stuck tarantula

[Sam Farris]

one of my m. balfouri has been molting for days. i am not sure if its stuck or just continuing to be the slowest molt ever. he is in a pretty moist part of the cage and its just his legs left in the old skin. should i do anything? or leave it alone?

 

[Thekla]

Please post a picture and read this: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/tarantula-stuck-in-its-molt-look-here-for-advice.306038/

 

[dangerforceidle]

Well, @Thekla is too fast.

Time is of the essence with stuck moults, don't wait too long. A couple days may be too late, but it isn't over until it's over.

 

[Sam Farris]

i would say it been hours since his carapace popped, and his chelicera do seem to still be in the old skin, so is that to soon? hes about 2” how long is too long to wait?

 

[TriMac33]

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At that size, if it's been molting for days, I fear it might be too late. As stated above, when a T gets stuck in a molt, you ideally want to intervene while they're still lubricated and not hardened up yet. Days is an abnormally long time for a T that small.

 

[Thekla]

If it's like this for several hours and you're sure it's not making any progress then yes, you should get to work immediately. That doesn't look right.
Follow the advise given in the thread I linked before. I've never done it myself, so I can't give you any first-hand experience on this. Sorry.

Good luck and fingers crossed.

Edit:
Just to make sure... you said the carapace popped hours ago but in your first post you said it's been moulting since days. The actual process starts with popping the carapace, that's when you start the clock, so to speak.
So, which one is it?

 

[Sam Farris]

he flipped over days ago. i was starting to think he was dying but he was wiggling his legs so i left him all the progress in his molt has occurred since i left for work at 430pm i discovered him as he is now at about 1030pm

 

[Ungoliant]

i would say it been hours since his carapace popped, and his chelicera do seem to still be in the old skin, so is that to soon? hes about 2” how long is too long to wait?

he flipped over days ago. i was starting to think he was dying but he was wiggling his legs so i left him all the progress in his molt has occurred since i left for work at 430pm i discovered him as he is now at about 1030pm

He is likely stuck, as the chelicerae would be out before the legs were out. You will need to intervene ASAP to give him a fighting chance.

 

[Sam Farris]

well i have removed what appears to be all of the old skin however he now has five legs and one pedipalp he is however alive so at least there is that you guys think he has a shot?

 

[Ungoliant]

well i have removed what appears to be all of the old skin however he now has five legs and one pedipalp he is however alive so at least there is that you guys think he has a shot?

Assuming you removed all of the old exoskeleton from the chelicerae and fangs, and there are no other injuries (besides the missing legs and palp), he should be OK.

The legs and palp will regenerate with each molt, and after 2-3 molts, you won't be able to tell it was ever missing anything.

For now, keep the water dish full, and let him rest. Don't try to feed him until his fangs are black, which may take a couple of weeks for a juvenile.

 

[Thekla]

Assuming you removed all of the old exoskeleton from the chelicerae and fangs, and there are no other injuries (besides the missing legs and palps), he should be OK.

The legs and palp will regenerate with each molt, and after 2-3 molts, you won't be able to tell it was ever missing anything.

For now, keep the water dish full, and let him rest. Don't try to feed him until his fangs are black, which may take a couple of weeks for a juvenile.

Would it also be advisable to remove him from the communal? I actually have no idea.

 

[vancwa]

The substrate appears to be too wet. Could that have caused the difficult molt?

 

[Sam Farris]

i did get all the old skin off the chelicera which was an interesting experience i never really expected i would have my fingers all up in my spiders mouth, the poor baby. i did separate him from the rest of the communal. and the sub is super wet because i misted it for him when i started to worry thanks guys yall were super helpful he would have died without you

should i put his face over the water? do yall think his other legs will be ok? they look a little messed up. should he be able to move?

 

[Ungoliant]

should i put his face over the water? do yall think his other legs will be ok? they look a little messed up. should he be able to move?

I would let him rest.

do yall think his other legs will be ok? they look a little messed up. should he be able to move?

If the legs on its left side don't fill out, I wouldn't be surprised if he dropped them. If he does that, his mobility will be limited, but as long as he has his chelicerae, fangs, and a palp, he should be able to feed once he hardens up.