I did it - wish me luck.

[Gail]

OK, I've been fooling with the idea of getting a couple of pokies. Some may remember my post asking for info. I've held off because even though they are BEAUTIFUL I've been worried about the aggressive nature. I was also looking at those Indian Violets with love in my eyes but feared how aggressive they might be. So I emailed Kelly to ask him what he thought about the violets and the pokies. As I suspected he did say the violets are really nasty but will usually hide in their holes rather than bolt for it. His comment on the pokies was just about the same as you all told me - won't attack unless provoked. So, I decided, since I got some dough in hand, I'd go ahead and get a pokie and a violet and call it quits on new spiders for a while. Well....
when I go to Kelly's page he's got it all updated and he has 1.5" Red Slate Ornamentals!!! When I was looking about at the pokies that and the indian ornamentals were my two top choices but I haven't seen any slates at a good price or smaller size (I'd like to grow with my new guys since these will be my first 'no touch' aboreals). Well, the violet lost out. Sometime next week I will be the proud first time owner of a red slate and an indian ornamental. Any advice will be truly appreciated. The first bit of information I'd need of course is "how do you get a super fast aboreal bitey thing out of it's shipping vial and into it's new house?" LOL

Gail

 

[Tito]

Hi Gail,

I just ordered three indian ornamental slings myself
I'm gonna try keeping them together.
If they are anything like my salem ornamental you wont have much trouble with it, the salem has never shown any signs of aggression. Not even when I force it to move will it try to bite, it just wants to get back to its hideout. BUT, since they supposedly has a more potent venom, my heart always beats a little faster when I work with this T. Of course, this might just as well be love =D Cause they are beatiful!

 

[MrDeranged]

I've found the easiest and safest way to do it is to let the T do it on it's own. Just take the lid off and place the whole vial inside the enclosure you want it to move into. At that point it will either continue to use the vial as it's hide, or it will stroll about. While it's strolling about if you want the enclosure to be vialless, just remove it. The T will make it's own hide at that point.

Scott

 

[Vayu Son]

><

My approach is much more direct, especially for slings. I prepare their new vial/home, place it in the bathtub or in my palm. Open their shipping container/current home and simply usher them into the new one and close the cap. I find letting the arboreals wander in a large tub will just have them running up walls.

My definite advice would be to do it in the bathtub at all costs, I have an H.maculata and P.irminia escaped in my room for ignoring that simple practice before. A good technique to usher them out of burrows/hides is to straighten a paperclip, and gently push.


-V

 

[Kenny]

Hi

Hi...

I do the same thing with putting the vail inside the cage and letting the T's leave by itself since I also took the step with 2 more defensive speices like the M.Earth Tiger and the V.Suntiger and it worked fine.

Kenny

 

[Immortal_sin]

I am keeping both my P fasciata and P regalis in the vials they came in. I had to take the paper towels out, and install my cork bark and verm substrate, all without the sling running off. I just took out the paper toweling (sitting on the rug) and they came out with it. I held the sling on my hand, and put the verm and cork bark in. That was the easy part. The hard part was getting them back in LOL
The P regalis jumped off onto the rug, and took off running. I just put my hand in front of it, and it ran back onto my hand. The P fasciata just sat in my hand, calm as you please. It's the larger of the two at 1.5", and calmer as well.
The P regalis is about 1", and more nervous.
For some reason, pokies don't freak me out... I think it was because I held Rosemary's mature male at the ATS conference.
That's exciting about the Red slate, eventually I'd like one of every pokie, but some of them are really expensive!

 

[Gail]

I agree with you on the expensive - even Kelly, who's prices are really good in my book - charges I think like 95 for one of those ivory ornamentals. My redslate was kinda pricey at 45 but these will be my last 2 spiders for a while - I had a little blow money and figured I'd go out with something big. Gotta put my nose to the grindstone now and get a few fat dollar items out into the market before I'll be buying more spiders

Gail

 

[MrT]

Gail ol' buddy,

I guess you'll be doing the crazy pokie dance soon. Thats the one where you go flying across the room on your knee's trying to catch your spider after it bolts out of its cage. ;P ;P

Have fun,

Ern

 

[LaRiz]

Are Poecilotherids the most feared of tarantulas here?

Seriously, they're not that bad.
I actually find the genus more timid than (I absolutely hate this word in describing tarantulas) aggressive. All mine will run and hide, when disturbed. They, and most all tarantulas are defensive. Mess with them, they'll mess with you. Some are more inclined to be defensive than others.
You should be cautious and careful when working with them though. Don't want to hurt 'em
In my experience, Poecilotheria ornata are the fiesty ones. Some won't hesitate to display. Also, they're usually the ones that will bite when I lay a fish net over 'em during a cage change. But then again, I've had some pretty mellow ones.
I've also noticed (in my collection anyways), that P. formosa are the runners. More so, than the rest. They all run though, if you let 'em.
Gail, don't sweat it. You've got the skills to wrangle 'em. Once you keep them long enough, you could tell what they're gonna do. Will they run up and out? or under and hide?
I'm always prepared when changing or cleaning. Tools I use include are a 1 lb. deli for the over the top capture. A square aquarium fishnet (be very careful, don't want to lay the smack down), also sometimes their little hooks can get caught in them, never happened to me, but could. What works great for runners, are those square beanie bags animal display cases. They can lay in corners. I have a long plastic straw to coax them into cups and stuff. An artists paintbrush would work better, but this straw has seen it all, been bit by them all and is still goin' strong. I should probably name it.
Gail, remember a little adrenaline does wonders for your response time, but I think you'll handle it like a pro.
People, be nice to the pokes. They're not so mean.
john

 

[Tarantula Lover]

hey

i would like to get one, but not right now, cool gail, good luck with the ornamentals!

