Two Pokie Questions

[Lyle Beach]

1. How do pokies molt? Do they molt in their webs vertically? Does anyone have a picture?

2. How do you catch a pokie? As in, to take it out of the terrarium for cleaning, or transfering. I know about the 2 liter pop method for terrestrials, but I have never had to catch an aboreal in its tank.

Thanks all!

 

[da_illest]

i once asked those same questions and it's all a matter of learning on your own.. i could explain my methods but it's a pain to type all that.. i have a pokie at around 4" and others at around 1" although at the smaller stages they're extremely skittish and nervous, as adults they calm down a bunch and are more shy then anything.. just don't startle them and don't be all scared/nervous when you take them out.. i've used everything from rubbermaids to my hands to even lids of deli-cups to transfer arboreals and it's not hard at all.. just figure out your own ways and use whatever's available to you...

also, my pokies have molted on the substrate as well as on web and corkbark in the air... i guess it depends on your pokie, how much it webs, the kinda setup it has, and other things...

 

[cricket54]

I use a deli cup with a lid that one of my spiders was in at a show. I use the lid to get scoot into the cup then press the top on. I have also used a paint brush prodding him to go in the deli cup. One time I had to change a larger P. regalis sling into a bigger home using the deli cup.The tarantula ran out of its home, up my arm, and went around and around my torso then stopped on my back. Had to have my daughter try to get her into her new home. When I need to do this again with of them, I will stand in the bathtub in case it runs down to the floor. Our tub has shower doors. I usually prefer to do this when someone else is home to help catch the spider if it escapes.

Sharon

 

[chid]

Hi.
The ones i have seen moulting do, they make a hammock type web and moult in that.
when transfering I just coax it out of its tank,it usually goes onto the side of the tank where i just trap it in an old cricket tub. Do this with plenty of space around you so if it does a runner you dont lose it. If it does dont try to lunge at it as you can trap its legs and it will lose them, as i found out once,just let it finish its dash and then trap it.
Chid

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

I put bamboo in my tanks and they happily make a home in it if i need to transfer them I just put something over the end and move them to wherever they need to go. I have had to catch a large subadult male regalis and man it was a bad experience so from now on I will just use this method.

 

[metallica]

just to prove i can make blurry pics too, here is a regalis molting vertically.

 

[metallica]

as for transferring them out of the tank, i remove them on a piece of corck. Pokes move pretty predictable, fast... but predictable. i allways remove them from their tank to make pics.

 

[Lyle Beach]

Hey, thanks for all the replies everyone! Very helpful! I've got a 1.5" regalis, and he has made a kind of hammock... and I was wondering if he was going to molt soon. I never really see him move much... he just kinda goes up and down that one corner that he webbed up.

 

[Lyle Beach]

Anyone else with aboreal catching techniques?

 

[Lasiodora]

First off I make sure that I am working in an uncluttered area. If the spider bolts (normally doesn't, but it can happen) I can let it run its course until it runs out of steam. Using cork bark curls for hides and pulling the whole thing out (spider and all) with forceps has worked the best for me. In the past I used to use clear plastic bags. I would just place the bag over the containers opening. Then I would Poke a hole through the bag with forceps (so I could use the forceps to chase the spider into the bag) and coax the spider with the forceps into the clear bag.
Mike