscodra maculata aka Togo Starburst Baboon, Ornamental Baboon, speedius gonzoleous 
. This species is from the Togo area of Africa which can be found on the Western coast of Africa, near the equator, and pretty much on the western hump. Do not mix these up with the Indian Ornamental Baboon which takes higher humidity requirements.
Information on this species is limited. I found more information about this species on forums then in tarantula books and online care sheets. It's one beautiful spider, but these spiders are not for beginners. Before I bought my sling from Swifts, I read about how incredibly fast they were. Once I got the little bugger that was probably about 1/4 of an inch, I saw how incredibly fast this species is, and with this kind of speed, it made me understand why they do not recommend this spider for beginners.
Not only does this species have extreme speeds of a large portion of tarantulas and spiders in general, but they have extremely potent venom causing intense pain and muscle cramping lasting from a day to a couple weeks. At adult size, this spider has big enough fangs to really pack a punch, but do not underestimate the power of a sling. This venom will not kill you, but I would believe it could kill other animals such as cats or dogs, so I would not keep this around other pets if you can avoid it.
Be sure if you get a sling of this species to have an aquarium/enclosure that suits slings. I bought the adult aquarium off Jamie's Tarantulas, and that was a huge mistake. The sling was almost small enough to slip right out of the air holes provided, so I highly recommend checking out the minimum size requirements for your enclosure. Also do not use sliding lids with this species. It moves far too fast for you to be dealing with a big lid in which any chance of escape could lead to a break out. Get one with a door you can open and close as quick as possible. Do not risk getting bit or crushing your spider.
Temperature wise, of what I read online, most people recommend 75 to 85 degrees F. Humidity ranging from as low as 65% to 85%. Seeing as this species comes from Africa, it'd be smarter to keep it on the drier side. Someone recommended to mist your enclosure once a month then let it dry completely. The water in the water dish should help keep the enclosure with the humidity the spider needs, but if it's drying out a lot, it'd mist a little more regularly. Keep in mind that too much moisture or too little can mess with your spiders molting process, so don't just leave the little buggers to fend for themselves. They don't know how to rain dance.
As this species grows older, it turns into an almost strictly arboreal spider other then when it reproduces. This species is supposed to be easier to reproduce and reproduce in large numbers of usually around 120 to 150. When they reproduce the mother will dig a burrow and eventually close off the entrance with web.
This spiders start their life off living on the ground mostly. I've noticed my little sling Zoila hardly shows her face. I honestly thought she got out until I started noticing little burrows in my enclosure. I also noticed some of the crickets disappearing with no traces of their body. When they are in a burrow, they pop out a little the snatch the cricket at lightning speeds and take it to their cricket dungeon. I would start these guys off in a terrestrial enclosure actually because they spend the vast majority of the first part of their life on the ground until they are ready to be arboreal. Once they start to get bigger, and you notice them chilling on the sides a little more, then move them into an arboreal enclosure. An arboreal enclosure could lead to a fatal fall, so that is another good reason to start with a terrestrial enclosure.
This species is a fast growing doing most of its growing and maturing in the very first year. Some other species can take up to 3 years to really mature, so this species is one you can watch grow before your eyes. It starts off brown as a sling and is almost hard to see against your substrate, but they grow into a beautiful white and black or dark grey patterns. When they become their beautiful white and black cricket stalkers, they have a tendency to stay out in the open a little more. Though being black and white, they blend in with wood well, and they can sit motionless for hours. They don't seem to really like light, so they might run from the site of it. I think this is an survival trait. I think they know their cover is blown when they are exposed to light. This is my theory though.
This is about all the information I can give you guys, so I need some help figuring out the rest. I was hoping other Heteroscodra owners can help me and others find out the best techniques in raising and handling this beautiful species of tarantulas. Any extra information would be greatly appreciated.
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Question for other owners: As a spiderling, how recluse was your spider?
(I haven't seen mine since the day I got her/him. I keep swearing I see some kind of movement, but it's too fast to tell and it happens right as I move the cage to a place where I can actually see what's in there)
Question 2: How am I supposed to catch this bad boy when it comes to rehousing and cleaning? I heard of being able to refrigerate them to slow them down, but I don't know how to do that without hurting my poor little guy. I would really hope to learn of an easier way to do it other then to slow down their heart rate to the point they can barely crawl. Doesn't sound so humane to me, but that's what I get for getting something that's probably better left out in the wild.