 

[petitegreeneyes]

Hello and John is right. The Pokes are one of the prettiest species out there. True they are fast yet I have the ornata, regalis, and the rufiliata and so far it goes good. My ornata seems to be the aggressive of the three. I managed part of a picture of my rufiliata due to her home of web she made but you can see her bottom half. You will love your new pokes.

 

[Gail]

OK, no laughing - here's a pic of the cage setup I have ready (two cages the same) for my new pokies. These are about 6.5" tall by 3.5" wide petpal style cages that I get at my local dollar store, for, you guessed it, a dollar. This is the type of setup I use for most of my avics (larger cages of course for the adults) and I wanted to make sure it would be OK for the pokies. Also, should I put a bottle cap of water in there for them?

Thanks,
Gail

 

[LaRiz]

Looks good...

Yes, water is a must. I use the caps off the big gatorade bottles. I got loads of them. My kids have been drinking apple juice and stuff like that since they're born, and those caps are similar in size. So I have, like, almost 6 years worth of these things saved up.
For small Poecs up to around 3.5" I use those square beanie bag baby boxes they use for displays of those toys, just melt some holes in the bottom (invert it). Lid is the bottom, filling it with substrate. I'll thread a piece of fake plant in a hole so they could web to it and feel secure. Does that make sense? It doesn't to me anyways, when they out grow that, I put them in these big barrel looking, plastic storage jars they sell at Walmart. Drill some holes in the lid, and they'll live in that until they are about 6". After that, they graduate to a 10 gallon aquarium, right side up.
Blah, blah, blah , anyways, your set up looks good enough.
john

 

[Arachniphile]

You sound just convincing enough for me to add to my collection...

Great info! Thanks John (LaRiz)


Gail...

Gail, don't sweat it. You've got the skills to wrangle 'em. Once you keep them long enough, you could tell what they're gonna do.

He's right ya know...

 

[LaRiz]

Wow...

Thanks for the comps Arachnophile. What do you have in mind for Poecs?
I'm getting geared up to pair Poec. regalis. And possibly again, Poec. rufilata.
john

 

[Gail]

Well, DUH !!! I just realized that you are the very same john that I was going to call about how to rear an eggsack. Man am I slipping! Never called because all of the female WC that I thought for SURE were gravid did a horrible thing - they shed. Well, not really horrible, but you know what I mean

Got another question for ya though - what's your thoughts on the Ornamental Baboon (Heteroscodra maculata)? I did a lot of research and all that I found said they will sooner run and hide than attack but that they will go for you if you push it. I thought they were really beautiful.

Gail

 

[LaRiz]

I'm the guy...

I had some molt out too, bye bye spermies. A Poec. regalis and a Poec. ornata. Still waiting for a Haplopelma schmidti and a Cyclosternum fasciatum eggsac to show up.
Orn. baboons are pretty neat. Heteroscodra maculata are pretty fiesty. I would say they'd rather fight than flee. Not a good spider to get bit by. They are easily managed though. Come to think of it, all these nasties are easily managed by humans (with the skills). I remember when they were one of the more pricey tarantulas out there.
They're definitely cool and a must have for serious, and skilled, collectors.
They have that convergent evolution thing going, paralleled to Poecilotheria. And Stromatopelma too.
john

 

[Gail]

I'm A True Junkie

Well, I found a surprise in my mailbox this weekend - a check for some work I did that I wasn't expecting for at least another month - so you know where this is going Hey, since it's going to be my last spider order for a while, probably until after Christmas - and since shipping is the same for 5 as for 2 I went ahead last night and sent Kelly an add on - one more indian ornamental and two of those ornamental baboons.
Really, all of you are right - it's just a matter of understanding what you are dealing with and taking the necessary precautions when dealing with the more aggressive species. Besides, it's time for me to stop being such a wuss about it - I rarely handle even my nicest spiders - so why am I keeping myself from getting some of the most beautiful spiders out there because they can't be handled? Stupid really. But this does bring up a possible future problem... I've already decided now that I know there is such a thing as "the love tour" (as Botar put it) I will never again let a male languish and die after it matures. But just how do you go about putting something like and ornamental baboon into a little deli cup with appropriate padding? LOL - I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Gail

 

[Botar]

I think Holley delt with shipping a rather feisty T... you may want to check with her. I've only shipped the G. rosea to Galeogirl and it was quite easy.

Botar

 

[Tito]

When I had to ship my Pterinochilus murinus, I simple took three empty tp-rolls. Put toiletpaper in the one end and taped it on the outside, made some airholes.
I then put the rolls into the cage, and after a day the murinus had moved into one without me having to do anything. You then simply use a pair of tweezers and put a ball of toiletpaper into the roll, thereby imobilising the T and it's ready for shipping. Just remember to tape it real good, I didn't the first time and the T got out the night before I was going to ship it. But I just did it again, if the T wont move into a roll you can try destroying the burrow with a looooooooong stick to make it look for a new home.

Tito