L. parahybana not growing

[Gillian]

Hi all,
I got a couple of 'ling parahybanas, and I swear they haven't grown. When I got them (this spring, I believe), they were a teensy 1/3 inch. Now, with twice weekly feedings, they don't even appear to be at 1/2. Is there something I can do different? They each eat 8 pins a week.
Thanks,
Gillian

 

[LaRiz]

Hi Gillian,

Something I noticed with my brother's (Jack) collection. He has these two L. parahybana, that seem to be growing slower than I remember. Everything else in his collection is growing nicely, so underfeeding is not an issue. This species is one the first I had, and they, ah, grew very fast. They went from about 1/2" to 6" in like, a year.
1/2 inchers should eat bigger prey items. Bigger than pinheads. Mine were champs, and they took prey as large as they were. Try to give 'em something with meat on them.
john

 

[Gillian]

L. parahybanas

La Riz,
Thanks for answering. If 1/2 inch means they should get bigger crickets than a pin, these 2 are tiny. Perhaps I could spread the feedings out to more days per week? And feed more pins?
Thank you,
Gillian

 

[Joy]

I almost hesitate to recommend it, having been teased so much about my "heavyweight" spiders, but there's nothing like vertebrate food for speeding growth IME. Try tiny pieces of beef heart or other lean meat, or if you buy frozen pinkies, try giving them some of the broken pieces of mouse tail that accumulate in the bag. In the interests of balanced nutrition, this should not totally replace crickets in their diet, only supplement it.

Joy

 

[Botar]

Gillian,

My L. parahybanas are the same way. Their abdomens are plump and they eat fine, but they're not growing. From what I have read, they grow slowly at first and then once they reach a certain size, they just take off. Time will tell.

Botar

 

[galeogirl]

Botar and I have discussed this before in e-mails because our L. parahybanas are about the same size. I recently had three of them molt at the same time and I noticed a tiny amount of growth in each of them, but not much. I might try beef heart with them since pinhead crickets seem to be an unheard of commodity in this area and I'm tired of dissecting larger prey for the little guys.

 

[Valael]

I have the same problem, except with my giant white knee (I need to learn how to spell the scientific names!) I got him during the spring, feed him, keep him warm and moist. But he's just so very slow at molting. He's barely at a 1/2 inch right now, and he was about 1/3rd when I got him.

 

[Wade]

They start out so very tiny that I suspect the earlier growth is harder to notice. Mine seemed to be "slings" for a long time and then suddenly growth seemed to explode. It's hard to say if this seeming "growth spurt" is real or just a result of my biased perception as a creature so very much bigger than they are.

Also, it is rumored that slings of this species turn out to be male more often than average. IME males tend to grow faster and molt more often than females, so perhaps slower-growing LP's are more likley to be females? Wishful thinking, perhaps.

Wade

 

[Gillian]

Thanks everyone..

Well all,
I do believe more food is in order. Also, upon closer inspection, they are lucky if they're 1/2. When I got them from Kelly Swift, I think they were barely 1st instar.
Btw, Joy, is the pic in your post a parahybana? If it is, I can hardly wait!!
I guess I'm just paranoid about their health, and me feeding them.
Gillian

 

[ACoopBB24]

what's up?

hey... i have an about 1" LP and she has molted once since ive had her and its been about 2-3 weeks since the molt. The thing im wondering about is that she doesnt eat hardly at all... maybe 1 cricket a week. And another thing is that she is always in hiding. i have a half log hide for her... and if i dont prod her to come out...i cant see her without a flashlight. Is this in any way normal?

Thanx

 

[Gail]

I also have seen slow growth and minimal food consumption with my Salmon Pink sling. It was barely growing or eating at first but once it got to about 3/4" it started to eat more and growth increased. I got it on April 16 at barely 1/4" - it has shed 6 times since then, the first 3 sheds there was practically no change in size, the last shed was on October 11 and it is now about 1.25" to 1.5" and eating much better than before.

Gail

 

[JacenBeers]

The LP I have is a super rapid grower. It molted a day after I purchased it in early September and it is already about to molt again. In a month and a half. The baldspot started darkening the other day and now it is completely black. I just hope it molts into its adult colors.

 

[Joy]

Re: Thanks everyone..

Originally posted by Gillian
Well all,

Btw, Joy, is the pic in your post a parahybana? If it is, I can hardly wait!!


Yes, she's one of my females

Joy