G. pulchripes growth rate?

[CakeLore]

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone with experience with this species could give me an estimate on their growth rate. My chaco is about 3.5" right now and her last molt was mid July. That was right after I acquired her and the previous owner said she'd molted ~3 months prior to that. If it's any help, my roommates and I like to keep the apartment pretty cool (68-70F usually) but she is still fairly active, spending a large chunk of her time in the open and she feeds voraciously. Under these conditions could anyone estimate growth rate and/or give a reasonable estimate for her to reach her maximum size? Will her growth rate slow as she gets bigger? Thanks!

I love her now but I just can't wait to have a big ol' lumbering MF G. pulchripes on my hand.

Which actually brings me to a second question for which I won't start a new thread and clog up the forums: what size would she be able to breed? I'm not sure if I want to undertake that task yet but it's nice to know as much about her as possible.

 

[Poec54]

Trantulas are ectothermic and their metabolisms are linked to temperature. You're not going to see optimum growth rates with the vast majority of T's at 68 degrees. Things are going to be slow. You can't go by specifics for anyone else's growth rates for a species, unless you know their daily annual temps; frequency of feeding; and type, size, and amount of food.

I keep most of my collection much warmer and they eat ravenously and grow fast. I suggest you do a few things: place your high in a room, well off the floor. Use supplemental heating to get them around 80 degrees daytime; you can let them cool at night by 10 degrees.

 

[Kazaam]

While I believe that is true, I've seen quite a few T's develope pretty fast during the winter times here in which my room temperature barely ever gets above 70F daytime and 65F nighttime.

This isn't limited to slings or species that are known to be medium/fast growers.

 

[CakeLore]

She resides on top of my dresser so she's not on the floor. I've considered heating but it seems like an unnecessary hassle and possible danger to me.

 

[Kazaam]

They are unceccessary, even outside of the states where it freezes quite a bit (up to -20 to -30C here), as long as you keep your house on room temperature atleast.

I've heard the lifespan of your tarantula is affected by more frequent feedings/higher temperature as well, by the way.
I forgot if this is true or not.

 

[Poec54]

I've seen quite a few T's develope pretty fast during the winter times here in which my room temperature barely ever gets above 70F daytime and 65F nighttime.

Not nearly as fast as mine do at 85-90 degrees this time of year.

 

[Waxen]

How do you keep your T's at that temperature year round? Do you use a space heater or is your tarantula room setup as it's own zone on your heating system? I'm always curious when people say they keep their T room at a specific temperature without burning their house down with space heaters. Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[Poec54]

How do you keep your T's at that temperature year round? Do you use a space heater or is your tarantula room setup as it's own zone on your heating system? I'm always curious when people say they keep their T room at a specific temperature without burning their house down with space heaters. Thanks in advance for the info.

Being in Florida helps. Most of my T's are on a lanai, without a/c, so they get the heat and humidity, which kicks in April to October. They cool down for the other half of the year, with days in the 70's and nights in the 60's. I use a space heater when temps get in the 50's. Nice to be in a decent climate. I only use the furnace for the house several nights a year.

Other people put theirs in large cabinets and heat that.

 

[Waxen]

Thanks for the info.

 

[catfishrod69]

My tarantula room varies from 80-90F. I have a 1.25" G. pulchripes that has molted 1 time in the last year. I also have a 6" female that i got over 2 years ago, and she still has not molted in my care.

 

[Waxen]

I know the opinions vary on room temperature vs T growth rate. I haven't read anything scientific that states evidence one way or the other. I think each T keeper should do what works best for them as long as it's not detrimental to the health of their animals.

My questions were mainly around the heating of a single room to temperatures that may be 10-15F above the rest of the house. I personally don't feel safe using a space heater and my collection is rapidly outgrowing a heated cabinet idea. My house will not drop below ~60F in the winter but more than likely will be some where around 68F.

 

[Poec54]

My tarantula room varies from 80-90F. I have a 1.25" G. pulchripes that has molted 1 time in the last year. I also have a 6" female that i got over 2 years ago, and she still has not molted in my care.

My litte pulchripes are molting every few months. I got a 1/4" sling (freebie) last fall that has shed about 5 times and is now 2 1/2". I also got a couple 1" slings in the spring that have each molted a couple times and are also around 2 1/2". They're all fanatical eaters, and that on proportionately large crickets. I wouldn't call the species slow-growing. Mine are in high humidity. The room itself is 50-60% and more humid inside the containers. Could that be part of the difference in our growth rates?

