Is 5 days between molts possible?

[Katnapper]

My female Giant Asian molted last night again... I'm calculating to L6. But she had previously just molted to L5 on 12/11/2008, only 5 days ago. :huh: Is this possible, or have I somehow made a mistake with my eyes or my recording?

She was smaller than the male (who was, and still is at L4) when she was at L3. Then she caught up to him with the molt to L4 last week, and they were about the same size. Now she's molted yet again and is bigger than him, plus one molt ahead now... while he's still at L4. Is this typical, unremarkable, or possible? Thanks...

 

[kamakiri]

Sounds like a mistake to me, especially for a larger breed. Not that I think it's impossible...

Do you record this info by enclosure# or on the enclosure? But since they are the only two you have, I have a hard time seeing how you made a mistake...

 

[ismart]

I once had L1 european moult to L2 in 5 days. I surpose it's quite possible. you must be feeding them quite a bit and keeping them warm for such a fast growth rate. Just keep in mind the faster they grow the faster they die .

 

[Kruszakus]

From L5 to L6 in less than a week? Not likely with this species.

 

[Katnapper]

Sounds like a mistake to me, especially for a larger breed. Not that I think it's impossible...Do you record this info by enclosure# or on the enclosure? But since they are the only two you have, I have a hard time seeing how you made a mistake...

Well I didn't start keeping track by date until I started my blog here, on 12/2/08. On Dec. 11th I took them both out of their containers to clean them and take some pics. I was pretty sure I knew which was in which container, because I remember thinking it was appropriate that I had her in the container with the peach flowers, and him in the one with the olive green flowers... because when I was taking pics of them both, I came to the conclusion that she was a female, not a male like I'd thought they both were before. She had just molted during the previous night. At least that's what I thought and wrote down on the computer. But now I'm wondering if I didn't mix them up... or if it was him who actually molted that night and I thought it was her for some reason? I've just now (yesterday) bought some little Post-it marker tabs that I'm in the process of labelling all of their individual containers with species and age (L1, L2, etc.). But since I didn't have very many until very recently to keep track of, I was just doing it from memory until I started my blog. I thought it would help me as a reference to remember and keep track of this kind of stuff... and now I'm left wondering anyway, lol!

I once had L1 european moult to L2 in 5 days. I surpose it's quite possible. you must be feeding them quite a bit and keeping them warm for such a fast growth rate. Just keep in mind the faster they grow the faster they die .

I am keeping them quite warm (around 82f.-85f. during the day, and 72f.-74f. at night) and offerring plently of food to them all... like a grandmother worried that they might starve if they don't have anything available to eat all of the time. Just don't know.... I'm thinking now that I might take her out of the bug room and put her in my bedroom some, if not all, of the time to slow her down so he can catch up. I guess it doesn't really matter in the whole scheme of things who molted when... etc. But I just didn't know what to think when I thought she'd just molted 5-6 days ago.

 

[Rick]

Not possible.

 

[Katnapper]

Not possible.

Hmmm.... must have mixed them up when I took them out... and it was him that molted on the 11th. Guess I need to edit my blog... Thanks, Rick.

 

[The_Asa]

Definitely not possible, maybe as a younger nymph it would be, though unlikely, but at this stage of development the times between molts grow longer and longer.