Help Choosing a First Poecilotheria

[Tortoise Tom]

I've been reading old threads here and the other site for weeks now. I've watched hours and hours of youtube vids and I've narrowed it down to three species. As usual, I would like to ask the advice of those more experienced than me. My choice of these three is fairly arbitrary, so I could also be easily convinced to try a different species first.

@Arachnoclown showed a gorgeous Poecilotheria in one of his recent videos and I had to ask him what it was. He told me it was a P. ornata. I watched the video about five times and showed my daughter too. Wow. The way it moved out of its cork hollow was magical. The size was surprising. That sparked more research and I don't think I realized how big some of the Poecilotheria could get. I like big spiders. I like big pretty spiders even more. I'm also really enjoying my other new arboreals, so this seems like a good progression for me.

In trying to figure out what species was in the video, I looked up a bunch of them to see what I could learn. I also really like P. rufilata and subfusca. These would be my top three choices, based on my very limited knowledge. I'd love to hear any insight from people that know these species.

 

[Metalman2004]

I have the rufilata but neither of the other two. The rufilata is also my favorite in the collection. She is out more often than not and is very chill. Colors are stunning. I’ve read that the ornata gets bulkier but dls is similar to rufilata as an adult.

 

[Arachnoclown]

I love pokies....my goal is to have all 14 species by the end of the year. Male and female.

 

[Tgotty90]

I have a p.regalis and p.formosa, both are great Ts but any pokie really would be a great addition for a experienced keeper, you can't go wrong. I love the way the formosa looks, the purple glare is stunning in the right light. Got both of mine as slings and they've grown rapidly, so won't be very long before you have a good size spider if you end up getting a sling. Fun Ts to raise, you won't be disappointed no matter what you go with.

 

[Metalman2004]

I have a p.regalis and p.formosa, both are great Ts but any pokie really would be a great addition for a experienced keeper, you can't go wrong. I love the way the formosa looks, the purple glare is stunning in the right light. Got both of mine as slings and they've grown rapidly, so won't be very long before you have a good size spider if you end up getting a sling. Fun Ts to raise, you won't be disappointed no matter what you go with.

Still waiting on my formosa to develop its purple. Still a cool Poec though. Like you said they’re all cool.

 

[MassExodus]

I suggest the subfusca. Just because I like the darker Poecis. My metallica is out all the time, so is Enn's and a few other people Ive talked to said the same. Cant go wrong with the metallica..

 

[Metalman2004]

I love pokies....my goal is to have all 14 species by the end of the year. Male and female.

Thats a nice goal to have. I’d like to do that at some point but maybe not male and female. I currently have 5 species and 7 total Poecs.

 

[Arachnoclown]

So far....
P. Ornata 4.1.1
P. Regalis 1.1.1
P. Smithi 1.1.0
P. Vittata 0.0.1
P. Striata 0.1.1
P. Tigrinawesseli 0.1.1
P. Metallica 0.0.2
P. Subfusca (lowland) 0.0.2

 

[Metalman2004]

0.1 P rufilata
1.1 P smithi
0.1.1 P metallica
0.0.1 P regalis
0.0.1 P formosa

Poecs are just the best

 

[sdsnybny]

Both P. rufilata and P. ornata are reported to get 8-10" and I know they can reach 8" in 2.5yrs since I raised my rufilata from a sling. Just love the greens and brick red setae highlights.
Her last molt

 

[Arachnoclown]

Still waiting on my formosa to develop its purple. Still a cool Poec though. Like you said they’re all cool.

Yeah it's a little extreme...but I at least want to get all females.

 

[LuboMoravcik]

I have p.metallica, p.rufilata, p.strirata and p.miranda.

I’d go for the P.metallica, for your first one, just because it’s so visually striking.

 

[Whitelightning777]

I've been reading old threads here and the other site for weeks now. I've watched hours and hours of youtube vids and I've narrowed it down to three species. As usual, I would like to ask the advice of those more experienced than me. My choice of these three is fairly arbitrary, so I could also be easily convinced to try a different species first.

@Arachnoclown showed a gorgeous Poecilotheria in one of his recent videos and I had to ask him what it was. He told me it was a P. ornata. I watched the video about five times and showed my daughter too. Wow. The way it moved out of its cork hollow was magical. The size was surprising. That sparked more research and I don't think I realized how big some of the Poecilotheria could get. I like big spiders. I like big pretty spiders even more. I'm also really enjoying my other new arboreals, so this seems like a good progression for me.

In trying to figure out what species was in the video, I looked up a bunch of them to see what I could learn. I also really like P. rufilata and subfusca. These would be my top three choices, based on my very limited knowledge. I'd love to hear any insight from people that know these species.

I have a P striata, which turned out to be male. He's a very calm patient tarantula that doesn't even mind if I maintain his cage. I don't have to remove him to do work on it. Assuming mine is typical, I recommend this species hands down as a 2nd or later arboreal.

P subfusca either form highland or lowland is also worth looking into. They're gorgeous, reported to not get quite as big as some of the others & do especially well at lower temperatures. That knocks down the cost of an enclosure.

To be sure, most pokies will tolerate 70 degrees at a minimum, but they don't really like it & do better at 80-82 degrees. My striata likes it at 82.5 degrees but doing that safely is straight forward but might be complex for some & requires following strict guidelines, which are out of scope of this discussion. I'm basing that on my P striata, which I'm assuming is fairly typical. He will move away to a cooler area if temps go over 83 degrees.

