# Poecilotheria care



## Venom1080 (Feb 27, 2017)

this one will be on Poecilotheria, or the ornamental/tiger spiders. Poecilotheria, or "pokies", are one of the more popular OW arboreal genera, probably due to their colors, patterns and size. they have a reputation for potent venom, skittishness, and defensiveness. while i think their reputation is over hyped, that is no excuse for carelessness. they do have venom and wont hesitate to use it. this thread will go in depth on care and other tips for the Poecilotheria genus. hope this helps some one..
1) background info-  Poecilotheria are native to India and Sri Lanka. they commonly live in trees, much like how owls are usually depicted as. the  adult females range in size from about 6", for the metallicas, up to around 9" fro the rufilata and possibly the ornata. males have much less color and are generally very ugly compared to females. it is possible IME, to tell the sex of immature specimens without a molt or checking the underside. im not sure if all species are like this, but P vittata show signs of sexual dimorphism. my 4" male is no where near as vividly colored as my females were at that size. the whole genus has potent venom compared to most tarantulas, there are videos of peoples bite reactions on youtube if youre interested. they are quite skittish as well, they are very fast and wont hesitate to use that speed. they can be defensive and temperament varies from spider to spider, but none of mine are particularly defensive. they wont hesitate to throw a threat posture, but seem to mostly rely on their patterns to hide from predators. they will usually hold still when i disturb their cages. no reason to be complacent however..

2) Humidity- Poecilotheria are quite tolerant of dryer cages, but are more commonly kept a little more humid. i never let my cages to dry out completely, and make sure to have a decent sized water dish as well. i overflow the dish once a week or so to keep the humidity a little higher. as slings, i keep them very similarly to Psalmopoeus, which i highly recommend raising and owning before tackling a genus with the venom of Poecilotheria. for 3/4" slings up to 3" or so, i prefer to use a 32oz deli cup. i add a few inches of moist substrate, usually a mix of peat moss and eco earth, a cork slab against what i decide to be the back of the cage, a water dish, and youre good to go. if no cork is available, natural wood found outdoors is fine. i like to heat the "wild caught" wood in a oven for a half hour or so, to kill off any bacteria that might harm the spider. i do have more mold issues with natural wood however...

3)Ventilation-Poecilotheria are not like Avicularia, who need high ventilation to survive. they do live in more humid cages though, and good ventilation should be installed to help prevent mold. i do a row or two around the top of the deli cup and a few in the lid. for larger cages i try to keep the same general system.

4) Rehousing- this is where problems come in for new pokie keepers and those who dont have the experience they should when they acquire their first pokie. pokies are very quick and can near teleport up your arms onto your back or head, or just bolt across the room. they prefer to stay still and let their camouflage protect them, but when that fails, the only options are flee or fight. they tend to flee but wont hesitate to throw a threat posture and start striking. i use a 32oz deli for pokie above 3" and a 16oz for pokies under 3". (as a catch cup) i use a straw to prod.

5) Set up- Pokies are similar to Psalmopoeus in their set ups as well. they generally adopt a hide a bit closer to the ground and will even burrow. dont let this fool you, as they are definitely arboreal. they will use the more vertical part of their cage extensively. i like a few inches of semi moist substrate, a piece of cork bark or chunk of natural wood that can easily conceal the spider completely, and a water dish.

6) feeding- Poecilotheria are usually great eaters, they wont hesitate to take larger prey even as slings. (within reason of course) i dont like to tong feed my pokies, even with long tongs with soft ends. they are fast spiders and can run up tongs. you can never be too sure on their reaction.

7) temperatures- i keep my Poecilotheria at the same temps as the rest of my spiders. there is some stuff going around about P subfusca highland and P rufilata preferring lower temperatures, but they seem to do just fine at the normal 70-78 i have my room at. Poecilotheria are from a fairly tropical area, and if anything, temps should be a little higher than normal.

