Green Bottle Blue growing very slowly

[tombombodil]

I got a GBB sling about 3 years ago. After the first two molts I reduced feeding to roughly once per 10 days, sometimes slightly more often. It has been happy and healthy as far as I can tell and I have transitioned it to a full-sized enclosure after it got about 1 and 3/4 inches. However in the three years since I got it it has only molted maybe 6 or 7 times and is barely halfway to being fully grown. This seems pretty slow based on what I've read and seems at odds with the projected life span of the Males (if it does turn out to be male).

So my questions are:

• Is this particularly abnormal?
• Should I be feeding it more frequently?
• Are tarantula's life-spans measured from when they hatch or from when they reach adulthood? i.e. if my T is male, and a lifespan of 4 years, but is 3 years old and only halfway to being fully grown, could it die of old age before it's even mature?

Cheers!

 

[Aracnoenthusiast]

My understanding is that growth rate is affected not only by the feeding, but also all other environmental factors, temp that kind of thing. And is kind of an individual thing to each t. As long as its healthy it's slow molting just means you get to enjoy it longer. (Or it could be a Male that matured on the small side).

 

[Carson Bingham]

Hey! Im getting into the hobby, and I'm going to order my GBB soon! I was wondering where you got yours?

 

[Rs50matt]

Growth is something no one can explain or answer. I like to use our E Campestratus juveniles as an example. One of them is around 1.5" while the other is almost 3". They are sac mates. Both female, both fed and kept exactly the same.

 

[tombombodil]

Hey! Im getting into the hobby, and I'm going to order my GBB soon! I was wondering where you got yours?

I don't know if plugging specific sites is frowned upon, But I got all my gear from Jamie's Tarantulas, a California based store that focuses on Tarantulas (obviously). Their enclosures are kind of expensive but it's very high quality stuff. I don't know if they have any GBB available right now, it seems like their stock rotates or fluctuates based on what they're currently hatching.

 

[Carson Bingham]

I don't know if plugging specific sites is frowned upon, But I got all my gear from Jamie's Tarantulas, a California based store that focuses on Tarantulas (obviously). Their enclosures are kind of expensive but it's very high quality stuff. I don't know if they have any GBB available right now, it seems like their stock rotates or fluctuates based on what they're currently hatching.

Thank you for your response! I already love this site so much!

 

[m0lsx]

However in the three years since I got it it has only molted maybe 6 or 7 times and is barely halfway to being fully grown.

My understanding is that a Male GBB's life span is around 4 - 5 years & females normally matures older than males. So it sounds like you may, possibly, have a female & that her growth rate is about right for maturing at between 5 & 7 years.

Personally I always feel positive if one of my slings grows reasonably slowly. It is not a guarantee, as Rs50matt points out with his 2 females. But the quicker a sling grows, the more possibility there is, that it will be male. For example, I have 2 Homoeomma chilensis that I brought from a show last year, one is about 30% bigger than the other. Thus the possibility is, I have a male & a female.