Good Size Enclosure for Adult Poecilotheria

[Aleetist]

Sorry if this has been answered before, I tried searching and came up with bumpkiss. What is a good size enclosure for an adult poecilotheria? All my pokies are in their second to final enclosure and I know they are bigger than my other arboreals and will need a larger enclosure. What is the smallest they could be housed in an be comfortable? My space is semi limited it at this time, so smallest and still comfortable is a big priority. And before anyone says anything, don't worry I won't sacrifice my spiders comfort for the sake of room, I will make room if that's what it takes.

 

[lostbrane]

Well, for starters, what species do you have? Males/females?

I know that some people say something along the lines of an Exo Terra Nano Tall can be the permanent home for even some of the larger pokies. 8x8x12 is enough room for one to be able to turn around/move about and such, and if you feel it's a tad too close to deal with some of the bigger ones you could take out the foam back and put in a cork tile.

That being said, I tend to go oversized myself...so something like a 4 liter Lock&Lock (or larger) tupperware would work too I would imagine (and they're fairly cheap/stackable).

 

[Aleetist]

Well, for starters, what species do you have? Males/females?

I know that some people say something along the lines of an Exo Terra Nano Tall can be the permanent home for even some of the larger pokies. 8x8x12 is enough room for one to be able to turn around/move about and such, and if you feel it's a tad too close to deal with some of the bigger ones you could take out the foam back and put in a cork tile.

That being said, I tend to go oversized myself...so something like a 4 liter Lock&Lock (or larger) tupperware would work too I would imagine (and they're fairly cheap/stackable).

Not sure on sexes yet, haven't been able to get a good ventral shot and every molt has been pretty mangled and I'm still getting the hang of untangling them (though a couple are in pre-molt so fingers crossed). I have 2 p. ornata, a p. smithi, p. fasciata, p. vittata, and a p. subfusca lowland (I may have gone on a teeny buying spree with the new restrictions)

Thanks for the measurements, I'm planning on making enclosures (I just moved them into their current homes so I have a little bit of time) and I think I will go a little bigger to keep them uniform in size because I do have a couple of ornatas and plan on adding a rufilata at some point.

Thanks!

 

[obie]

I like to use a 5 gallon tank that's been converted. I think its enough room for any poec

 

[Whitelightning777]

ExoTerra makes a mini arboreal cage that is one size up from the nano and still under $100.

One important thing to keep in mind with pokies is that they run in circles, sorta like a coil spring pattern when they bolt.

Therefore, never under any circumstances put them into anything that opens from the side!! Always open your enclosure slowly from the top only, even if it opens both from the top or the side like an ExoTerra does. Otherwise, escape is almost a given.

Of course, move slowly and if there is any doubt, place the enclosure into a large tote in a bathroom with the drains plugged or on a floor with absolutely no other features nearby.

 

[Aleetist]

ExoTerra makes a mini arboreal cage that is one size up from the nano and still under $100.

One important thing to keep in mind with pokies is that they run in circles, sorta like a coil spring pattern when they bolt.

Therefore, never under any circumstances put them into anything that opens from the side!! Always open your enclosure slowly from the top only, even if it opens both from the top or the side like an ExoTerra does. Otherwise, escape is almost a given.

Of course, move slowly and if there is any doubt, place the enclosure into a large tote in a bathroom with the drains plugged or on a floor with absolutely no other features nearby.

Thanks for the info! I have already had to use the tote in the bathtub method as a safety measure when I had to remove the hide from my P. Smithi's enclosure. The spider never left their hide, but man I felt better using the extra layer of defense XD

 

[Venom1080]

I like to use a 5 gallon tank that's been converted. I think its enough room for any poec

you keep any adult rufilata? not sexually mature but near max size. 10" is possible. dont think 5 would work too great for that.


5 gallon is my go to for most poecilotheria. large sterlite tubs are great too. visibility just sucks with them unfortunately. So XL and XXL kritter keepers are good options too.

 

[ErinM31]

I like to use a 5 gallon tank that's been converted. I think its enough room for any poec

you keep any adult rufilata? not sexually mature but near max size. 10" is possible. dont think 5 would work too great for that.

5 gallon is my go to for most poecilotheria. large sterlite tubs are great too. visibility just sucks with them unfortunately. So XL and XXL kritter keepers are good options too.

Five gallon for an adult female Poecilotheria? Or just while they’re growing? I’m trying to figure out what size enclosures my various pokies will need as adults (I have P. fasciata, P. ornata, P. regalis, P. rufiliata and P. subfusca). Five gallons seems like it would be cramped even for my P. fasciata (currently largest of my collection and not yet full grown). Someone posted elsewhere that P. ornata and P. rufiliata would be cramped in less than 20 gallons as adult females. Is this largely a matter of opinion/debate/depends on the size of the individual tarantula?

I am still new to keeping these amazing T’s and like the OP, my space is limited so I am trying to figure out how I may need to rearrange things to make sure I do all I can to help my pokies thrive.

