my first and only T had her second molt just two days ago, and i noticed that one of her leg tips is exposed. i assume it will heal in the next molt, but is there anything i can do to make it better for her? i'm kinda worried
If the exoskeleton was gone, then it would all be gone. It's not like a vertebrate where you would have all the fleshly bits gone exposing the skeleton. I am going with something being stuck to it, or it just wouldn't be there at all.
I saw this same thing several weeks to months back, I forget if it was here or Facebook. I think it was an A. chalcodes. I think it did end up dislodging the leg. It’s so weird it looks like melted wax.
It appears the metatarsus and tarsus did not form correctly in the last intermolt period causing that deformation. Since the picture was taken two days after a molt, I imagine it will turn shiny black in time indicating no setae formation. There is nothing that can be done about it. If the deformed leg segments are unusable, then the tarantula won't put weight on it giving it an awkward stride when it walks.
It may, or may not, have some trouble grasping food since tarantulas use the first pairs of legs to reach and grab moving prey. I suggest keeping an eye on it to make sure it can feed itself properly.
I have an adult female G. pulchripes which i received with a near identical deformity. Never once did i see any sign that she was bothered by it, and when she molted, the deformity was fully corrected.
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