Horrible Molt :( :( :( help!

[Niko77]

Hi,

I bought a female M Balfouri recently. When she arrived she looked really poorly I had to move her with my hand onto a water dish as she was unable to move herself.

I saw her on her back yesterday inside a small burrow she had made under some cork bark but when I got got home from work today I saw her in a horrible way

Half of her legs are bent, she is unable to get the molt off on some of her legs and still very weak. I feel feel so bad for her I might cry.

I tried pulling her out of the burrow by the old molt when I noticed that some of her legs are bent fully backwards but now I don’t know what to do. Should I leave her for another day or try and remove the molt myself? I know this is risky but I’m almost certain she won’t make it on her own.

Please help!

 

[antinous]

Photos would be great for this situation so we could fully see what’s going on. One thing I must stress is that even with sickly looking OWs, please do not use your hands to prod or move the T, you never know if they still have the energy to turn around and tag you. But back to the post, how large is the T? For now I’d leave her (since I don’t have a photo to go off of).

For future reference, if you notice the T is in bad shape upon arrival contact the seller and let them know ASAP.

 

[Niko77]

Photos would be great for this situation so we could fully see what’s going on. One thing I must stress is that even with sickly looking OWs, please do not use your hands to prod or move the T, you never know if they still have the energy to turn around and tag you. But back to the post, how large is the T? For now I’d leave her (since I don’t have a photo to go off of).

I’ve attached a picture of the bit that concerns me most you can see how her leg is literally bent back as her molt is in a weird position. And I know I never handle any T esp old world but she wouldn’t even move when I was tapping her with a paintbrush so I decided to take the risk.

I’ve currently misted her enclosure and she’s just waving her bent legs trying to get rid of the molt poor thing

 

[Greasylake]

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/tarantula-stuck-in-its-molt-look-here-for-advice.306038/

 

[Teal]

How long ago was "recently?" Was she shipped to you? I am wondering if she was damaged in transit while in heavy premolt?

I would start with a moist cotton swab and add moisture to the stuck areas. Is she out of the molt except for a few legs? I would get a water dish under her fangs, if so.

 

[Niko77]

How long ago was "recently?" Was she shipped to you? I am wondering if she was damaged in transit while in heavy premolt?

I would start with a moist cotton swab and add moisture to the stuck areas. Is she out of the molt except for a few legs? I would get a water dish under her fangs, if so.

I’m in shock to be honest I’m just taking a closer look at her and her legs are literally curly they are so out of shape . I’m currently using the wet paintbrush to soften parts of the molt but she’s in a really bad shape I don’t know if she’ll survive.

Anything else I can do? I’ll do it with my hands if I have to there’s no other way.

I’ve managed to free one leg! There’s still one which is bent upwards I’m thinking I might have to take the leg off or cut the molt around it if she’s to survive

 

[boina]

At this point after the molt the tarantula will still be very soft and pliable. Even if the legs look totally wrong now they may still straighten out during the next days. The most important thing is: get her out of that molt. You can use your finger if you want, at this point she won't be able to bite since the fangs are still soft. Use plenty of water and pull gently. Even if you think the legs are bent the wrong way - it won't matter. The legs are like jelly right now and will bend at strange angles and at strange points.

 

[Niko77]

At this point after the molt the tarantula will still be very soft and pliable. Even if the legs look totally wrong now they may still straighten out during the next days. The most important thing is: get her out of that molt. You can use your finger if you want, at this point she won't be able to bite since the fangs are still soft. Use plenty of water and pull gently. Even if you think the legs are bent the wrong way - it won't matter. The legs are like jelly right now and will bend at strange angles and at strange points.

I managed to get her out fully!!! She’s still in horrible shape as you can see her legs are like spaghetti with one being bent behind her. She’s moving which is a good sign. I’ve put her in one of those ICUs with some damp tissues. Should I take her out or leave her in there for a couple of days? She doesn’t look dehydrated as the molt was wet when I pulled it off which suggests she had enough fluids to push it out just not enough strength. Should I keep her on her back for now?

 

[boina]

I’ve put her in one of those ICUs with some damp tissues.

Noooooo! No ICU for species from an arid environment! They really don't handle the humidity well, it can easily kill her.

Congratulations on getting her out of the molt, though. Leave her on her back, just try to straighten the legs a bit and get that leg out from under her. You can leave her on the paper towels, but put her back into her enclosure, put a shallow water bowl close by, and the leave her alone. The hard part is done, now she needs to recover.

