Anyone else have super fast growing b.albos?

[SteveIDDQD]

My wife's b.albo (Honduran/wild form) has been pretty surprising in it's growth rate. As a brachypelma I assumed it would be a slow grower, but it's shedding more often than both my LP and T.blondi, just not gaining as much size as those guys each time it happens.

We got it as a 3cm sling, and it's just shed for the 5th time in our care in less than 6 months, and now looks to be pushing 7cm at least. Is this normal, or do we likely have a freak of nature, or maybe a male on our hands? I know some species (m.balfouri) have the males mature much faster...

We don't keep the T's particularly warm, 22 / 72 ish in the winter, whatever the room temp is in summer, or over feed them. It's had a cricket a week at most since we've had it and the cricket has always been about the size of the spider's body.

Interesting to hear if other people have had fast growing albos, as I said, I assumed all brachypelmas would be super slow growers?

 

[Vanisher]

Nope, they grows pretty fast! Almost like a Nandhu sp in my experience! You cannot compare a A albopilosum with a B harmorii or similair!
B vagans also grows faster than say a B harmorii, but not quite as fast as a B albo!
When i bred B albopilosum, they would go from newly hatched slings to adults in 2-3 years! If i remember correctly!?

 

[Paul1126]

My sling is slow growing, 1 moult in 1 year of keeping him.
He is near to a moult now.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

My Honduran form grew pretty quickly up until around 3.5", my Nicaraguan form grows almost as slowly as my B. albiceps.

 

[Thekla]

I got my B. albo (Nicaragua) as a 1 cm sling (2nd instar) on 1/7/18:


And 9 1/2 months later - since her 6th moult in my care (19/4/19) - she's about 7 cm as well.


So, yes, I'd say they have a decent growth rate.

 

[SteveIDDQD]

Well, looks like I'll be looking for a bigger enclosure in the next few months then! I really need another bookcase now, it's getting crowded.

 

[Teal]

I'm leaving my B. albo sling to my grandchildren in my will I have had it for three years... I have gotten maybe a molt a year, going from .25" to .75" at most. It is still just a pink, nondescript sling. By comparison, our handful of B. vagans are all sub-adults in under a year.

 

[TarantulasWorld]

I guess if you feed them a lot and keep their temps hot they prolly will grow quite fast