G pulchra growth rate.

[sean-820]

frow what i found pulchras grow slow, but how slow is slow? Liek how long would it sake for a 1/2" sling to reach 2"? I heard they grow moderate up until la coupel inches then their growth drastically slows down.

Also, how long would it take to grow from 1/2" to 1"? I can buy a 1/2" for 40$ or a 1" for 60$ or a 1.5" for 75$.Which would be worth it most to get? Would the pulchra at 1.5" be all black yet and would it be worth the extra 35$ to get it at this size as opposed to a smaller size? I dont really care tons how fast it grows as an adult, i just want one thats at least all black.

 

[Ice Cold Milk]

I've got a couple that are 6 months past 2nd instar (.5-.75"), they are about 3cm (just over an inch) in legspan. They're not really black yet, just a shade darker than other Grammostola spp of the same size.

None of these specimens are powerfed or kept above 27C/80F, though.

 

[Rochelle]

Buy the smallest, cheapest available. They grow quickly, until approx. 3". In this way you are able to "hedge your bets" for a female, more cheaply.
We have 5 of this species...two are small slings of differing sizes - but grow quickly.

 

[Mack&Cass]

Yeah I've found they grow quickly up until a certain size too. I got a 1/2" sling back in April and it's now 2.5". It's molted three times. We're expecting her to slow right down though. Rochelle is right, buy the smallest ones. We could have got a 1.5" for $75 or a 1/2" for $40 and we opted for the smaller one. Definitely a good choice.

 

[sean-820]

I assuming you mean april of 08 right? the april 3 months ago to put on 2" is alot, or am i wrong? So you guys are saying it would be better to get 2 small ones for 40$ rather then a larger one for 75$ So its practiacally the same price, but just have to grow them out.

How long could i expect it to take for 1/2" sling to turn jet black assiming in normal room temp (no added heat) and always keeping them fat?

 

[Paramite]

It's always better to get the smallest guaranteed female you can find. That way you don't end up whoring and you can also be sure it's worth the waiting.

 

[cityzooguy]

slowish?

all three of mine seem to be growing at different rates. they get similar amounts of food, one may get two crickets while the others just get one randomly. I am feeding once or twice a week now, with no real schedule. in the winter I was feeding less, but always making sure that the abdomen was plump. I think that temperature plays the biggest roll in growth for this sp. durring winter their growth was very slow not a single molt from the time I got them in late jan (room temp low to mid 70's) however since May (room temp high 70's low 80's) all have molted more than once with the biggest molting in may, june, and july.

 

[sean-820]

Well i have a 75 watt heat dome i could possibly use. Would it be fine if i used it in the winter and not the summer? Also for t's not seeing red light, the glass of the bulb has to be red, not just a coating over clear glass right?

 

[Mack&Cass]

I assuming you mean april of 08 right? the april 3 months ago to put on 2" is alot, or am i wrong? So you guys are saying it would be better to get 2 small ones for 40$ rather then a larger one for 75$ So its practiacally the same price, but just have to grow them out.

How long could i expect it to take for 1/2" sling to turn jet black assiming in normal room temp (no added heat) and always keeping them fat?

Nope, we got ours April of '09. We feed her on a regular basis, but when she gets plump we stop feeding. She's starting to get black now, we just measured her and she's about 1.75". I was just eyeballing last post. She does seem to be growing quickly, but we're expecting her to slow right down.

 

[tarantulaholic]

Ive got 2 3-3.5" G. Pulchras and they seem to molt just as fast as my other adult T's. Not too bad really, maybe 2 molts in 6-12 months.

 

[sean-820]

Nope, we got ours April of '09. We feed her on a regular basis, but when she gets plump we stop feeding. She's starting to get black now, we just measured her and she's about 1.75". I was just eyeballing last post. She does seem to be growing quickly, but we're expecting her to slow right down.

Wow that seems like insane growth for a so called slow growing species. Do you have any additional heat?

 

[grumbledog]

I have 6 G. pulchras, all purchased in November 2008 at about .5 inches each. In the 9 months that I've had them, only two have molted and all remain under 1 inch in size. They all eat regularly and seem perfectly content. They just haven't gotten very big.

Now, I do keep them in a relatively cool room where temps never get above 75 degrees, and I imagine this slows the growth process. Still, I'm surprised at the quick growth some people are reporting.

 

[JimM]

Well i have a 75 watt heat dome i could possibly use. Would it be fine if i used it in the winter and not the summer? Also for t's not seeing red light, the glass of the bulb has to be red, not just a coating over clear glass right?

Red wavelengths are red wavelengths.

 

[vvx]

I have two slings, the first acquired at .5" in October of last year and the second at .75" in April of this year. The .5" molted twice and it about .75", the other has not molted in mycare. So far the growth rate is the same as my grammostola rosea slings. I keep my room at about 75 in the summer, it will drop as far as 65 in the winter.

 

[spiderfield]

I purchased slings under .5" last September 2008 and up 'til today they have molted six times in my care and are now a little over 3". I had kept them at high humidity with temps. ranging from 80-90F, with some periods above that. They were also fed almost every day, either until they refused food or until their opisthosoma's looked too big. They're growth-rate, however, appears to have slowed these days.

 

[JC]

If you power-feed, they will grow pretty fast until 2.5-3 inches. (Don't power-feed too hard.)

 

[JDeRosa]

Mine is a 6 in. female. She molts about every year and a half.
Now keep in mind that higher temperatures and more food can help them grow faster. Males aso mature faster too.

 

[curiousme]

We have 2 G. pulchra slings. Here is the info on them i think it is the 3rd post.

They look black now and still eat well. We expect their growth to slow down in the next few molts.

i would get the smaller cheaper ones, because they will get to the size of the more expensive ones fairly quickly. Plus, it is very cool to see the changes that occur with each molt. Which are more dramatic once they start showing color.

 

[JC50]

I purchased mine in February of this year,and it was a 1/2 in size.It has molted three times since i have had it,and it is just a little over an inch now and starting to show signs of darkening towards its adult color.

 

[sja69]

So it's not just my Pulchra then!
I always wondered why people said they were slow growers as
since I got mine last May it molted 6 times up until December.
The first 5 times were all under 5 weeks, and the last time was about
7 weeks - it has now been over 15 weeks and he is still eating!!!
I want to stop feeding him because he is so fat but he always sits at
the entrance of his flowerpot like a begging dog!
I am kind of impatient about wanting him to molt because firstly he
lost a leg during his last molt and I want to see it grow back, and secondly,
I want to see him turn black as he is still greyish-brown.
He is about 3-3.5"