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The most things go wrong is because most People tap the spider to move it instead of cheking its mood by gently making contact with the spider and keep that contact with the spider if it is in a relaxed mood. If they are not in a relaxt mood just use the catchcup. Fear while rehousing a spider is also a downside cause the trembles you make with your hands will set off the spiders sences. The corkbark methode shown in this video is my favourite for moving poecilotheria species if it is posible to do. Love your video's they give so much information❤ keep up the good work and have a nice day tom and billie.
Hello! Yup, that's key. Personally, I almost always use a catch cup; it's just the safest way. It also cuts down on the airflow around the spider, which often helps even skittish ones calm right down. People forget that their hairs are part of how they "feel" their surroundings. The slightest breeze (or breath) can send one running. And the cork bark method is a wonderful way to move them without issue. Thank you so much!
I actually just corresponded with Emile today. My state ID one where the ornatas are very hard to find. The good news is I just found a recently hatched sack full of second instars and I have ten of them reserved. That was how I found my way to your video because I have never seen an ornata. I have some rufilatas that are about the size of your ornatas and I'm a little amazed how much they look alike. I plan to breed pokies ans give them away. I don't want to make any money on them, it's entirely a passion project. I anticipate more restrictions to come on more species. It takes time to raise then from slings, so I'm starting the project. Also, I flashlight my pokies into their hides before I work in their enclosures... to add to what you said at the end, I like to give them a few weeks after a rehouse to get comfortable with their safe spot before I fool with them.
That's so awesome. I absolutely LOVE that people are doing this for the good of the species and not for money. It does my heart good to hear that! haha And great tips, thank you!
I got my ornata from Emille! That guy is amazing and a very very trust worthy seller! If you ever get the chance and are in Missouri give him your business above all other dealers!
@TomsBigSpiders Absolutely! I think our ornatas came from the same sac but mine is just smaller than yours. Do you think yours are male? I've heard of them being dimorphic from a young age with the dark patch on their cephalothorax fading in males.
Glad you validated my “pick up the cork round” rehouse method 😂 I felt like I was cheating. Also love the shoutout to Dave, his rehousings are so smooth, I feel like he’s the “spider whisperer”. When I talk to new keepers I always send them to this channel and Dave’s.
Oh, heck yes! It's one of the easiest ways to move them. There is NO cheating when it comes to rehousings. haha The idea is to get them over as safely as possible. Thank you!
Great video you remind me of beastie dave from the U.K. the way you show your enthusiasm of the hobby and how easy you explain what your doing always make great viewing
Thank you, James! I've spent years trying to show folks that rehousings can be calm and stress free, even with the so-called "advanced" species. I'm glad that others take the same approach.
Sorry Tom hadn't quite finished my first comment, when i hit the send button, i wanted to say fair play to Billie, for all the wonderful work that she does in the background, to get fantastic footage of the spiders 🕷, for us.
Love my Pokies too. Never had an issue. They all hide when I feed and water them. No issues rehousing. Slow and steady works most of the time. Great video. You and Dave are my go-to tarantula guides!
I have 10 different species of pokies. All are very reasonable if you are slow and pay attention. Ive never had any issues. Most of the time when rehousing they will flatten on the flatbark and im able to move them quickly like you have shown. Great video as always Tom!
Hey Tom, awesome video as always! Ornata and rufilata are two of the only species that still intimidate me a little bit, mainly just due to the size. Same vibe I get from the huntsman and Linothele species. I look at them and say "wow that is a beautiful spider, but not for me" so I love getting to see them in your videos! Maybe one day :D I am hoping to pick up a P. miranda or tigrinawesseli, I just love the looks of them and I definitely need another Pokie! At 8:42 the colours are particularly striking, I love the yellow on their legs! I'd like to add that I completely agree with you on the behaviour/temperament, I've had zero issues with any of my Pokies, they are much more shy and reclusive than defensive in my experience! Tomorrow is my birthday and getting to watch a new TBS video is such a great birthday gift, and frankly I can't think of a better way to spend my last evening as a 25 year old than binge watching your videos! :) Any chance we could get an update on your Pseudohapalopus sp. Columbia? I just picked one up and it is soooo microscopic! Thanks so much for all you do for the hobby! - Charlotte
Hey, Charlotte! I can definitely understand that. Those two species are not only the largest, but the ones that most point to as being more bold and potentially defensive. And I've never had any issues with mine. They would usually MUCH rather flatten out and hide than stand and fight. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope that it is an awesome one! As for the P. sp. Colombia, I've been trying to get footage of mine, but she's being super shy. Soon, I hope! :)
Another great video, Tom and Billie . My Ornata is the only pokie I have ever kept, and not that I have done many rehousings overall. Mine is a great spider, pretty relaxed, and not even all that shy . I have just built it a nice bioactive enclosure that's busy acclimatising.
