hmmm

[Down with OBT]

been a long time, but just got back in the hobby.
last weekend I picked up
B. albopilosum
P. fasciata
and
P. murinus RCF

So I guess I'm a hobbyist err I mean addicted again.

 

[Jesusplants]

Hello welcome back to the addiction, nice reentry Ts! Love OBTs

 

[Enn49]

Welcome back. I agree, that's a great choice of Ts to start with.

 

[Therasoid]

Hello and welcome back to the hobby! [emoji106]

 

[jsolis770]

When buying a spider i was told not to get the "OBT" because of the speed and could crawl out of its deli cup...oh well. Ended up buying a pinkish colored gporteri/rosie

 

[Down with OBT]

how does one explain fast to someone who hasn't seen the "fast" ones before? They are faster than you can imagine, but not faster than your brain can react. Kind of like a hunter you'll have to give them a "lead" to recapture if they escaped, or wait till they stop running.

 

[Chubbs]

When buying a spider i was told not to get the "OBT" because of the speed and could crawl out of its deli cup...oh well. Ended up buying a pinkish colored gporteri/rosie

And well.... the venom . Just Google OBT bites and you'll find why they're an advanced level tarantula.

 

[jsolis770]

And well.... the venom . Just Google OBT bites and you'll find why they're an advanced level tarantula.

Oh...that is bad. And this tarantula is aggressive and jumps... This blogspot here

http://tarantulasandothers.blogspot.com/2009/09/bitten-by-orange-baboon-tarantula.html

Story is he tries to photograph the spider...but wants threat poses. And from there becomes a bad day.

 

[Chubbs]

Yup we have noobs all the time saying how much they want one. Its the combination of the bright orange coloration and the attitude that makes them appealing to most of these people. They start off with a sling, and before they know it, they find themselves in over their heads. Especially during rehouses.

 

[PamCz]

Yup we have noobs all the time saying how much they want one. Its the combination of the bright orange coloration and the attitude that makes them appealing to most of these people. They start off with a sling, and before they know it, they find themselves in over their heads. Especially during rehouses.

lol....yup. I've seen this already in my short few months in the hobby. I do want to say, tho....I am a newbie with some crazy, teleporting, old world specimens. I agree that a complete noob should never have OBTs...or Lampropelmas...or others I can think of. And by complete noob, I mean a "no knowledge of OW T's, but it looked cool, so I bought it" type person.

However, I believe in an exception to the "noobs shouldn't own OW T's" rule. I wonder what some of the longer term T keepers would say about this... (hmmm, indeed)

I've watched a TON of feeding, unpacking, rehousing & general T behavior videos. Literally, I've seen 100's of them from dozens of different people. (And, of course, read the T Keeper's Guide & web stuff.) Even though I am experientially a noob, I really do think I know what to expect from these OW's. Not saying I've even seen it all...lol....but I have dealt with all my specimens well, so far, and I don't panic when things get a bit hairy. I know how to handle the situation. There's something to be said for doing your research & watching it a bajillion )) times....and then using that gleened experience to do it yourself. I am really careful and I don't handle even my most docile specimens, meaning I take no chances. I think I will grow in experience, and some day it will match my book/video knowledge.

 

[Chubbs]

lol....yup. I've seen this already in my short few months in the hobby. I do want to say, tho....I am a complete newbie with some crazy, teleporting, old world specimens. I agree that a complete noob should never have OBTs...or Lampropelmas...or others I can think of. And by complete noob, I mean a "no knowledge of OW T's, but it looked cool, so I bought it" type person.

However, I believe in an exception to the "noobs shouldn't own OW T's" rule. I wonder what some of the longer term T keepers would say about this... (hmmm, indeed)

I've watched a TON of feeding, unpacking, rehousing & general T behavior videos. Literally, I've seen 100's of them from dozens of different people. (And, of course, read the T Keeper's Guide & web stuff.) Even though I am experientially a noob, I really do think I know what to expect from these OW's. Not saying I've even seen it all...lol....but I have dealt with all my specimens well, so far, and I don't panic when things get a bit hairy. I know how to handle the situation. There's something to be said for doing your research & watching it a bajillion D) times....and then using that gleened experience to do it yourself. I am really careful and I don't handle even my most docile specimens, meaning I take no chances. I think I will grow in experience, and some day it will match my book/video knowledge.

