B. verdezi juvi hasn't molted in 2 years

boina

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So I've posted something yesterday on a thread and I haven't been yelled at, so I thought I might try asking something:
I've a Brachypelma verdezi, a 2.5 inch juvenile that I bought 2 years ago and that T hasn't molted for me ever. Now I know that Brachypelma adults may skip a year or even two before molting again, but this thing is still a pretty small juvi, so why won't it molt??
I have about a dozen more Brachypelmas of different species, some of them on the same shelf, some smaller, some adult and every other Brachypelma has molted at least once, even the adults, and some juveniles have even molted three or four times during the last two years. This one doesn't.
I keep Brachys in general dry with a big water bowl, but I've started to keep this one a little more moist (one moist corner), because it likes to sit there. Although for the last 18 months or so I've only been feeding it one small cricket every two months it looks like a balloon on legs - and it's still eating.
Now what do I do?
 

boina

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@KezyGLA: So you think I should just wait it out (sigh). I'm not the most patient person on the planet.

And a pic: It's a few month old and by now she's even fatter, but the setup is still the same, except I've given her a somewhat bigger water bowl and taken the pebble out. And yes, she has a hide, though not in the pic.

IMG_1439.JPG
 

boina

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try bumping the temps.
Temps: That's going to be somewhat difficult... I've this very modern open area house with practically no doors (except to the bathroom...), so I either put the T in the bathroom, which may be too humid for a Brachypelma, or I heat the whole house, which is rather unpractical and expensive. It's 20C (about 70F) at the moment in my house and in summer significantly higher.
 

brokenxspirits

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I would imagine she would be in premolt after all this time but she hardly looks like she's in premolt. :bored:
 

Nephrite

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Don't worry about it, I have a 1 cm euathlus sp. red and it hasn't molted for 6 months. It's probably because it's a little on the colder side here, but summers not far off, which is when they'll start molting faster then you can realize!
 

boina

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So it seems the consensus really is to wait it out... well, at least that's easy to do...er... or maybe not so much... thank you everyone for your input!
 

Nephrite

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So it seems the consensus really is to wait it out... well, at least that's easy to do...er... or maybe not so much... thank you everyone for your input!
Here's the little sling, little black spot forming on the abdomen, fingers crossed!
 

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Shudragon

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Here's the little sling, little black spot forming on the abdomen, fingers crossed!
Same here, looks like you might be one instar ahead of mine. Had him about a month, got a big butt with a huge black spot, heres hoping! (Avatar pic)
 

viper69

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So you think I should just wait it out (sigh). I'm not the most patient person on the planet.
You have NO choice but to wait it out :rolleyes:

Ts don't care about owners, just feed, water, rehouse- be a good owner. That's your job.
 

cold blood

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Even if its not pre molt yet (it hasn't flicked hairs, so visual cues aren't obvious), its definitely plump enough and shouldn't need (or want) to be fed till it molts.

Some individuals just grow much slower than others, you can even see this with sac mates.

As everything else is molting normally, I don't think temps or husbandry are an issue at all.

Like viper said, you've got no choice to wait it out, you can't make a t molt.
 

cold blood

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So I've posted something yesterday on a thread and I haven't been yelled at
Why would you get yelled at? If people didn't post, there would be no forum. Post away, that's what everyone's here for...no need to be shy;)
 

boina

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Why would you get yelled at? If people didn't post, there would be no forum. Post away, that's what everyone's here for...no need to be shy;)
Weeeelll, on a German forum you get yelled at whatever you post (and I'm German). Most common answer on a German forum: Why didn't you google it, are you too stupid or too lazy? I've yet to find one.single.thread. on a German forum that didn't end in people yelling at each other. The main problem with that is, that tarantula husbandry is much less advanced in Germany because people don't listen to each other and newbies don't get any help exept for *google it*, which is terrible advice. For example I'm NOT going to post the way americans keep avics on ANY German forum... I could just imagine the reaction. You get yelled at for using coco fiber substrate (eco earth) because for some reason that's wrong in Germany.
Sorry for the rant - you got me started ;)
OBVIOUSLY Arachnoboards is different. I'm very glad I speak English. And thank you for your encouragement. :) :) :)
 

boina

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You have NO choice but to wait it out :rolleyes:

Ts don't care about owners, just feed, water, rehouse- be a good owner. That's your job.
Having No Choice is always a good reason for doing, or in this case not doing something, so I will not do anything except change her water regularly and waaaaiiiiiittttt, more or less patiently.Thank you :)
 

Formerphobe

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....OBVIOUSLY Arachnoboards is different. I'm very glad I speak English. And thank you for your encouragement. :) :) :)
Unfortunately, there is sometimes screaming and hollering here, too.

My B verdezi started going about a year between molts at about 4.5 inch legspan and still averages once a year, usually late spring to early summer. I do keep my tarantulas a little warmer during the day.
You don't have much choice but to wait it out. :)
 

Andrea82

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I wouldn't feed it much until she molts, she has a well curved behind:)

Things can get heated here as well,but not so much lately. :)
 

cold blood

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Weeeelll, on a German forum you get yelled at whatever you post (and I'm German). Most common answer on a German forum: Why didn't you google it, are you too stupid or too lazy? I've yet to find one.single.thread. on a German forum that didn't end in people yelling at each other. The main problem with that is, that tarantula husbandry is much less advanced in Germany because people don't listen to each other and newbies don't get any help exept for *google it*, which is terrible advice. For example I'm NOT going to post the way americans keep avics on ANY German forum... I could just imagine the reaction. You get yelled at for using coco fiber substrate (eco earth) because for some reason that's wrong in Germany.
Sorry for the rant - you got me started ;)
OBVIOUSLY Arachnoboards is different. I'm very glad I speak English. And thank you for your encouragement. :) :) :)
Well then, welcome to AB.....German forums sound like our face book groups (which I avoid)....just awful. I'm baffled the people still go to those forums...or our facebook pages....aside from selling ts, its a completely worthless place for a beginner to visit. Enjoy the camaraderie of Arachnoboards. We're tough sometimes, but we're also very informative and more often than not, pretty friendly.

Here we tell people to avoid google and most other internet care sheets, as you are correct, those are indeed awful places to learn as a beginner...we all started at the beginning, some just forget that unfortunately.:( Big egos are of no help to beginners.
 

cold blood

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Things can get heated here as well,but not so much lately. :)
Its been nice since the few troublemakers either stopped posting or were banned (im not sure which it was). Its amazing what just a few bad apples can do to a huge forum base.
 
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