Poecilotheria rufilata (Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula) FEMALE 4”

Poecilotheria rufilata (Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula)

The Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula, or Poecilotheria rufilata, is one of the largest and leggiest arboreal tarantulas in the world, rivaled in size within Poecilotheria only by P. ornata. Adults have a stunning green and yellow base that runs across the legs, carapace (head) and abdomen, with amazing undertones of other color worked into the carapace, red setae scattered over the legs and abdomen, and yellow highlights along the top of each leg. The underside is one of the most beautiful in the hobby, flashing red, purple, green and blue across its reflective parts whenever the animal is up on the glass, and the underneath of the front legs, just beneath the carapace, runs an especially vivid yellow banding of its own. Spiderlings hatch out unusually large for Poecilotheria, some close to an inch and others reaching an inch and a half, starting out gray bodied with the same base outline every young pokie starts with before a red hue begins coming in around an inch and a half to two inches and intensifies from there. P. rufilata reaches a max diagonal leg span of about 8 to 9 inches, with keepers reporting the occasional specimen pushing toward 10, and females live 12 to 15 years while males live 2 to 3. This is a fast and defensive species that would far rather bolt into its tube than stand its ground, which suits keepers who want the biggest arboreal they can get. Grab one of the largest old world arboreal tarantulas for sale today. Already a confirmed female with real color coming in and plenty of growth still ahead, this confident old world pokie is offered here as a juvenile female.

Why do hobbyists keep the Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula?

• Stunning Coloration: A green and yellow base across the legs, carapace and abdomen, with red setae scattered throughout, yellow highlights along the tops of the legs, and an underside that flashes red, purple, green and blue, including a vivid yellow band underneath the front legs. There is more color on one of these than on almost anything else in the hobby. That is the iconic pokie coloration Poecilotheria is known for, and there is nothing else like it in the hobby.
• Large Arboreal Species: Poecilotheria is known for having some of the largest arboreal tarantulas in the hobby, and rufilata takes that further than the rest. At eight to nine inches, with keepers reporting the odd specimen pushing toward ten, this is debatably the largest arboreal tarantula in the world by leg span, closing in on an arboreal Theraphosa.
• Confident and Visible: With enough room, rufilata does not spend its life tucked away. It hunts actively after dark, is comfortable being out and visible during the day, and tends to be stubborn rather than skittish compared to a lot of other Asian arboreals.
• Easy To Raise: Not many Asian arboreals are as forgiving as Poecilotheria is. Pokies come from a climate with an extreme wet season and an extreme dry season, and that harsh swing is a big part of why rufilata is more forgiving of a new keeper's mistakes than a lot of other Asian arboreal spiderlings. It already hatches larger than most Poecilotheria and feeds with real enthusiasm, even observed taking down small lizards and other vertebrate prey in the wild, and that combination makes it a great species once you are comfortable with Asian arboreals.
• Uncommon in the Hobby: This is an uncommon species in the hobby, and it stays highly sought after because of it. Poecilotheria overall runs smaller egg sacs and longer gestation periods than a lot of other tarantulas, so captive-bred numbers stay limited across the board.

How should this Poecilotheria be kept?

• Adult Size: This species generally hatches at about an inch, large for Poecilotheria, which tracks with it being the largest Poecilotheria species there is. We have observed some hatching even larger still. Adults reach a max diagonal leg span of about 8 to 9 inches.
• Enclosure: A 12 by 12 by 18 inch enclosure with one to two inches of substrate and a piece of cork bark set on an angle or a cork tube for it to climb into, plus a few silk or artificial plant anchors so early webbing has somewhere to start, sized ahead of the animal so it is not due for a move any time soon.
• Setup Tips: Real cork bark or driftwood pieces make a real difference for rufilata, giving it natural climbing surfaces and webbing anchor points that help it settle in faster, at every size from spiderling on up.
• Rehousing: One more move to a final 18 by 18 by 30 inch enclosure as an adult, typically another twelve to sixteen months out at this growth rate.
• Temperature: Keep this species between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit for its optimal range, matching the warm tropical range it comes from. Room temperature works fine too and most animals do just fine there, but it can also lead to slower growth or molting issues, so we want every keeper aware of that and matching the native range when they can, which helps the animal thrive.
• Humidity: Keep humidity high with good, ideally cross, ventilation. That combination matters far more than hitting any single humidity number.
• Water: Provide a shallow water dish placed in an elevated position if possible. This is more natural for arboreal species and helps prevent crickets from falling in and drowning. A weekly misting is suggested as well, so the animal can drink off the side of the enclosure or its own webbing if it prefers that to the dish, as long as you are wetting surfaces rather than soaking the substrate.
• Diet: Feed crickets sized around 1 inch, roughly the size of the carapace, at least once a week, every stage including this one.
• Temperament: Fast and defensive when it feels truly threatened, bolting into its tube rather than standing its ground. Given real space, though, Red does not just hide: it is confident enough to be out and visible during the day as well as after dark, stubborn rather than skittish, and noticeably calmer than a lot of other Asian arboreals.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for the Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula?

• Medically Significant Venom: Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula carries medically significant venom, but it is not deadly to humans. Just something to consider before you purchase.
• Loves to Stretch Out: Like every Poecilotheria, rufilata spends most of its life vertically oriented on bark, and it loves to stretch out flat with its legs in that same iconic vertical position to blend right in, whether that is on bark or any other surface in the enclosure. That is part of why generous space on all sides matters so much, not just for Poecilotheria but for Asian arboreals in general: give it room and you get to see the whole leg span and pattern stretched out at once.
• More Forgiving Than the Reputation: Every Poecilotheria comes from rugged, sometimes unforgiving parts of India and Sri Lanka, and rufilata carries that same toughness into captivity. Poecilotheria tolerates real-world humidity and temperature swings better than its reputation suggests, with more margin for error day to day than most keepers expect from an old world arboreal.

Looking for similar species?

• Browse our Old World Tarantulas and Arboreal Tarantulas collections to explore related care profiles and species groupings.

Listing Notes

• This listing is for a Poecilotheria rufilata Red Slate Ornamental juvenile female measuring around four inches (4 inches) in diagonal leg span, which is the size given in the title, a confirmed female, not yet mature. This listing gets you a molt-confirmed female with real color and presence already showing, without the wait.
• Looking for other sizes? This species is also available as a 0.75-1" Spiderling, 1-1.25" Spiderling, 1.5-2" Spiderling, 2.5-3" Juvenile, 3.5-4" Juvenile, or 7" FEMALE Adult.