. This species is from the Togo area of Africa which can be found on the Western coast of Africa, near the equator, and pretty much on the western hump. Do not mix these up with the Indian Ornamental Baboon which takes higher humidity requirements.Information on this species is limited. I found more information about this species on forums then in tarantula books and online care sheets. It's one beautiful spider, but these spiders are not for beginners. Before I bought my sling from Swifts, I read about how incredibly fast they were. Once I got the little bugger that was probably about 1/4 of an inch, I saw how incredibly fast this species is, and with this kind of speed, it made me understand why they do not recommend this spider for beginners.
Not only does this species have extreme speeds of a large portion of tarantulas and spiders in general, but they have extremely potent venom causing intense pain and muscle cramping lasting from a day to a couple weeks. At adult size, this spider has big enough fangs to really pack a punch, but do not underestimate the power of a sling. This venom will not kill you, but I would believe it could kill other animals such as cats or dogs, so I would not keep this around other pets if you can avoid it.
Be sure if you get a sling of this species to have an aquarium/enclosure that suits slings. I bought the adult aquarium off Jamie's Tarantulas, and that was a huge mistake. The sling was almost small enough to slip right out of the air holes provided, so I highly recommend checking out the minimum size requirements for your enclosure. Also do not use sliding lids with this species. It moves far too fast for you to be dealing with a big lid in which any chance of escape could lead to a break out. Get one with a door you can open and close as quick as possible. Do not risk getting bit or crushing your spider.
Temperature wise, of what I read online, most people recommend 75 to 85 degrees F. Humidity ranging from as low as 65% to 85%. Seeing as this species comes from Africa, it'd be smarter to keep it on the drier side. Someone recommended to mist your enclosure once a month then let it dry completely. The water in the water dish should help keep the enclosure with the humidity the spider needs, but if it's drying out a lot, it'd mist a little more regularly. Keep in mind that too much moisture or too little can mess with your spiders molting process, so don't just leave the little buggers to fend for themselves. They don't know how to rain dance.
As this species grows older, it turns into an almost strictly arboreal spider other then when it reproduces. This species is supposed to be easier to reproduce and reproduce in large numbers of usually around 120 to 150. When they reproduce the mother will dig a burrow and eventually close off the entrance with web.
This spiders start their life off living on the ground mostly. I've noticed my little sling Zoila hardly shows her face. I honestly thought she got out until I started noticing little burrows in my enclosure. I also noticed some of the crickets disappearing with no traces of their body. When they are in a burrow, they pop out a little the snatch the cricket at lightning speeds and take it to their cricket dungeon. I would start these guys off in a terrestrial enclosure actually because they spend the vast majority of the first part of their life on the ground until they are ready to be arboreal. Once they start to get bigger, and you notice them chilling on the sides a little more, then move them into an arboreal enclosure. An arboreal enclosure could lead to a fatal fall, so that is another good reason to start with a terrestrial enclosure.
This species is a fast growing doing most of its growing and maturing in the very first year. Some other species can take up to 3 years to really mature, so this species is one you can watch grow before your eyes. It starts off brown as a sling and is almost hard to see against your substrate, but they grow into a beautiful white and black or dark grey patterns. When they become their beautiful white and black cricket stalkers, they have a tendency to stay out in the open a little more. Though being black and white, they blend in with wood well, and they can sit motionless for hours. They don't seem to really like light, so they might run from the site of it. I think this is an survival trait. I think they know their cover is blown when they are exposed to light. This is my theory though.
This is about all the information I can give you guys, so I need some help figuring out the rest. I was hoping other Heteroscodra owners can help me and others find out the best techniques in raising and handling this beautiful species of tarantulas. Any extra information would be greatly appreciated.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question for other owners: As a spiderling, how recluse was your spider?
(I haven't seen mine since the day I got her/him. I keep swearing I see some kind of movement, but it's too fast to tell and it happens right as I move the cage to a place where I can actually see what's in there)
Question 2: How am I supposed to catch this bad boy when it comes to rehousing and cleaning? I heard of being able to refrigerate them to slow them down, but I don't know how to do that without hurting my poor little guy. I would really hope to learn of an easier way to do it other then to slow down their heart rate to the point they can barely crawl. Doesn't sound so humane to me, but that's what I get for getting something that's probably better left out in the wild.
