Abdomen Separating from Carapace??????????????? What can or should I do????????

[kellysaxez]

OMG my LP, Pickles, seems to have a very serious abdominal injury, as it looks like it is separated from his carapace a bit!!!!!!! I went in to clean his tank and when I went to transfer him to his waiting room, so to speak (just a small critter keeper he can stay in till I'm done, I noticed that his abdomen was wiggling around on its own while I was moving him and then it sort of fell away from his carapace, not all the way mind you, but it looks like someone tried to chop him in half at that connection point and stopped 1/3rd to 1/2 way through!!!! I have him in an ICU tank with an IR heat lamp about 6 inches away and have raised the humidity level. What can I do?? Is this a bad molt or is he injured? I'm afraid to do anything lest I make it worse. I don't really see any blood so to speak so don't know if applying superglue will do any good I'm going to cry. He is just a juvenile and I have no idea how this could have happened. Will post a pic of him in a moment

 

[Smokehound714]

Dont add superglue!! the region that has been damaged is the pedicel. I'm terribly sorry, but you may have to euthanize him

Sometimes a fall will damage the pedicel, particularly if the spider falls on its abdomen, or a mealworm or cricket somehow bites at it.

I've lost a few spiders after feeding them female crickets with long ovipositors, they grab their prey with such gusto that they occasionally stab themselves with the ovipositor X(

 

[kellysaxez]

Pics of possible injury





I know these pics are probably terribly fuzzy, but this is all I felt safe doing as I didn't want to stress Pickles out any more than was necessary. Thank you so much for your response. How does one euthanize a T? Thank you again

 

[kellysaxez]

Hello. I've posted pics below. Thank you so much for your help. How does one euthanize a T if need be?
and i took the light off

 

[MrsHaas]

It's a hard decision to make, but you'll have to freeze him. I suggest you put him in the freezer first so it's less shocking. I'm sorry :-(

---------- Post added 11-11-2014 at 06:57 PM ----------

See my post about preserving and mounting your deceased friend, I know it helps me bc I will have mine with me for always. Good luck w pickles!

 

[Misty Day]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a problem with this t? Don't freeze her yet, there might be nothing wrong with her.

Also, you don't have to clean t's tanks out, it just stresses them out, spot cleaning is enough..

 

[MrsHaas]

Am I the only one who doesn't see a problem with this t? Don't freeze her yet, there might be nothing wrong with her.

Also, you don't have to clean t's tanks out, it just stresses them out, spot cleaning is enough..

No, you're not, I'm not quite sure I see much of a problem in regards to the pics, but if u have to euthanize her, it's best do the fridge/freezer method.
Can I get any better pix wout stressing pickles out?

 

[jigalojey]

So..... what the hell am I looking at? The T looks fine.

 

[kellysaxez]

Hi guys. Thank you so much for all your advice and help. The pics don't show the injury because in order to see it, I would have had to video his abdomen wiggling around while he was on the side of his critter keeper and I shook it a little bit. That's what first alerted me to the problem. I put him in his waiting room to search his very extensive burrow for left over molts or blouses he's perhaps not brought to the surface (he's in a 20 gal with about 6-7 inches of coco fiber to play in which he does) and picked it up to check him out and noticed his abdomen wiggling around. Then I took him out and as he was crawling on my hand and reached he came to my finger and that's when I thought I spotted his abdomen separate a bit from his carapace. He has taken some water and is sitting on a rock in his ICU. I hope I don't have to freeze him, but I don't know how long to wait and don't know how I will know. He will either die or he won't I guess Thank you all again.

 

[MrsHaas]

When he starts to death curl, that's usually the time to put him to sleep. I hope he makes it

 

[kellysaxez]

I've handled both my Jewlz my GBB and Pickles many times before and have NEVER noticed an abdomen do this. It's usually not free wiggling unless they are wiggling it themselves to drop a web. And it's really a very fast wiggle, kind of like if you had a finger hanging by a piece of skin from your hand. And when his abdomen bent as he crawled around my finger, I saw it separate.

 

[Amimia]

Hi guys. Thank you so much for all your advice and help. The pics don't show the injury because in order to see it, I would have had to video his abdomen wiggling around while he was on the side of his critter keeper and I shook it a little bit. That's what first alerted me to the problem. I put him in his waiting room to search his very extensive burrow for left over molts or blouses he's perhaps not brought to the surface (he's in a 20 gal with about 6-7 inches of coco fiber to play in which he does) and picked it up to check him out and noticed his abdomen wiggling around. Then I took him out and as he was crawling on my hand and reached he came to my finger and that's when I thought I spotted his abdomen separate a bit from his carapace. He has taken some water and is sitting on a rock in his ICU. I hope I don't have to freeze him, but I don't know how long to wait and don't know how I will know. He will either die or he won't I guess Thank you all again.