Tom i forgot to mention i have invented an aid to rehousing i an calling it the spider slider 😂 anyway it works a dream . No more messing about trying to get the spider out of a catch cup . I was going to keep it a secret and actually get some made up for sale but it's that easy to make one i decided to let everyone know about it instead . Its in my latest video . I am guessing you don't still have the bottom you cut off simply lime aid 😂
Great video, Tom! I do love a pokie! I accidentally ended up with a regalis as my second ever T, have loved them since ❤ Nice shout out for Dave too, you and he would be my go to for any keeping or breeding knowledge 👌🏼
Poecilotheria is my favorite genus and I have all of them except hanumavilasumica (not for lack of trying). Their enclosures are top sliders and I tap several times on the lid before opening. These guys may be primitive but they've figured out lid tapping means food is coming and each one will make an appearance. I don't have a favorite but P. miranda is pretty gorgeous.
I am aretired physician interested in all living things. Recently in your video you mentioned a spider who recovered from a bad molt. Please create a video about molting and recovery. I really enjoy your carefully produced videos.
Thanks Tom . I love Pokies . Only have two out of the eighteen tarantulas I keep . (Striata and Rufalat) l had two molts on the same day . G actaeon and T vagans . My P sazimai molted into a L sazimai overnight . Never had one change genus in one day before . Thank you again !
That is a beauty of a spider but for me the purple/cream colored pokey you showed in a fairly recent video is my favorite looking one. You and Dave are imo the best and most informative tarantula content creators out there!
gorgeous spiders. and yes billie ya do a great job! you both do! keeping calm, transferring on stuff they've already declared safe, is the way to go. lol my most bolty spider got rehoused last week and i just calmly picked up her web tunnel with the tongs and put it in the corner and boom. mildly annoyed spider vs catch cup tango for the win.
Brilliant video Tom, very informative and enjoyable as always, and a beautiful species of spider 🕷 featured, and credit to Billie, for all the wonderful work she does in the b
Great vid as always Tom. These guys are definitely worth their own video. I love these guys although I don’t have this species. I have 4 regalis, a striata and a Metallica and they’re all stunning. Stay safe bud.
Hey, bud! I was glad that I was able to show them off a bit. Yes, Poecilotheria species are in an league of their own! I hope all is well...and thank you!
Always happy to see Poecilotheria content! I just picked up my first two arboreal tarantulas, a P. pulcher and A. germani, to potentially work towards a P. regalis and likely a H. maculata while I'm at it haha. I'm a sucker for striking black and white tarantulas
@@TomsBigSpiders it's just not a color scheme you see all that much in tarantulas and that level of contrast is just insane. I can't wait until I feel ready to get an H. mac and P. regalis, just sad I can't get a vittata in NH (hoping someone gifts some local breeders a few pairs so we can get them available)
Hi Tom....and Billie (can't forget her now can we) who does do a fantastic job with the camera. I have to say I agree with you wholeheartedly, the less you have to disturb your pokies, the better, I do hate it when others have to get them out, onto a nice piece of wood, just for a pic or two, why cause extra stress to it and extra possibility of it bolting, threatening or worse. I love pokies, had 3 female ornata and metallica a few years back but, lost them, long story. Have regalis, rufillata (pushing 8½inches now) vittata all female, unsexed smithi and a male tigrinawesselli, want more. Great video 👍🏻
Hey, Sean! No, we'd better not. haha Yeah, that type of stuff drives me nuts. Why take the chance? I used to get folks back in the day asking why I didn't get my spiders out in the open to get better footage, and I'd have to explain that my first priority was getting the spider from point A to point B as safely as possible. You have some awesome species there! Sadly, both my tigrinawesselli turned out male. :( As always, thank you for taking the time to comment!
@@TomsBigSpiders Totally agree, as I always say, I do what's best for my spiders, they didn't choose to live with me, I got them because I like them and want them, there not here for my amusement and to use as circus animals, I want them to be comfortable and feel safe, if that means I just look at them, so be it, I'll take pics with lids off, doors open but I'm not gonna risk my animals for a good photo opportunity. I'm always trying to increase my collection, but with ones I now really want not just because they're there.
