L. parahybana growth

[galeogirl]

My L. parahybanas are growing much more slowly than I expected from the things I've read about the species. Am I doing something wrong with them?

They get fed about 3x a week (pre-killed food and Drosophila or pinheads when I can get them), and are kept in my spider room, which stays between 75 and 85 degrees.

 

[JacenBeers]

I am having the same experience. Mine is fat as can be. So fat that i am not gonna feed him for a few weeks. He is a mighty flicker so he has a baldspot and he isnt darkening at all and it has been so long since his last molt.

 

[Gail]

I have had the same situation as well. Just to show you a comparison I got a 1/4" L.parahybana and a 1/4" B.vagans in the same shipment on April 16 of this year. The Redrump is about 3.5" - the Brazilian Salmon is about 1". I had NO problems with the Redrump but the Salmon wouldn't eat at all, no matter if it was pre-killed or not until after it shed on May 8. In that shed it lost a leg and had the skin stuck to the abdomen. It was still barely 1/3" and hardly ate at all - everything it did eat had to be pre-killed. It shed again on June 7 and the leg was back at 1/2 size and it had grown to 1/2". It started to eat pinheads alive about 2 or 3 times a week. It shed again on July 16 and didn't look like it had grown at all except that the leg was almost full size now. It finally started to eat fairly well, every other day or so. It shed on Aug 20 and was 3/4", then shed again on Sept 11 and is 1" now. It went off of it's food about 4 days ago so perhaps it is getting ready to molt again. Of all my spiderlings I have NEVER been able to look at this one and say "yea, it's really dark, it's gonna shed" - I guess these Salmon Pinks just do things a little differently

Gail

 

[Dasgre0g]

I have found that if you feed them fewer times in larger rations, they grow a little faster.
In general, once they past the 1.5 inch mark, they do start springing up in size. 
Perhaps all you need is a little bit of a wait.

Originally posted by galeogirl
My L. parahybanas are growing much more slowly than I expected from the things I've read about the species. Am I doing something wrong with them?

They get fed about 3x a week (pre-killed food and Drosophila or pinheads when I can get them), and are kept in my spider room, which stays between 75 and 85 degrees.

 

[minax]

To All;

Hello, I have a L.parahybana also, purchased from K.Swift last may. His growth was slow at first; As prev. said, growth accel. after an inch or so. Mine is 1 1/2" or slightly bigger, and is rapidly growing. I keep it at 80 deg. , was fed every day , now I feed it every other day and appetite is voracious. Galeogirl, maybe try for variety mealworms or waxworms, my T loves 'em. Kelly told me growth is slow at first; mine was a micro at purchase!

 

[ArachnoJoost]

Mine is growing really fast, molted every month so far (was just under an inch when I bought it). If you want to see the picture of his/her molts, look at the 'molting times' thread
greetz,
Joost

 

[Mendi]

Or, you could possibly gotten a little female sling, as I found almost every time I have a really fast grower it is normally sexed being male. So sometimes a slow grower will pay off in the end

 

[galeogirl]

All of mine are about 1/3" long and have molted once since I got them. They're way too small for waxworms or mealworms unless I cut them up into pieces for them, but they will take pre-killed food pretty easily.

It's good to know that they hit their growth spurt a little later on.