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This 3.5 inch X. intermedia sling/juvie took appox. 6 months and 6 molts to start showing adult colors - compared to the Brachypelma rate of maturity, I shouldn't complain!
Yes - and this is your captive bred T! it is a 3.5" relaxed DLS measurement.
Being less than six months old and molting every month (took 5 weeks for last molt), it is growing very fast. I feed my T's well and provide them with special care & love - many have grown bigger than normal ! You should know - you've had first hand experience of the T's I raise! You recently breed my large beautiful male Harpactira pulchripes and the monster male B. vagans (among others) I sent you a year or so ago!
How is your B. schroederi breeding going? Best of luck to you with this and your other projects!
@Whitelightning777
Simply proper husbandry for the species you're caring for!
This would be a combination of ideal temperature, food and humidity to minimize stress, allowing them to thrive and grow quicker. This is my first experience with the X. intermedia. I mostly raise Brachypelma, which grow much slower. The fact that it has grown to 3.5" DLS in approx 6 month's is mostly due to it being a large T as an adult. The faster growth rate can also be contributed to my believe that it is a male, which like most T species mature faster than their females.
To answer you question specifically: What do you do to get maximum size and growth exactly? : Environment: Provide a proper environment to reduce stress. This species really enjoys high humidity - it spends a lot of time on top of its water soaked moss! I also have a large container of water for increased humidity. Care needs to be taken so as not to create an environment that will grow mold. I very carefully/minimally mist the cage soil (coconut fiber) when it gets dry. Also keeping the cage and water bowl clean by removing bolus and waste material weekly, to prevent being overrun with mites, etc. If my T is on the wet moss I'll gently mist him, which he appears to enjoy, or at least tolerates! Living in costal South Carolina with its natural high humidity and its warm spring/summer/fall weather, I keep my T's in my garage - temps average high 80's in the day and high 70's/low 80's at night. During the winter I move them indoor putting their individual cages in large glass fish tanks to create an ideal micro climate conducive to year round growth. Feeding: I always gut load my crickets before feeding my T's with a homemade blend of dry premium dog food, dog treats, oatmeal, corn meal, potato spuds, blended in a blender till a powder. Every 2 to 4 weeks, when feeding the crickets, I sprinkle this food mix with a dusting of calcium/vit. powder - not sure if this is beneficial to the T's, but the crickets seem to enjoy! When possible I feed gravid female crickets to provide more nutrition. If they will eat it, approx once a month offer wax worms and/or mealworms. Need to start a Dubai colony soon for additional variety. I offer food almost daily, unless in pre/post molt - as long as a T has the proper environment to metabolize its food, you can't over feed it.
It would be time consuming and difficult for those who have large collections to provide individual care like I am able with my 18 T's, especially when it comes to feeding!