Great video Billie dose a great job … I have one pokie 7” regalis … think my next one is rufalita… I would love a few others also ornata and vittata are on the list
It's crazy how well they blend with the cork bark. If you don't pay attention, it would be easy to lose sight of them. Relieved that all 3 rehouses went so well. Stunning for sure ! Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)
Hey, Luc! They really do blend in SO well! haha And I'm glad that they behaved, as I want folks to see that they are not the crazy demons that many make them out to be. As always, thank you for taking the time to comment!
Hi Tom great video, i have my first Pokie a Rufilata juvie just shy of 3" i have mine in the Zilla small 4 x 4x 8 i think 1 more molt and then like you said I'm gonna take the whole enclosure and set it in it's new home which i think will be the Exo Terra mini tall. Ohh and by the way beautiful Ornata!
Great video Tom, really appreciate you making this information free and accessible, I’m a young and fairly new keeper and I’ve just picked up my 4th tarantula, a beautiful juvenile P.Ornata and then I see you’ve recently uploaded a rehouse of the very same species, amazing. Read all the forums I could find, asked as many questions as I could think and still see information and advice in here which I’ve not heard. Again, really appreciate you taking the time to put this information out, I’m from a fairly small town in the UK so finding local and knowledgeable hobbyists is not an easy job, i probably wouldn’t be in the hobby if it wasn’t for channels like yours because I wouldn’t have ever even been exposed to these beautiful creatures beyond small zoo exhibits.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for the very kind words. I truly appreciate it! And congrats on getting a P. ornata...they are awesome spiders. As for my videos, I try to put in anything that I think might be useful to someone keeping them. Thanks again!!!
hey tom great video,i agree they are not a bad tarantula,ive got a p ruffulata and p matalica,they are easyer to keep than some of my new worlds.and most of the time they bolt back in there hides.yes you have to respect them but never fear them.go get one and you will be rewarded with pure beauty.
Hey, James! Yes, respect is ALWAYS the key. I'm not trying to downplay what could happen should one feel threatened, but I DO think that a situation like that is preventable. :) Thanks, James!
I have 3 now -metallica, rufilata and vittata and I adore them. My metallica is almost always out showing off, the rufilata is starting to come out for longer periods and the vittata I haven't seen since I put it into its enclosure when I got it 3 weeks ago. They all go hide when I move the enclosures to feed them tho. I want the subfusca but so far I haven't found anyone in state with them but keep checking expos.
One of my favourite Ts ever. Got three slings six months ago, which have become a juvenile male and two juvenile females. I haven’t seen much skittishness from mine, they’ll even try to leave the enclosure to grab feeders when I try to feed them (much to my concern as I don’t want them chasing a feeder out of their enclosure)
Hi Tom and Billie, hope you’re both doing well and enjoying your Friday. What a great video, and Camera work by Billie was on the money 😊😊 Three really nice rehouses, no stress! Tom, you mentioned Dave’s Little Beasties, I also subscribe to his channel. I think that he’s a Legend 😊😊 What subject do you teach Tom? Take care and have a wonderful weekend 😊😊🕷️
Thank you so much, Joanne...so far, so good! And that's the way that we like them; safe and stress free! haha I teach high school special education. I'm currently have my own class where we work improving reading skills.
Hi bud, if you can check if your camera has 'focus peaking' that's a function that will make Billie's life easier. It basically overlays a bright colour of your selection over the parts of the image that are in focus. It's just a visual on screen aid and doesn't appear on the final video. I use it all the time when I'm trying to grab close ups with eyes in focus.
Looking good Tom as do your pokies! Where I live we are not allowed to keep pokies anymore. The reason is totaly constructed but that's how it is and it makes me sad. I would love to keep a P. metallica the blue and yellow plus the red on their mouth is unrivaled. Not even mentioning their pattern...
Thank you, Christopher! Oh man, that is such a shame. I'm worried that will eventually happen here. As it is, it's become VERY difficult for me to get any of the Sri Lankan species.
@@TomsBigSpiders Well I don't live in the US so I can just guess if that will ever happen to you. But as I understand your laws it is more of a misguided protection effort, not a ban because they could be "very dangerous" if they escape. Here they are compared to snakes like cobras and deathstalker scorpions.
Hey Tom, beautiful little poceis. I have a regalis and rufulata slings. Love them both but while the regalia is super chill the rufi is super skittish. I love that you mentioned T. Also feeding responses a couple podcasts ago. My girl hits harder than any of my other spooders including my A. Geniculata. When she was smaller I gave her a cricket that was probably a little big for her, she tackled it and drug it into her hide. Was like watching something come out of a dark alley and pull a guy kicking and screaming into a dark alley. Great spider. I do have a possible question or short topic for the pod cast. I live where there are wild tarantulas, how do you feel about someone grabbing a native species out of the wild for a pet? It's really hard to find and a bit pricey to order one of the species bear me through a dealer( they'd be Aphonapelmas but like johnnycashi and a couple others).I would really like one from where I live. I wouldn't do it because it's illegal to pull animals out of state parks but I was wondering outside of the parks what your feelings were on this. Have a great week and again thanks for the encouragement and knowledge.
