Category Archives: Poecilotheria Metallica

Collection Reduction

August 18, 2014 6:55 pm // Leave a Comment //

In order to focus on my Brazilian boa breeding ambitions more seriously, I’ve decided to reduce my tarantula collection. I found a fellow enthusiast on Craig’s List who was happy to have all the individuals I’d tagged for re-homing.

I’m disappointed to see the spiders go, but the boas are a larger priority. Maybe I will be more inclined to keep up with this blog with a smaller collection. Ha! More likely, this will become a blog about my pets in general. Oh well. I had good intentions when I started. =P

Posted in: Brachypelma albopilosum, Brachypelma smithi, Haplopelma lividum, Lampropelma sp., Poecilotheria metallica, Poecilotheria rufilata, Psalmopoeus irminia, Stromatopelma calceatum

Gooty Sapphire [007] March 2014

March 8, 2014 5:27 am // Leave a Comment //

Molt (2): March 1, 2014 @ 67 days
2.2 inches

She’s still really small for such a long wait between molts. I keep my collection just above room temperature, without supplemental heating. There’s no thermostat in the apartment, just an on/off heat switch, so I’m not sure exactly how warm it is, but it’s often too warm for me. It could be that she’s slowed down for the winter. The other Poeci species I keep are from cooler regions, and they are molting on time. Or maybe P. metallica grows slower in general. Either way, she looks fucking brilliant now.

I don’t feel like the pictures do her justice. She really looks like her species now. Suddenly, the little spiderling that I threw so much money at on an impulse is a gem in my collection. She’s still not my favorite, but at least I don’t regret her.


Now we’re getting somewhere. I gently brushed a front toe to trigger a threat stance. This is the first I’ve made contact with her directly since her March molt. Otherwise, she usually flees from perceived threats at a slow (for an arboreal) pace.

Posted in: Poecilotheria metallica

Tarantula Profile: Poecilotheria sp.

March 6, 2014 10:07 pm // 1 Comment //

Maximum Size

  • Females can reach up to 20 – 23 cm / 8 – 10 inches.
  • Fast growth rate, males mature in 1.5 – 2 years.

Visibility

  • Somewhat Reclusive. 

Temperament

  • Defensive or quick to flee, but generally mild mannered if unprovoked.

Habitat

  • Old World & Arboreal, but juveniles remain close to the ground, burrow, and add substrate to hides of their own construction.
  • Most species thrive at warmer temperatures, but tolerates domestic climates. P. rufilata, P. smithi, and P. subfusca do best when kept without (or with minimal) supplemental heating, at room temperature.
  • Thrives with light to moderate humidity, substrate should not be kept bone-dry. P. fasciata and P. regalis are from dry climates and are more tolerant.

Hide Construction

  • Adults prefer to hide in a space where they can rest vertically on a surface, so provide upright hiding places where they can retreat from light. Juveniles will remain less visible, hiding themselves in a dirt covered web, sometimes below the substrate. A shorter piece of cork bark at a less than upright angle is perfect.

(Last reviewed March 2014)

Posted in: *Profiles, Poecilotheria metallica, Poecilotheria rufilata, Poecilotheria subfusca

Gooty Sapphire [007] Feb2014 Monthly Update

February 25, 2014 3:45 pm // Leave a Comment //

Awfully large and elongated abdomen, but hasn’t darkened / gone to pre-molt yet as of the 7th. I’ve fed my collection less these recent weeks because of the cooler temperatures. They don’t seem to have the appetite, and this particular T is always overly timid around prey items. 

She seemed darker on the 24th and looks about ready to burst out of her skin, literally… haha! Cheesy, I know. =/ I can’t seem to give her a hide she likes, so I keep her in the back of my collection where there’s less light. 

Posted in: Poecilotheria metallica

Acquired: Gooty Sapphire Ornamental [007]

February 6, 2014 7:24 pm // Leave a Comment //

I didn’t plan on getting this species. Yeah, it’s pretty, but I already had a species of Poecilotheria and I wasn’t too keen to go all out on one of the most expensive tarantulas in the hobby. My spider guy at the local shop ordered two s’lings, one for another collector, Brandon, and an extra.
I happened to see the extra tucked into the back of the case without a label or price, so asked. $125. I’d priced spiderlings online at $80+ and another $50 for overnight shipping, so $125 was spot on for me. I brought home my P. metallica on November 18, 2013 as my 7th tarantula this collection. She was 1.25 inches at purchase.


She’s very skittish in a deli cup without a hide. Once cover was provided, she stopped running and stayed put while I fiddled inside her enclosure. 

On December 19th, she suddenly appeared much darker, which I suspect is pre-molt. She and the P. rufilata seemed to darken about the same time.

Molt (1): December 24, 2013 @ 36 days from acquisition.
1.25 inches

Mid January, she’s still very skittish/flighty. Runs at the slightest disturbance even with her retreat. She seems uninterested in it and instead hides behind it, but it’s not very dark or enclosed so she flips out a lot.
Posted in: Poecilotheria metallica