Our A moderatum

[arachnopunks]

This little guy, 1", made an impressive burrow. It started at the stone burrow we provided and came up by the, now buried, water dish. The tunnel runs the length of Kritter Keeper. I outlined the burrow entrances in red. This is our first Aphonopelma of this species and we are happy with the activity. Does anyone have an adult that burrows like this? This first pic is an angle shot of the stone burrow the second opening is barely noticeable.

 

[arachnopunks]

This second pic is an overhead view both openings are visible.

 

[arachnopunks]

This third pic is of the stand alone opening as it funnels into the tunnel.

 

[Phillip]

While I don't have any that have made as extensive a burrow as yours has I do have a couple of adults that have made burrows. Some of them never have but two of mine have made burrows under the water dishes.

Phil

 

[Quiet-1]

Although my A. moderatum is not an adult (~ 1 year old according to the breeder), she has just molted and lives in a burrow made under the clay pot I put in her cage. I can see her poking out from time to time, and on a very rare occasion I may even catch her completely outside. Definitely a cool T with great coloration after this last molt.

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Quiet-1
Although my A. moderatum is not an adult (~ 1 year old according to the breeder), ...
Definitely a cool T with great coloration after this last molt.

I think your "breeder" is full of it. At 1 year an A. moderatum would have the leg span of about a quarter and still be showing no color. The majority of A. moderatum, like A. anax, chalcodes, etc. in the trade are wild caught because they are common and easy to collect relative to their demand.

 

[Phillip]

I have to agree with CM here in that it takes moderatum forever and a day to grow. In all honesty I seriously doubt you would even reach quarter size in a year but more like two years.

A few years back I got a dozen WC ones ranging from dime sized to a couple of inches. The smaller ones took in excess of a year to break quarter size and they started out half that big. Not to mention they are born tiny.

Phil

 

[minax]

Man...........

I really like the Moderatum alot! I think a fresh adult is one of the most beautiful species in the new world. Both mine burrow, and one is a wild caught, the other is captive bred. They seem very shy, and laid back. And they are VERY SLOW GROWING! I have had them over a year, and I think they have barely grown at all. One is 2", the other 3". I would love to captive breed them, as I have heard over collecting is looming large for the future, if not already. But damn, I would be old by the time these two get to maturity! I think I will buy 2 wild caughts, for a breeding project. I have alot of different T's, and I think these guys are the slowest growers of them all. Even slower than a Chaco!

 

[danielr6543]

i have another slow grower to mention its the aphonopelma sp (new mexican blonde) it and a. moderatum have got to be te slowest growing ts out there

 

[Code Monkey]

As a another example of how slow these American Aphonopelma are, I started with 3 2nd instars of the "Flagstaff orange" back in June 2002. One died, but the other two thrived and they are now a whopping 3/4" and still in my large size sling vials. It's not a wonder they think these things can live 30 years or more.

 

[minax]

Yup........

I have had the same experiance, Code. I have a A. "Flagstaff Orange" as well, and purchased it around the same time you purchased yours. I bet it even is from the same sack. It is exactly the same size as yours, and I have kept it at 80 deg., for the duration. I have not "pushed it" with food, as it were, but the growth has been very slow. It seems to have a great appetite, a little better than my Moderatums, so maybe this is responsible for a *slightly* faster growth rate, but this is splitting hairs, no pun intended, or not much of a measurable difference.