SixGun16 wrote: ... I received my B. Boehmei on the 21st of September 2013. It was in pre-molt for about 2 and a half weeks and then molted on the 8th of October 2013 to a size of around 5 - 6cm. ...
But, is that body length or DLS? DLS is normally twice body length. Thus, if the DLS is 6 cm, the body length is only 3 cm. Or conversely, if the body length = 6cm the DLS is going to be about 12 cm, a much larger and therefore older individual.
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DLS = Diagonal Leg Span = The linear distance between the tip of one front leg to the tip of the rear leg on the opposite side when the tarantula is in a normal, resting position. Yes, it's very inaccurate. Yes, it's very unfair. But, we're not competing for gold medals or a new car. We're just trying to figure out how big your spider is.
"Mine's bigger than yours is! Neener, neener, neeee-ner!"
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SixGun16 wrote: ... It has a bald spot on its abdomen from all the hair kicking. (Mainly when I open the enclosure to feed it) As far as I know these species love to flick those urticating hairs and it is a bit skittish. ...
This species is notorious for being high strung and a little jumpy. No surprise here. And yes, they do flick their urticating
BRISTLES or
SETAE readily. (Tarantulas do not possess hair, or anything like hair.) And that, of course, produces a bald area. But, the only significance of that bald area is that it allows us a handy way of predicting an impending molt. Some enthusiasts fret about stressing out their tarantulas, pointing to the bald area as evidence. This is hogwash. Read
Stress...
for more information.
Because of this species' hypertensiveness, propensity for flicking those bristles, and the greater than average irritation of
Brachypelma bristles, this species is a great look-but-don't-touch-pet, but if you want a tarantula to handle and hold you're better off getting a species of
Aphonopelma or even
Grammostola. Oh, he**! Why not get them both anyway? :lol:
SixGun16 wrote: ... I keep the T in a 10x10x10 enclosure on moist peat and feed it 2 medium-large crickets once a week. ...
1) I'm presuming your dimensions are in centimeters, not inches. If so, the cage is too small by a factor of 2 or 3 if the DLS = 6 cm. It's too small by a factor of 4 to 6 if it has a body length of 6 cm. Bottom line: Time to recage it.
2) Even at a DLS = 5 or 6 cm this tarantula is far to big to be kept on moist/damp substrate. All of the
Brachypelma are kept on dry substrate as soon as they reach a DLS = 3 or 4cm. See
Growing You Own
for more information.
SixGun16 wrote: ... Is it normal for the T to take so long to molt at its current size? I know they are very slow growers though. ...
1) Your feeding is fine. You could feed a little more if the DLS = 6 cm, but that's not critical.
2) An older (i.e., larger) individual will molt a lot less frequently than a younger one. If its DLS = 6 cm (body length = 3 cm) it might be expected to molt every three or four months. If its body length is 6 cm (DLS = 12 cm) it won't be molting but once or twice a year.
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It would seem that you haven't much experience with tarantulas. I would strongly urge you to go to the
Spiders, Calgary webtree
and start reading. At least scan through the entire website, picking out topics that catch your attention. (Even experienced aficionados can sometimes benefit from a little review.)
DO NOT FAIL TO READ
STAN'S NEWBIE INTRODUCTION
!
DO NOT FAIL TO READ THE FOUR BOOKS RECOMMENDED IN
STAN'S RANT
!
DO NOT FAIL TO READ THE ENTIRE
MYTH WEBTREE!
ESPECIALLY, READ
CARE SHEETS: THE MOTHER OF ALL MYTHS
.
ESPECIALLY, READ
GROWING YOUR OWN
.
ESPECIALLY, READ
TEMPERATURE
.
And, I strongly suggest you scan through
SUBSTRATE
The best news is that 90% of the questions you wanted to ask plus a lot,
LOT more that you didn't think to ask are all laid out for you for
ABSOLUTELY FREE if you read that website and take advantage of your friendly, neighborhood, public library! All you need do is read.
There is a caveat, however. My late wife, Marguerite and I have literally spent decades selling tarantulas to all sorts of people of all ages and from all walks of life. We've massaged and reworked the care suggestions in those webpages and one of those books to make them just about as bullet proof as they can get
for novices. Follow the instructions carefully, and ask us before you start experimenting with anything new.
But, those instructions are not necessarily the only ones that will work, and maybe not even the best ones available. (The hobby is still new and very much in a state of development. We're still discovering and inventing new things about tarantulas almost daily.) Through our experience we only know that those instructions are pretty much bullet proof for novices. After you've had one or more tarantulas for a year or better you can start experimenting with the tricks and techniques of other enthusiasts. Just don't do that yet.
FIRST, learn the basics of tarantula care.
THEN start experimenting on your own.
These creatures are a lot more complex and possess a depth far greater than any of us ever thought possible. Those of us who have had them for a while can only stand in awe at them!
Best of luck. Hope this helps.
You need to learn to view the world from the perspective of a large, fuzzy spider!
