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Can you please make a video on the Brazilian Black Tarantula (Grammostola Pulchra)? I've been raising one from a sling and I'd really like to hear what you think of them. Thanks! :)
@@zakosist to be fair he does state that no one has died from this spider either. Go piss of a small african gray and let it bite you. Now imagine a big parrot goin at u
I used to be terrified of spiders, too, then my AP Biology teacher pulled me aside after school one day, reached into a terrarium, and picked up one to show me and teach me some facts about. Within five minutes, I had fallen in love. The teacher actually gifted the tarantula to me at the end of the school year and I had him for years and years. Scotty was the lowest-maintenance pet I've ever owned lol. And, in the 20 years since, I've developed a real fondness for spiders in general. Clint reminds me a lot of my AP Bio teacher, just getting people to see the world and the things in it in whole new ways.
Tips for those who want a P. met. 1. They prefer flight over fight unless it's near their hide. You might have noticed Dr Joey used his hand to cup and block the T when it tried to run away. That's not recommended but I have done that a few times if a catch cup isn't nearby. It's always better to have a big catch cup within reach though. 2. Near their hide, unless cornered, their first reaction tends to be throwing a threat posture - then slap (a fake bite that is all legs and no fangs) - and then bite as a last resort. I have had several P. met and they are closer to the chill end compared to the other Pokies. Just don't touch the web (especially the trigger wires around the opening) because they may think you are food. 3. Lean your cork bark against the side glass which faces a wall and then slide a dark / black piece of cardboard in between the tank and the wall. That will make the hide a lot darker, which will make the T feel safer but still allow you to check on the T e.g. if you are not sure if it's moulting before feeding or if it has eaten its food etc. 4. Buy one of those magnetic water bowl holder that is usually meant for crested geckos. They will use an elevated water bowl relatively more frequently than a ground-level one. 5. If you have a bioactive tank and a juvenile P. met (actually any Pokies, from my experience), your larger isopods, e.g. dairy cows, will be eaten. I caught mine munching isopods all the way until they were about 11cm - by which time the fangs are too wide to bite an isopod. 6a. While they don't burrow like fossorial species, they may still dig a bit to tidy up their hide and chill at the bottom. (see tip 3 again if you wonder how I observed this behaviour) 6b. They actually dislike resting on corkbark and prefer (relatively) smooth surfaces like glass and styrofoam background. If given a choice, they 100% always prefer the smoother surface. (see tip 3 again if you wonder how I observed this behaviour). 7. Don't use a brush to coax a T to move about e.g. when you need to clean the water bowl full of poop and the T is too near for comfort. I have found tarantulas in general react very unpredictably with brushes. The best tool in my experience is a bamboo skewer (of course not the pointy end). I have never had a single one that tries to bite a bamboo skewer - and that includes an OBT that tried to bite my shadow as I walked by.
My first tarantula was a Poecilotheria Metallica. She was an incredible spider; skittish, especially with sudden changes in lighting, but far from aggressive or even defensive. Her color was incredible and seeing her grow was an incredible journey. This is a fast tarantula that can climb flat surfaces. They tend to be a little skittish so I recommend tapping the enclosure a few times before opening it for maintenance. This will give the pokie a chance to hide and feel more secure before you enter. Incredible animal that will amaze your friends.
Yeah, people think that because zoo's and pet shops say "don't tap on the glass" for their animals that it means it is a universal rule for all animals anywhere. Yeah it's a good rule of thumb, but with Tarantula's you 100% want to make your presence known, even with the docile new worlds. My LP always panics when I open her enclosure with no warning, I usually fumble a little intentionally so she can find her way to her hide before I actually open it up. Another trick I have used is to get a paint brush or straw and tap the substrate with some force, the idea is to make yourself sound like something alot bigger than them heading their way. I would not recommend doing this trick on any defensive species as it could illicit a threat posture, but it works on my new worlds that just have an insane feeding response to any vibrations (my N.tripepii and T.albopilosum are the worst for it).
I don't mind Metallica. Metallica will run and hide. But Regalis and Ornata will come and try to investigate and drive you away if it comes to it. Though they are less skittish.
I spent my first 12 "adult" years running fish departments in pet stores. The last place I worked a guy(that looked like you with long hair) was showing off by handling one of these. It bit him, it made him kind of flail and his other arm hit the rescue iguana and it bit him too. 130 stitches and started puking from the spider bite as they were stitching him up. Working in pet stores was crazy man.
Seeing that you had covered my favorite tarantula was the best way to wake up this morning. I never handle mine, but she's definitely less defensive and bolty than any other pokies I've worked with. Great feeding response and very blue! Definitely the fastest T I've ever kept.
I've had multiple Pokies, including P. Metallica. They were and are all better behaved than my new world Ts. Still, don't handle them. I don't handle any of my Ts as a rule.
I really love M Robustum for beauty while on the face of it they dont look terribly different to other red new world spiders the thickness of colour and the thiccness of its sheer size wow me. But all tarantulas are pretty in their way
Dr. Joey Mugleston went super low on the hipster meter for this vid. I agree, but they have some competition such as the electric blue and the Birupes sxmorzigorum, and Sabah Blue, as far as blue tarantulas go.
