Tarantulas of the World

The Skeleton Tarantula is a tarantula indigenous to Brazil and other parts of South America. This new world species is loved due to its dark brown abdomen, light brown carapace and skeleton like markings on its black legs. In adult size they grow anywhere between 4 to 6 inches in length.  They live to be on average anywhere from 4 to 8 years with females outliving the males.

Habitat:

The Skeleton Tarantula is a terrestrial burrowers. For a full grown tarantula you will want a 10 to 15 gallon enclosure with at least 6 to 8 inches of substrate. They tend to burrow deep. Make sure your substrate is damp to give your tarantula plenty of humidity. The substrate itself should be a mix of eco-earth (or whatever other coconut fiber you prefer) and vermiculite. A hide can also be added to the enclosure in the event that your tarantula feels like being above ground. A shallow water dish with fresh water should also always be available. A temperature of about 78 to 82 degrees should be fine with a humidity level of about 75 percent.

Feeding:

As spiderlings (slings) you can feed them fruit flies, as they get older you can switch to small pinhead crickets to then large crickets to eventually even large cockroaches and locusts. They are good eaters but as always if you see the prey being untouched after 24 hours remove it form the enclosure.

Attitude:

For a new world species they tend to be quite aggressive. If approached they will easily assume a threat/defensive position. In addition they do come with urticating hairs which uniquely are on its palps and in worst cases can bite. Their venom though not lethal to humans can cause pain and swelling in addition to muscle cramps. It is for those reasons that we not recommend you to handle these animals.

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The Orange Baboon Tarantula also known as the “Orange Bitey Thing” is a species of tarantula from Eastern Africa.  They can grow up to 6 inches in size. Males usually live to be around 6 to 8 years while females live easily between 8 to 12 years. They are nocturnal and you will see him actively during the night. The OBT is a species best handled by expert hobbyists due to its speed and aggression. They are highly favorited in any big collection due to their temperament and robust orange colors.

Habitat:

For the Orange Baboon Tarantula it is recommended you have a terrarium between 5 to 10 gallons to make sure you give it enough space to move. In addition your substrate should also be damp to the touch. Make sure you are giving your tarantula at least 5 to 6 inches of substrate. The p.murinus is a well known burrower and will burrow itself its own hide. In addition they will end up laying a lot of silk threads around and inside their burrows to feel vibrations of anything coming nearby. You can add an additional hide in your enclosure but most of the time it will be unused by your OBT. Make sure it also has enough water and a full water dish should always be readily available for it. Misting the enclosure once a week is also recommended. As for temperature, you are going to want to keep your enclosure nice and warm between 77 to 87 degrees during the day and around 70 degrees at night. Make sure your tank also has a humidity level of about 60 percent.

Feeding:

A steady diet of large crickets and B.dubia cockroaches should be fine for this species. On occasion you can also throw in pinky mice (pinks) to switch it up. As with most Orange Baboon Tarantulas feeding is not a problem at all.

Attitude:

The Orange Baboon Tarantula is known for having a bad attitude. When threatened most adults actually stand their ground while threatening an intruder by rearing up its back legs, striking the ground while hissing. They are extremely fast and if they feel like there is no escape from threat they will waste no time striking and biting. Their bite is considered one of the worst out of all tarantula species. Their venom though not lethal to humans can still inflict quite a bit of pain with most bite cases reported include muscle cramps extreme pain and heavy swelling.

We recommend the Orange Baboon Tarantula to never be handled even by the most expert of hobbyists. It is more of a tarantula to admire from the other site of the glass enclosure. Should you need to handle in the event of rehousing or maintenance of its enclosure please do so carefully. It has no urticating hairs so you might not even get a warning before a bite. We certainly do not recommend this tarantula for the novice tarantula owner but we certainly admire it as a must have species for the skilled connoisseur.

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