got the pokie bug

[John chambers]

Hi.

I've started with terrestrials and my wife got her first arboreal a pinktoe then she wanted a versi,
I thought about arboreals and what I'd go for!.
The poecilotheria I was put off by the bad press, But started to back track old the threads on here and other forums to see what owners opinions were.
After saying that I will "never" keep a pokie... I now have three!.. a regalis sling,a subfusca LL juvi and a pederseni subadult female..
And to be honest I like these more then some of the terrestrials!!.
I am taken with poecilotheria and can't wait to get two more .. miranda and subfusca HL
So has any one else found this with pokies ?.
Oh and my wife has a poecilotheria metallica sling ..
And I've worked out what male terrestrials I'm replacing with poecilotheria.
Seems I really have the pokie bug

[Lee Furness]

At the moment I've got a regalis about 3.5" - 4" or so (swine never stays still long enough to get a good measure!), I'm wanting more but until I re-arrange some things and do some clearing out in the house I'm stuck for space. They are great though, I love seeing mine out on the hunt and I'm planning a tarantula tattoo at some point which will most likely be a pokie.

[John chambers]

At the moment I've got a regalis about 3.5" - 4" or so (swine never stays still long enough to get a good measure!), I'm wanting more but until I re-arrange some things and do some clearing out in the house I'm stuck for space. They are great though, I love seeing mine out on the hunt and I'm planning a tarantula tattoo at some point which will most likely be a pokie.

The only one I see feed is the subfusca lowland , my regalis sling hides and my pederseni hides because she is waiting to moult.. as for a pokie tatt I'll get one done next year just have to choose one I want..

[John chambers]

So how many more of us have found poecilotheria to be a must have..
I know there are many that breed or just keep these in groups ..
But what made you really like them.

[Lee Furness]

I just like the overall look of them, the long legs and striking contrast patterns. I do wish the species had more variation in colouration at times and wonder why on earth the metallica is such a vivid colour compared to the rest?
I like that my regalis is quite shy at times (maintenance/cleaning) but also active enough to be out where you can see it (providing you approach it without disturbing it) and not just in the middle of the night like my OBT which I now only see just before bed and first thing in the morning.

Hmmm, I think also that, so far, mine has always fed/molted well and I've never felt any worries about its care - my experiences with NW arboreals so far (Avic's) hasn't been as smooth and I'm constantly checking on those, whereas the pokie just gets on with things by itself.

[Nicola Dolby]

Addictive little things aren't they Myself I'd keep the terrestrials/fossorials and get Pokies as well! Of the 12 species in the hobby I've kept 8 at one time or another, and its impossible to pick a species as a favorite, I love them all. Some are more skittish than others in my experience, but I dissagree with handling anyway and with eight legs, wandering is what they do! lovely spiders and I hope you get many years joy out of keeping them.

[DJKelly]

What makes pokies a must have?

For me it's the sheer beauty of the animals, not just in their stunning looks but also in their predatory brilliance. Thrilling and deadly though not as mechanical as the mantids - much more fluid, almost cat-like. A lightning strike and then they vanish in plain sight against the lichens and bark. Love 'em.

"wonder why on earth the metallica is such a vivid colour compared to the rest?" - I've pondered this as well. Might this be a way to avoid agressive competition for territory, the same as in tropical reef fish? Do they have a much smaller population area than other pokeys? (again drawing a comparison to colour intensity in reef fish)

Dave

[Martin Lees]

I got my 1st pokie just over a year ago(a Regalis sling)which is now a sub adult female.I now have all 12 sorts of them.So you could say i,ve been bitten by the pokie bug.I have got communes of 5 Regalis/5 striata/9 Rufillata/11 pedersoni/8 Tigrinawesslli/9 Subfusca(highland) and 8 Subfusca(lowland)Bara.They are absolutely facinating to watch together in their own group.And boredom never comes into play as sometimes does with some of the more docile terrestrial species.I just hope they continue to get along together until adulthood,when i will probebly have to split them up.Today i have recieved my 1st MM P.Striata to try to breed with a large adult female i have.Something i havnt tried before.So wish me luck?So you never know,you could have the same whirlwind year of getting the pokie bug????

[John chambers]

yeah I love the way they can turn 180 in a smooth flow
Any idea how many there are ? is there a uniformis?
I'm waiting for miranda next then I'll be looking for subfusca highland,
but I'm also reading on breeding them.

[Jon Birkley]

Hi.

I've started with terrestrials and my wife got her first arboreal a pinktoe then she wanted a versi,
I thought about arboreals and what I'd go for!.
The poecilotheria I was put off by the bad press, But started to back track old the threads on here and other forums to see what owners opinions were.
After saying that I will "never" keep a pokie... I now have three!.. a regalis sling,a subfusca LL juvi and a pederseni subadult female..
And to be honest I like these more then some of the terrestrials!!.
I am taken with poecilotheria and can't wait to get two more .. miranda and subfusca HL
So has any one else found this with pokies ?.
Oh and my wife has a poecilotheria metallica sling ..
And I've worked out what male terrestrials I'm replacing with poecilotheria.
Seems I really have the pokie bug

Im the same as you, I started off with some nice terrestrial species then moved straight onto pokies as my first arboreals, I have two p.met slings and a p.smithi juvie, I love the way they look, how they stalk and hunt prey. I actually think they are becoming my favourite genus!

[John chambers]

Im the same as you, I started off with some nice terrestrial species then moved straight onto pokies as my first arboreals, I have two p.met slings and a p.smithi juvie, I love the way they look, how they stalk and hunt prey. I actually think they are becoming my favourite genus!

Yeah they do have that some thing that just makes you want to buy more lol.
today I get P.miranda