Ok, this has me baffled??!

[Carole Dallison]

Hi guys
I`m quite confused at the moment and i`m hoping someone can throw some light on the situation.
I`ve just checked on my B.Auratum and to my utter surprise she has molted ("yeah so?" I hear you say) well the confusing part is she hasnt long molted already on 4th August. The approx size of this molt is 5cm. Surely she shouldnt be due to molt so soon. I feed her roughly once a week. Is this normal? She looks fine to me (well pretty damn gorgeous actually )
Thank you.

[Eleanor]

If you mean 5 cm leg span, she's still quite small... and they moult more often when they're young and still growing. Although Brachypelma species are generally slow growing, individuals can vary hugely. In fact I have a B. smithi who grew at that rate when she was that size (she went from 4 to 12 cm leg span in less than a year), despite being kept under the same conditions as other Brachypelmas I've had which grew at a much more 'normal' rate. They're all different, so enjoy what you've got

Having said that, lots of other things can affect the rate they shed too - high temperatures, frequent feeding, and any damage to their exoskeleton can also make them shed more often. But if she looks healthy to you there's not likely to be much to worry about.

[Ray Hale]

Hi are you sure your "she" is not a "he".

Males tend to shed quicker than females and often there is less amount of times between sheds.

Also tarantulas can moult quickly in sucession if there was a problem with the firts moult. I once had a Haplopelm lividum that shed with one fang missing. She mouted again within three weeks and the fang was back..

Wonderful creatures......

[Carole Dallison]

She could be a he, haven`t had her properly sexed. What a shame if it is. It was just such a surprise, as I wasnt expecting another molt for ages. So do male Ts generally grow quicker than the females? (I`m a newbie to the hobby).

[Eleanor]

So do male Ts generally grow quicker than the females?

I don't think you can assume sex based on the rate of growth. There's huge variation for both sexes. My B. smithi that grew at a similar rate is definitely female, no question about that!

[Christopher Smallman]

My little Brachypelma auratum was money spider size when I got her 28/7/09 and she (?) is just touching 3 inches now and in pre-moult at the moment.

If its any help here are her moult dates

14/8/09 - 13/9/09 - 31/10/09 - 12/12/09 - 21/1/10 - 12/3/10 - 28/4/10 - 12/7/10.

Chris.

[Carole Dallison]

Thanks for the dates Chris. Thats really interesting. The molts are pretty close together. Being in the same family as the B.Smithie (who takes years to mature), I just presumed that the molts would be much further apart. But like I say I shouldn`t complain because she (or he) is such a beautiful spider. Plus theres the pleasure in watching them grow up from tiny slings to beautiful adults.

[Alonso Tolentino]

Thanks for the dates Chris. Thats really interesting. The molts are pretty close together. Being in the same family as the B.Smithie (who takes years to mature), I just presumed that the molts would be much further apart. But like I say I shouldn`t complain because she (or he) is such a beautiful spider. Plus theres the pleasure in watching them grow up from tiny slings to beautiful adults.

Hello. Actually, all tarantulas belong to the same familiy (Theraphosidae). Tarantulas in the genus Brachypelma, are generally considered as slow growing species, but in the proper conditions, they will grow faster than "normal". Of course, if you keep a tarantula warm enough (and with all the correct parameters for the species) and provide it (he/she) a lot of food, it will grow very fast, but also will die faster (or sooner?).

Finally, tarantulas in the same genus are not that similar in every aspect. Exempli gratia, Brachypelma vagans can mature in less than two years, but Brachypelma albiceps will grow (generally) at a very slower rate. One example of variation (due to feeding regime): I have a 6 years old female Brachypelma smithi who is just about 10 cm long (diagonal legspan), although she could currently be an adult specimen. It was raised by an important breeder of mexican species (he keeps always a lot of spiders, maybe 4000 or more), so she was not fed as often as I could have fed her at home.

[Christopher Smallman]

My little Brachypelma auratum was money spider size when I got her 28/7/09 and she (?) is just touching 3 inches now and in pre-moult at the moment.

If its any help here are her moult dates

14/8/09 - 13/9/09 - 31/10/09 - 12/12/09 - 21/1/10 - 12/3/10 - 28/4/10 - 12/7/10.

Chris.

You can add 3/10/10 to the above list as she moulted last night sometime

Along with a Aphonopelma and Acanthoscurria lol.

Chris.

[Carole Dallison]

You can add 3/10/10 to the above list as she moulted last night sometime

Along with a Aphonopelma and Acanthoscurria lol.

Chris.

Yay! well done. hope it all went smoothly.

[JensFalk]

One of my former juvenile female A. versiolor molted and after eaten 3 times she molted again