 

[fnydm4]

I keep all my Ts in individual containers and then place them in a large aquarium with a heating pad taped to the side and covered by a Styrofoam lid. This creates a microclimate environment where I can keep the temp at 75-80 degrees more or less. I mostly have 1-2" juveniles and some 2-3" so the containers are on the smaller side and I'm able to stack about 15-20 inside one large aquarium. Obviously this gets more difficult as the Ts get larger and require bigger housing but at that point you would just use a cabinet and apply the same concept.

 

[Kazaam]

Not nearly as fast as mine do at 85-90 degrees this time of year.

So that means they'll reach adulthood sooner, and die sooner as well.

Atleast, the males.

 

[Poec54]

So that means they'll reach adulthood sooner, and die sooner as well.

At least, the males.

Slings are driven to grow as fast as they possibly can to get out of the vulnerable stage and to reproduce. The ones that do that keep the species going, the slow ones contribute much less, if anything (getting eater by a predator as a sling/juvenile). The stored reserves of a sling go into growth, they key to their existence. Once they're adults they don't need to eat as much, as evidenced by wild adults rarely being obese. A fat adult stays fat; a fat juveile only stays fat until the next molt.

Why unnaturally slow down or stunt the growth of immature spiders with food rationing and cool temps? Why frustrate their innate desire to eat and grow? Get them up to size, and then slow the feedings down. Should we tightly ration food to human children too so that they'll stay small and cute longer? Doesn't that eventually effect their health and lifespan, and yet somehow it's supposed to work in reverse for spiders and be beneficial?

 

[Formerphobe]

Slings are driven to grow as fast as they possibly can to get out of the vulnerable stage and to reproduce. The ones that do that keep the species going, the slow ones contribute much less, if anything (getting eater by a predator as a sling/juvenile). The stored reserves of a sling go into growth, they key to their existence. Once they're adults they don't need to eat as much, as evidenced by wild adults rarely being obese. A fat adult stays fat; a fat juveile only stays fat until the next molt.

Why unnaturally slow down or stunt the growth of immature spiders with food rationing and cool temps? Why frustrate their innate desire to eat and grow? Get them up to size, and then slow the feedings down. Should we tightly ration food to human children too so that they'll stay small and cute longer? Doesn't that eventually effect their health and lifespan, and yet somehow it's supposed to work in reverse for spiders and be beneficial?

I have to say that Poec54 has swayed me to his school of thought in regard to feeding slings. As long as they don't have the abdomen that ate New York, I feed my slings what they want. I have trouble achieving Florida's temp and humidity though... so, my spiders have to make do in those regards.

re: rationing human children - many 'infant athletes' are food rationed to keep them at 'appropriate' sizes for competing. WRONG! Definitely makes for unhealthy adults and increased risk of injury. (And the sedentary children who need to be food rationed, aren't... equally unhealthy on the other end of the spectrum.)

My own female G. pulchripes was acquired 1/6/2011 @ 0.25 inch. She just molted for the 8th time since I've had her and is ~4.5+ inch dls. She did go through one entire instar (between ~2.25 and 3 inches) and never ate a thing between molts (6 months- September thru March) and still gained noticeably in size.

For the most part, tarantulas will molt when they are so inclined regardless of the husbandry we impose upon them.

As far as them not having a full lifespan due to being too frequently fed, I'm going to have to write most of mine into my will as their life expectancy is greater, at this point, than mine.

 

[catfishrod69]

My little one has only molted twice since ive had it. Which is about 1.5-2 years. Its always plump, so i never have to feed it much. My temps and humidity are also like that. My temps go from 80-90, and general room humidity of 50-60%. This creature must be a little female. Wouldnt think a male would take that long.

My litte pulchripes are molting every few months. I got a 1/4" sling (freebie) last fall that has shed about 5 times and is now 2 1/2". I also got a couple 1" slings in the spring that have each molted a couple times and are also around 2 1/2". They're all fanatical eaters, and that on proportionately large crickets. I wouldn't call the species slow-growing. Mine are in high humidity. The room itself is 50-60% and more humid inside the containers. Could that be part of the difference in our growth rates?

 

[Spidergrrl]

I purchased my pulchripes on July 13, 2013. At that point the baby was approximately .25 inches DLS. Since then s/he has undergone several molts, the most recent being last night. S/he is now at apx. 1.5 inches. I feed baby crickets whenever she will take them. We keep our house at between 77 and 80 degrees. Try to keep humidity in the house above 55% (we have guitars). Slightly moist substrate. Seems like a happy spider.

Cheers,

Spidergrrl