P subfusca will actually be harmed at such temps and can even function within the high 60s assuming my research is accurate.

P Ornata is among the largest arboreal tarantulas on Earth & I've even heard reports of 10" specimens. That's probably a lot to handle for one's first pokie & even if the spider is a perfect angel, it'll require a mammoth arboreal enclosure. An ExoTerra Nano or a Terra Blue professional 3 gallon (8x4x12) won't cut it. Even if I have to rehouse my P striata, it'll just be in a Nano same type as my Versicolor is in

 

[Tortoise Tom]

I have a P striata, which turned out to be male. He's a very calm patient tarantula that doesn't even mind if I maintain his cage. I don't have to remove him to do work on it. Assuming mine is typical, I recommend this species hands down as a 2nd or later arboreal.

P subfusca either form highland or lowland is also worth looking into. They're gorgeous, reported to not get quite as big as some of the others & do especially well at lower temperatures. That knocks down the cost of an enclosure.

To be sure, most pokies will tolerate 70 degrees at a minimum, but they don't really like it & do better at 80-82 degrees. My striata likes it at 82.5 degrees but doing that safely is straight forward but might be complex for some & requires following strict guidelines, which are out of scope of this discussion. I'm basing that on my P striata, which I'm assuming is fairly typical. He will move away to a cooler area if temps go over 83 degrees.

P subfusca will actually be harmed at such temps and can even function within the high 60s assuming my research is accurate.

P Ornata is among the largest arboreal tarantulas on Earth & I've even heard reports of 10" specimens. That's probably a lot to handle for one's first pokie & even if the spider is a perfect angel, it'll require a mammoth arboreal enclosure. An ExoTerra Nano or a Terra Blue professional 3 gallon (8x4x12) won't cut it. Even if I have to rehouse my P striata, it'll just be in a Nano same type as my Versicolor is in

Good info. Thank you. My reptile room stays 80-90 most of the year. Maybe down to 76 on a super freezing winter night and up to 92 on a scorching hot 110+ summer day.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Cool !! Those are great temps. I'd go with something that likes that temp. What others do you have and how well do they like your setup? Specifically, what other arboreal Ts do you have? These guys are good 2nd ones, but there are enough differences between terrestrial ones and arboreal ones to make going from strictly terrestrial ones to a pokie problematic in some cases.

My first T and first arboreal was C versicolor, great T but a total spaz if the enclosure is to small. The infamous leap of faith is part of owning a versicolor. He's a suspect male by the name of Charles, currently chilling out in an ExoTerra Nano enclosure.

That's just one of the things I can't stand about the "ladder". They claim that its just New World to Old world, anything to anything as long as it isn't to insane. Truthfully, if you go for that logic, there are really 2 separate and unrelated ones. Arboreal NW to OW and terrestrial NW to OW.

I also posted a video elsewhere on this forum showing me maintaining my P striata cage. It's pretty crappy but still interesting.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Cool !! Those are great temps. I'd go with something that likes that temp. What others do you have and how well do they like your setup? Specifically, what other arboreal Ts do you have? These guys are good 2nd ones, but there are enough differences between terrestrial ones and arboreal ones to make going from strictly terrestrial ones to a pokie problematic in some cases.

That's just one of the things I can't stand about the "ladder". They claim that its just New World to Old world, anything to anything as long as it isn't to insane. Truthfully, if you go for that logic, there are really 2 separate and unrelated ones. Arboreal NW to OW and terrestrial NW to OW.

Many years ago I raised a pink toe. Currently, I have C. versicolor, A. purpurea, Psalmopoeous irminia and P. pulcher slings for arboreals. I also have P. mutica, H. pulchripes, I. mira, and H. gigas, C. lividum, O. philippinus and an OBT for old world stuff.

Do I pass? Am I ready?

 

[Whitelightning777]

Yep !! That's what I call overqualified. I'm not all that big of a fan of the ladder system anyway.

Go for it. No pokie should pose that much of a challenge.

 

[LuboMoravcik]

Many years ago I raised a pink toe. Currently, I have C. versicolor, A. purpurea, Psalmopoeous irminia and P. pulcher slings for arboreals. I also have P. mutica, H. pulchripes, I. mira, and H. gigas, C. lividum, O. philippinus and an OBT for old world stuff.

Do I pass? Am I ready?

I think you’re ready for a Poeci, going on the other species you already have.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Here's the latest pics of Patrick, P Striata. They came out fairly well. I'm posting them for inspiration. Still, finding a small sexed confirmed female might be a better choice then an unsexed sling.

I'm surprised you didn't get a pokie sooner.

I already posted this here but it's relevant to this page. The video quality is subpar but I got some nice views of Patrick and there is some info that might help.

The protection isn't necessary, just a precaution.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Here's the latest pics of Patrick, P Striata. They came out fairly well. I'm posting them for inspiration. Still, finding a small sexed confirmed female might be a better choice then an unsexed sling.

I'm surprised you didn't get a pokie sooner.

View attachment 30864 View attachment 30865 View attachment 30866

I already posted this here but it's relevant to this page. The video quality is subpar but I got some nice views of Patrick and there is some info that might help.

The protection isn't necessary, just a precaution.

Those gloves....looks like your going to cage fight that pokie.