Gooty Sapphire (FINALLY!!)

EmilzHernandez

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Messages
104
Hi,

My local reptile/tarantula breeder just got a bunch of P.Metallica slings in. Of course, Gooties are my dream spiders, so I plan on picking one up in a few days. I have done my research, I just wanted to know if I could get some pointers from more experienced keepers. The slings are currently an inch long, so housing won't be too hard.

Thanks!
 

OliverWhatever

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Joined
Sep 14, 2015
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60
Get a hide. I know some people don't really use a hide for spiderlings, but it's good to have a place where they retreat to when scared, so they don't try to escape out from their container.
Tap the lid a little to scare them into hiding before you open it, that way you avoid having to frantically juggle your catch cup and tweezers trying to catch the fast little devils.
 

mack1855

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Sep 5, 2016
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What ever your doing with them,they get your undivided attention.No distractions.
 

Timc

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Feb 13, 2017
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They're good jumpers, especially at that size.
 

Nightstalker47

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Jul 2, 2016
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They are pretty easy to keep and grow quite fast when young, just watch out when you rehouse as they like to take off running. None of my other pokies teleport like my metallica, you want it to feel safe to avoid this flighty behavior so supply lots of hiding spots.

Once you get it setup add plenty of cover, cork hollows work great and are practically mold proof. They like some humidity but you don't want the sub damp, it should be reasonably dry, just add a water dish to boost humidity.
 

MetalMan2004

Arachnodemon
Joined
Oct 14, 2016
Messages
676
This is it
Thats what my 1" P metallica is in and it is doing great! In fact it molted on Friday.

Also, fast is an understatement. I was thinking okay so it'll be faster than my gbb. No biggy. Well they're faster than you could ever imagine in your mind.

IMG_5727.JPG IMG_5732.JPG
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
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Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
This is it
Could do the job, but to be honest I would be worried about the lid when working with your P.metallica. It's a good enclosure, especially for an avic since they always web towards the top, but for a pokie I would be paranoid about it bolting out when you open it for any feeding/maintenance, it creates a huge area to escape from, I would prefer a top opening enclosure with a smaller lid.
 

cold blood

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Jan 19, 2014
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13,223
@cold blood where is a good place to purchase those containers in your picture? I've been looking everywhere
They're just deli cups...readily available pretty much anywhere that sells food. I get mine from the grocery store. Restaurant supply stores also sell them, and I think I have heard they are available at wal mart...I can't recall what section.


1210141321.jpg
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I just wanted to know if I could get some pointers from more experienced keepers.
I could be wrong, my comment is based on your profile list of Ts.

Wait until your other slings grow up before you get a member of this genus, gain some experience in husbandry. This species is probably the most skittish of the genus. The venom is medically significant.

All things being equal, most new keepers who get a Poki have a fast, large T that has outgrown the owner's skill sets. There's no rush to get your dream T.

As an adult this species can run up one arm, across your shoulders and down the other before you have time to react. This happened to my friend, the person who first bred them in the USA.

Good luck.
 

Tanner Dzula

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Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
190
I could be wrong, my comment is based on your profile list of Ts.

Wait until your other slings grow up before you get a member of this genus, gain some experience in husbandry. This species is probably the most skittish of the genus. The venom is medically significant.

All things being equal, most new keepers who get a Poki have a fast, large T that has outgrown the owner's skill sets. There's no rush to get your dream T.

As an adult this species can run up one arm, across your shoulders and down the other before you have time to react. This happened to my friend, the person who first bred them in the USA.

Good luck.

As somebody who kind of Rushed into the OW game a little too quick, i can not stress enough that i 100% agree with what Viper is saying.

these are a very Well sought after species and you can bet on them being around for a very long time. there really is no reason to rush into it.

i did the same thing with an OBT when i first started keeping, and while as a sling it was fairly simple and everything, by the time i was even first realizing their true speed and risks, Mine was already almost 5" and a little overwhelming to try to figure out the tricks of rehousing/maintenance/pretty much anything with the lid off/open.

i got a little cocky myself and underestimated the T(not saying you would do the same) and it ended with me getting a VERY painful Bite, a very long two weeks of dealign with the consequences, and a very expensive hospital bill to be told i was an idiot and given some way-overpriced anti-inflammatories and minor pain killers. and i was still suffering. take my Stupid decision as a lesson to not find that out the hard way yourself. id suggest getting some faster/more skittish NW arboreals first, ones that don't have as significantly strong venom and who won't possibly kill one of your other pets if it gets out as an adult.

plenty of other beautiful alternatives.

on the inverse, if you decide to go through with it, do NOT underestimate the speed they have. they can go from 0-100 faster then you can say Holy sh--. and id plan rehousing accordingly. find future larger enclosures that are big enough to put the current one in and leave open and let the T naturally wander into it, without having to coax it out and into the new one. as a new OW owner i found that worked really well and allows for smoother first time rehousings.
 

viper69

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Dec 8, 2006
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a VERY painful Bite, a very long two weeks of dealign with the consequences
Those little OWs sure do provide the gift that keeps on giving.

I've seen P mets decide they need to leave hah, this one AF took off like a bullet, and the owner said that wasn't even full speed.
 

Tanner Dzula

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
190
Those little OWs sure do provide the gift that keeps on giving.
oh yea, they sure due. thankfully between my E. pachypus and the OBT bite, i learned REAL quick to get my act together when it came to OW's.

its bad that it took a bite like that to learn the lesson, but it was a lesson that i will never forget haha. I'm just glad it was me and not a pet and hopefully the same doesn't happen to the OP too.
 

Jason B

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Joined
Sep 10, 2016
Messages
88
That enclosure kinda looks like an armac box sitting upside down, you could prolly just buy one and drill some holes and save yourself some money. But if they are armac boxes, you should be able to flip its so it top opens. I'd just go deli.

I just want to reiterate what has been said about experience and pokies. I also got my first pokie thinking I was ready and I wasn't. I would consider getting something like psalm or tap and get some experience with a fast arboreal before you move into pokies. As has been stated before when P. Metallica decide to move they teleport and they are very skittish. Another thing is these tend to not be a very visible species, sometimes you get lucky like me and your P. Metallic spends its days right next to its hide more often you have a pet piece of cork.
 
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