Hi, Erik! I wish that I saw my Pokies hunt more! I'm sure that they hit hard, but I usually don't get a chance to witness the actaully takedown. haha And that's actually a question that I've been asked quite a bit over the years and, to be honest, I'm torn! Let me get some thoughts down on paper and see where I go with it. Thanks again!
Technically, since they are a non native species, fish and wildlife doesn’t jurisdiction have over them and therefore doesn’t have the authority to be making laws like this, but bureaucrats gonna bureaucrat
Hey you 2 brilliant upload I think pokies are all beautiful t's although i am a subfusca girl myself hl or ll they are both exquisite. I can still appreciate the beauty of the other pokies but ah subfusca, one day i will have one of each 🥰 . I was told keeping pokies are like keeping fast Psalmopoeus, have you found that to be true? Psalmopoeus are definitely my favourite arboreal nw genus so the thought of a bold psalmo with pokie colours really appeals to me, what's your thoughts? Take care u 2, n chat soon Tom 😊
Thank you so much! I love my subfuscas as well; it's the darker overall appearance for me. Honestly, I just love them all. Don't ask me to choose a favorite, please. haha I've found that they are similar, but that my Poecilotheria species are much more calm overall. That said, I really haven't had any issue with either. I've spoken to many folks over the years who started with a Psalmo to "get ready" for a pokie. They then get a pokie and remark, "This seems to be a step down in term of difficulty." haha Thanks so much!
I love Pokies. My favorite is the Booty Sapphire Ornamental, love blue spiders.❤❤ Love how you show they aren't like some people make them out to be. I hate it when people provoke them into threat postures.
Hey brother, thoroughly enjoy the vids and info u provide. I'm having kinda a problem, and maybe I could help. Since my freshman year of highschool, I've lived spiders and thoroughly enjoyed watching them, and keeping them (secretly at the time lol) and finding them in nature. As of 2018 I've been living in a rural area, and the amount sof spiders I get to see has grown, a couple years ago tho, I was bit by a brown recluse, and earlier this year, I was bit by another spider I couldn't identify. Because of these things happening, I've sort of developed a fear of being but, not of the spider, but being bit by it, and I've noticed it's gotten in the way of me studying them, and enjoying them being around, any way or method that you know of that could help me get thru this?
Hello, Elijah! That's a tricky one, because although I started off as arachnophobic, I've never been bitten by one. And, truth be told, although I have no fear of them now, I do NOT want to ever be bitten by one. Is the fear so much that you can't get close to them or your start or jump when one moves or gets too close? I only ask because that could impact your ability to work with them. You may want to try getting a slower moving tarantula to start off with, maybe even a sling. If you choose one of the so-called "beginner" species, they are NOT at all inclined to bite and are quite easy to work with. And, because they resemble smaller house spiders, it might help you to get over your fear of being bitten. I've been working with tarantulas for years now, and I honestly think that it is very easy to keep from being bitten. I've also worked with a lot of true spiders and mygalamorphs, and although they are much quicker, there are tricks you can use to mitigate any risks. I hope that helps!
Nice video, i have a question when you get a new Spider , do you put it in quarantine First and seperate it from the other Spiders in a other room in the beginning. And another question is it needed to desinfect brushes and tongs After using it for each Spider to Not spread deseases? Thx Tom :) i love your content
Hi, Janos! Although I used to do this when I had snakes, I do not with my tarantulas. If someone wanted to be super careful and quarantine their new ones for a bit, I wouldn't argue against it, but it's never been an issue for me. There shouldn't be anything that a tarantula could spread to another. Hope that helps...and thanks!
hi tom awesome vids mate my question - i have a large male Poecilotheria regalis who when off to molt i expect this to be his final molt my concern is that hes been gone for over 2 months now I've tried looking in the enclosure but his cork bark tube is all webbed up and hes built a big mount of dirt behind the cork bark so i cant see him the enclosure doesn't smell of death I've read t's have a smell to them when they pass not sure if that true or not so basically i'm just wondering how long i should give him before checking to see if he's died?
Hey, bud! Yes, they definitely have an odor of decay when they molt. One of the first things that I do if I suspect that one has passed is give the enclosure a good sniff. As for the time period, mature males usually take MUCH longer in premolt before their final molt. I've had ones take several months, and that's usually when I suspect that they'll have their bulbs when I next see them. He should be okay.
