# My Tarantula lost a leg!!!



## fscorpion (Sep 26, 2005)

I have just noticed that my Brachypelma emilia (spiderling, 3 cm) has lost a leg! I received her a few weeks ago and she was missing one leg back then, so this is the second! I am very worried, is that some king of infection? She looks fine, made her burrows but she still hasn't eaten anything since I got her...what is happening?


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## AfterTheAsylum (Sep 26, 2005)

Does she seem otherwise healthy?  When was the last molt?  Any odd behaviour?  I think that you are panicky for nothing.  It is probably just coincidence that two were lost.  Now if a third one comes, then I would panic.  My smithi climbs a lot and has lost a leg due to this.  Is yours climbing?


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## Becca (Sep 26, 2005)

She'll be fine, as long as she is acting normal and doesn't seem to be losing any blood then I wouldnt worry. She'll grow the leg back when she next moults but it will be a bit smaller than the others for a little while until she has moulted a couple of times. After that you won't even notice the difference.


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## fscorpion (Sep 26, 2005)

Becca said:
			
		

> She'll be fine, as long as she is acting normal and doesn't seem to be losing any blood then I wouldnt worry. She'll grow the leg back when she next moults but it will be a bit smaller than the others for a little while until she has moulted a couple of times. After that you won't even notice the difference.


Well, she is not eating...otherwise it looks ok...she isn't that much active, but I guess that is normal (this is my first tarantula  she made a few burrows...I don;t know when was the last molt as I received her just 2 weeks ago and I have no records about that.
Anyway, why would she loose a leg just like that??? She is not climbing by the way, just walking on the ground and making burrows...


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## AfterTheAsylum (Sep 26, 2005)

Well, I am going to do a lot of assumptions.
1) I assume it recently molted because of its size.
2) I assume it lost a leg during the previous molt (possibly from bad humidity levels)
3) I assume this second lost leg was messed up in some fashion.  Maybe due to shipping.
4) I assume that your T compromised its own leg.

She sounds outwardly healthy, so I would cease the worrying.  Just give her the ideal temp and humidity and the legs will be back in time for next molt (slightly smaller, but two molts the leg will be fully regenerated).

Your T was shipped... right?

Cheers

The Sickness


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## fscorpion (Sep 26, 2005)

Soulsick said:
			
		

> Well, I am going to do a lot of assumptions.
> 1) I assume it recently molted because of its size.
> 2) I assume it lost a leg during the previous molt (possibly from bad humidity levels)
> 3) I assume this second lost leg was messed up in some fashion.  Maybe due to shipping.
> ...


Yes, she was shipped and spent a week in the trip  you can see a picture of her in my other post "tarantula won't eat"...


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## M.F.Bagaturov (Sep 27, 2005)

It's nothing terrible with that...
I have some cases tarantulas of different species lost it's legs and spinnerets...
Legs are easily regenerated within 2, rarely 3 molts.
So, if it stops feeding it's maybe due to a premolt (the injured tarantulas often molted more frequently).
Also, look about regeneration in tarantulas here: http://tarantulas.tropica.ru/english/index2.php?link=shed.html
Good luck!

Reactions: Like 1


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