Watching a video and doing online research is WAY different than actually working with a fast-moving/ defensive tarantula. It simply cannot prepare you for the real thing. The best thing to do is to work your way up. I always recommend Avics and then Psalmos before Pokies for those wanting to get into OW species. Even with terrestrials, getting something that is quick and has a nervous temperament (such as a GBB), but is not overly defensive and does not have medically significant venom, will help prepare you. Ephebopus are a great intermediate genus. Fast and can be defensive, but without the strong venom of OWs.

 

[Down with OBT]

here's the steps (some can be skipped)
brachy/grammostola etc.
avic (gets you used to speed in short bursts)
Psalmopoeus/Tapinauchenius (will keep you honest)
then you move to OW. Pick one that prefers to stay and fight. (if its in one spot its relatively safe) Eucratoscelus comes to mind.
after that you know bitey and flighty.
then its how able are you with tongs, tweezers, skewers, deli cups etc.

if you don't have a good reaction time I would not recommend a Haplopelma ever.

OBT tends to stay and fight, but when they bolt they are a nuisance.

Pokies IME are runners first

hope that helps

My lesson on speed was a funny one. I was rehoming a P. cambridgei with my shirt off (no idea why I thought that was a good idea) Anyway before I knew it this thing was up my arm over the other shoulder and proceeded doing laps through my armpits. Now I'm a ticklish sort and I have never been tickled so bad in my entire life. Trying not to bring my elbows in to stop the tickles was hard enough. It finally came to rest in the dead centre of my back. Good thing I wasn't working alone.

 

[PamCz]

@Chubbs Yeah, gotta say...my Ephebopus uataman is actually scarier to me than my OBT. It likes to escape when the lid opens, and it bit my tongs. My OBT seems like a bunny by comparison. We'll see how long that lasts... (My L. violaceopes is, hands down, the scariest I have.)

I agree with what you wrote for the most part -- because most noob's don't do the research necessary to be successful at anything other than a G. rosea! I am still amazed at the basic T keeping questions that get asked from people who ALREADY OWN ONE. Crazy.

I do believe it is possible to learn T keeping from the Internet, just like you can learn how to install a kitchen backsplash, or perform minor surgery on a chicken. Doesn't mean mistakes won't be made, nor that you won't learn anything from experiences, but I think it is possible to learn it & do it safely. You just really need to recognize whether you are the type of person who can learn from watching others' mistakes. Appropriate respect for these animal's ability to put the hurt on you helps, too. But, at the end of the day, even experienced T keepers get bitten. It all comes down to learning your specific individuals, and not being complacent with safety measures, IMO. *shrug* When I have more experience, maybe I'll think differently! LOL!

 

[PamCz]

here's the steps (some can be skipped)
brachy/grammostola etc.
avic (gets you used to speed in short bursts)
Psalmopoeus/Tapinauchenius (will keep you honest)
then you move to OW. Pick one that prefers to stay and fight. (if its in one spot its relatively safe) Eucratoscelus comes to mind.
after that you know bitey and flighty.
then its how able are you with tongs, tweezers, skewers, deli cups etc.

if you don't have a good reaction time I would not recommend a Haplopelma ever.

OBT tends to stay and fight, but when they bolt they are a nuisance.

Pokies IME are runners first

hope that helps

My lesson on speed was a funny one. I was rehoming a P. cambridgei with my shirt off (no idea why I thought that was a good idea) Anyway before I knew it this thing was up my arm over the other shoulder and proceeded doing laps through my armpits. Now I'm a ticklish sort and I have never been tickled so bad in my entire life. Trying not to bring my elbows in to stop the tickles was hard enough. It finally came to rest in the dead centre of my back. Good thing I wasn't working alone.

Yes, a good T-ownership progression list there! Another genus I won't have...Haplopelma. Don't want an S. calceatum or an H. mac either.

Your lesson in speedy T's is hysterical!! Thankfully my lesson was just a T running laps around my bathroom, escaping and evading like a combat troop behind enemy lines.

Glad your lesson turned out well...haha....I would pay good money to see a video of that!

 

[Down with OBT]

my H.mac was a pushover probably an anomaly though.

 

[Chubbs]

H.macs actually aren't all that defensive. Granted they're more likely to bite than a pokie, but even they tend to just teleport back into their hides when startled. You've just gotta watch out for their speed. They're a lot more likely to bolt when startled.

S.calcaetum though, they are actually somewhat intimidating, even to me. They'll actually run TOWARDS an attacker rather than away from it.