Quick Question

acidrain842

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
2
I'm in the market for an arboreal t and i was wondering what any of you guys thought would be a good choice. I'm into P.Regalis and was wondering if they're a lot to handle or if there a good choice. Thanks ahead of time for helping me out.
 

Rob1985

This user has no status.
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
866
How many T's do you own, how long and how much experience with skittish, defensive and/or aggressive T's do you have?

I always suggest an Avic species.
 

RyTheTGuy

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
233
If you're new to the hobby like me :D

I would go with an Avic Avic, they are beautiful and docile. I have one and she is very easy to care for and i havn't had any problems with her thus far.
 

malevolentrobot

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
310
given their adult legspan and quickness i have seen, yes, they are a lot to handle. don't handle them. get an Avicularia if you want to do that :p

honestly, i now believe only you can really decide if you are ready for a pokie. if you like them enough one day you'll be tempted into buying one. if you currently feel unsure, maybe you might not want to get an adult, start with a sling if it makes you feel more comfortable?

i liked dealing with P. murinus (OBT) as my first T with a considerable bite (they are normally more than willing to offer to try). super cheap, super easy to care for, smaller, also prone to moving fast, but also prone to holding ground and giving you the owner-don't-mess-with-me-'tude.

i can honestly say my pokies have only freaked me out on two occasions, but are far more predictable than my super flighty "safer T" people here normally suggest before pokies (a P. irminia, a nice intermediary step because they are way less potent, but mine is a bit... high strung?).

do i think they should be a first T? ehhhhh... common wisdom here is no (but is this your first? we don't know:p). all i can say is that i'm not sure ANYTHING i have ever dealt with (and four years working with all sorts of critters i have dealt with a fair share of fairly fast, small creatures) prepared me for the first time any T bolted, much less one of my pokies.
 
Last edited:

Rob1985

This user has no status.
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
866
given their adult legspan and quickness i have seen, yes, they are a lot to handle. don't handle them. get an Avicularia if you want to do that :p

honestly, i now believe only you can really decide if you are ready for a pokie. if you like them enough one day you'll be tempted into buying one. if you currently feel unsure, maybe you might not want to get an adult, start with a sling if it makes you feel more comfortable?

i liked dealing with P. murinus (OBT) as my first T with a considerable bite (they are normally more than willing to offer to try). super cheap, super easy to care for, smaller, also prone to moving fast, but also prone to holding ground and giving you the owner-don't-mess-with-me-'tude.

i can honestly say my pokies have only freaked me out on two occasions, but are far more predictable than my super flighty "safer T" people here normally suggest before pokies (a P. irminia, a nice intermediary step because they are way less potent, but mine is a bit... high strung?).

do i think they should be a first T? ehhhhh... common wisdom here is no (but is this your first? we don't know:p). all i can say is that i'm not sure ANYTHING i have ever dealt with (and four years working with all sorts of critters i have dealt with a fair share of fairly fast, small creatures) prepared me for the first time any T bolted, much less one of my pokies.
well said!
 

acidrain842

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
2
I have three t's right now, a G.rosea, G.formosa, and A. chalcodes, so they are all extremely docile. Thats why I was wondering if I'd bite off more than i could chew with a pokie. And if i did get p.regalis I would not be handling it. Mainly for looking at :)
I was thinking A. Veriscolor would be a good choice, because they are an avic species.
 

malevolentrobot

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
310
Avics might give you an idea of what its like, i personally do not know since my only Avicularia is still a wee .75" A. versi sling (i missed that part of the obsession i guess). i love its sling colouration and its cute little high-step drunk walk! some people might suggest you go with a larger specimen if you aren't used to controlling humidity, they need to both have ventilation and humidity as slings quite a bit more than your Grammostolas. i would suggest doing some research on Avicularia sling care using the search function here if that is something you want to pursue.

like i said earlier, most people will suggest as a real stepping stone to pokies to get a Psalmopoeus. they can be really, really fast, so you can get an idea of what a poec will be like if it spooks for some reason, but they are NW and they don't have the potent venom. P. irminia run really cheap, grow like weeds, and look really stunning i think from sling to adult. there is also the readily available P. cambridgei, which i haven't gotten yet, but its up on my list of do wants.

i have also heard a few people comment that their cambridgei were a bit less high strung, but have yet to confirm this myself.
 
