??'s about my tarantula....(Eyelashviper?)

[RPlank]

I was given a Pterinochilus murinus (Usumbara Starburst Baboon Tarantula) in May by a guy I traded snakes with. It was a spiderling then, and has grown quite a bit since then. Caresheets I have found on the net aren't very consistent about water requirements. Some say to mist, others say to provide a shallow bowl. What's appropriate? I haven't been misting, and it has been molting just fine. I have a shallow lid with water that I have NEVER seen it around. Whatchathink?
Second question is about heat. Do I need supplemental heat? or is room temp (72) ok?

[BallKingdom]

I know nothing about insects....

[RPlank]

That's for sure! At least I know they aren't insects!

[Jeanne]

Hey Randy,
We have those at work, and I take care of them. As far as a water source, just mist, however, you are right about the molting, you may not need to do it as long as it molts just fine..and maybe provide a tiny dish put sponge in it to soak up the water most of the way, keep the sponge damp all the time..occassionally they will go to it, but they seem to be shy, so I have only caught one drinking by accident. As far as your heat- you are fine with room temp. unless it gets below 68... then provide a low heat under the tank.. they seem to get sluggish at around 68. And it may stop eating. But I really dont think temp is a major factor or neccessity. I was looking at a book on them at work, and all it said was to keep it from getting below 68 or it may get sluggish... other than that, it dont say much else. I too got to looking online about caring for these, and the sources are rather lacking and sketchy, bordering on non-existant. The sad thing about the lack of info is, it makes it hard to care for them properly so to speak. Well, hope this helped. I know it is not much, but let me know if you need anymore help, I do have someone I can contact for more info if need be..and I may be able to get you a phone number of a breeder for you to contact for better info than I was able to provide. It may be a long distance call, but may be worth your time.
Jeanne

[Hoomi]

Well, you're already doing better than I could. Being arachnaphobic, I doubt I'd manage to agree to even keep one.

Most of the time, I can keep my phobia under control, so I can walk through a store where tarantulas and scorpions are displayed without any problem. However, I think it would take a long time and a lot of work for me to reach the point where I could reach into a tarantula's enclosure and do any clean up or refill his water dish.

Phobias may not be rational, but they are real.

One shop that I know of that regularly carries these creatures is Tribal Reptiles in Redlands, California. They have a web site, though whether they would be happy to answer any e-mailed questions or not, I cannot say.