Grammostola Porteri growth rate

Bluedotinspace

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 3, 2018
Messages
32
I have a 1/2 inch g.porteri and i know they are a very long living and slow growing species but how exactly long are we talking about here?also my friend bought one the same size from the same place and it molted twice already while mine didnt,they even have the same setup.
 

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cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
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Jan 19, 2014
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13,548
About as slow as it gets...that said, as slings they can grow faster (still not fast)...but not all individuals will grow a little faster....once they become juvies, growth will slow to a crawl.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Old Timer
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Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
They do better with temps in the mid 70's and up, I raised mine in a 4x4x3" dollar store container. They are about 3" after a bit more than 2.5 years. Smaller enclosure will work better for them to find food.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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Dec 8, 2006
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19,103
also my friend bought one the same size from the same place and it molted twice already while mine didnt,they even have the same setup.
Never ceases to amaze me how people treat animals like they are all the same, like clones or something.


Imagine this "My friend lives in a house next door to me, identical to mine, he's as tall as me, now after some time, he's a few inches taller and I'm not....what's going on??"

Why do you expect 2 different tarantulas to grow at the same rate? Would you expect 2 humans to grow at the same rate based on the information you provided?

Use some critical thinking skills and see what variables are different between your husbandry and your friend's.

Aside from gender difference, what could they be?
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
1,873
Your enclosure looks a bit odd. Is it made of glass? And is the bottom the round side of it? If so, I doubt it's very secure, I mean how can it be steady that way. I hope you know what I mean? ;)
Maybe you could post a picture of the whole enclosure to getter a better idea of how it is set up. :)

Also, is there something (a sponge maybe?) in the water dish? If yes, get it out! It only serves as a breeding place for bacteria. Your sling can't and won't drown. :)
 

PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 15, 2014
Messages
712
Mine is an inch after nearly two years, luckily it's in premolt and already laying out a molting mat, so the size is soon to change. So, to answer the question: yes they are slow growers in my limited experience with this species.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
I received 10 2i G. rosea slings breed by member @pyro fiend on 11/05/15 all 10 had similar growth/molting patterns. I kept them first in condiment cups till about 1" then in the 4x4x3" dollar store food storage containers. The last one, now in premolt will hit 3" this time all the others were that size months ago.
molts: 06/04/16, 08/01/16, 09/26/16, 06/20/17, 09/03/17

This one at 3" was sold a few months ago beautiful species.
2016-06-06 16.45.27.jpg
 

starnaito

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
96
I purchased a 1-inch sling in September last year, and it's only molted once, gaining maybe 1/4+" in size. I also took in as an adult female (my first tarantula), and she has only molted once in my care. If you don't want yours to go on an unreasonably long fast, don't overdo it on their feeding. They tend to stop eating once they are plumped enough for the next molt (even if that's several months away).
 
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