Last edited:

acidrain842

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
2
Alright thanks for the info. I'm not very into the avic's myself so thats why i was wondering about my other options. Psalmopoeus is definitely under consideration. Again thanks for the help
 

Royal_T's

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 9, 2008
Messages
187
You might want to consider P. cambridgei... they are a bit more defensive than avics but they are NW species and very nice display Ts. They are more of an intermediate species but that's what conditions you for keeping OW species. I've been raising one for almost three years now and she is 6-6.5" she is awesome... I also have it's growth rate from sling in my thread history.
 

BrettG

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
1,315
If you have a few bucks to spend,A.diversipes is a GREAT arboreal T to learn from before you get a pokie.They can be lightning fast,and quite defensive,but the venom is not medically significant....Or,as already mentioned,any of the Psalmo's,but they have a hotter bite.Any that have been mentioned will get you on the road to pokies in no time...OR,just buy a small( 1 inch) pokie sling and just grow into its speed.
 

malevolentrobot

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
310
you might also want to check out Tapinauchenius too?

i believe they are extremely fast (faster than pokies actually), stay a bit on the smaller side (comparatively to pokies anyway), and don't have as intense of a bite either. no personal experience with these guys though, so maybe someone else can chime in.
 

BrettG

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
1,315
you might also want to check out Tapinauchenius too?

i believe they are extremely fast (faster than pokies actually), stay a bit on the smaller side (comparatively to pokies anyway), and don't have as intense of a bite either. no personal experience with these guys though, so maybe someone else can chime in.
Fast,fast,FAST!!!! No joke,either.Only seen defensiveness once from any of ours,but it moved so quickly while doing so that I have a whole new level of respect for them.Awesome spiders.Did I mention FAST?
 

Rob1985

This user has no status.
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
866
Alright thanks for the info. I'm not very into the avic's myself so thats why i was wondering about my other options. Psalmopoeus is definitely under consideration. Again thanks for the help
Avics are awesome! Especially versicolor, minatrix, purpurea and metallica! I very well might be picking up an A.minatrix adult female tomorrow at a local show {D

---------- Post added at 07:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 PM ----------

Fast,fast,FAST!!!! No joke,either.Only seen defensiveness once from any of ours,but it moved so quickly while doing so that I have a whole new level of respect for them.Awesome spiders.Did I mention FAST?
yeah, my P.ornata very rarely every gave a threat posture, but her temperament was so unpredictable that I didn't mess with her enclosure too much.

The unpredictable temperament coupled with speed is the big problem with getting into pokies before you're ready.

---------- Post added at 07:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:28 PM ----------

You might want to consider P. cambridgei... they are a bit more defensive than avics but they are NW species and very nice display Ts. They are more of an intermediate species but that's what conditions you for keeping OW species. I've been raising one for almost three years now and she is 6-6.5" she is awesome... I also have it's growth rate from sling in my thread history.
an Avic is a NW too :razz:
 

Motorkar

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
468
Well here is my own imput what I have experience so far. I have B. smith, A. versicolor, P. cambridgei and A. geniculata, got them in this order. From my experience, my A. versicolor and B. smithi are adults allready now, but I got each of them and raised them from 2 inches and up. My own experience is:
- A. versicolor is the most docile from my collection, I never got any threat pose, never got a bite or any of similar signs from her. She is about 5.5 inches big, she has her own web home right at the base ofthe substrate and wood brench and she is very oftzen spotted outside it, she does stay in it only when eating, molting or if she doesen't like it to be outside. She has very stunning colors, she is a good eater, though I never handle her, had her on my hand only three times becouse she climed on it by her self, when I was moving her. She is quite fast and was a nice step from B. smithi. I must say it is really awsome display T, specially when they make all those vertical tube webs.

-P. cambridgei has sometimes her own mood swings, but not often. She is very fast, sometimes I have feeling of pokie teleporting like seen in robc videos pokies does. She is about 3 inches big now, got her when she was about 2 when I got her half an year ago. She newer gave me threat or bite signs, but she moves really fast. Also, she has some tendencies of burrowing and she has a burrow at the base of a tree root. She is a bit picky about food, she loved superworms but now she kind of hates them.

I am thinking of getting a new T soon when the reptile show comes in may, I have my eyes set on three: C. cyanopubescens, P. irminia and P. regalis now and somehow I am getting tempte from the first and last one. :)
 

JuGGaL0K0W

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
24
In my experience so far my pokies are far more prone to hide than teleport, all except my P.miranda and my P.fasciata sling. When building their enclosures i just made sure to place a nice hide for them. All except the P.miranda will retreat to the hide and wait till im done my watering/feeding. Owning pokies and even Stromatopelma calceatum can be a wonderful experience if you have the utmost respect for there venom potency and speed. Just take care and you "should" be fine.
 
Top