8) Handling- i dont know if i really even have to go over this one. handling tolerant NW species is bad enough, handling OW arboreals with much worse venom is just stupid. there is no gain to handling. the spider doesnt like it and may bite. if its too tempting, maybe try a different pet. people who do handle Poecilotheria are doing it to wither impress their friends, are just plain ignorant, or just dumb. if a pokie bolts during a rehouse onto your hands, thats different.

All in all, Poecilotheria are a great genus for the experienced hobbyist. they have very unique patterns and have some great colors as well. they are a little on the reclusive side but i see all of mine out multiple times a day. they have good feeding responses and are fast growers. they generally get very large and are just a joy to keep.

Pics: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/genus-poecilotheria.5939/ (official pokie picture thread)
	

		
			
		

		
	









ignore the mold in the metallicas cage, sub will be changed shortly.

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## cold blood (Feb 27, 2017)

Poecilotheria vittata



__ cold blood
__ Feb 9, 2017
__ 4
__
ghost ornamental tarantula
magam tiger spider
pederson's ornamental tarantula
poecilotheria
poecilotheria pederseni
poecilotheria vittata
vittata




						vitatta
					
















Resized952016120295165528



__ cold blood
__ Dec 2, 2016
__ 2



						regalis...hopefully gravid.
					
















Resized952016112295215908



__ cold blood
__ Nov 22, 2016
__ 1



						male regalis, on the way into the female's enclosure
					
















Resized952016112295215934(1)



__ cold blood
__ Nov 22, 2016
__ 2



						regalis date night.
					
















Resized952016112195144010



__ cold blood
__ Nov 21, 2016



						ornata,  eating a roach
					
















Resized952016111395202406



__ cold blood
__ Nov 17, 2016
__ 2



						AF ornata
					
















ornata carapace



__ cold blood
__ Nov 6, 2017






I let all my pokies dry out completely...actually I moisten them occasionally...opposite of you...goes to show that, like Psalms, they're very adaptable and do fine ain a wide range of conditions.

They even do well housed terrestrially, although I only house juvies this way.

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## YagerManJennsen (Feb 27, 2017)

@Venom1080 is  the second to last pokie a subfusca?

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## Venom1080 (Feb 27, 2017)

YagerManJennsen said:


> @Venom1080 is  the second to last pokie a subfusca?


yeah, crazy, isnt he?

Thought I'd update with some better pics.
	

		
			
		

		
	








She's molted since then. 
(rufilata and stirata.)

More pics. 
	

		
			
		

		
	









Subfusca, regalis, and rufilata. In that order.

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## Deeser (Oct 29, 2017)

That subfusca is such a nice specimen. I mean, they all are, but yeah... Gorgeous.

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## Venom1080 (Oct 29, 2017)

Deeser said:


> That subfusca is such a nice specimen. I mean, they all are, but yeah... Gorgeous.


Subfusca are the best looking imo.

Poecilotheria are my favorite pic candidates.
	

		
			
		

		
	



P ornata


Rufie 


Metallica


Sp contortionist


Freshly molted ornata

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## mconnachan (Feb 26, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> Subfusca, regalis, and rufilata. In that order.


Is the first picture the lowland form, I'm just guessing from what I can remember about the pattern due to their different climate.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 26, 2018)

mconnachan said:


> Is the first picture the lowland form, I'm just guessing from what I can remember about the pattern due to their different climate.


No. It's the Highland. Lowland is subfusca. Highland is "Bara". Which actually is wrong and not used. Big mixup in the hobby that's been going on for awhile.  Highland are supposed to like it cooler, and lowland hotter like most other pokies. Highland are small while lowland can rival ornata.

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## mconnachan (Feb 26, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> No. It's the Highland. Lowland is subfusca. Highland is "Bara". Which actually is wrong and not used. Big mixup in the hobby that's been going on for awhile.  Highland are supposed to like it cooler, and lowland hotter like most other pokies. Highland are small while lowland can rival ornata.


Typical - I never get it right

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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 26, 2018)

Great thread man, I'll gladly contribute some pics of my specimens.

