b. albiceps growthrate

[Wormtail39]

Ok so i have my first t my b.albiceps its a sling about 0.38 inches so i assume that is one molt down the line? i have a few questions about growth and growth rate! I have been told that b. albiceps is one of the slowest spiders to grow i knew this going in. I have got a nice warm area for him about 27-28c and am makeing sure to keep the enclosure moist not wet, and he seems to be occasionally about once every 4 days take down a pinhead cricket. Which is increadibly thrilling to watch and allways makes me jump as he apears to ignore the cricket and usually does... then bam the sucker is gone. Anyway my question is this i know that albiceps are really slow growing but when they are at this tiny tiny stage i heard they molt more frequently and then it slows down, is this still true for albiceps? im really keen for him to get atleast one more molt out the way so i can stop being so worried about him. Roughly how long between each molt at this stage would u guesstimate i know its hard lol. Also i would like to know if possible how to know when he is in premolt, he is so small atm i wont be able to see the abdomen darken and its already dark so i couldent tell eitherway, and he periodically refuses food only to accept it days later. After how many days of refusing food do i stop offering and know he is in premolt lol gahhhhh i have so many questions lol AND THIS IS AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH its a shame i picked such an odd species as my first t there is barely any info on albiceps slings out there, and is 27-28c too hot for the little guy? and at this size should is one pinhead cricket every few days enough or should he have 2? any and all advice welcome and apreciated!!!

 

[Arachnophoric]

Anyway my question is this i know that albiceps are really slow growing but when they are at this tiny tiny stage i heard they molt more frequently and then it slows down, is this still true for albiceps?

Yes, comparatively speaking your T will molt more frequently at this stage than it will as it gets bigger.

Roughly how long between each molt at this stage would u guesstimate i know its hard lol.

I can't answer this question myself but i'd expect at that at that size you'd get a molt at least once every two months or so.

Also i would like to know if possible how to know when he is in premolt, he is so small atm i wont be able to see the abdomen darken and its already dark so i couldent tell eitherway, and he periodically refuses food only to accept it days later. After how many days of refusing food do i stop offering and know he is in premolt

You'll be able to tell. The entire abdomen will turn black and SHINY.



Not the same species, but you can tell this itty bitty C. sellatus is in premolt despite its abdomen normally being dark due to how shiny it is.

If you're offering every 4 days, and it doesn't eat after 2 or 3 attempts, I'd let it be for a week or two. If it doesn't molt or appear to be in premolt during that period, go ahead and try again. I usually leave prekilled feeders for small Ts that seem they are approaching a molt just to stay safe.

Temps sound fine to me, and if anything should encourage faster growth than if you kept it at cooler temps.

 

[Wormtail39]

Yes, comparatively speaking your T will molt more frequently at this stage than it will as it gets bigger.



I can't answer this question myself but i'd expect at that at that size you'd get a molt at least once every two months or so.



You'll be able to tell. The entire abdomen will turn black and SHINY.

View attachment 308628

Not the same species, but you can tell this itty bitty C. sellatus is in premolt despite its abdomen normally being dark due to how shiny it is.

If you're offering every 4 days, and it doesn't eat after 2 or 3 attempts, I'd let it be for a week or two. If it doesn't molt or appear to be in premolt during that period, go ahead and try again. I usually leave prekilled feeders for small Ts that seem they are approaching a molt just to stay safe.

Temps sound fine to me, and if anything should encourage faster growth than if you kept it at cooler temps.

this was increadibly helpful thanks so much man really apreciate it completely forgot about the shiny part lol

 

[draconisj4]

I can only answer with my experience with my B. albiceps sling which was larger than yours when I got it at 3/4" in May 2018. I kept mine at room temperature 70-78F with a moist area of substrate and a water dish. Fed twice a week. It's now about 1.25-1.5" and kept dry with a water dish. Molt dates are as follows:
5/24/18
7/29/18
10/23/18
2/4/19

The longest mine has gone without eating before a molt is 2.5 weeks. In one case it ate 3 days before a molt. Mine is a very good eater though.

 

[Wormtail39]

Molt dates are as follows:
5/24/18
7/29/18
10/23/18
2/4/19[/QUOTE]

thanks mate this is was helpful! so should be around every 2-3 months for my size then for sure!! and i can see it starting to slow down for yours there aswell lol gonna be slooooow from here on out for u haha

 

[Vanisher]

I can only answer with my experience with my B. albiceps sling which was larger than yours when I got it at 3/4" in May 2018. I kept mine at room temperature 70-78F with a moist area of substrate and a water dish. Fed twice a week. It's now about 1.25-1.5" and kept dry with a water dish. Molt dates are as follows:
5/24/18
7/29/18
10/23/18
2/4/19

The longest mine has gone without eating before a molt is 2.5 weeks. In one case it ate 3 days before a molt. Mine is a very good eater though.

That sounds amazingly fast. Like an "Phormictopus cancerides growth rate fast" i have had many Brachys slings, not B albiceps though and in ME they grow very slow, exept B albo and B vagans

 

[Arachnophoric]

That sounds amazingly fast. Like an "Phormictopus cancerides growth rate fast"

I've never kept P. cancerides, so maybe I'm wrong, but I was under the impression they grew faster than ~1" in a year.

