The Orange Baboon Tarantula is an Old-World species of tarantula that is native to parts of Africa. It is a beautiful looking tarantula but is renowned for its aggressive nature.
This species is often referred to as the OBT Tarantula or the Mombasa Golden Starburst Tarantula. It is even sometimes called the Orange Bitey Thing or Pterror which gives you an idea of their personality.
Orange Baboon Tarantula Taxonomy
The Orange Baboon Tarantula belongs to the Family Theraphosidae. This essentially means that the spider is a tarantula and over 1,000 different spiders have been identified as part of the family Theraphosidae.
Theraphosidae belongs to the infraorder Mygalomorphae. While many of the other species in this infraorder are often referred to as tarantulas or ‘false tarantulas’, the species in the family Theraphosidae are considered the ‘true’ tarantulas.
Tarantulas can be found throughout the American Continent (excluding Canada), Africa, parts of Mediterranean Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.
The genus that the Orange Baboon Tarantula belongs to is called Pterinochilus. This is a genus containing 10 species of Baboon tarantulas, at the time of writing.
Some of the other tarantulas in the genus include the Kilimanjaro Mustard Baboon Spider and the Grey Starburst Baboon Tarantula.
Orange Baboon Tarantula Description
The Orange Baboon Tarantula can obtain a leg span of 4-6 inches with females growing larger than males. They have a relatively uniform coloration on their abdomen, carapace and legs.
However, they typically have banding in their legs around the joints while their carapace has a star shaped pattern. The abdomen of the tarantula has a fishbone pattern to it.
The body of the tarantula is covered in short hairs while the hairs on their legs are noticeably longer. As this is an Old-World species, they are not able to flick their hairs.
There are currently 5 recognised color forms of the Orange Baboon Tarantula which are locale specific. These color forms are believed to be adaptations associated with the type of soil found in each region.
The various color forms are the Typical Color Form, the Brown Color Form, the Dark Color Form, the Orange Color Form and the Red Color Form.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Orange Baboon Tarantula can be found throughout much of South-Eastern Africa. They have a large distribution with a number of different color forms identified in different regions.
They can be found in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Botswana. They have also been found on the island of Zanzibar of the coast of Tanzania.
The Typical Color Form (TCF) can be found in Kenya and Mozambique.
The Brown Color Form (BCF) can be found in the province of Tete in Mozambique.
The Dark Color Form (DCF) can be found in Botswana and Kenya.
Both the Orange Color Form (OCF) and the Red Color Form (RCF) can be found in the Usambara Mountains Region in North-Eastern Tanzania.
They share part of their range with species such as the Mozambique Spitting Cobra, the White Throat Monitor and the Pygmy Chameleon.
Orange Baboon Tarantula as Pets
In terms of care requirements, the Orange Baboon Tarantula is a relatively easy species to take care of as they don’t require any specialised equipment and their husbandry is relatively straight forward.
This species is highly adaptable and will thrive as long as their basic requirements are met. This is evident in their wide geographical range in the wild.
Despite their relatively straight forward care requirements, this tarantula is not a beginner species and should be left to people with previous experience keeping tarantulas.
This species is very defensive and will bite without hesitation if provoked. They were dubbed the ‘Orange Bitey Thing’ for a reason. They are extremely quick and will pounce at anything they feel is a threat.
According to reports, the Orange Baboon Tarantula has more potent venom than many tarantula species that are kept in captivity which is another reason these spiders are best left to those with a lot of experience.
A bite from one of these tarantulas can result in intense localised pain and swelling around the area of the bite. People also experience severe muscle cramps.
Orange Baboon Tarantula Feeding
A small spiderling Orange Baboon Tarantula can be fed flightless fruit flies or pinhead crickets’ trice a week. As the spider grows, you will want to increase the size of the prey.
If you cannot source food small enough for your tarantula, you can substitute with pre-killed larger prey such as small crickets or roaches.
It is important to remove uneaten food within 24 hours if it is not eaten. This goes for both pre-killed and live food left in the enclosure. Decaying food in particular is a breeding ground for bacteria.
A juvenile Orange Baboon Tarantula can be fed 3-4 crickets every 5-7 days. The size of the crickets should be no larger than the size of the spider’s abdomen.
An adult tarantula can be fed 4-5 large crickets every two weeks or so. Again, the size of the meal should be no larger than the spider’s abdomen.
You can supplement your spiders’ diet with other insects to give them a varied diet. Prey you can offer then include Roaches, Locusts, Mealworms and Super worms.
The Orange Baboon Tarantula is known to be a ferocious feeder so be careful not to overfeed them. Typically, they only refuse to eat when in pre-molt.
After a molt, you should give them a couple of days for their shell to harden before offering food. Larger spiders take longer for their shells to harden so wait at least a week for adults.
Orange Baboon Tarantula Enclosure
A spiderling Orange Baboon Tarantula can be kept in a small deli cup sized plastic container with a secure lid. This will need to have ventilation holes to maintain air quality but make sure they are not large enough for the spider to escape through.
The container should bd filled half way with substrate to allow the tarantula to burrow. As the spider grows, you will need to increase the size of their enclosure.
You should aim to provide your Orange Baboon Tarantula with an enclosure that is roughly 3 times their leg span. To accommodate this, you will need to rehome them two or three times as they grow.
An adult tarantula with a leg span of around 4-5 inches can be comfortably housed in an enclosure measuring 12″x12″x12″. If you have a larger spider, you may want to house them in an enclosure measuring 18″x18″x18″.
These spiders like to web up their enclosure so you should provide them with some cage furnishings to anchor their webs off. Cork bark works great for this and it will also double up as a hide to help them feel secure.
Temperature
You can keep your Orange Baboon Tarantula at room temperature. If the temperature is comfortable for you, it will be comfortable for them. This adds to their ease of care as you don’t need any special heating equipment.
However, if you live in a cold climate, you may want to add some supplemental heat during the winter months. You typically want to keep them between a temperature range of 68F-75F.
If you need to add heat to your enclosure, an under-tank heat mat is your best option. This should be connected to a good quality thermostat to ensure the cage doesn’t get too hot.
You don’t need to provide your tarantula with any special kind of lighting such as UVB. An adequate day/night cycle is all they need.
Orange Baboon Tarantula Handling
The Orange Baboon Tarantula is not a species that should be handled. This spider is renowned for its aggressive behaviour and willingness to bite. It was given the name ‘Orange Bitey Thing’ for a reason.
These spiders are even known to pounce at the enclosure wall if someone walks too close to it. They are lightning quick and will often attack without warning.
Every tarantula has its own personality and some individual specimens may be more docile than others. That being said, temperament can change at any time so it is best not to handle these spiders, even if one seems relaxed.
A bite from one of these tarantulas can result in intense localised pain and swelling around the area of the bite. People also experience severe muscle cramps.