Start with these beauties.
P.subfusca lowland










Mature male.






P.ornata

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## dangerforceidle (Feb 26, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> No. It's the Highland. Lowland is subfusca. Highland is "Bara". Which actually is wrong and not used. Big mixup in the hobby that's been going on for awhile.


Is there a paper around discussing this?  Everything I can find in a quick search points to "Lowland" being former _P. bara_ and "Highland" being _P. subfusca_.  Looking for clarification.

Your specimen also matches more closely to the _P. _sp. Lowland on the _Poecilotheria_ poster with the photos from @mygale.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 26, 2018)

dangerforceidle said:


> Is there a paper around discussing this?  Everything I can find in a quick search points to "Lowland" being former _P. bara_ and "Highland" being _P. subfusca_.  Looking for clarification.
> 
> Your specimen also matches more closely to the _P. _sp. Lowland on the _Poecilotheria_ poster with the photos from @mygale.


There was an article in the BTS journal about it from Michael Jacobi. I'll see if I can find it.

http://lovetarantulas.com/journal.htm

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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2018)

P. regalis spiderling







P. metallica female







P. metallica spiderling







P. striata female

Total babes. I too keep mine on the dry side and add water every now and then. I keep slings more wet than I keep the juveniles and adults.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 26, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> P.ornata


Thanks for the pics.  Love that ornata of yours..

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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> Thanks for the pics.  Love that ornata of yours..


Thanks! But if you're talking about the big girl, she's actually a P. striata. I don't have any ornata-- yet.

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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 26, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> Thanks for the pics.  Love that ornata of yours..


Thanks man, theres actually two large females in those pics. Both hopefully gravid. 

P.regalis





P.rufilata 





P.mettalica mature male





Juvenile female.





Thats enough fro now lol.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 26, 2018)

miss moxie said:


> Thanks! But if you're talking about the big girl, she's actually a P. striata. I don't have any ornata-- yet.


I was talking to Nightstalker47  but your stirata is lovely too.


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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> I was talking to Nightstalker47  but your stirata is lovely too.


Haaaa, you're right. That'll teach me for trying to split my attention between the television and the forum.

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## octaJon (Feb 26, 2018)

Wow great pics everyone! I cannot wait for my pokie slings and juvies to get bigger.

Question for the experienced pokie keepers: Realizing that each specimen is unique, Do you notice any commonalities in the behaviors/temperaments amongst the different species of Poecilotheria?


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## cold blood (Feb 26, 2018)

octaJon said:


> Wow great pics everyone! I cannot wait for my pokie slings and juvies to get bigger.
> 
> Question for the experienced pokie keepers: Realizing that each specimen is unique, Do you notice any commonalities in the behaviors/temperaments amongst the different species of Poecilotheria?


There are generalizations, but there is also individuality that doesn't always follow with the "norm".    Ornata are known for being more defensive...mine (and others) is one of my calmer pokies.    Regalis tend to be calmer over-all, but one of mine (out of 4) is super skittish...striata is known for being more skittish, but we have one keeper here who's striata is among his calmer specimens.  Vitatta tend to be calm, but my AF is easily the biggest escape risk in my entire t room....but she's never been defensive.

Formosa and tigrinwesselli tend to be more high strung...but that doesn't mean there aren't calmer examples out there.

In general though, pokies seem to rely on their camo, which makes for a generally calmer, more confident t.....especially as they gan size.













pile of legs.



__ cold blood
__ Nov 3, 2017
__ 2



						freshly molted ornata, over 8" now.    

there is a spider under that pile of legs.

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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2018)

cold blood said:


> There are generalizations, but there is also individuality that doesn't always follow with the "norm".    Ornata are known for being more defensive...mine (and others) is one of my calmer pokies.    Regalis tend to be calmer over-all, but one of mine (out of 4) is super skittish...striata is known for being more skittish, but we have one keeper here who's striata is among his calmer specimens.  Vitatta tend to be calm, but my AF is easily the biggest escape risk in my entire t room....but she's never been defensive.
> 
> Formosa and tigrinwesselli tend to be more high srttung...but that doesn't mean there aren't calmer examples out there.
> 
> ...


