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The Sri-Lankan
Ornamental Tarantula (Poecilotheria fasciata)
 This is
a gorgeous spider, fast, colorful and such
attitude!
Playfully called 'Pokies' by
those that keep them, and those should only be
keepers that have kept other old-world spiders as
this is a quick and aggressive spider.
First described by Latreille in
1804 in its native habitat in Sri-Lanka (thick
tropical forest) they are known locally as 'Tree
Spiders'.
As you would guess from the local
name these spiders are generally arboreal
(tree-living). However there have been a number
of reports that these spiders will burrow. There
are some suggestions that they start life as
burrowers and as they get older they become fully
arboreal. [can anyone confirm/deny this?]
Colouring: A dark abdomen with a
broad central cream band edged in black, plus
five oblique marks. The carapace is grey with
cream markings.
The legs are banded black and
white, with yellow on the underneath of the first
two pairs, which is used as a warning signal to
would be attackers.
As with most tarantulas these are
nocturnal creatures.
The requirements in captivity
are:
As for keeping them as pets, many
people keep these in large 12x12x12 (inches)
tanks.
Like the other tropical species
they require high humidity levels (above 80%) but
you must be careful to avoid the air in the tank
becoming stagnant as this appears to be the cause
of some deaths in captivity.
As these are generally arboreal,
the ideal substrate is peat or peat/vermiculite
mix, this must be at least 3 inches deep, and
there must be some shelter,cork-bark, twigs, etc.
for web tubes to be hung from or created behind.
An open water dish is a must, as
is regular mistings to keep that humidity level
high!
Food: All standard invertebrates
Geographic Range: Sri-Lanka
Aggressiveness: Generally
considered aggressive.
Temperature range: 75-80
farenheit.
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