so how fast are poki's really?

[Tindalos]

im interested in getting one seeing how beautiful they are
but i keep hearing they are super fast, potent venom, and defensive
put me a little nervous. I have no intentions on handling it but im scared of cage maintenance with these guys?

so is there a reason to be scared by these guys?
how fast are they?
and what's a good starter poki?

thanks in advance

 

[barabootom]

I have a friend who was bit by an adult female regalis and he had severe muscle cramps for a week. You can read the bite reports to get an idea of what other people have gone through. It's very unpleasant. Are they fast? Mine never seemed to be. I would coax them with a long tweezers and as long as they weren't startled they were very predictable. They will bite with little provocation though. Can they be fast? Yes. Startle one and it will be faster than you can react. They can run up your arm in a flash.

 

[FuzzOctave]

Pokies can virtually teleport, if inclined. I've had a female P.regalis for over a year. She was about 2" when I purchased her, now she's alomst 6". She has never threatened me, and always runs away from me. She usually dives down into her cork hide. She is probably the fastest mover I have. I'm still impressed by her speed.
I still treat her with the utmost respect. I never open her cage without knowing exactly where she is. I also keep my hands away from her hide opening. I prefer not to be mistaken as lunch. A pokie bite, while not life threatening, is extremely painful and the after effects can last for weeks in some cases. When performing terrarium maintenance, I use Stan Shultze's method, utilizing the bath tub, with towels under the door. The last time I changed her substrate, I cautiously picked up her hide, with her in it, and placed that in temporary quarters. Once I was finished, I moved her back the same way.

They're great display animals, but never forget that they can give you a terrible bite.

The best one to start with is also the most expensive: P. Metallica. I'd say P. regalis would be the next one.

 

[evicton]

You need to respect these guys at almost all times, and they are fast. The first time I unpacked my first Regalis I spent 20 minutes chasing it around my living room till finally it got on carpet and that slowed it down enough I was able to cup it. I now unpack my pokies in my tub lol.

Now I only have 2 regalis and 1 p. met, and just recently I got a formosa but its to recent for me to know his temperment, he was packed recently molted and since moving him to his new enclosure he has sealed himself up in his cork hide. But all my pokies would rather run then anything but I know this is not the rule for all of them.

As far as good first poke I really think it comes down to cost. If you don't want to spend alot getting your feet wet with a first pokie then P. Regalis is probaly the best bet. If cost is not an issue for you then I actually think a P. Metallica is the best first pokie (yes they are also the most expensive).

As being generally new to the hobby when I got my first pokie I found this thread very helpful and still visit it from time to time.

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/spiders-inverts/234784-newbie-guide-poecilotheria.html

 

[AllieCat]

The last time I changed her substrate, I cautiously picked up her hide, with her in it, and placed that in temporary quarters. Once I was finished, I moved her back the same way.

What kind of hide do you use? I'm hopefully getting a first pokie too and and concerned with cage maintenence - a 'lift out' hide sounds helpful!!!

 

[DreadLobster]

While trying to breed them, my female startled the male and he made it about 3 feet over to me, up my leg and around to my butt before I could move a muscle. I would say the reality is that most tarantula's are capable of moving faster than we can react. Pokies are just one of the fastest. So its a venomous, possibly defensive/aggressive animal that could bite you faster than you could get out of the way... Treat it accordingly. As everyone else has said, give it the proper respect and its fine. Just don't take your eyes off it, keep your hands away, use long tongs, etc...

By the way, I have 2 p. regalis and one p. ornata... Only my female p. regalis is defensive. She will give a threat pose and bite at tongs or straws or whatever I have in my hand. The male has never even hinted at any sort of aggression, and the ornata is just as mellow. Not saying its the norm, but all species tend to vary by individual.