 

[Vanisher]

I kept an adult P regalis and a P ornata in an tank measuring 30 cm wide 25 cm deep and 40 cm tall! But not at the same time ofcourse!

 

[Venom1080]

Five gallon for an adult female Poecilotheria? Or just while they’re growing? I’m trying to figure out what size enclosures my various pokies will need as adults (I have P. fasciata, P. ornata, P. regalis, P. rufiliata and P. subfusca). Five gallons looks like it would be cramped even for my P. fasciata (currently largest of my collection and not yet full grown). Someone posted elsewhere that P. ornata and P. rufiliata would be cramped in less than 20 gallons as adult females. Is this largely a matter of opinion/debate/depends on the size of the individual tarantula?

I am still new to keeping these amazing T’s and like the OP, my space is limited so I am trying to figure out how I may need to rearrange things to make sure I do all I can to help my pokies thrive.

I think you're exaggerating how big 7" spiders are.. I know I used to. Do you have any other very large specimens?

7" regalis. Look cramped?

Actually, after comparing some measurements.. this is approx a 6gallon tank. It was a custom made tank I bought a long time ago as a 5 gallon. It's two inches longer than a 5g, just wanted to be transparent.. but still, easy fit.

 

[EtienneN]

I would think twice the length of the pokie is a good rule of thumb length when considering the minimum height of the enclosure.

 

[ErinM31]

I kept an adult P regalis and a P ornata in an tank measuring 30 cm wide 25 cm deep and 40 cm tall! But not at the same time ofcourse!

Lol, I should hope not at the same time! That’s just under eight gallons if I’m not mistaken. Good to know, thank you!

I think you're exaggerating how big 7" spiders are.. I know I used to. Do you have any other very large specimens?
View attachment 301866
7" regalis. Look cramped? View attachment 301867

Actually, after comparing some measurements.. this is approx a 6gallon tank. It was a custom made tank I bought a long time ago as a 5 gallon. It's two inches longer than a 5g, just wanted to be transparent.. but still, easy fit.

Could be; I am rubbish at estimating sizes! In any case, your P. regalis certainly doesn’t look cramped to me.

The largest tarantula I have is an Aphonopelma chalcodes. My largest arboreal was my Psalmopoeus cambridgei at ~5” DLS but my new Poecilotheria fasciata looks larger... I’m sure she’s larger, at least in body size. Right now she’s in the container that I purchased her in, which is just under a gallon (going by measurement now instead of memory or guess on my part) and I feel she needs more space than that — five times as much would certainly be plenty at her current size (and maybe permanently).

 

[lostbrane]

What I go by is

• Slings - go in either 16 or 32 oz deli cups (usually 32oz because I have about 15 or so left)
  
• Juveniles - some sort of larger enclosure (my current setup - P. vittata male in an Exo Terra Nano, P. subfusca LL male in this locking tupperware from Walmart)
  
• Adults - something larger (in the future will probably be an XL or XXL kk like Venom1080 mentioned, although my AF regalis is currently in an Exo Terra Mini Tall, which I'd pretty much use for any larger AF pokie)

Right now she’s in the container that I purchased her in, which is just under a gallon

I would say definitely needs to be larger than a gallon. Even my Nano is about 3.3, and that's a fairly comfortable fit for my probably soon to be 6" male.

 

[ErinM31]

Here’s my beautiful P. fasciata in the container I bought her in, minus the slab of cork bark. Alas, the lighting and faux sand substrate (I don’t know what it is) don’t do her justice!


She is around 5” DLS — definitely larger than any of my other pokies (most around 2” DLS) which did somehow make her even larger in my mind, lol! Well, I got a good deal on an Exo Terra Mini Tall from our local pet food store so now she has a palace!

I think I’ll look into getting the Nano Tall enclosures in the future except maybe stick with the Mini Tall for my P. ornata and P. rufiliata when they’re larger and if they are female (right now they are in ventilated SnapWare containers).

Thank you all for your advice!

 

[Ungoliant]

faux sand substrate (I don’t know what it is)

It looks similar to vermiculite.

 

[horneteer]

I wouldn't go smaller than an exo terra mini tall for larger pokies.

 

[Whitelightning777]

There is another type of enclosure called a bugarium by ZooMed that might be a good choice, but the lid isn't secured as tightly as I think it should be. If you can tighten that up a little bit, it might be great for those on a budget, very simple with clear glass on all sides & opens from the top. I got one of these enclosures with the B hamorii I purchased. Of course, it's not a good idea to keep terrestrials in an arboreal type of enclosure & I moved that one into a 3 gallon Terra Blue professional enclosure. Still, I plan on rehousing my P striata into that one because I already have it.

 

[Dustin Willis]

It might be a little tight but would an exo terra nano/tall be ok for an adult female regalis?

 

[Killertut]

i have my adult P. fasciata in a 30x30x45cm exo terra.
20x20x30cm enclosures i would be using for smaller arboreals (e.g. Avicularia sp. or caribena sp.)