I have something like 60 tarantulas, and I always describe keeping them to people as: treat them like fish, only without having to monitor water parameters. I only ever handle a couple, because they have expressed (as best as a spider can express) that they don't seem to mind handling. I make bioactive, or planted enclosures, and just observe them.
You should do a video on the Pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia). These are very docile arboreal tarantulas with the only downside to handling them being that they can travel at warp speed if they feel like it. I've handled many at a pet shop I used to work at and have never even heard of a bite. They also didn't seem to be particularly shy around people (by tarantula standards).
A. avic is incredibly slow compared to most. Whilst they dont tend to bite they do have urticating hairs but they dont kick they just rub them onto things but the biggest defence is the shooting poo out of their bum.
If you want a Gooty Sapphire but are hesitant because of the defensiveness and venom potency, might I bring your attention to The Caribena versicolor, the Antellies pinktoe. A new world arboreal species that is equally as beautiful (in my opinion) as the gooty sapphire. They are more skittish but much more reluctant to bite. You also won't be able to hold it often because they do spend the vast majority of their time in their web tunnels. Even so, I 100% recommend them
Last few months has been an amazing adventure. I adopted a new kitty just prior to the holidays - and realized I needed more life in my home. Got a bunch of houseplants and started watching great YT channels. And your channel along with Rus@Aquarimax and so many others played a great role in this process. Over the holidays I also decided to convert a long empty bearded dragon enclosure in my home office (which I’ve just used for storage the last 5 years) into a bioactive leopard gecko enclosure. I just finished it and plowing the plants and clean up crew to develop and grow while I look for a leopard gecko for it Ordered my clean up crew from Rus )highly recommended btw) and through his channel I found the Tarantula Collective. From his I found Toms big spiders, David’s little Beasties and others and 2 weeks ago I bought my first tarantulas (A aviculaira and b smithi- pink toe and red knee, respectively). Got juveniles of each- about 2” DLS. I’ve since made a bioactive enclosure for the avic and just rehomed my smithi after he unexpectedly molted (my first) earlier this week. Can’t wait to get the leopard gecko now! Suddenly my home office is FILLED with life! Thanks for playing a small part in all this Clint. Great content!!!
You've done betta fish, but perhaps goldfish would be a good video as well. Would be a great chance to discuss the different breeds, show people how large they can actually get, etc.
okay this channel is a LOT of fun. I'm not an arthropod keeper, and I probably wouldn't keep a tarantula! I stumbled upon this channel doing some research on the wolf spider, and now I'm hooked! I plan to have a terrarium with some critters in it, so I'll definitely check out your other videos as part of my search for a good bug pet!
I hope this isn’t too off topic on an invertebrate vid, but I would LOVE to see a Colombian rainbow boa vid someday…they seems so underrated to me, if not a bit duller than the Brazilian! :) great video as always!!
I used to have two of these that I took in as emergency rescues. They were super beautiful and I really enjoyed having them but I'm really a reptile person (plus I was slightly uncomfortable having something venomous in the house with cats and a child) so I rehomed them to someone crazy about tarantulas. This video has reminded me how cool they were to have around though ☺
P. Metallica is my first tarantula. I've had it for about 6 months and It has been a very good experience so far. I used to think that the pictures of these tarantulas were enhanced to make the colors more vibrant, but they're actually that vibrant in person. It's a very calm species as long as you don't disturb it too often. The only drawback is that they're fast and may bolt on you if you try to rehouse it.
@@MrWeenieHead Going great still! It's my one year anniversary with it and it's even more beautiful now that it's noticeably bigger. One thing I discovered recently is the bottoms of their feet are iridescent green.
I like how you and so many of the reptile keepers/educators talk about the Invisible Ark. I first heard about this book and concept (aside from the Bible lol) from Kamp Kenan's videos. David Barker is awesome and he was so kind and sent me a copy of his book after I couldn't find one anywhere (I live in Canada). I appreciate everything you do and your videos bring alot of joy to my day. Thank you so much 💗🦎
Excellent video Clint. Wonderfully informed and clear-cut facts that we in the hobby have been trying to explain for longer than anyone knows. Thank you for doing your research and talking to an experienced breeder.
Couple things to note.. (I have an Indian ornamental, a very close relative pokie). These tarantulas are not all that bitey. They prefer to flee and are very good at it. It's mostly in their home that they start throwing fangs. Once out they are more flighty. They're very fast in bursts. Keepers in the industry describe it as teleporting. I recall reading anecdotes they may teleport up your tongs to get you if you harass them in their enclosure though, like an H. mac. Overall great video as usual! These are some of the most striking tarantulas, and are surprisingly hardy because they have a dry season in the wild. When recommending starter tarantulas, I like to throw out Pinktoes in the Avicularia genus. They are very colorful and are arboreals but are a lot more docile. They're also some of the only new worlders that don't kick hairs. Instead they are very jumpy and will actually shoot poo at you which is pretty novel. They require high Temps and humidity and are a bit more environmentally fragile than other tarantulas though. Still pretty easy to take care of.