 

[Tindalos]

i saw p.metallica at local reptile expo bout a week ago
it was beautiful . it was only for display but it was 2 months gravid i believe
and they are planning to sell the spiderlings for bout 125$ the epople were from a local business called boaconstrictor.com or something, i believe the guy was jeremy stone.

anyways
what makes p.metallica a good poki?
thanks again for the help
i never would of though of a bathtub

 

[evicton]

There recommended mainly because they have no specific husbandy requirements. Some pokies are more sensitive to tempatures then most other ts. They also don't get quite as big as some of the other Pokie species with there average size around 6 inches. Now individual species always differ but there temperment is more of the run away kind as well.

Of course they are also a very stunning T but thats not really why there a recommended first pokie.

 

[mandipants]

Pokies are famous for teleporting. As stated above, they are faster than you can react. This should always been kept in mind when relocating or (for those few that do) handling them.

Maybe someday we can harness thier ability. Beam me up Pokie!

 

[WelshTan]

i guess I must be lucky with rehousing mine ... slings but not the tiny slings.... 1-3" ...all 3 P. regalis and 2 P.striata have been quite calm and slow but I suppose it must have helped that I did not panic... forced myself to be calm even tho I did start sweating when I knew I had to rehouse them. Being slow and deliberate in your movements I feel does influence how a T will react .... on the other hand my C .darlingi "teleported from one side of his box to my elbow in 0.01 seconds flat!!!!! and he is only 1cm LS lol ... I was not so low and deliberate in my movements when removind dead uneaten prey from his box lol ..... he scarpered n oh boy ... was it fun getting him back in lol

 

[Mack&Cass]

The good thing with pokies is that they're predictable for the most part. Most will stand their ground and fight rather than run. They are ridiculously fast and you have to be sure not to get complacent because they will take any chance they have to escape. Just make sure you know where it is when you're opening the enclosure, respect it, and you should be fine.

-Cass

 

[jayefbe]

The good thing with pokies is that they're predictable for the most part. Most will stand their ground and fight rather than run.

Predictable, yet the opposite of everything else I've read about them:?

 

[reverendsterlin]

definitely OMG fast!

 

[Ms.X]

This link has helped answer many of my questions regarding Poecilotheria. Very informative and geared toward new keepers of this genus.
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/spiders-inverts/234784-newbie-guide-poecilotheria.html

 

[WelshTan]

that is a great link .... i have bookmarked that link myself a while ago ...i forgot bout that

 

[Ms.X]

It is wonderful! I wonder if we could get it placed into one of the common questions areas? What kind of permission do we need to obtain?

 

[WelshTan]

well ... placed into some kind of "sticky" would be a good thing

 

[WelshTan]

think stickys have something to do with the mods

 

[BrynWilliams]

This is a video I saw a while ago, it's not my vid nor to i condone frustrating a T with a light, however it does demonstrate the speed of a pokie and some defensive behaviour nicely.

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yvXd_UXoOis&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yvXd_UXoOis&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Steve Calceatum]

-How fast are Pokies? FAST!!!!!!! (Not as fast or unpredictable as African arboreals, but definately mind-boggling)
-Is there anything to fear? No, but there is plenty to respect.
-Best starter Pokie? P. regalis: Cheaply available, and a fairly hardy specimen.....they are widely regarded as the "Classic Starter-Pokie." Although, my first Pokie was an adult P. striata. My experience with him was so overwhelmingly great, it cemented the Poecilotheria genus as a permanent feature in my collection.

If you're nervous about Pokies, start with a NW aboreal. The only ones I can think of that would prepare you for a Pokie would be the memers of the Psalmopoeus genus; particularly P. irminia. They're known as "Trainer-Pokies" for good reason.....mine is just about as fast as a Pokie, and has quite a bit more attitude. They also possess a substantially less potent bite, and therefore posing less risk to the keeper. If you feel comfortable with a Psalmo, then there is no reason not to get a Pokie.

However, the best way to do it is to suck it up, and jump in. The demonized reputation of Pokies and other OWs are alot of overbloated hype. There is no need to fear these creatures. The potent bite and speed alone demand a hell of a lot of respect, and it would behoove the keeper to give it in spades. Otherwise, they are really flighty spiders that would much rather beat a hasty retreat than fight.

Above all else: Enjoy them!!!! They are extremely easy to keep, and any member of this genus makes an attractive display animal.