Orange Baboon Tarantula, OBT (Pterinochilus murinus) Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Pterinochilus murinus

Common Name: Orange baboon tarantula, OBT, Mombasa golden starburst tarantula, Usambara baboon, Orange bitey thing, Pterror

Type: Terrestrial / Semi-arboreal

Category: Old World

Endemic Location: Angola, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Body length: 2.25” (6cm)

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 6”(15cm)

Urticating Hairs: No

Growth Rate: Fast

Life Expectancy: Females 14 years / Males 4 years

Recommended Experience Level: Advanced

Pterinochilus murinus or more commonly known as the OBT, Orange Baboon Tarantula, Mombasa golden starburst or Orange Bitey Thing is an Old World Terrestrial Tarantula that has been known to show semi-arboreal tendencies. This T is famous for its bright orange color and notoriously grumpy attitude. The OBT comes from the central and southern areas of Africa and is known to be found in Angola, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe just to name a few countries. Females of this species can live up to 15 years and grow to almost 6in in size. Males usually only live about 4 years and are smaller in size. This T is known to be very defensive and quick to show a threat posture and even slap the ground if it is disturbed. It is important to mention that most prefer to flee before actually biting and this species is extremely fast, especially when young. They are known  to teleport, or move so fast your eyes can barely even keep up with their movement. This is not a species that you should try to attempt to handle as their venom is medically significant and can be extremely painful, though no real in depth scientific research has been done yet on the effects of their venom on the human body. Being an old world tarantula, this species does not have urticating hairs and relies mainly on its powerful venom for defense. 

 The husbandry for this species is very simple though you should always be alert when rehousing and have a catch cup handy. They are a hardy and easy to care for tarantula. I keep these tarantulas, like most of my T’s, at room temperature (between 68-74degrees), if you’re comfortable they are comfortable. As spiderlings, I keep my OBT’s in a small dram vile with plenty of substrate for them to burrow into. As they grow larger I move them into acrylic enclosures with a least 2 in of substrate and 3x their leg span in width and height. As they approach the juvenile stage, I move them into an enclosure that is at least 3x their leg span..usually a little more...with plenty of height so they can begin webbing up their enclosure as they really begin to show their semi arboreal tendencies at this stage. And for adults, I keep mine in a 12x12x12 enclosure set up similar to a GBB enclosure. I provide a hide, about 3 in of substrate, and plenty of plants or decorations for the T to use as anchor points for its webs. I keep the substrate dry but I am sure to always keep the water dish full so it has water available should it ever need a drink.

As far as feeding,  I feed my spiderling under .5” flightless fruit flies, confused flour beetles or cricket legs twice a week. I feed my spiderling over .5” prefilled small crickets or roaches twice a week until the refuse food during pre-molt.  As they grow over an inch I provide a small cricket or roach no larger than its abdomen at least twice a week. Once they're juveniles I will feed them 3 or 4 medium crickets at least once a week. And as adults I usually feed 3-5 large crickets, sometimes a few more, at least once every couple of weeks depending on the size of the abdomen. This species is a voracious eater and it is amazing to watch it take down prey. The only time mine refuse a meal is when in pre-molt.

  The obt will make some beautiful web tunnels and is a fascinating specimen to observe. I would not recommend this species to beginners and would suggest new keepers get their experience from faster new world terrestrials before taking on an OBT. And when you decide to get an OBT, i would suggest starting with a spiderling so that your experience will grow with the tarantulas size and you will be accustomed to its behavior by the time it is full grown. As with all tarantulas, their attitude or personality can be different from one to the next, and even from one molt to the next. So far, my adult female is much more relaxed than others OBT’s I have seen. My girl prefers to dive into the safety of her burrow and webs tunnels before ever showing a threat pose. She has yet to get so defensive that she slaps the ground or flips over in a threat pose. It may be because she has such an extensive series of web tunnels and places to hide she doesn’t feel she needs to threaten me, or it could just be a more relaxed personality. But I am always cautious and mindful when dealing with her because I know that her personality could change at any time and I do not want to risk her escaping or trying to bite me.