my two B. vagan slings molted!

[ezkial]

My two B. vagan slings molted 7/20/11. I am fairly new to this hobby, and I recently got two slings from user "Spiderfield". I was excited to see that they molted and appear to be healthy! Thanks again Spiderfield for the slings.

 

[49ers]

Congrats!
Soon you'll find yourself emerged in Ts

 

[ezkial]

I know... i am already finding myself doing as much research as possible online!

 

[JadeWilliamson]

"B vagans" is singular, not plural. You can have a B vagans or two B vagans. :wall:

Congratulations!! Yeah, this is my favorite tarantula that I own (my P metallica comes in Saturday ;P). They're so much fun to handle, and they have so much attitude! My male measured in at 7", the biggest T I've seen with my own two eyes, and my female's about 5.5". I'm trying to get them to hook up, but I think she's still a little young, and she just runs away.

How big are yours? They grow ridiculously slow, but hang in there. In two years you'll look back and wonder if they were ever really as small as you thought they used to be.
I've got B smithi and B emilia slings, so I know firsthand how exciting it is for them to molt. They grow so much!
On top of this, they're great eaters.

 

[ezkial]

thanks for the information... mine are very small right now. in fact i believe this to be their very first molt. its very exciting to see them growing already and what seems to be somewhat fast. do you have any tips for measuring slings?

 

[JadeWilliamson]

thanks for the information... mine are very small right now. in fact i believe this to be their very first molt. its very exciting to see them growing already and what seems to be somewhat fast. do you have any tips for measuring slings?

With a ruler :wall:
Measure something we see every day (a penny, a bottle cap) so you know the size, then put it next to the sling. People love to see pictures of slings next to pennies. :drool:

Brachypelma slings seem to grow fast in my experience. Most people will disagree. Maybe it's something in the water where we live?
My B smithi slings went from 1.25" to 2.5" in about four months. That's fast enough for me. Unfortunately they seem to slam on the pituitary brakes around that size (I have no idea if Ts have pituitary glands; it was a joke).

You're a long way from it, but I want to point out something with that species, or at least with my specimen:
People say these are really defensive Ts. I've noticed that mine only rears up to defend herself when I bother her in her hidey hole (aka plant pot). She's pretty skittish, but still great to handle. You'll probably see this trend gradually as they grow, and it'll be subtle changes, so you won't think twice about it. They're not at all a hands-off species, imo

 

[ezkial]

yeah that is a great idea to take pictures with them next to pennies and such. The guy I bought the slings from told me similar things in regards to behaviors and handling. I do plan on handling them. I just feel at this very early state with them being so small i want to limit my hands on. I look forward to their growth

 

[JadeWilliamson]

yeah that is a great idea to take pictures with them next to pennies and such. The guy I bought the slings from told me similar things in regards to behaviors and handling. I do plan on handling them. I just feel at this very early state with them being so small i want to limit my hands on. I look forward to their growth

Don't be afraid to power feed the little guys. If you feed a lot like I do (I love watching attacks, and this is one of the more merciless species), they'll be at the 1.5"-possibly 2" range by Christmas.

Take pictures and post them here!! I want to see them!

 

[ezkial]

my camera is broken...so this is taken with my camera phone the best i can do for now http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/images/editor/menupop.gif

I will try to get better pictures up with a different camera soon.

 

[JadeWilliamson]

my camera is broken...so this is taken with my camera phone the best i can do for now http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/images/editor/menupop.gif

I will try to get better pictures up with a different camera soon.

It's beautiful. :clap:
Maybe in five or six years you'll have some breeding going on and you can go through this whole adventure all over again. A full grown B vagans is a long way away, so enjoy it while you can. My female is premolt now. I can't wait til she's bigger

 

[ezkial]

It's beautiful. :clap:
Maybe in five or six years you'll have some breeding going on and you can go through this whole adventure all over again. A full grown B vagans is a long way away, so enjoy it while you can. My female is premolt now. I can't wait til she's bigger

Yup...we will see. I am still very new to this hobby. I am already noticing a significant increase in one of my two B vagans since the molt.

 

[JayMadison]

Yeah they are way too fascinating