Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula

(Poecilotheria metallica)

Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Poecilotheria metallica

Common Name: Gooty Sapphire Ornamental, Metallic Blue Ornamental, Gooty Tarantula, Peacock Parachute Spider

Type: Arboreal

Category: Old World

Endemic Location: Southeast India

Body Length: 2.5” (6cm)

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 8”(20cm)

Urticating Hairs: No

Growth Rate: Fast

Life Expectancy: Females 12 years / Males 4 years

Recommended Experience Level: Advanced

Poecilotheria metallica, known throughout the hobby as the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental, Metallic Blue Tarantula and the Peacock Parachute Spider, is an Old World arboreal tarantula that has an interesting history. This species was initially described by the arachnologist Pocock in 1899 in the town of Gooty in India which is where the common name derives. This T was lost to science and time until it was rediscovered in 2001 in the Kadapah and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh which is far from the original location it was first described over a hundred years earlier. Some theories suggest that the species was accidentally transported to the original location where Pocock found it by the spider stowing away on a train or being mistakenly transported from its endemic location to Gooty because the spider hid away in boxes or some other kind of container as that species was not found in that location again. In fact this species is mostly believed to be restricted to the 100 sq km region that is quickly being destroyed by humans by logging and clearing out land for development and agriculture. Due primarily to the destruction of its habitat due to logging and firewood harvesting, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified this species as Critically Endangered. This makes the species illegal to remove from its endemic location and exported from the country. Luckily though it is not an included species on the most recent CITES list of species of Poecilotheria that are not allowed to be imported into the US or sold across state lines. This means that we are able to breed this species, at least at the time of this video, and keep the species alive and thriving in the hobby. Due to the bright blue coloration and unique pattern of this tarantula, it is highly sought after by hobbyists which encourages many breeders to continue to keep and breed this species. When this T was originally introduced into the hobby years ago, slings were selling for as much as $500-$600 but as more people have bred them successfully, especially in Europe and the US, there are many more available and the price has dropped dramatically as you can know purchase a 1” sling for around $75. This is a fast growing tarantula and females can reach a size of about 6” and live around 12 years while male are a little smaller and only live around 4 years. Being an Old World tarantula, this species does not have urticating hairs but is very fast and has a powerful venom that causes moderate to severe pain and long lasting local and generalized muscle cramps, accelerated heart rate, sweating, nausea and headache. Of all the Poecilotheria, this species seems to be the least defensive, and though they are not as prone to show a threat pose and strike as some other species (like the Ornata for example) they do tend to run around their enclosure like crazy when startled or disturbed. This tarantula is very photosensitive and does not like bright lights and will retreat into its hide almost every time you turn the lights on making it very difficult to photograph or record video. 

  I keep my spiderling metallicas in a basic arboreal spiderling enclosure with more height that width. I fill the enclosure up about ⅓ with substrate and add some sphagnum moss on the ground then lean a small piece of cork back up against the side of the enclosure. At this size, my slings usually burrow into the ground a little and make a web curtain around the base of the cork bark and spend most of their time in hiding, venturing out only to grab a cricket or drink a little water. I make sure to put a small water dish on the floor of the enclosure that is easily accessible with tongs because they have a tendency to web over the dish or fill it with substrate, so i need to be able to remove it easily without disturbing the tarantula so i can clean it and fill it back up with water. I provide good cross ventilation and avoid any vent holes on the lid to help keep in a little humidity while still providing good air exchange. Once the t starts to out grow its enclosure, I move it into a basic acrylic juvenile arboreal enclosure. Again I provide good cross ventilation and a water dish, but a little less substrate as this t starts to spend a little more time off the ground as it gets larger. I but in a small half round of cork bark or hot glue some cork bark to the sides of the enclosure and add some plastic leaves to give the t ample places to web and hide so it is comfortable and relaxed. Then once this T begins to out grow that enclosure, I will sometimes move them into a 2.5 gallon aquarium I have retrofitted to be an arboreal enclosure or put them in an exo terra nano tall enclosure. I also provide a hollow cork tube or half tub secured to the side of the enclosure for the t to use as its hide, add sphagnum moss for it to use in its dirt curtain, provide a nice sized water dish and some substrate, usually about ¼ full. This t can still want to burrow a little at this size and may still make its home at the base of the cork bark, but most of mine really start using the hollow cork bark as their hide or webbing up dirt curtains in the back top corners if the enclosure. Once my female began to look cramped in this set up, I moved her into a exo terra small tall enclosure that is 12*12*18 and provides more than enough room for her. I add plenty of plants and cork bark or branches so she has plenty of places to hide and feel safe. I keep a water dish on the floor of the enclosure but I also supply a smaller water wish up towards the top so she always has access to fresh water near by. I fill the bottom of the enclosure up with a few inches of coco fiber that I keep mostly dry though once or twice a month i over flow the water dish so that a corner of the enclosure has damp substrate. 

 As far as feeding, I feed my spiderlings under an inch small red runners crickets and pre kill any prey that is near the size of the spiderling. I feed them about one prey item twice a week and am sure to remove and uneaten prey at 24 hours later at most. I don’t want to leave any prey wandering around the enclosure if the tarantula decides to molt. As slings they have more of a grey color though some of the pattern may be visible, but they are extremely fast and will run laps around the enclosure if you spook them which can make feeding time a little stressful. Always keep a catch cup handy anytime you are opening their enclosure. For juveniles around 2.5” or so, I start feeding them about 2 medium crickets once a week and as they get larger I may feed them 3 or 4 medium crickets or even a couple large crickets. I just make sure to never feed them a cricket that is larger than ⅔ the size of the tarantula. They can still be very flighty at this size though not as skittish as the spiderlings. If you provide them with an adequate space to retreat to, then you wont have as much difficulty with the pokie running around as much, but it is still very possible so always be ready and have a catch cup on hand. For adults over 4” I feed about 3 or 4 large crickets every 10 - 14 days. The closer the T is to full grown, the more crickets I will throw in but usually not more than 5 or 6 large crickets at a time. After a molt when the abdomen is smaller, I will feed more often like every 7-10 days, but as the abdomen gets larger I cut back to every other week. 

   Unlike the P. vittata, it is very difficult to determine the sex of your metallica by appearance alone. It is a hotly debated topic on a lot of forums and facebook groups about whether there is sexual dimorphism in this species as some claim to be able to determine the sex ventrally or by the pattern on the carapace. And though males tend to have a bright blue color, that is also not definitive as a freshly molted female is much brighter than one nearing molt. The only guaranteed way to determine the gender of your p. Metallica is to examine a fresh molt. I will be posting a video in the near future that will walk you though the steps of sexing a tarantula molt, but in the mean time a quick search on youtube or google will provide you with information you need to determine your tarantulas sex. You can also reach out for help from the community in facebook groups like mine and post some pictures of the molt and have other members help you determine the sex. Other than its bright blue color, this species is also unique as it has been found to be successfully kept communally. There are a lot of keepers in the hobby, some here on youtbe, that currently have P. metallica communal set ups that are thriving. So if one fast, venomous, beautiful blue tarantula isn’t enough for you, you can have 5 or ten of them all in one enclosure. I was just talking to Tanya over at Fear Not Tarantulas about ordering a P. metallica communal from her in the near future, so that may be the next addition to the collective!