Normal for T. albopilosus female to molt 2 years in a row ?

[LucN]

Hello everybody,

I just got back from work and checked on my Ts. I noticed that my T. albopilosus had laid a lot of web, more than normal. For a couple of weeks, she has also refused food and was seen rubbing urticating setae on the walls of her enclosure. A quick flashlight confirmed definite premolt, the exposed skin is a dark shade of blue. Now I don't keep track of my molts, but I'm pretty sure she molted last spring. This is a young adult female that can't be more than 10 years old, she was acquired as a 1/4" sling back in Fall 2010. (Not mine initially, it belonged to a friend I tried to get onto the hobby. Her interest didn't last as long as I would have hoped.) All my other Ts have moved to a 2-3 year molt cycle.

Do others' T. albo females molt more frequently than the rest of their adult collection ?

P.S. : One last bit I should mention, this girl has been pretty much my best eater since I've rescued her in 2017. And often served as a garbage disposal when my others didn't want to eat.

 

[viper69]

What size is it? There's a lot of info you have left out that determine growth rate, no one can tell you reliably.

Each species has its own growth rate, comparing one against another doesn't tell you anything other than one species molts more than another under the same conditions. And to even say that, one would need to raise a lot.

 

[LucN]

Honestly ? I would say she's somewhere between 5" and 5.5". I have no clue how often her former owner fed her. All I know is that she rarely turns down a meal unless in premolt.

Does that help ? I don't know what else to tell you :/

 

[omni]

she's close to max size if 5" +. I'd say 10 years is reasonably old T. albo don't have super longevity, medium growth rate, tho definitely can be exceptions. 3 MF I had went 12-14 yrs and only 1 maxed 6". 17 was longest I've heard of. I'd expect a 2 yr + cycle at that size. individual T's and the owner's care can widely affect growth and cycles. 7 mos seems so fast tho.

even I've kept a hoard of T. albo's, there's always something unique about each spider. my biggest fuzzball now is about 5 and barely 4"

 

[LucN]

12-14 yrs average ? That's a downer... Here, I was hoping for the usual 20+ like most NW Pet Rocks. Well, I'll enjoy her no matter how long she ends up living. If she does end passing sooner than expected... That means I could have my prized B. klaasi sooner... We shall see. Thanks for the reply.

 

[omni]

I can't say 14 is max for this species, but that's my experience with moderate feeding(1 lrg roach weekly). An E. campestratus on the same feeding schedule for the 1st 12 yrs was with me 19 yrs, from a 3" juvie. Terrestrial T's from arid regions or desert have the longest spans, like G. rosea, A. chalcodes, etc. they are also the slowest growing. There's a story of a librarian that kept a "rose hair" (assumed it was G. porteri) for 32 documented years. a life like that is only possible monthly or less feeding.
T. albo's are from warm, humid regions in S. America, eat as much as they can, very active, and prolific so they haven't really evolved a need for extreme longevity mostly because prey is not scarce in their habitats. They tend to burn the candle at both ends if there's a steady food supply.

 

[omni]

we probably should talk about in a lifespan thread about morphology differences across species that are indicators of how long T's live. there's a thread on oldest T might be good for that or I might start a new one

 

[LucN]

My Ts are fed once a month. That is something that I've been doing for the past 5 years, if not longer. So no wonder some of my Ts take so long between molts. I've been guilty of slightly overfeeding my T. albo, so that's probably why her molt cycle is faster than the rest. She has yet to flip, but it surely happen at some point tonight.

 

[viper69]

My Ts are fed once a month. That is something that I've been doing for the past 5 years, if not longer. So no wonder some of my Ts take so long between molts. I've been guilty of slightly overfeeding my T. albo, so that's probably why her molt cycle is faster than the rest. She has yet to flip, but it surely happen at some point tonight.

You can feed a T more than that. There's no reason not to. Don't get me wrong, there's no law or science on this. The only science I know of is a paper which examined caloric intake in order for a T to grow in the lab.

 

[LucN]

They can be fed more often, yes, but that raises the likelihood of an unwanted fasting period. Which is why my Ts gets 1 big meal once a month, be it 2-3 crickets or 1-2 superworms, depending on their abdomen size. Fresh water and plenty of peace and quiet all the time. Unless I'm feeding/watering/cleaning, there is no reason to disturb them.

And my T. albo flipped 10 minutes ago. I spent a good 2 hours just watching her make her molting mat, littering it with nearly all the urticating hairs she had left on her... And then, the amazing flip ! In over 10 years of T keeping, I've only witnessed the initial flip 2 times now. This time and the last time my G. porteri molted... 2 years ago ?

Anyhoo, I have a brand new fluffball to look forward to when I get back tomorrow... unless she completes her molt overnight, which would surprise me greatly.

 

[Vanessa]

My Tliltocatl albopilosus females have lived well beyond 14 years. The average lifespan is closer to 20.
While it is common for older females to have two, or more, years between moults - there is nothing that says that they cannot moult sooner than that. My oldest/largest albo female is at the 1.5 year mark since her last moult and she won't be moulting any time soon.
I also have a 28 year old female Brachypelma emilia who hadn't moulted in three years and then turned around and moulted again a year later. It's been a year ago now since her last moult and she isn't looking like she will be moulting any time soon at the moment. There is no set guidelines to moulting, although you can conclude that moulting takes place at longer intervals as they get older on average.

 

[LucN]

Thanks for reporting that they do live around 20. That's what I'm hoping to get out of mine, if not more. A 28 year old B. emilia ? Wow ! Have you had it since it was a sling ? My B. hamorii is probably 12-13 years old and for the past 6 years moved to a 3 year molt cycle. Crazy, huh ? I wouldn't be surprised that she'll outlive the rest of my collection, with the G. porteri its only competitor as far as longevity goes.

For what it's worth, my T. albo molted overnight. Found her this morning, resting by her exuviae. Can't wait to see if she'll get thicker legs like my B. boehmei. That one too is around 12-13 years old, and so far molts every 2 years.