Weird Poecilotheria Sling Question...

[hcsk8ter]

Hi,
I got my 1" Poeilotheria Sling about a week ago. It is acting kind of strange as of late. Maintenance hasn't been a problem. It hides under the bark whenever I slightly open the lid and it was eating a few days ago.
The oher day I put in a live cricket (Swifty told me that arboreals like "live" and not dead) and it was disinterested, so I took the cricket out.
Figured maybe it was going to molt. However, last night I closely observed it under its bark, it looked like it was doing "exercise". It seemed to be stretching its front and back opposite legs. I thought it was doing the "pushing" from its skin. So I was excited today that I was going to see some new color changes from a molt.
No dice. This morning it was up on the side of the container and looked the same. If it's not eating and its approaching molt, why no bald spot? Do arboreals get the bald spot as well?
This is my first arboreal. Yes, I know this is not the suggested first arboreal, but Pokeys are too gorgeous to pass up and I'm a big boy. Besides, right now beside it being lightning fast. As soon as I even move the container it runs under its bark hideaway.
This is a pic of Pokey fasciata hiding under the bark. it's been there for at least half a day. Thanks in advance.

 

[Johnny_27]

First off, i dont wanna sound like an ass but you really shoulda researched more before you got a pokey.

there could be a million reasons why its not eating.

That stretch you saw is how all pokeys sit and relax

If its small, expect it to be burrowed alot, they burrow as slings.

Only New World Ts get the bald spot from rubbing off their urticating hairs and pokeys are old world Ts and dont possess the hairs. Even if it was tho, the bald spot doesnt indicate a molt, just that the spider was stressed by something and kicked its hair off.

How long have you had it? It might not eat cause its not comfortable in its new home.

Good luck with this guy..

EDIT: Also, expect any T you have to spend alot of time in one spot. Sitting under a log for half the day is nothing, My blondi hasnt moved from one spot for months.

 

[C_Strike]

IMO, i dont think you need to do much research, just give the pokie some respect. They arent anything special in my opinion. just be careful when opening and closing the door.
Seems your quite new to the whole T scene. my advice is stick with this forum and within a week youl be clued up
Never forget that pokies have some incredible speed.
Read the bite reports of Pokies to give you a clue why/ to what degree you to be cautious around them.
I have had them for a while, The ONY thing i know are due a MASSSIVE amount respect in my house is my 2 Scolopendra subspinipes. so my understanding of pokies is of them being consideralby slower than one of those badboys!
Just give it a nice enclosure, keep him happy to be in it, and he shudnt pace, and if he does scarper when your doin maintenance, he shud run to his hide straight away. Gives you an advantage of lessening the likelyhodd of a faceplant from a jumping spider, hehe
I had a P rufilata jump on my face,lol quite unselttling. I understand pokies as being 'flight' responsive when disturbed. so i wasnt too shocked and worried.
Dont put yourself in a dodgy situation with them, like any T they do have a nce pair of fangs, and particularly nice venom, respect it

 

[Brian S]

No dice. This morning it was up on the side of the container and looked the same. If it's not eating and its approaching molt, why no bald spot? Do arboreals get the bald spot as well?

Hi,
The species that get a bald spot will be species that possess urticating hairs which your Poke does not have and therefore will not develp a bald spot.

This is my first arboreal. Yes, I know this is not the suggested first arboreal, but Pokeys are too gorgeous to pass up and I'm a big boy. Besides, right now beside it being lightning fast.

IMO that's a bunch of hog wash!! My first arboreal way back when was a Poke, not an Avic. I constantly read where alot of people seem to assume you need 10 years experience before you jump on the Pokie bandwagon and that simply isnt true. When acquiring a small sling like you did, you will become familiar with its characteristics as it grows. By the time its an adult you will know what to expect. Pokes arent as bad as alot of people let on like I promise you.
Now H mac or S cal might be a different story. They are alot more inclined to go ballistic than a Poke is.

 

[Mina]

I waited 15 months beofore I got my first pokie, but I went slowly. A genic first, then a P. cancerides, then a blondi, then a pokie. But that is what I felt comfortable with. A lot of it has to do with comfort levels. There is no wrong way to build your T collection as long as you're happy. Yes, I agree, a blondi or a pokie may not be the easiest T's to begin with, but to each their own.

 

[cacoseraph]

i have suggested pokie slings as a first arboreal and been lambasted for it

my reasoning is this:

1) they are beautiful. i will put up with a lot for the right kind of beauty

2) they are deliberate. african slings seem to be part electron... they move quickly, change direction quickly, and will jump off ANYTHING!

3) while they do have respectable venom, at sling size they don't have *that* much of it.

4) the 10-15 slings of 3 dif species of peocis i've played with have always been quite tractable for me. hell, all the poeci's i've played with have been pretty darn reasonable... it was easier to steal an eggsac from my giant regalis than it was to get one away from my brother's A. avic!

5) ultimately, even adult peoc's are not like a loaded gun... they can hurt but they can't kill people. i think people are too afraid of a little pain nowadays

 

[Bigboy]

As far as the dead dissolved cricket goes, it was probably just a case of your sling getting annoyed by the cricket and not being hungry. I've watched usambara slings defensively bite crickets and then do nothing in the way of eating them. The cricket then in turn dies and breaks down faster than it would under normal circumstances due to the venom that was injected into it.