Help with first pokie

[Chris Barnard]

I currently have a B. vagans, L. para, and G. rosea and would love to get a Poecilotheria. I have read lots of posts but still undecided. Which would be the easiest to care for for a relative novice? I would prefer one of the hardier species that does not require high temperatures or humidity, striata maybe?
I realise they can be defensive and very fast but would like something a bit different and arboreal.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Mark Harrison]

Hey chris, before i got my first pokie i was like yourself, before i realised just how beautiful a sp. they are, i found the one thing you have to be prepared for is the speed difference between your rosea etc to that of a pokie. As for aggression, i have 2 P.Formosa (1 is about 2.5cm and the other is 3-4inch) and both have never shown any aggression, just flighty.

I find that feeding/misting once a week (larger specimen) seems to do the trick with temps being around 25-26c in the day and dropping at night by 2-3c. I cannot speak for any other Pokie species but i have heard P.Regalis are quite hardy and stunning. Once you get your first pokie you will never look back

[Chris Barnard]

Thanks for the reply Mark. They are incredibe looking spiders. Do your formosas web very much?
The t addiction that everyone talks about has definitely kicked in! I have three at the moment but would love to get some more. I'd like an arboreal and think it woud make a great display t. I have made an enclosure for my G rosea and have started work on an arboreal one.
Will probably get a sling first. I have read about pokie slings being kept in a terrestrial set up to start with and moving on to arboreal after a few moults? Any thoughts?

[Mark Harrison]

No problem chris, i would have mentioned Avic as a possible starter arboreal but they have a tendancy to just die. My pokies web a bit but are not extensive webbers like Avicularia sp. Other arboreals i could personally recommend are Psalmopeus Irmina, absolutley stunning and are not afraid of tackling prey.

As for keeping Pokie slings in terrestrial setups im not sure as my small sling is kept in a test tube (looking to move this weekend). There are quite a few people on this forum that are more experienced with pokies that could possibly answer your question.

[Lisa Ashforth]

I have read about pokie slings being kept in a terrestrial set up to start with and moving on to arboreal after a few moults? Any thoughts?

I keep pokie slings in an arboreal setup from the start, but make the substrate deeper. They sometimes burrow a bit, but I still provide a small piece of cork and a bit of fake plant for them to hide behind.

I have a little group of 4 P. formosa slings currently living together. They are in one of those screw-top beakers with tiny air holes drilled in. They have a cork tube, but they're often out and about and usually keep in close contact with each other.

[darrell hetzel]

i have a few Pokie sp. (rufilata, striata, and fasciata) and my rufilata in my oppinion is the hardiest. she does great at room temps, and a light misting once or twice a week seems to do her just fine. this was also my first sp. of Pokie. it is flighty, but i have never seen any aggresion from her. she is also the most beautiful t i have ever seen!