Powerfeeding Growth Rates?

julesaussies

Arachnobaron
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Apr 15, 2007
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i have also read a lot about powerfeeding on various threads. i think i read somewhere that Ryan (talkenlate) has powerfed a B. smithi female from tiny sling to mother in 3.5 years. Does anyone have experience with other species and powerfeeding? How long would it take to mature some other species with powerfeeding?

  • A. seemanni?
  • A. avicularia?
  • A. versicolor?
  • B. emilia?
  • B. albopilosum?
  • B. vagans?
  • C. brachycephalus?
  • C. crawshayi?
  • G. aureostriata?
  • P. regalis?
  • Ps. irminia?
  • P. miurinus?
  • Any others?
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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I did not really power feed that girl. She got prey once a week one at a time, unless it was the first meal after a molt, if that was the case I fed her three or 4 items just that one feeding then resumed regular feedings. I just happen to think brachys are not as slow of a grower has most people think.

But these three
P. regalis?
Ps. irminia?
P. miurinus
They grow fast enough as is. I dont think you need to feed them any more then normal. Same with Avics. They are fast enough as is.
 

Varden

Arachnodemon
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[*]A. seemanni?
[*]A. avicularia?
[*]A. versicolor?
[*]B. emilia?
[*]B. albopilosum?
[*]B. vagans?
[*]C. brachycephalus?
[*]C. crawshayi?
[*]G. aureostriata?
[*]P. regalis?
[*]Ps. irminia?
[*]P. miurinus?
[*]Any others?
Avicularia, C. brachycephalus, Poecilotheria, Psalmopoeus, and Pterinochilus are all fast growing species that can reach breeding age within 1.5 to 2 years. The others, I'm not familiar with how quickly they can grow, but 2-3 years would not surprise me. Although, personally, I do think the risks to powerfeeding aren't worth it. That is just my opinion.
 

julesaussies

Arachnobaron
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Thanks Ryan and Maren. i wasn't actually interested in powerfeeding myself. Just curious how quickly some of the species i have can grow and was going to see how long it took mine to grow with 'normal' feeding. i feed all of mine once a week; including the slings. i initially fed the slings twice a week but mostly because i like watching them eat! i occassionally take turns feeding them an extra meal if i have extra crickets but most of the time i just turn the crickets loose in the yard. Even feeding them once a week they all have fat butts and everyone seems to be molting like crazy!! i was very tempted to buy some L. parahybana slings from Varden because i thought they would be very fun to watch grow! i love watching my C. brachycephalus slings eat - they're awesome!! Thanks! :D
 

Varden

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You want your slings to have a fat butt, that part is normal. There's nothing sadder than a skinny sling. But, I've seen some that were truly power fed where the butt was monstrously huge, and that's when you run the risk of the abdomen splitting under what might otherwise have been a no-big-deal fall, or other problems. Your feeding schedule sounds like it's right where it's supposed to be. Even one cricket twice a week isn't bad. That's what I do. I juts wouldn't give them all they can eat. :)
 

RottweilExpress

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I pretty much always powerfeed. I like to see them eat, I like to see them grow. And I also like them to leave slinghood as soon as possible due to the hazards in that young age.

My P. Murinus's molts every 3 weeks or so.

And a good example of an Albopilosum powerfeed is the two 1 cm slings I recived in July 2006. I gave one to my friend and kept the other one myself. With food and heatmat, the spider is adult, about 12 cm at the moment. My friends spider is 6-7 cm. That's right, about half the size. A little juvie.

Did I mention that my Albo is a female?
 

M.F.Bagaturov

Arachnoprince
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Hi!
Just to add.
Powerfeeding spped up Growth Rates and Reduce the Reproduction...
So, better to think before...
 

M.F.Bagaturov

Arachnoprince
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Based on looong term exprience of wide range of tarantula keepers all over the world...
The greater sized males as well as the females are bad.
Males readily can't do for what their belongs and very huge females are less reproductive compaired the smaller ones.
 

jr47

Arachnobaron
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I pretty much always powerfeed. I like to see them eat, I like to see them grow. And I also like them to leave slinghood as soon as possible due to the hazards in that young age.

My P. Murinus's molts every 3 weeks or so.

And a good example of an Albopilosum powerfeed is the two 1 cm slings I recived in July 2006. I gave one to my friend and kept the other one myself. With food and heatmat, the spider is adult, about 12 cm at the moment. My friends spider is 6-7 cm. That's right, about half the size. A little juvie.

Did I mention that my Albo is a female?
I have seven g. rosea slings, All from the same sack. They are all fed the same and two of them are a lot smaller than the others. One of them is about one third the size of the largest so I'm not sure that just feeding has made your's grow faster than the other.
 

cacoseraph

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Based on looong term exprience of wide range of tarantula keepers all over the world...
The greater sized males as well as the females are bad.
Males readily can't do for what their belongs and very huge females are less reproductive compaired the smaller ones.
is that a feeling or backed up by data analysis? i would like to see the dataset, if so. sometimes things are not as they appear.
 

M.F.Bagaturov

Arachnoprince
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Hi!

This is discussed here not the first time.. sorry, I don't gave time to waste searching the info for You by me and other people posted here for share some time ago.
Just interpret the above by me as it as a reminder... and the information collected by some people for over 10 years in hobby.
 
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