# Vinegaroon molt



## Inktomi (Jul 5, 2012)

Hey there! I've had five juvenile vinegaroons for a year and they've never molted. They are well fed, so what's up? Shouldn't they be growing? I've had many vinegaroons over the years and I've not seen one juvenile molt. Maybe they need to experience winter? If so, how could I simulate that?

Thanks!


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## le-thomas (Jul 5, 2012)

I don't have any experience with vinegaroons, but I believe that they grow pretty slowly. I could be wrong, though.


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## Nikos (Jul 5, 2012)

they are slow growers.
they usually molt once every year (although when young I have experienced faster molting intervals)


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## zonbonzovi (Jul 5, 2012)

I've had 2 species of vinegaroons over several years of varying ages and witnessed only one molt in that time.  2 were recently hatched when captured and went 2 years without a molt before expiring despite living in conditions that would have easily allowed them to do so.  As Nikos said, just slow growers.


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## myrmecophile (Jul 5, 2012)

I currently have several which I collected in Az last summer. They all went underground in about Feb-march and molted almost simultaneously last month. Over the course of a couple fo weeks after the molt they have all come to the surface and begun eating.


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## Inktomi (Jul 5, 2012)

myrmecophile said:


> I currently have several which I collected in Az last summer. They all went underground in about Feb-march and molted almost simultaneously last month. Over the course of a couple fo weeks after the molt they have all come to the surface and begun eating.


Thanks for the responses. Hm, there's some very different experience with this here. Myrmecophile, I am still wondering whether there might be some environmental trigger to molting, since all of yours did at the same time. Were their environmental conditions static the whole time you had them before they molted?


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## Malhavoc's (Jul 5, 2012)

I wasnt aware they continued to molt past maturity?


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## Inktomi (Jul 5, 2012)

Malhavoc's said:


> I wasnt aware they continued to molt past maturity?


You got it right. I made the point that my vinegaroons are juvenile so people would'nt wonder whether they were already mature.


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## zonbonzovi (Jul 6, 2012)

What is their setup like, specifically, do they have enough soil with which to construct a chamber(or something approximating it)?  I could be off base here but I believe they need a secure, underground area in order to molt.


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## myrmecophile (Jul 7, 2012)

The specimens I have range in size from an inch to 2.5 inches, none are mature by any means. They are in containers with slightly damp potting type soil. The substrate is 2 - 3 inches deep so plenty of depth for them to construct their molting chamber. I live in the Southern Mojave desert near the mtns and they get to experience the usual seasonal temperature fluctuations within reason (ac and heating). So into the low 50s during the winter, around 90 during the summer etc.


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## myrmecophile (Jul 8, 2012)

My largest at breakfast time.

Reactions: Like 1


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