 

[Nightstalker47]

These situations are the absolute worst.

Keep her on dry paper towels if you must, and have a small water dish nearby...as mentioned the ICU is a bad idea with this species, and should only ever be used in cases of extreme dehydration. The species needs to be taken into account as well.

On the bright side, her mouth parts and abdomen are intact. I can see the sucking stomach structures in the first picture as well, so odds of recovery are pretty good from what I can see...she just needs time to harden now.

Good luck.

 

[Niko77]

Noooooo! No ICU for species from an arid environment! They really don't handle the humidity well, it can easily kill her.

Congratulations on getting her out of the molt, though. Leave her on her back, just try to straighten the legs a bit and get that leg out from under her. You can leave her on the paper towels, but put her back into her enclosure, put a shallow water bowl close by, and the leave her alone. The hard part is done, now she needs to recover.

I’ve put her in a new enclosure now with some dry sub and a small water dish. Still looks bad but I’ll just let her harden up for a few days and hope for the best. Thank you so much!

 

[Nightstalker47]

I’ve put her in a new enclosure now with some dry sub and a small water dish. Still looks bad but I’ll just let her harden up for a few days and hope for the best. Thank you so much!

Much better.

 

[Niko77]

Much better.

I’ve never had a T die on me and I have over 20 now. Do you think the Balfouri will survive? I can see she’s trying to move but her legs can’t even touch the ground because they’re twisted :/

Thanks for your replies!

 

[Nightstalker47]

I’ve never had a T die on me and I have over 20 now. Do you think the Balfouri will survive? I can see she’s trying to move but her legs can’t even touch the ground because they’re twisted :/

Thanks for your replies!

No way of knowing for sure, only time will tell.

 

[FrDoc]

@Niko77 good job on getting her out of the molt. Your care for your T is commendable. Now you play the "wait and see" game. As @boina remarked, there may be some improvement with her legs over the next few days. However, worse case scenario being an inability to walk, don't write her off. She may just become a high maintenance specimen. It is very conceivable that you can feed her even if she can't move. Several members here have nursed T's back to health that were in terrible shape, it just takes care and persistence. Research some of the threads regarding T's with two legs, bad molts, no fangs, etc.. I'm sure you will find them encouraging.

Again, fine job mate. And remember, this experience is something you can use to help others similar situations.

 

[Teal]

Bravo on getting her extracted from the molt! That is brilliant.

As was stated already, it looks like the "important" bits (the mouth, sucking stomach, and abdomen) are good... spiders can persevere with pretty awful leg deformities as long as they can still eat/drink. You may have to provide her with pre-killed prey directly in front of her if she cannot hunt... but I really think she has a good shot if the only issue is twisted legs. She also has the option of dropping the legs herself if they are too bothersome, once she hardens.

 

[LdLrLyChLd]

Any updates?
Maybe if she’s having trouble moving you could gently nudge her to her water dish, she can’t drown if her abdomen is out given her lungs are in her abdomen. I recently had trouble with a tarantula post-molt who needed more liquid to redistribute its fluids to strengthen its legs. It almost died but instead of icu I made it drink and after about 20 mins at the water dish, it made crazy progress. My first T I had died a week after it arrived, horrible feeling! Almost gave up the hobby and I’m so glad I didn’t. Wishing you the best of luck, awesome job helping her molt, I would have maybe been crying and shaking trying to do that lol. You saved her life

 

[Niko77]

Hi again guys! Quick update:

She’s still alive and showing no signs of curling but still very weak. I saw her move to the water dish for a drink the other day which is reassuring but there’s no way she’d be able to catch prey she can barely drag herself :/

My friend told me to put her in the freezer as it’s cruel to keep her like this but I really don’t have it in me to do that to any animal let alone one this beautiful.

I might try feeding her myself by blending mealworms and using a syringe to put droplets into her mouth parts. She still has to harden fully but definitely won’t make a full recovery

Thank you all for the help!

 

[Teal]

You can put the water dish close to her so she doesn't have to waste energy getting to it, and syringing a liquidified prey item sounds like a good idea to me! Or some folks leave a dish of it for the T to drink themselves, if they are able.

 

[Dovey]

No need to feed anybody anything yet. She will probably still be hardening up after her molt. If she is anywhere near mature, they can go several weeks after a molt without eating before their fangs have hardened up properly and their appetite is in place.