Are you sure he wasn't webbing? I have a C. fasciatum who has quite the busy booty

---------- Post added 11-11-2014 at 08:22 PM ----------

Whoops. Just saw what you posted, sorry

 

[Formerphobe]

There's no way to discern anything from the pics posted. Do you have any way to get clearer photos?

It may be completely normal. The actual pedicel attachment is not as big as one might think.

You mentioned a bad molt, did it molt recently? Has it eaten normally since the molt? Is it acting okay in all other respects?

I agree with not needlessly stressing the T by moving it for cleaning, or even doing too thorough cleaning. Pick up boluses and poop with tongs or a spoon.

If it's behaving normally, I'd be inclined to put it back in its enclosure and leave it alone.

I've lost a few spiders after feeding them female crickets with long ovipositors, they grab their prey with such gusto that they occasionally stab themselves with the ovipositor

Really? I've never heard of such a thing. It would seem any prey grabbing injury would be on the ventrum, not the dorsum.

---------- Post added 11-11-2014 at 07:31 PM ----------

he was on the side of his critter keeper and I shook it a little bit.

Sounds like normal butt bobble to me.

 

[kellysaxez]

Hi and thank you. No I don't think he was webbing. It only wiggled when I shook the tank a little.

 

[jigalojey]

My larger abdomen spiders wiggle all the time, Ill take a video of me handing a fat one right now and show you it wiggling if you want. Even if the abdomen was "damaged" an ICU wouldn't help it in any way shape or form, just put the little fella back in the tank.

 

[goodoldneon]

Either the photos are useless, or there is nothing wrong with your T - I vote for panicking owner.

 

[Formerphobe]

It only wiggled when I shook the tank a little.

Don't shake the tank.

 

[kellysaxez]

Thank you. I will keep an eye out for any curling. I plan to keep him in his ICU for few days. If he does not start to pass away I will put him back in his enclosure but not start a burrow for him as I did before. I stuck two fingers into the substrate and began a nice hole for him which he happily took over. Soon I never saw him anymore and only knew he was still alive as there was always fresh soil around the entrance of his burrow. Then one day it shopped. I fed Dubia roaches and none ever reappeared. Figuring he was finished molting I tried to clean his burrow and discovered him like that. He has taken some waster from a dish and is now on top of a rock.

 

[keeper2013]

There's no way to discern anything from the pics posted. Do you have any way to get clearer photos?

It may be completely normal. The actual pedicel attachment is not as big as one might think.

You mentioned a bad molt, did it molt recently? Has it eaten normally since the molt? Is it acting okay in all other respects?

I agree with not needlessly stressing the T by moving it for cleaning, or even doing too thorough cleaning. Pick up boluses and poop with tongs or a spoon.

If it's behaving normally, I'd be inclined to put it back in its enclosure and leave it alone.


Really? I've never heard of such a thing. It would seem any prey grabbing injury would be on the ventrum, not the dorsum.

---------- Post added 11-11-2014 at 07:31 PM ----------


Sounds like normal butt bobble to me.

YES, to everything said. Listen to these guys, they know.

---------- Post added 11-11-2014 at 06:56 PM ----------

Thank you. I will keep an eye out for any curling. I plan to keep him in his ICU for few days. If he does not start to pass away I will put him back in his enclosure but not start a burrow for him as I did before. I stuck two fingers into the substrate and began a nice hole for him which he happily took over. Soon I never saw him anymore and only knew he was still alive as there was always fresh soil around the entrance of his burrow. Then one day it shopped. I fed Dubia roaches and none ever reappeared. Figuring he was finished molting I tried to clean his burrow and discovered him like that. He has taken some waster from a dish and is now on top of a rock.

To get any real help you will have to post clear pictures. If he is "damaged" in the way you say, I don't think he would be drinking and climbing a rock. I can't see how it could live longer than a very few hours with that sort of injury. Maybe you just overreacted to a strange movement. Keep us posted.

 

[cold blood]

Thank you. I will keep an eye out for any curling. I plan to keep him in his ICU for few days. If he does not start to pass away I will put him back in his enclosure but not start a burrow for him as I did before. I stuck two fingers into the substrate and began a nice hole for him which he happily took over. Soon I never saw him anymore and only knew he was still alive as there was always fresh soil around the entrance of his burrow. Then one day it shopped. I fed Dubia roaches and none ever reappeared. Figuring he was finished molting I tried to clean his burrow and discovered him like that. He has taken some waster from a dish and is now on top of a rock.

1. Do cleanings prior to molt, not just after.

2. You shouldn't need to remove the t to do this maintenance.

3. If you suspect trauma, don't move it (not even to an ICU), jiggle the cage, and most definitely don't handle it. It needs to be still and not being forced to move or given stimuli atm.

Sounds like it just didn't have time to "set" fully following its recent molt. My T cyaneolum's last molt showed a similar "separation" immediately following the molt. The abdomen even appeared slightly off center and even pulled away a bit. In the next week or two it settled and after a few meals its now looking completely normal. Sometimes even successful molts don't go off without a hitch.