Avicularia versicolor sling premolt duration.

[magneto]

Hi. I have a 0.4 inch A. versicolor that has been with me for almost three months. It has never molted in my care. It has only eaten once that I have seen and has a rather small abdomen. It is kept in a 16 oz deli cup with an inch of dry substrate, a long thick peace of wood to climb on and a soda cap for a water dish. I mist lightly on the wall once a week. It made a hammock a week and a half ago but hasn't molted. The temperature is 72° F.

Is it just me or is this an unusually long premolt period for a sling this size? I bought several different slings the same time as this one and most of them has molted twice in the same period. One has molted three times even.

Can't upload pictures as my camera is crap and can't manage sharp pictures of something that small.

 

[skippydude]

I assume since you're in Norway when you say 1/2" it means body length and not diagonal leg span? If so then 3 months isn't a long time for this species, in fact it is about average.

If it has a small abdomen I'd increase the amount of food given.

Misting does very little for your T other than irritating it. Misting only raises humidity for a few minutes until it dries. For my avics of this size, in addition to a water dish I moisten a small area of the substrate to help raise humidity.

 

[magneto]

I assume since you're in Norway when you say 1/2" it means body length and not diagonal leg span? If so then 3 months isn't a long time for this species, in fact it is about average.

If it has a small abdomen I'd increase the amount of food given.

Misting does very little for your T other than irritating it. Misting only raises humidity for a few minutes until it dries. For my avics of this size, in addition to a water dish I moisten a small area of the substrate to help raise humidity.

I meant diagonal leg span actually. And I have tried to feed it three times a week but always end up removing most of them when I see several of them alive and uneaten. As far as I know it hasn't shown interest in food since that first week.

 

[skippydude]

Sounds like you are doing all you can do, providing ample food and water. Temp for a 1/2" sling should be between 75F-80F. Other than that all you can do is be patient.

 

[magneto]

I'll just see what happen's then. Thanks

 

[cold blood]

My versi slings I raised molted about every 40 days, so yeah, I think that's a really long time for a sling. If conditions are poor (conditions outside the enclosure have an effect, I'm confident in that, they can and will wait and stretch the time out as they await for better conditions....like a rainy few days.

 

[magneto]

The only two outside factors I can think of is the temperature being a bit on the low side as mentioned above here, and that the deli cup might be a bit large as I have never seen it utelize more than the corner it lives in. I don't want to rehouse until it finally molts as it has made the hammock, and the temperature is a problem to to raise to 80 as it's in my living room and I spend a lot of time there myself. Thats gonna be too hot for me.