growth rate

hediki · May 24, 2005

on average how long does it take Aphonopelma anax, Chilean Rose Tarantula to grow to full adult and wats the point of having slings? there so small

jbrd · May 24, 2005

well i know they grow slow, but i dont know how slow? The reason why we started gettin slings is for one you can watch them grow, and molt, then theres the color morphs, i could go on and on about this but others will want to have some input here too so i wont post all the reasons. ;P

becca81 · May 24, 2005

First of all, Aphonopelma anax is not known as the "Chilean Rose Tarantula." The common name for A. anax is "Texas Tan." Grammostola rosea is the scientific name of the Chilean rose tarantula.

They are both slow-growers, with the A. anax probably being a bit slower.

As for having slings, it's a matter of preference. They are small, but they molt more frequently and you can watch them grow. You'll also have them for quite some time and most that you will buy are CB. I personally think that it's fun to watch them grow and change.

Windchaser · May 24, 2005

Growth rates really can't be given, other than in the most general terms. There are too many factors that influence the growth rate of a tarantula. Two of the most significant are feeding and temperature, especially temperature. Increasing one or both of these will increase the metabolism of the tarantula and therefore increase the frequency of molts. This however will shorten the overall lifespan of the tarantula as well.

KingBollock · May 24, 2005

I bought slings for the first time a couple of days ago. The reason I bought slings is because I only had to pay £4 for a spider that would have cost me £60 otherwise. All I have to do is be patient. 2 years ago I paid £3 for a juvenile G.Pulchra that is now 5" and has turned out to be female, quite a good investment I feel. The only reason I hadn't bought tiny slings before was because I lacked the confidence to keep them. I've now been keeping T's for 3 years, I know that isn't that long but my confidence has increased just enough to believe I can raise slings.

David Burns · May 24, 2005

Windchaser said:
This however will shorten the overall lifespan of the tarantula as well.

This statement is based on theory. But having said that I agree if you speed a T though its 3 year slinghood in 8 months you will have shortened its slinghood by 2 years and 2 months. After that if you drop the temps and feed less its adult life will be as long as a T that took 3 yrs to mature. According to the TTKG the power fed T will also be larger as an adult. This again is theory.

I buy slings because;
1- there is a wider variety of species availiable as slings.
2- the prices are much lower.
3- You can buy multiples ( the prices go down the more you buy).
4- It is fun watching them molt every 3-4 weeks.
5- Captive bred probably don't have parasites.
6- when buying an adult you don't know its age, so it could die of old age in a year or a week.

Windchaser · May 24, 2005

David Burns said:
This statement is based on theory. But having said that I agree if you speed a T though its 3 year slinghood in 8 months you will have shortened its slinghood by 2 years and 2 months. After that if you drop the temps and feed less its adult life will be as long as a T that took 3 yrs to mature. According to the TTKG the power fed T will also be larger as an adult. This again is theory.

From what I have read, an arthropod's life span is determined by the total number of instars. Therefore, increasing the frequency of molts will shorten the total life span. In a tarantula that has a life span of 30+ years, is this an appreciable decrease, probably not. In a shorter lived tarantula it make a significant difference. I have heard the theory that power feeding does result in a larger adult speciman, but I have not seen any hard evidence to back this up. Whereas there are many studies that do show a calorie restricted diet does result in an increased life span.

David Burns said:
I buy slings because;
1- there is a wider variety of species availiable as slings.
2- the prices are much lower.
3- You can buy multiples ( the prices go down the more you buy).
4- It is fun watching them molt every 3-4 weeks.
5- Captive bred probably don't have parasites.
6- when buying an adult you don't know its age, so it could die of old age in a year or a week.

All excellent reasons to get spiderlings.

Arach-attack · May 24, 2005

I don't know about everybody but I suspect most like myself get a great sense of pride and accomplishment in raising a 1/2" sling into a 5-10"+ adult Tarantula. In a sense it's not unlike planting your own garden. Sure you could go to the grocery store and buy your strawberries, tomatoes, and so on. But the ones that come from your own garden will always taste better.

BTW please don't eat your Tarantulas.

David Burns · May 24, 2005

Windchaser said:
From what I have read, an arthropod's life span is determined by the total number of instars. Therefore, increasing the frequency of molts will shorten the total life span. In a tarantula that has a life span of 30+ years, is this an appreciable decrease, probably not. In a shorter lived tarantula it make a significant difference.

We agree there. After you slow the feeding and temps the molting will slow and the remaining lifespan will be normal.

Windchaser said:
I have heard the theory that power feeding does result in a larger adult speciman, but I have not seen any hard evidence to back this up.

I was quoting a respected source. I did state it was a theory.

Windchaser said:
Whereas there are many studies that do show a calorie restricted diet does result in an increased life span.

These studies were done on mammals and is still in the theory stage.

Windchaser · May 24, 2005

David Burns said:
I was quoting a respected source. I did state it was a theory.
These studies were done on mammals and is still in the theory stage.

Many have been done on arthropods as well, including spiders. I am not aware of any that used tarantulas, but several have used spiders.

Snipes · May 24, 2005

what about high temps but a restricted diet? summer is coming up and it is impossible to keep my room cool. i feed an appropriately sized cricket or mealworm to my t's every week.

