A.chalcodes Q

[XxStormsWebxX]

How long does it take for a A.chalcodes to reach adulthood? I Purchase mine last year and it is still in its spiderling stage.

 

[Immortal_sin]

as with most Aphonopelma, a very long time indeed!
They are very slow growing, a female could probably take as long as 5-10 years to reach maturity, depending on conditions....

 

[tarantulakeeper]

Verrrry slooowly. I have some Aphonopelma wichitanums and Aphonopelma sp. 'carlsbad' spiderlngs that emerged from their respective sacs in July of '02. They're still about 3/8 inch. John

 

[Code Monkey]

Verrrry slooowly. I have some Aphonopelma wichitanums and Aphonopelma sp. 'carlsbad' spiderlngs that emerged from their respective sacs in July of '02. They're still about 3/8 inch. John

Man, I thought my Flagstaff oranges from May 2002 were slow. They're at least up to about an inch, I feel so blessed for such speedy growth

As for the original question, I'd put Holley's estimate at more like 10+ years for a female even in captivity. As another comparison, I've got an A. anax that was about 2" when I got it 2 years ago, it's now about 2.5" and has only moulted once in that time. All around these are very slow growing tarantulas no matter what conditions you keep them under.

 

[Mendi]

Sometimes even glaciers move fast as well Fastest growing Aphono I have has been "Yucatan Rust Rump". I got her almost 2yr ago at ½" and now she's 3". By far the slowest grower has been "New Mexican Blond"... I hope I've got some spider loving family members when I die, as I know some of, if not most are going to live longer than me, and I will need to "leave" them to someone