Hey Tom did you manage to sex the ornatas yet? We had our juvenile female and our male who matured out molt yesterday. The males growth was massive he went from 5” to roughly 6 1/2”. It’s a shame the female isn’t ready. I’d love to breed these guys!!!
I like how you're embarrased about a note you wrote to yourself while doctors produce such incomprehensible writing when they're supposed to communicate with the utmost precision. I'm in the middle of my annual physical, went to the clinic to get a spirometry done ("espirometría" in Spanish), turned out the doctor had ordered a CPX test ("ergometría" in Spanish) instead...
Hey, bud! hahaha Full disclosure, when I was a kid, my 3rd grade teacher told my mother that she didn't display my work because my handwriting was too sloppy. From that point on, I worked on it until it was "pretty", and now it's a source of pride for me. haha And dear God...that's a bit scary! Why DO all doctors, no matter the country, write so terribly? haha Thanks, bud!
Hi Tom, I heard in your podcast that you preferred someone commenting on a video than email. I currently have a mature male Grammostola pulchripes, and I was wondering if you had any females, and if you wanted to pair. If your interested, I would be happy to make arrangements and I'm fine with anything, as long as my male the rest of his short life happy, after mating or dying during mating. If not, could you suggest someone else who might be interested in pairing? I know that you are very responsible and that you like Grammostola pulchripes, which is why I'm asking you. If anyone reading this also has a mature female and is interesting in pairing, we can talk as well. Please respond quickly, Tom :)
Hello! Unfortunately, I really don't have any time for breeding projects at the moment. School has started back up, and the vidoes/podcast take up much of my free time. I will, however, keep an ear open to anyone who might be looking for one! Thanks!
Bull. It totally IS my business. The agent who pushed this law is active on message boards and Facebook groups and takes note when folks get these illegally. Any dealer skirting the law to make a buck is harmful to the hobby. Worse still, many sell these illegally to customers who aren't aware of the law, thereby leading them to break it. I've received many emails from upset customers who were irate that they were illegally sent these. And, the last two dealers that I can think of that were doing this, Eresus and Simply Spiders, eventually screwed a bunch of people over by taking money and not delivering spiders. Any dealer that does this either a) doesn't know the laws and therefore shouldn't be selling in the first place or b) KNOWS what they are doing and shouldn't be trusted. These are NOT reapectable dealers, and people need to be aware. Plus, the USFW sees what is going on, and when the hobby can't abide by the few rules we have, we will face even more restrictions in the future. Folks like this will ruin it for everyone. So , as someone who has spent years of his life trying to help folk in this hobby and someone who loves it, it is totally my business
Also figured out if ya use small head lamps n dim the lights down they don't act neat as crazy so to say lol they will be bit more calm and the paint brush does work wonders they don't seem to react near as bad to that as tongs and if u can get some good cork logs they actually love getting down in em and make their nest or den what ever ya want to call it I've managed to get all mine housed with good sized cork logs they all live inside em and come out during the night
Yeah, the bright lights can definitely cause them to become more skittish. When I'm filming, I have to have light on them, so I use that to my advantage by giving them a dark area to retreat too. And I DID mentioned the cork rounds this time!
@TomsBigSpiders I'll send ya pics of some the ones I set up for my pokies they're able to have their sacks n there n block em off to and they seem to do quite well to which is good thing
A good trick to use while rehlusing any of em dust the bottom of the big tote with baby powder just lightly and it gets on their feets they can't climb but soon as they get n substrate it wears off n they climb again so no lasting effects to them but saves ya from losing one
@TomsBigSpiders there's no ill effects to spiders just dusty feets lol haha but stops em from climbing so will be stuck n tote would be good for some beginners to use I've done it when I got back into keeping 3 years back I'd not had some the old worlds so ya I wanted to be cautious
Oh man been waiting to see this one ornata hell yea and did manage to pair some pokies this year vitatta smithi metallica tigrinawesseli so far vitatta is on a sack just the other day smithi is next waiting on tigrinawesseli and metallica to see if they have sacks ornata and rufilata gonna try pair end of year or next year but if I get any viable sacks and u don't have any ur more then welcome to get what ever I have of em for ur collection this will be a no strings attached as u just said but it be on any I have for most part I know they will be well cared for so that's main thing
Oh man my rufilata just molted and her molt was 8 and the legs were still bent the ornata I've not seen her sense she's molted and she was 8 pushing 9 when I last had semi decent measurement