Windchaser · May 24, 2005

Snipes said:
what about high temps but a restricted diet? summer is coming up and it is impossible to keep my room cool. i feed an appropriately sized cricket or mealworm to my t's every week.

Actually varying temperatures are a good thing because it provides a season for the tarantula. The increased temperatures will speed up its metabolism, but as long as it is not extreme temperatures (85+), then you should have nothing to worry about.

Windchaser · May 24, 2005

David Burns said:
Windchaser said:

I have heard the theory that power feeding does result in a larger adult speciman, but I have not seen any hard evidence to back this up.
I was quoting a respected source. I did state it was a theory.

Click to expand...

These studies were done on mammals and is still in the theory stage.

I wonder how valid this theory is. TTKG also states that underfed tarantulas will be smaller. Granted, they don't quite specify exactly what underfed is, but based on their recommendation that 6 to 8 crickets a month is sufficient, I would imagine they are talking about a very restrictive diet.

At any rate, I feed most of my tarantulas about 6 to 8 crickets a month and have some fairly sizable adults. I have never power fed any of my T's, yet I still have an immature B. boehmei male that is about 5.5 to 6 inches in size. I suppose someone would have to raise a significant number of spiderlings from the same egg sac and power feed half and feed the others a normal amount and see if there is a significant difference in size once they mature.

Andy · May 25, 2005

I have had a rose for 4-4 months and it hasnt grown noticably. It is still arround 1cm.

Lopez · May 25, 2005

Andy said:
I have had a rose for 4-4 months and it hasnt grown noticably. It is still arround 1cm.

If it hasn't moulted, it won't have grown. Spiders can only grow by moulting, this is how an exoskeleton works.

Haplopelma are supposed to grow fast, but I have lividum a year old at 1 inch, and sp."Vientam" from 2 years ago that are only just breaking 3 inches. On the other hand I had an "aureopilosum" mature within 15 months. I genuinely think it's very random, as well as obviously being affected by food and temperature levels.

David Burns · May 25, 2005

Windchaser said:
. Whereas there are many studies that do show a calorie restricted diet does result in an increased life span.QUOTE]
Please, for our benefit, cite these studies. Especially the ones regarding arthropods. I am only familiar with a passing story on CNN. Thanks.

Windchaser · May 25, 2005

David Burns said:
Windchaser said:

. Whereas there are many studies that do show a calorie restricted diet does result in an increased life span.

Click to expand...

Please, for our benefit, cite these studies. Especially the ones regarding arthropods. I am only familiar with a passing story on CNN. Thanks.

Here are a few references that I have:

Calorie Restriction Study
CalorieRestriction.org
Another study
Yet more info

-------------------
Key: 6356
Medline:
Authors: Braeckman BP;Houthoofd K;Vanfleteren J
Title: Energy metabolism, anti-oxidant defense and aging in
Caenorhabditis elegans.
Citation: Model Systems in Aging 3: 99-144 2004
Type: REVIEW
Genes: aap-1 age-1 akt-1 akt-2 atp-1 cco-1 clk-1 clk-2 clk-3 ctl-1
ctl-1 cyc-1 daf-2 daf-4 daf-7 daf-12 daf-16 daf-18 daf-23
eat-2 fer-15 gas-1 glp-4 gro-1 ins-1 ins-9 ins-18 ins-22
isp-1 ist-1 mev-5 nuo-1 old-1 pdk-1 rad-5 sir-2.1 sod-3
tkr-1 unc-31 unc-64
Abstract: Food restrictions and impaired gene function by mutation or
RNAi treatment can extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis
elegans considerably. In contrast to the widespread
belief, the antiaging action of these interventions is not
due to a reduction of the rate of metabolism. Calorie
restriction causes several alterations that are similar to
those observed for the Ins/IGF mutants, but acts
independently of this pathway. Life extension is
associated with coordinated increases in superoxide
dismutase and catalase activities in calorie-restricted
worms and in mutants in the Ins/IGF transduction pathway.
Mutation in any one of the clk genes does not result in a
clear metabolic downregulation or upregulation of
antioxidant enzymes. Lifespan extension in these mutants
might by linked to their slow developmental rate during
juvenile life, analogous to the effects caused by silencing
of several genes with a mitochondrial function by RNAi
treatment, and suggesting a regulatory system that makes
various rates of juvenile life to persist during adulthood.
The outcome would be slowing of a number of processes
-------------------

shogun804 · May 25, 2005

thanks for that info windchaser.

David Burns · May 25, 2005

Very interesting. But they are stating what they are trying to prove not that they have proved it. Thanks for providing the info on these particular theories though.

Windchaser · May 26, 2005

David Burns said:
Very interesting. But they are stating what they are trying to prove not that they have proved it. Thanks for providing the info on these particular theories though.

Check out the charts at the end of the last link. There they have actual data from experiments as well as additional links.

growth rate

Arachnosquire

Arachnoprince

Arachnoemperor

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnoprince

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnoprince

Arachnoking

Arachnoprince

Arachnoking

Arachnoking

Arachnoknight

Arachnoking

Arachnoprince

Arachnoking

Arachnogeneral

Arachnoprince

Arachnoking