got the bug - 2008-10-23 Hi there, I got to say I love this spider and always have since the first time I saw a picture of one. I also got to say that I completely disagree with Mick's comments that we who love the rare and beautiful creatures will kill them out. Mick if you look further into the hobby you will see that many people are now having great success in breeding most species, which in turn means that they will never become extinct. I do however understand what your saying as our race has wiped around numerous other animals out, of which I'm sure we have now learned our lesson from. As for tarantulas, I speak from experience when I say that captive bred specimens appear to have far less ailments and seem to also have a lot more color. I hope I haven't offended anyway by putting my 2 pence worth into this, but someone has to defend us :) There will always be an arguement on this topic as many people don't understand exactly what is involved and just how much love and care some people put into it.
Anyway that's my view and I got to say GREAT PIC and excellent info. tyvm.
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Chris Hardwick - 2010-10-06 We should actually be encouraging people to keep and breed this spider. If you look online you'll find that the habitat is only 100 square kilometers in a small area in India. Once they are gone from that small piece of land they will only be in the hands of collectors. We should encourage protection of the habitat as well as private breeding and distribution to collectors to ensure this species never goes extinct!
PF - 2011-10-11 I completely agree on encouraging breeders. For example all the Brachypelmas (most of them) are on the CITES list and are now protected. No imports or exports are allowed but since they have been numerous Brachypelmas imported the hobbyists do breed them. The only thing is if you buy a species on the CITES list and you want to go out of the country where you bought it, you need certificates to prove that the T hasn't been caught in the wild. When I bought my Grammastola rosea, I bought it from a pet store and I realised later that they were captured in the wild just like the Brachypelmas. Then I started to search for a breeder which I gladly found and I wished I would have bought my rosy from them (Tarantula Canada inc.). Now I only buy from them.
And yes I've gotten bitten by the bug, I just adore these creatures!
Mick - 2008-10-06 Dearest fans and collectors of rare spiders and tarantulas, Please check the endangered species list, Indian taratulas may not be in exsistence in the near future. Loving collectors are going to kill them all. Human greed ruins this planets living things. You just love them to death! How nice,that's real love! Regards, Mick.
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Derek - 2010-03-28 They are captive bred. If anything the "greedy collectors" are going to be what allows the species to continue if it should happen to go extinct in the wild.
Diego Jimenez - 2010-04-27 Oh come on, Mr.greenpeace, you should know that some species have such small populations in the wild that is just impossible for them to survive long term without the help of captive breeding, I'm not just a collector, I'm a biologist and, believe me, I know that captive breeding this and other genus of tarantulas (like Selenocosmia and Brachypelma) will help to boost their survival chances for the future.
Cat - 2010-05-05 Yes I completely agree with this. I've checked the endangered species list and this spider is on it along with a bunch of others.
daniel - 2011-02-03 Hey mick, that was not the smartest comment....the more people that become interested in the gooty sapphire the more they will be bred....spiders make awesome comebacks when people develop interest...and that's a fact! So buy one today if you really care :)
john - 2011-03-19 Dear Mick last time I checked It's perfectly legal to own Indian Tarantulas.
PF - 2011-10-11 Yes alot of them are on the CITES endangered list but there are alot of breeders out there that do breed these endangered species. You have just be careful where you buy your pets. It's preferable to buy them from a breeder than a pet store. I bought my first G. rosea (not on the endangered list) from a pet store not knowing there were breeders out there. If I would have known, I would have bought it at the breeders just like I did for my Brachypelma Bohemei (endangered species). Imports and exports are not aloud anymore for many species. It's the same thing for parrots. I have 2 of them, one came from a refuge the other from a pet store who dealt with breeders. I bought my African grey at the age of 4 months old, not even weaned yet and brought her home when weaned (age 6 months).
Buying pets needs to be thouroughly researched and you need to be properly informed. It took me one year of research and preparation before getting my parrots... You just need to make sure that the animals bought are not wild caught, miss treated, etc.
Stacey - 2009-09-14 I have just bought a gooty and it is arriving tomorrow. I can't wait to watch it grow and become a beautiful spider. I have a collection of 5 spiders now and this one has just topped it off.
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Billy - 2010-12-28 I'm looking to buy one. I've been a spider freak forever! I'm curious where did you buy your's? I can't seem to find any anywhere!
dkshukla - 2010-08-25 Today this spider comes in my helmet and bite on head; is this harmful? After 3 hours I observe nothing. dkshukla--kota--rajasthan --india
spiderjosh - 2009-09-27 P. Metallica's are actually not aggressive, as is true with most of the poecilotheria genus. The Metallicas are actually considered the least aggro. Pokies are, however, extremely skittish. They are also considerably faster than avics and such, so it is much more difficult to handle them, and it's very easy to spook them while trying to contain such a speedy animal. The bite from any pokie is considered to be among the most venomous of any tarantula, along with Stromatopelma Calceatum, Heteroscodra Maculata, as well as some Australian species(all of which are much more aggro than the average pokie). I am not suggesting that anyone take this species lightly, but if you get a pokie, do not expect the temperament of an obt, king baboon, cobalt blue, etc.