My P. striata girl is rather calm. If she's hanging out of her cork tube I can usually open the glass doors without her bolting back into her den. It's an exo-terra so to unlock it there is a rather rough 'click' that I know she has to be able to feel the vibration from and she still doesn't react. 

I'd say my P. regalis are all pretty calm, as are my P. subfusca HL slings. It's my P. metallica slings that are super-skittish. Look at the enclosure wrong and they begin to run all over their enclosure. Whereas -every- other pokie I have will run back to the hide, these two go absolutely nuts. My P. tigrinawesseli is also very skittish, but they go for the hide instead of spastic darting like the two P. metallica slings.

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## octaJon (Feb 26, 2018)

cold blood said:


> There are generalizations, but there is also individuality that doesn't always follow with the "norm".    Ornata are known for being more defensive...mine (and others) is one of my calmer pokies.    Regalis tend to be calmer over-all, but one of mine (out of 4) is super skittish...striata is known for being more skittish, but we have one keeper here who's striata is among his calmer specimens.  Vitatta tend to be calm, but my AF is easily the biggest escape risk in my entire t room....but she's never been defensive.
> 
> Formosa and tigrinwesselli tend to be more high srttung...but that doesn't mean there aren't calmer examples out there.
> 
> ...


Thanks cold blood, I've read multiple comparisons of Poecilotheria temperaments (ornata and fasciata were more defensive, regalis were calmer and better starter pokies, etc.). Always interesting hearing different keepers' experiences. Perfect examples of Ts following their own individualistic set of rules.



miss moxie said:


> My P. striata girl is rather calm. If she's hanging out of her cork tube I can usually open the glass doors without her bolting back into her den. It's an exo-terra so to unlock it there is a rather rough 'click' that I know she has to be able to feel the vibration from and she still doesn't react.
> 
> I'd say my P. regalis are all pretty calm, as are my P. subfusca HL slings. It's my P. metallica slings that are super-skittish. Look at the enclosure wrong and they begin to run all over their enclosure. Whereas -every- other pokie I have will run back to the hide, these two go absolutely nuts. My P. tigrinawesseli is also very skittish, but they go for the hide instead of spastic darting like the two P. metallica slings.


"Adrenaline starts to flow. You're thrashing all around. Acting like a maniac. Whiplash!"
Miss Moxie, maybe it's just a Metallica thing ;-)  tyfs

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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2018)

octaJon said:


> "Adrenaline starts to flow. You're thrashing all around. Acting like a maniac. Whiplash!"
> Miss Moxie, maybe it's just a Metallica thing ;-)  tyfs


Maybe they should think about obeying their master, master.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 26, 2018)

If we could get some experienced pokie breeders chiming in with any general tips, that'd be great.  

I haven't done alot breeding wise with the genus yet. Yet.

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## cold blood (Feb 26, 2018)

pokie slings



__ cold blood
__ May 18, 2017



						regalis 1i
					
















regalis



__ cold blood
__ May 23, 2017
__ 10
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indian ornamental tarantula
poecilotheria
poecilotheria regalis
regalis
sling




						regalis
					
















theyre molting finally



__ cold blood
__ Jun 1, 2017
__ 4



						little regalis

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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 26, 2018)

miss moxie said:


> It's my P. metallica slings that are super-skittish. Look at the enclosure wrong and they begin to run all over their enclosure.


Mine is like that as well, takes a minute or so to calm down after a disturbance. My subfusca LL juvie is chill though, usually just stays where he is or walks back to his cork bark.

View media item 47260

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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2018)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Mine is like that as well, takes a minute or so to calm down after a disturbance. My subfusca LL juvie is chill though, usually just stays where he is or walks back to his cork bark.
> 
> View media item 47260


I was sort of stunned when I housed my four P subfusca HL slings. They were so calm. They still are very calm. I can pick up their enclosure while they're out of their hide and they just stay there. When they do go back to their den they take their time, no darting.

