The scientific name of the King Baboon tarantula is Pelinobius muticus. This spider is from the Pelinobius species. These tarantulas have beautiful brown colors, including light brown, orange or rusty, and dark brown colors. Like all other baboon spiders, they have a sizeable back leg and large black shiny fangs.
These tarantulas have enormous bodies, and when an adult can have a 6 to 9 inches leg span. These spiders are suitable for experts, as they are very aggressive species. They are very violent, that’s why sometimes it is also complicated for experts to keep them as pets. The beginners cannot handle them. These spiders feel happy and comfortable staying in their burrows, so they have not displayed kinds. They hide for an extended period.
| Scientific Name | Pelinobius muticus (Citharischius crawshayi) |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Genus | Citharischius |
| Order | Araneae |
| Species | Crawshayi |
| Family | Theraphosidae |
| Status | Not on IUCN Red list |
These are famous tarantulas but, it should not be kept by a beginner. They have not displayed kinds because they tend to stay for an extended period in their burrows (sometimes even months). They are nocturnal because they hide out most of the day, and they get pretty active at night. At night they come out to look for prey and begin to dig. They are constantly forming new burrows throughout the substrate.
The King Baboon Tarantula Personality
These king baboon tarantulas are violent, and they can quickly become self-protective whenever they feel a minor disturbance. They make a hissing noise when they are ready to attack. These spiders start rubbing the hair on their front legs. They are difficult to handle due to aggressive behavior and nervousness. Some helping tools should be used when feeding.
Distribution
The Pelinobius muticus was first found in Kenya in 1899. This tarantula is native to East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania). Uganda is also a residential place for them.
Life span
The female king baboon tarantula lives longer life, up to 20 to 25 years. But the male tarantula lives shorter life, up to 10 to 15 years.
Habitat of King Baboon
The Pelinobius muticus is a burrowing species, and they feel comfortable to live underground areas. Their burrows are made of rock piles or sometimes the bases of trees. Their natural habitat includes grassland, dry scrublands, and the roots of Acadia bushes.
The size of the ideal enclosure should be a 15 to 20-gallon terrarium with a protected lid. The section has a deep base with a heap of compacted sand and peat moss or potting soil. These tarantulas need warm temperatures so that the deep base helps them to dig properly and maintain burrow. As decoration of enclosure, you can add logs or cork bark. You should provide a water dish. The level of temperature in the terrarium should be 75 to 90 Fahrenheit.
Cleaning and maintenance of enclosure
It is essential to keep the habitat neat and clean. For this purpose, remove the uneaten foodstuff from the enclosure the day after feeding your tarantula. The rotting natural matter commonly attracts fungus, mites, mold, and other dangerous organisms. You should remove uneaten prey from the enclosure if your tarantula recently molted. It will take time for their exoskeletons to become hardened.
Handling
This species of king Baboon is not easy to handle because of aggressive behavior. These tarantulas become defensive if they feel danger around them. They will quickly attack and bite if the threat continues. The bite of this king baboon spider is medically described. We suggest using a brush or other tools to feed and move them from one substrate to another. The cleaning and maintenance are also hazardous in the presence of this spider in the enclosure.
The King Baboon Spider Food
The Pelinobius Muticus Tarantula is a parade species; they attack live prey and eat them. These tarantulas eat insects, crickets, beetles, pinkie mice, and fuzzy mice. When you bring them as a pet, ensure that you never give them anything more significant than the size of their body. The spiderlings eat the same stuff, but they need food for 4 to 7 days, while adults need food for 7 to 10 days. After its molt, never give them food more petite than a week.
The king baboon tarantulas are very aggressive spiders, so the expert keepers suggested providing them a varied diet that includes adult crickets, grasshoppers, Tenebrio larvae the variety in food keeps them healthy and active.
Reproduction of King Baboon Tarantula
The mature males are very hairy and smaller in size than females. The females are enormously aggressive to any males if they come close to their burrow. When the male has produced the sperm, he should be carefully introduced into the female’s enclosure.
If the female is not interested in mating, she poses to be aggressive towards a male. She will quickly eat male so, and you should protect the male tarantula with a piece of cardboard or other tool and take it out of the tank.
After matting, provide the variety of prey to females on a regular schedule. After eight weeks, the egg sac will be ready, a female will lean to be a superior parent, and the process continues without difficulties. The egg sac takes eight weeks of the month for production. The sac of most baboon spiders is hung in a web and will keep warm for five to eight weeks.
The babies molt and will extend throughout the inclusion. The tiny baboon spiders can easily keep in plastic jars with a deep base of compacted sand and peat moss or potting soil. It would be best to place a piece of leaf on top of the enclosure to add some humidity. The sound and healthy food help spiderlings to proliferate.
Molting of King Baboon Tarantula
Sometimes your pet king Baboon tarantula reveals unusual behavior which is due to a molting period. When these baboon spiders outgrow their existing skin, they regularly go through a broad molt. They shed their whole skin and the inside layers of their mouth, stomach, sexual organs, and respiratory organs of their body during molting.
These baboon spiders start growing a new skin under their old skin within several weeks. The priority is to shed the old exoskeleton. During this period, the tarantula feels lazy and quite stressed and sometimes stops eating. When the process of molting begins, they may also start spinning webs.
During the molting period, these tarantulas situate on their backs with their legs up. Then, they look like dead bodies. Please ensure that you don’t try to bother your tarantula when you see this period. If the environment contains proper humidity, the molting process goes quickly and smoothly.
After shedding the old skin, their new skin is pastel and very soft like silk. Your tarantula may take several weeks to recover, and starts eating again. The recovery period depends upon the size of the tarantula. The more enormous spiders take much time than smaller ones.
Are King Baboon Tarantulas Poisonous?
The venom of King Baboon is not deadly for humans. They have very few urticating hairs on their bodies. They could give a painful bite if provoked.
Interesting Facts
- This is one of the largest African species. The females can get up to an 8 inches leg span.
- These tarantulas don’t need the luxuries enclosure; they just like a container full of deep dirt and silence.
- They don’t need extra care; these tarantulas are pretty simple to handle. But they have aggressive nature, so; we do not suggest them for beginners.
- Some species of tarantulas make an audible buzzing noise to give signals for back off.
Diseases and Treatments
Tarantulas usually are pretty flexible and enduring. An excellent and reliable environment is necessary to keep them as pets. If your tarantula loses appetite, feels tiredness, paces the enclosure, or looks overly skinny, it may indicate that your pet is not feeling normal. If the tarantula is on its back, it doesn’t mean that it is sick.
Most species of tarantulas turn over onto their backs during the period of molting. This period is problematic and stressful for your pet tarantula. If the humidity and heat levels are accurate, these tarantulas will molt their exoskeleton and harden up the skin. They will be ready for the next meal within a week or two.
Availability
King Baboon spiderlings are only periodically available in different regions. The confined breeding of this astonishing species is challenging as they are aggressive spiders. Most spiderlings have been manufactured from egg sacs taken from females. Many dealers of tarantulas offer these spiderlings. The growth rate of spiderlings is relatively slow.
Other Problems
Some other problems of these king baboons may be the result of environmental changes and stress. These problems may include the fall in the temperature of the enclosure, the increase in parasites. Sometimes these tarantulas feel disturbance due to the depth of their hiding place. To solve these problems, you should change the enclosure of your pet. To Know the more information about tarantulas visit here.
