Advice for Bad Theraphosa stirmi Moult

[ShyTeddyBear98]

Hi all,

So my T.stirmi moulted on the 21st of July during the less than ideal conditions caused by the heatwave (30 Celcius) and appears to have suffered a bad moult. Initially, I thought she was going to die as she seemed lifeless on her side for some time after the moult; she is large, at least 9.7" in DLS but after peering into her hide it looked as though she had been caught, so I steadily removed the moult without disturbing her a day after. To my surprise, there appears to be no physical tears or ruptures in the moult (see pictures). But I noticed that one of her legs; specifically her front right leg had been 'limp' and is incapable of moving. The causation of this looks to be some type of cyst that has developed on her knee and has been the target of gnats that have since laid larvae onto the wound. Distressed by this, she has since been moving all over her enclosure and seems unable to settle; this is an improvement over yesterday as she was in death curl, although I've heard it's quite common for freshly moulted t's to be in strange positions. My main questions are: will she 'drop' the dead leg in the next few days? Also, anyone with similar experiences? I know Theraphosas can run into moult problems as they get larger but I always assumed that a dead limb would typically become detached during the actual moulting process?

Appreciate any useful advice/experience and see images for further references.

 

[Dorifto]

That looks pretty bad, looks like something is attached to her leg or could it be broken? Did you tried to remove that with a brush?

 

[ShyTeddyBear98]

That looks pretty bad, looks like something is attached to her leg or could it be broken? Did you tried to remove that with a brush?

No mate, I haven't touched her as I've heard how much stress can kill them during moult recovery. She's pulled the leg off now bless her, hopefully the gnats can sod off now so she can recover in peace. She's even got a bald patch on her side from kicking hairs due to stress, I seriously thought she was dying yesterday. The moult must have caused the issue as she was fine beforehand, the weird thing is that the moult is in perfect condition so don't know how the cyst developed.

 

[Dorifto]

If she pulled the leg herself she will be fine. Check the substrate for maggots, if you see a lot, it might be better to change the substrate.

Now keep her hydrated and warm.

Are you sure that the leg didn't broke during the molt?

 

[Tarantuland]

Can you post of an entire enclosure? The background looks like the foam that come with exoterras. I’m worried you might have it set up arboreally and it could have taken a fall

 

[8 legged]

Can you post of an entire enclosure? The background looks like the foam that come with exoterras. I’m worried you might have it set up arboreally and it could have taken a fall

I´m shure it is a Exo 20x20x30cm. Of course not a good choice, but it's hard to assume that the 8-legged climbed during the molt. I suspect that would have happened in another enclosure as well. But who knows...
PS.: It's the only exception, by the way, that I'm trying to help a shark hunter ...

 

[ShyTeddyBear98]

I´m shure it is a Exo 20x20x30cm. Of course not a good choice, but it's hard to assume that the 8-legged climbed during the molt. I suspect that would have happened in another enclosure as well. But who knows...
PS.: It's the only exception, by the way, that I'm trying to help a shark hunter ...

It's a medium-low Exo-terra so I think the dimensions are 90 x 45 x 30, I've also removed the mesh with ventilated plexiglass so no chance of her being caught. Given her size, there's no chance of her having a bad fall since the substrate is 6-7" at the back. She has since been back in her hide and making great recovery without the leg now. It must have 'snapped' whilst she was exiting the moult, as she's moulted twice before without issue in the same setup. Also for peace of mind, the shark was released after being caught

 

[8 legged]

It's a medium-low Exo-terra so I think the dimensions are 90 x 45 x 30, I've also removed the mesh with ventilated plexiglass so no chance of her being caught. Given her size, there's no chance of her having a bad fall since the substrate is 6-7" at the back. She has since been back in her hide and making great recovery without the leg now. It must have 'snapped' whilst she was exiting the moult, as she's moulted twice before without issue in the same setup. Also for peace of mind, the shark was released after being caught

Nice to hear!

 

[Smotzer]

I’m struggling to see how this could have happened just from molting on its back, that level of disfigurement looks like physical damage and then decomposition and invasion of tissue.

 

[ShyTeddyBear98]

I’m struggling to see how this could have happened just from molting on its back, that level of disfigurement looks like physical damage and then decomposition and invasion of tissue.

It's certainly bizarre, I've been lucky enough to never have a t suffer a bad moult before so I presumed that when it did occur, the t would usually lose the leg in the actual moult itself. She did moult on her back, but I'm wondering as she moulted in her hide; which is big enough overall but doesn't have the width for her to properly stretch her legs out... Maybe the one leg got caught under the hide? Another thing I noticed was the moulting matt she laid was on the outside of the hide, but she then decided to go back in... Maybe the heat during the day forced her to retreat back into the hide and ultimately added unnecessary stress causing the injury?

 

[Dorifto]

Another thing I noticed was the moulting matt she laid was on the outside of the hide, but she then decided to go back in... Maybe the heat during the day forced her to retreat back into the hide and ultimately added unnecessary stress causing the injury?

That could be a reason, maybe she molted outside on the matt and the heat made her to retreat, and being still soft she broke the leg. That's very plausible.