Bad molt damaged leg, remove or keep?

[Vezon]

My A. versicolor had a bad molt last night and lost its left pedipalp and had its first left leg damaged and hardened into an odd shape. When it walks around, it can't at all use the leg. It just kind of flaps around when it tries to walk. Should I remove the leg or just leave it on there until it molts again? I currently have it in an ICU just to keep the humidity up...

I can't really get a good focused picture any closer, but that leg that the arrow is pointing to is almost bent backwards.

I could really use some good advice on this one.

 

[mistertim]

I'm not an expert on these things but I know that a bad or missing leg is not a big deal for them and that they will remove it themselves if necessary. Removing it yourself may only make things worse. Also, why is it in an ICU? It isn't dehydrated or in a death curl, it just has a bad leg. I'll let others with more experience chime in and correct me if I'm wrong (certainly possible) but I would leave it be and put it back in its enclosure.

 

[Venom1080]

you can put it back in its cage, it will remove the leg on its own if it needs to. it will be fine, had a LP sling lose 4 legs once and its fine now. DP NOT remove it yourself, could make matter much worse. be very gentle when moving it as it just molted, bad idea to move it in the first place.

 

[Vezon]

I put it in the ICU while it still had the molt attached to the legs (it was a stuck molt). It managed to free the one damaged leg, but it removed the palp on its own.

 

[Venom1080]

I put it in the ICU while it still had the molt attached to the legs (it was a stuck molt). It managed to free the one damaged leg, but it removed the palp on its own.

how do you know it was stuck? if it was stuck thats what i probably would have done as well. on second thought, id leave it in there a couple days to harden up before moving it anywhere. if it removed the palp, there was something wrong with it.

 

[Vezon]

I knew it was stuck because it was walking around its enclosure with a molt attached to it. The molt happened probably about a day ago at this point.

 

[Sana]

In the case of a molt stuck to the tarantula after it has turned back over I just dab a wet q tip very lightly at the stuck spot once of twice a day until it frees itself.

 

[Venom1080]

I knew it was stuck because it was walking around its enclosure with a molt attached to it. The molt happened probably about a day ago at this point.

if it was walking around fine with a bit of molt attached to one leg, you could have left it. it would have taken the leg off by itself.

 

[Vezon]

I used a damp paint brush to apply water to the molt. The problem now is just a damaged leg.

 

[Vezon]

if it was walking around fine with a bit of molt attached to one leg, you could have left it. it would have taken the leg off by itself.

The whole exuvium was attached to it with a leg and a pedipalp still stuck inside it.

 

[Venom1080]

The whole molt was attached to it with a leg and a pedipalp still stuck inside it.

still would have left it. it was walking fine you said. not a TERRIBLE thing its in a icu but its not needed you could have left it. i would recommend leaving it in there for a couple days now as a next step.

 

[mistertim]

I used a damp paint brush to apply water to the molt. The problem now is just a damaged leg.

If that's the only issue now, you're fine. Don't remove it yourself, the T will do it on its own if need be. They know what they're doing when it comes to being tarantulas.

 

[Vezon]

still would have left it. it was walking fine you said. not a TERRIBLE thing its in a icu but its not needed you could have left it. i would recommend leaving it in there for a couple days now as a next step.

I never at any point said it was walking 'fine.' It was just dragging the entire left side of its body to move around.

 

[Venom1080]

I never at any point said it was walking 'fine.' It was just dragging the entire left side of its body to move around.

sorry, you said it was walking. could of elaborated on that a bit. still would have left it. most Ts dont even move after a molt anyway, if it was moving, i think it could of gotten it off. worst case scenario it loses a leg and a palp, which it did anyway in the icu.