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## CWilson1351 (Feb 26, 2018)

octaJon said:


> Thanks cold blood, I've read multiple comparisons of Poecilotheria temperaments (ornata and fasciata were more defensive, regalis were calmer and better starter pokies, etc.). Always interesting hearing different keepers' experiences. Perfect examples of Ts following their own individualistic set of rules.


My fasciata is extremely calm. If disturbed at all she just makes her way (slowly) to somewhere she feels safe. Never a defensive posture or attempt to bolt.

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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 27, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> If we could get some experienced pokie breeders chiming in with any general tips, that'd be great.
> 
> I haven't done alot breeding wise with the genus yet. Yet.


Very easy to breed IME. The females never showed any aggression towards the male, they were surprisingly laid back. I had one start frantically tapping minutes after the male was introduced, always good to see clear signs of interest. That alone was enough to put me at ease. 

With poecs the courtship can be long and stretched out, so the odds of you catching the insertion are very slim. I left them together for the night(both pairings) and removed the male in the morning. I have heard of some people cohabing them for weeks, but I didn't see the point. As the old saying goes " leave two horny spiders in an enclosed dark space for the night, and they will get it done''. 

I can't say that I have been successful yet though, pairings were done fairly recently, no sac has been dropped yet. Both females are getting fed heavily now...time will tell. Next up are the lowlands.


cold blood said:


> pokie slings
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Show off

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## CyberSkully (Jul 22, 2018)

Venom1080 said:


> Thought I'd update with some better pics.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Stunning!

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## Ultum4Spiderz (Jul 22, 2018)

Mine are all just skittish, tho ornata used to frantically run Around in its cage , When scared. It used to be more defense, but I never go near it.


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## Venom1080 (Jul 23, 2018)

I'd like to update with a few things I've learned since writing this article:

Poecilotheria do just fine dry. Metallica I keep drier than the rest. But remain quite tolerant of humidity. In the wild they experience heavy fluctuations in humidity. As they have a monsoon and dry season in their natural habitat. This has made them very adaptable animals.

Another point is breeding. In the wild Poecilotheria generally breed in spring, which is the start of the wet season there. The whole idea is to have the babies while prey is still abundant, and humidity is still high. So, in captivity. Alot of serious pokie breeders will try to mimic the wild conditions. They will keep the female cooler and dry for a time, I think about a month or two. Then flood the cage and increase temps over a couple weeks to simulate the wet season starting. Then pair. People report similar results without bothering to go through this process, however. Something to keep in mind.

Also, kind of important, I no longer heat wood from outdoors to kill off bacteria to try to prevent mold. Doing this literally has the opposite effect. Best to avoid this entirely. Merely collect from a region you trust. This was a mistake to do at all.

And more pics. I recently acquired my seventh species of the genus. All females.





Note* this subfusca has slowly darkened with age. I found it interesting that some "Highland" would be so dark and mine which shared many features was so light. I didn't take age into account. Hope others will now too.

More breeding info available here:

http://www.theraphosidae.be/en/category/poecilotheria/

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## Glorious Baboon (Nov 19, 2018)

How long is it between molts for your vittata I have one that’s suspected female I just purchased it’s 5 1/4” I tried to get a pick of the underside but my lightings horrible and I’m a terrible photographer I also keep it around 72-80 and overfill the water bowl once a week so similar to some of you

This I said T


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## Venom1080 (Nov 19, 2018)

Glorious Baboon said:


> How long is it between molts for your vittata I have one that’s suspected female I just purchased it’s 5 1/4” I tried to get a pick of the underside but my lightings horrible and I’m a terrible photographer I also keep it around 72-80 and overfill the water bowl once a week so similar to some of you


Give it a year or two. It'll be around 7" by then. 
------------------------------------------------------------------

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