G.rosea RCF sling update (3 months later)

[0siris]

I figured instead of playing thread necro with my old thread I'd start a new one

As some of you know I got my first T about 3 months ago. You can catch up on the details Here

Is it normal that it still hasn't molted? No matter what I do, it will not eat more than one small cricket once a week. Very rarely it will eat 2.

I remember reading somewhere that slings moult more often than juvies and adults, is this true?

Other than that, the sling seems pretty happy. It refuses to create any sort of burrow and prefers instead to use the small, half buried vial that it came in when I got it.

Thanks in advance again for any input,

0

Pictures, taken a few minutes ago. She ate recently.

 

[Hobo]

That's perfectly normal.
Yeah, slings tend to molt more often than adults, depending on how much you feed and temperatures of course.
That said, my RCF adult rosea hasn't molted in 16 months, and is still eating.
Grammostola are slow. You're going to have a tiny sling for a long, long time

 

[0siris]

Do you think it matters that it is winter time now? Should I expect it to moult more frequently in the summer? The temperature in the house is about 70 degrees F now, i keep it air conditioned to about 72 in the summer, although I have a room that stays about 80 I can keep her in if that would help her grow

As far as feeding goes, I haven't been able to influence her eating habits. 1-2 crickets per week, sometimes every 2 weeks is all she will eat. Period. I tried 3 on numerous occasions and had to remove the cricket after about a day.

Maybe its just me, but it seems like she has been spending an awful lot of time in the hide for the past couple of weeks. Do you see anything in the pictures that would be indicative of a pre-moult?

 

[Hobo]

Lower temperatures means decreased metabolism for these guys so yeah, that could play a part in it. Plus they're roseas. They don't exactly grow like weeds.
Don't stress so much over it. You are feeding it plenty. I feed some of my slings once every 2-3 weeks, and they're fine.

If you really want to get her going and eating, try raising the heat and humidity a little. If I were you, though, I'd just take it easy.

You know, this would be a perfect excus- err I mean, opportunity just to get a larger juvenile or adult tarantula. Maybe, a faster grower?

 

[BrettG]

As mentioned,raise the heat and humidity a bit during the winters. During the summers,that Rfd Illinois humidity should be enough to counteract the AC's removal of humidity.Trust me,I know,lol.

 

[0siris]

Lower temperatures means decreased metabolism for these guys so yeah, that could play a part in it. Plus they're roseas. They don't exactly grow like weeds.
Don't stress so much over it. You are feeding it plenty. I feed some of my slings once every 2-3 weeks, and they're fine.

If you really want to get her going and eating, try raising the heat and humidity a little. If I were you, though, I'd just take it easy.

You know, this would be a perfect excus- err I mean, opportunity just to get a larger juvenile or adult tarantula. Maybe, a faster grower?

I had the opportunity to get a L.parahybana but after doing some research into their unpredictability and vicious eating habits I decided to pass. When I do decide on another T I would really like a B.smithi; however I heard that they don't grow very fast either. Plus they are becoming harder and harder to find.

Another option would be an A.avicularia. I heard they grow a bit faster. I know avics thrive in areas of South America where the humidity is in the 80% range, I'm just not sure I could provide those conditions year round.

 

[BrettG]

If I can keep avicularia here in the desert,you will do juuuust fine in Northern Illinois....

 

[0siris]

I have been looking for a C.cyaneopubescens (GBB) sling for a reasonable price lately but I have been unable to find one. I may just stick with the A.avicularia but I do have a few questions...

First and foremost, I heard that it is not advisable/popular/good practice (or what have you) to buy tarantulas from pet stores such as petco or petsmart. I have seen G.rosea and A.avicularia at both of these petstores in the past and thought about buying one.

I understand that risking buying a wild caught tarantula isn't exactly isn't exactly helping the environment, but if you look at it from another perspective I would be taking a wild caught specimen and giving it the best possible care comparable to that of its natural habitat...(obviously as best as can be provided within our means)

I understand that there are many potential factors to take into consideration. The tarantula may be used to hunting on it's own and may not take too well to a regular, or perhaps somewhat irregular feeding regime I may have to offer.

To be perfectly honest...I would 10x rather raise slings than anything else. If anyone knows of anyone willing to sell C.cyaneopubescens, or A.avicularia slings at a reasonable price I would be more than grateful for any leads

As always, any input is greatly appreciated.

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[RyTheTGuy]

Your T seems very healthy

I found a dealer on the boards that is selling B. Smithi slings for 10 bucks each 0.5"

Or if your interested i know another dealer selling a B. Smithi and a G. Pulchripes for $100, shipped to your door. Both are 2 inches +

 

[0siris]

Your T seems very healthy

I found a dealer on the boards that is selling B. Smithi slings for 10 bucks each 0.5"

Or if your interested i know another dealer selling a B. Smithi and a G. Pulchripes for $100, shipped to your door. Both are 2 inches +

I'd be interested in the B.smithi slings, can you link me to the seller?