Nevermolt the Tarantula

[RussoTuristo]

Meet my cute G. pulchra. It's a tiny little baby in its fifth or sixth instar, just old enough to start growing into those gorgeous velvety looks... and it hadn't molted since November.

Now, some of you might rightly say that it's not uncommon. Pulchra aren't exactly known for rapid growth, and half a year without molting is not something out of the ordinary.

That is a valid point, I'd answer, and you're absolutely right. But there's something I didn't yet tell you, friends, and that is the actual YEAR my baby Pulchra last shed its skin. And the year was... 2014. Yep. We're in ONE AND A HALF YEAR territory here. And it's been about 7 months since this baby last accepted food.

Don't be alarmed however, Nevermolt (as I'm now calling it) looks healthy and still rather chubby for some reason. It's reasonably active and inquisitive, and even chases after prey (but doesn't eat it). Molting, however, doesn't seem to be on its agenda. It's okay, take your time, Nevermolt. Take your time.

 

[mmfh]

Lol too funny. I Love that name. Congradulations on being a person with patience. I too have a G. pulchra and I agree they take eons to molt but yours seems to be trying to make it into the record books.

 

[Belegnole]

lol, I'd say it's happy just the way it is......

I don't wanna grow up, don't want grow up
I don't wanna grow up, don't want grow up

I don't wanna grow up, I'm a little brown sling....

 

[Sana]

Well ya know, at least it's healthy and happy.

 

[Vanessa]

Mine isn't moulting either, but I haven't had it that long. They're looking lovely, though.

 

[louise f]

Well isn`t that just typicall for grammos

 

[cold blood]

If it chases, it might take a pre-killed cricket...that might be enough trigger a molt.

Slow growers are incredible....so obviously resilient.

 

[tuko]

Haha nevermolt.

Take a picture of your sling and put it inside the enclosure. Maybe you can induce molting when she sees herself lol!

 

[lunarae]

lol I like the name. Now you could go and re-write 'Nevermore' by Edger Allen Poe in terms of your T's refusal to molt as a parody. That would be pretty awesome XD

 

[RussoTuristo]

An update on Nevermolt: In a bizarre turn of events, it resumed eating yesterday! Now it's even fatter!.. and it still doesn't look like it's going to molt anytime soon.

 

[truecreature]

Well dang I thought my G. rosea sling was worthy of the nickname Peter Pan because it never grows up, but this guy would be far more deserving

 

[Cavedweller]

God I feel ya. I've got a 1/2" pulchra sling who hasn't molted since June 2014. It's butt is so fat and shiny I'm kinda afraid it will burst if I feed it any more.

 

[MrsHaas]

Super funny and love the name! I have an A. chalcodes that hasn't molted in like 3 years!!! He's a sub-adult male tho, and I'm pretty sure he'll hook out next molt, so I guess he's just in no rush to mature and wither away lol

 

[MrsHaas]

Super funny and love the name! I have an A. chalcodes that hasn't molted in like 3 years!!! He's a sub-adult male tho, and I'm pretty sure he'll hook out next molt, so I guess he's just in no rush to mature and wither away lol

I got him in 2012

 

[14pokies]

I had two LP slings that were like that.. They ate as much as lp slings I had raised before but molted 3-4 times slower and didn't put on much growth within molt cycles... ... I used to refer to them as the broken Parahybana's... So damn frustrating...

 

[KezyGLA]

I am glad to see that I am not alone when it comes to youngsters not moulting in a very long time. I bought a 1.7" B. Klaasi in may last year and it hasn't eaten or moulted since I got it. It is a very healthy looking T but still won't eat. With such a long fast I hope there is a molt coming any moment now.

I guess only time will tell.

 

[RussoTuristo]

Hey guys, I remembered this thread while taking care of my Ts today and well, here's the update: since the last time I posted here, the sling ate once, just a couple of weeks ago. No, it still hasn't molted. It will be three years in November.

It's probably an extreme example for sure, but let that be a lesson to anyone crazy enough to attempt growing a G. pulchra from a tiny sling. You might want to consider getting one a bit older.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Hey guys, I remembered this thread while taking care of my Ts today and well, here's the update: since the last time I posted here, the sling ate once, just a couple of weeks ago. No, it still hasn't molted. It will be three years in November.

It's probably an extreme example for sure, but let that be a lesson to anyone crazy enough to attempt growing a G. pulchra from a tiny sling. You might want to consider getting one a bit older.

RussoTuristo... I have heard this nickname in an Italian arachnid forum, once. Are you, by chance?

 

[RussoTuristo]

No, I'm Russian and I'm not currently active in any T communities at all.

 

[RussoTuristo]

Hey guys, final update on this and it's been a rollercoaster. On the last day of April I found the sling in the "halfway death curl" position. You know, not fully curled but with legs on the way there. I assumed it was some sort of rare disorder which prevented the sling from molting and now would surely finish it off... so I dropped a large drop of water right next to its head and went to bed expecting a fully dead sling in the morning.

Instead, in the morning on May 1st 2018 I found it successfully MOLTED. Yep, 12 hours after being close to a death curl I can't explain, it was sitting there all black and velvety in its new skin. It took THREE YEARS AND FIVE MONTHS for it to complete this instar, and it's still just a baby. This freakin' T will outlive me.