Richard H Turner - 2006-04-29 I have four P. metallicas and although pretty, they are not as lovely as the pictures. The Poecilotheria `tigris` appears far more attractive to my eye. Richard H Turner.
This Metallic blue tarantula is setting the spider hobby ablaze with excitement!
Hi there, I got to say I love this spider and always have since the first time I saw a picture of one. I also got to say that I completely disagree with Mick's comments that we who love the rare and beautiful creatures will kill them out. Mick if you look further into the hobby you will see that many people are now having great success in breeding most species, which in turn means that they will never become extinct.
I do however understand what your saying as our race has wiped around numerous other animals out, of which I'm sure we have now learned our lesson from. As for tarantulas, I speak from experience when I say that captive bred specimens appear to have far less ailments and seem to also have a lot more color.
I hope I haven't offended anyway by putting my 2 pence worth into this, but someone has to defend us :) There will always be an arguement on this topic as many people don't understand exactly what is involved and just how much love and care some people put into it.
Anyway that's my view and I got to say GREAT PIC and excellent info. tyvm.
We should actually be encouraging people to keep and breed this spider. If you look online you'll find that the habitat is only 100 square kilometers in a small area in India. Once they are gone from that small piece of land they will only be in the hands of collectors. We should encourage protection of the habitat as well as private breeding and distribution to collectors to ensure this species never goes extinct!
I completely agree on encouraging breeders. For example all the Brachypelmas (most of them) are on the CITES list and are now protected. No imports or exports are allowed but since they have been numerous Brachypelmas imported the hobbyists do breed them. The only thing is if you buy a species on the CITES list and you want to go out of the country where you bought it, you need certificates to prove that the T hasn't been caught in the wild. When I bought my Grammastola rosea, I bought it from a pet store and I realised later that they were captured in the wild just like the Brachypelmas. Then I started to search for a breeder which I gladly found and I wished I would have bought my rosy from them (Tarantula Canada inc.). Now I only buy from them.
And yes I've gotten bitten by the bug, I just adore these creatures!
PF
Dearest fans and collectors of rare spiders and tarantulas,
Please check the endangered species list, Indian taratulas may not be in exsistence in the near future. Loving collectors are going to kill them all. Human greed ruins this planets living things. You just love them to death! How nice,that's real love! Regards, Mick.
They are captive bred. If anything the "greedy collectors" are going to be what allows the species to continue if it should happen to go extinct in the wild.
Oh come on, Mr.greenpeace, you should know that some species have such small populations in the wild that is just impossible for them to survive long term without the help of captive breeding, I'm not just a collector, I'm a biologist and, believe me, I know that captive breeding this and other genus of tarantulas (like Selenocosmia and Brachypelma) will help to boost their survival chances for the future.
Yes I completely agree with this. I've checked the endangered species list and this spider is on it along with a bunch of others.
Hey mick, that was not the smartest comment....the more people that become interested in the gooty sapphire the more they will be bred....spiders make awesome comebacks when people develop interest...and that's a fact! So buy one today if you really care :)
Dear Mick last time I checked It's perfectly legal to own Indian Tarantulas.
Yes alot of them are on the CITES endangered list but there are alot of breeders out there that do breed these endangered species. You have just be careful where you buy your pets. It's preferable to buy them from a breeder than a pet store. I bought my first G. rosea (not on the endangered list) from a pet store not knowing there were breeders out there. If I would have known, I would have bought it at the breeders just like I did for my Brachypelma Bohemei (endangered species). Imports and exports are not aloud anymore for many species. It's the same thing for parrots. I have 2 of them, one came from a refuge the other from a pet store who dealt with breeders. I bought my African grey at the age of 4 months old, not even weaned yet and brought her home when weaned (age 6 months).
Buying pets needs to be thouroughly researched and you need to be properly informed. It took me one year of research and preparation before getting my parrots... You just need to make sure that the animals bought are not wild caught, miss treated, etc.
PF
I have just bought a gooty and it is arriving tomorrow. I can't wait to watch it grow and become a beautiful spider. I have a collection of 5 spiders now and this one has just topped it off.
I'm looking to buy one. I've been a spider freak forever! I'm curious where did you buy your's? I can't seem to find any anywhere!
Today this spider comes in my helmet and bite on head; is this harmful? After 3 hours I observe nothing. dkshukla--kota--rajasthan --india
P. Metallica's are actually not aggressive, as is true with most of the poecilotheria genus. The Metallicas are actually considered the least aggro. Pokies are, however, extremely skittish. They are also considerably faster than avics and such, so it is much more difficult to handle them, and it's very easy to spook them while trying to contain such a speedy animal. The bite from any pokie is considered to be among the most venomous of any tarantula, along with Stromatopelma Calceatum, Heteroscodra Maculata, as well as some Australian species(all of which are much more aggro than the average pokie). I am not suggesting that anyone take this species lightly, but if you get a pokie, do not expect the temperament of an obt, king baboon, cobalt blue, etc.
Great looking spider! Personally it's not the one I
I have four P. metallicas and although pretty, they are not as lovely as the pictures. The Poecilotheria `tigris` appears far more attractive to my eye.
Richard H Turner.