I wanted one for over a year but was hesitant due to venom toxicity. I finally got a small juvenile at an expo. She was skittish for a few weeks but is now so confident and amazing to watch. The camouflage of the babies is amazing. I definitely made a happy choice.
Can’t wait to get a metallica! The only pokie I have at the moment is a P. rufilata, which are supposed to be one of the most aggressive in the entire genus (and they can also potentially get an 8-9” DLS!), but I’ve found that mine at least is super shy and chill to work with. Heck, all of my old worlds are super chill in comparison to some of my new worlds 😂
As someone who owned and loved a tarantula (she died of old age a few years ago, I miss her daily, she was a rosie) the camera shots of this T getting so close to the edge of the table was stressing me out, and then it cuts away at the last moment. LOL
Hey Clint, I've been watching your videos for a while now and I was wandering if you could do one on tiger beatles sometime in the future? My search for quality and in depth reviews of that bug have proved fruitless and I believe that bug is certainly cool enough to deserve one.
I currently have two CB slings from a breeder, I love watching them grow and can’t wait for them to be fully grown. One is just starting to get his blue colour ❤
Amazing creature, stunning colour's. Great educational video. Still petrified of spider's and tarantula's, won't stop me wanting to learn more about them
Clint, I’m a tarantula keeper getting ready to move into my first reptile (ackie monitor, you were the one who piqued my interest in the species). Thank you for all of your education and the responsible way you portray these creatures
Not only is it a beautiful spider but it also has a pretty rockin' name. Unfortunately we seem to want to seek and destroy their habitat. If nothing else matters we need to help this beautiful species or they will be whom the bell tolls for. 🎸🎸
One thing I'd add is that, like you said, they are very fast growing. That being said, watch videos and prepare for safe rehousing. If there's going to be an issue, its going to happen during a transfer to a larger enclosure.
Love your show - thank you! I would add to your argument in favor of P Metts and your 50 spider collection theory. These guys do well as a community setup. So they could fill far more than one in a collection of 50. And what’s better than a beautiful blue spider? A collective of them!
What a beautiful spider. One comment: the video keeps showing the spider crawl to the edge of the table and right as it reaches the edge (with no hand to stop it) the camera cuts away. My heart goes into my throat each time because it looks like the spider is going to fall. Not only is it scary, I'm annoyed at being scared like that. It would be much better if you showed how the spider was kept on the table. When you got to Dr. Joey's portion of the video, it was much more instructive and pleasant to see him casually put his hand in front of the spider and head it off. Overall, I love your videos. You're caring, funny, and a great teacher. Keep up the good work.
I have 3 Poecilotheria metallica, they are awesome 😁 most chill tarantula from its genus. I would even recomend it for first venomus aboreal. Ow and congratz on 500k 😁
Yeah i wasn't precise. What I ment was I would recomend this Poe for first more venomous aboreal. More venomous than for ex. Psalmopoeus irminia. Sorry english is my second language I struggle a bit 😅
Hey Clint, I loved the video thank you so much for educating me about the need to save this spider from extinction. I also think you should do a video on the green bottle blue spider they are very beautiful.
The exoterra I keep my mourning geckos in was used to house an adult female poeci by its previous owner; when I first cleaned it I found bits of tarantula molt and dead darkling beetles in the substrate, so I don't have one of these but I do have a foot. I like to think it brings me good luck
I startled everyone laughing and couldn't stop, say it with confidence, noone will question you.... That should be on a shirt or hoodie!!!! Quotes to live by.
These little dudes have been a long time dream tarantula for me! I've recently found that my spider hating gf would like one of these. After some research she found out about their less than ideal temperament. She's decided maybe Caribena versicolor would be good. Any chance you'll have a video on them? She always appreciates your opinion and she loves our Mexican Black Kingsnake Karliah whom we acquired after your video on them.
Could you do a video on pet crickets! I catch some every year and keep them for a while. Plenty of pet crickets in china! Adding their relationship to cricket fighting would be an interesting video!
Whoa whoa whoa, my friend. I very clearly draw the line at 40. Poecilotheria, formerly pokies, are my favorite genus. They are actually good starters for those moving into arboreals. I have only had one rufilata completely shoot out of it's enclosure and run a merry chase through my living room. They are certainly less high strung than African arboreal T's.
Should do a video on the Orange Baboon Tarantula! Their venom is considered medically significant as well & they're considered to be one of if not the most aggressive & willing to bite tarantula species. On the show Kings of Pain on History Channel they actually let a OBT bite them & the one guy was really messed up from it & side effects lasted days.
You gotta do a video on chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. Coming from someone who owns one, they are one of the coolest tarantulas in the world. That species is what peaked my interest in owning tarantulas
I owned one of these and was never bitten but from people who have, what I can say is you won't die, but they are lightning fast and if they do nail you, it's miserable; a doctor can do very little for you and it's apparently very intense pain coupled with flu like symptoms and major craps even weeks after. Good news is is ornamentals aren't particularly feisty in my experience and this is the most vibrant.