 

[Wormtail39]

That sounds amazingly fast. Like an "Phormictopus cancerides growth rate fast" i have had many Brachys slings, not B albiceps though and in ME they grow very slow, exept B albo and B vagans

ohhh how much slower in comparison? and is growthrate directly tied to eating? like if she eats every 3 days surely she should grow as much as any other spider that does that i thought they were slow growers because they dident eat as often? how fast have the slower species molted at my ones size 0.38 inches if u know?

 

[draconisj4]

That sounds amazingly fast. Like an "Phormictopus cancerides growth rate fast"

True, but I'm sure it will slow down. It refused a meal 2 weeks ago so we'll see how long it will be until it molts again. It is starting to show adult colors, got a dark gold carapace with the last molt. I must have an oddball, lol.

 

[Arachnophoric]

and is growthrate directly tied to eating? like if she eats every 3 days surely she should grow as much

Iirc, feeding more doesn't affect growth rates, feeding more often just leads to longer fasts and premolt periods. Higher temps, however, do encourage faster growth.

 

[Vanisher]

Iirc, feeding more doesn't affect growth rates, feeding more often just leads to longer fasts and premolt periods. Higher temps, however, do encourage faster growth.

Partly true! They stay in premoult longet, but grows larger with every moult if fed more! And yes, higher temp induces growthrate, cos they eat more!

 

[Arachnophoric]

Partly true! They stay in premoult longet, but grows larger with every moult if fed more! And yes, higher temp induces growthrate, cos they eat more!

I thought the extra warmth helped the new exuvia form faster which caused them to molt faster/more frequently. A T is going to keep eating until it is fat enough to molt, all feeding it more frequently does is hit the "full" mark faster while the new exuvia forms under the old.

However I definitely could be wrong, and I'm pretty sure there are threads around specifically dedicated to this exact topic.

 

[Goopyguy56]

Phormictopus species grow quick till they hit 4 inches or so. I think they can hit 2 or 3 inches in a year. I uave some juvenile phormictopus and they grow way faster than any brachy I have ever owned. I have read albiceps is extremely slow. Maybe even slower than g pulchra or b hamori. Either way, it will take a long time to look like an adult. I have a half inch sling myself. I am just glad it is summer, I hate having slings under 3/4".

 

[cold blood]

Well the ones I've raised, grew glacially slow until about 2 in. Once they started getting adult colors their appetites picked up in their growth rates picked up. But as small slings they would go six months at a crack without eating, it only molt once or twice a year. Once they got bigger they molted two to three times faster. it's that sling stage that I saw the slowest growth.

 

[Vanisher]

I thought the extra warmth helped the new exuvia form faster which caused them to molt faster/more frequently. A T is going to keep eating until it is fat enough to molt, all feeding it more frequently does is hit the "full" mark faster while the new exuvia forms under the old.

However I definitely could be wrong, and I'm pretty sure there are threads around specifically dedicated to this exact topic.

Aha! That was new information for me! I have no idea if cuticle forms faster if kept warmer. I have always thought they ate more when kept warmer, therefor they grow faster. Maybe it is a combination?

 

[Arachnophoric]

Aha! That was new information for me! I have no idea if cuticle forms faster if kept warmer. I have always thought they ate more when kept warmer, therefor they grow faster. Maybe it is a combination?

I can't swear that's how it works. But if it were food, I'd think my pulchra would be huge by now - all three are great eaters but for the life of me will NOT molt. My temps tend to dip towards the fall/winter, and I see less molts then, while they increase into the spring and summer when temps come back up. However appetites and feeding habits stay the same.

 

[Wormtail39]

Well the ones I've raised, grew glacially slow until about 2 in. Once they started getting adult colors their appetites picked up in their growth rates picked up. But as small slings they would go six months at a crack without eating, it only molt once or twice a year. Once they got bigger they molted two to three times faster. it's that sling stage that I saw the slowest growth.

mine has actually taken down food twice in a week already so does that mean she will grow faster? as long as she keeps eating? its when she tops eating that it will be slow? were they just in a very long premolt when they refused food for 6 months??

 

[Vanisher]

I can't swear that's how it works. But if it were food, I'd think my pulchra would be huge by now - all three are great eaters but for the life of me will NOT molt. My temps tend to dip towards the fall/winter, and I see less molts then, while they increase into the spring and summer when temps come back up. However appetites and feeding habits stay the same.

I have made experiment. 5 B albo female small juvenile where fed more and 5 where fed little. The ones that where fed more grew more with every moult. They moulted more ir less at same time but those fed less where in premoult for shorter time. This was back in 2005 when i bred this speicies

 

[cold blood]

mine has actually taken down food twice in a week already so does that mean she will grow faster? as long as she keeps eating? its when she tops eating that it will be slow? were they just in a very long premolt when they refused food for 6 months??

Hard to say, I've never raised in albiceps with an appetite like you described. But as vanisher said, the more food they eat generally the more growth they tend to put on between molts, but it doesn't always speed molts up, temps can play a larger role there. But mine were always kept warm they just never ate or molted.

Good luck maybe you'll get some faster growers.

 

[Wormtail39]

Hard to say, I've never raised in albiceps with an appetite like you described. But as vanisher said, the more food they eat generally the more growth they tend to put on between molts, but it doesn't always speed molts up, temps can play a larger role there. But mine were always kept warm they just never ate or molted.

Good luck maybe you'll get some faster growers.

thats interesting what temp did u keep yours at if u dont mind me asking? and well its just his first form atm i hear they change personality almost every molt so he will probs slow down once he get a tad bigger.