Bad molt

[Emilylrd]

I think my A. Avic may be having a bad molt, or may be stuck; she made sort of a funnel shaped web at the very bottom of her enclosure, and started molting there, her abdomen is hanging through the hole touching the substrate and the rest of her is on the web, it appears she only has her fangs and pedipalps left but doesnt appear to be trying to push it off, I noticed she was molting(about halfway done) when I left for work at 4:50, I just got home(9:15) and noticed she wasn't done, she's not very big(2 inch DLS) and hasn't taken this long before, am I jumping the gun? Is there any way I can help? The pictures are terrible but it was the best I could without distrubing her.
(First pic when I saw her at 4:50, others juat now at 9:15)

 

[Emilylrd]

Heres a better picture

 

[Ungoliant]

Heres a better picture

Are you sure she isn't making progress on her own?

If you are sure she is stuck, and she can't get her chelicerae out of the molt, you're going to have to intervene in order to have any chance of saving her. Do it as soon as possible, because it will be more difficult once everything starts to harden. (Even if you manage to get her out, having the new exoskeleton harden under the old one causes abnormalities like legs that look frail and bent at odd angles.)

The prognosis is not great, especially for stuck chelicerae, but the alternative is a slow death.

If you have tools like tiny scissors and tweezers, you can try to cut the old exoskeleton off without damaging the new chelicerae. (Moistening the area you're trying to work with can make it more pliable.)

One technique that I have used (though my Avic still died) is working tiny tweezers under the old exoskeleton, opening it in a method similar to opening crab legs (where you gently put upward pressure on the old exoskeleton from beneath until a crack forms, slide down a bit, and repeat the process to lengthen the crack).

 

[Emilylrd]

Are you sure she isn't making progress on her own?

If you are sure she is stuck, and she can't get her chelicerae out of the molt, you're going to have to intervene in order to have any chance of saving her. Do it as soon as possible, because it will be more difficult once everything starts to harden. (Even if you manage to get her out, having the new exoskeleton harden under the old one causes abnormalities like legs that look frail and bent at odd angles.)

The prognosis is not great, especially for stuck chelicerae, but the alternative is a slow death.

If you have tools like tiny scissors and tweezers, you can try to cut the old exoskeleton off without damaging the new chelicerae. (Moistening the area you're trying to work with can make it more pliable.)

One technique that I have used (though my Avic still died) is working tiny tweezers under the old exoskeleton, opening it in a method similar to opening crab legs (where you gently put upward pressure on the old exoskeleton from beneath until a crack forms, slide down a bit, and repeat the process to lengthen the crack).

I'm honestly not sure if she is or not, its hard to tell because she's sandwiched between her old exo and the edge of her web, how long do you think I ahould gove her before I intervene?

 

[Ungoliant]

I'm honestly not sure if she is or not, its hard to tell because she's sandwiched between her old exo and the edge of her web, how long do you think I ahould gove her before I intervene?

I'm not sure. At that size (around 2"), my second Avic was completely free within a couple of hours. My adult was always free within a few hours.

I think part of the reason my elderly female got stuck in her last molt was that she selected a location with very little clearance for pushing the old molt off. (She was hopelessly stuck, way worse than yours.)

 

[Emilylrd]

I'm not sure. At that size (around 2"), my second Avic was completely free within a couple of hours. My adult was always free within a few hours.

I think part of the reason my elderly female got stuck in her last molt was that she selected a location with very little clearance for pushing the old molt off. (She was hopelessly stuck, way worse than yours.)

It was worse than I thought, it was her front 2 pairs of legs, pedipalps, and fangs, I managed to get all but 1 leg out becaise the joint hardened too much for me to get it out, in my efforts to break the joint(i was using my smallest pair of tweezers and wetting the joints, trying to do the crab leg thing you mentionedheshe started squirming and the leg broke off, do you think she'll be okay?

 

[Ungoliant]

I managed to get all but 1 leg out becaise the joint hardened too much for me to get it out, in my efforts to break the joint(i was using my smallest pair of tweezers and wetting the joints, trying to do the crab leg thing you mentionedheshe started squirming and the leg broke off, do you think she'll be okay?

It would have been better if she amputated the leg herself, but if she survives the ordeal, one missing leg won't hinder her. (In a couple of molts, you won't even be able to see that she was ever missing a leg.) If it's bleeding, you can put a bit of corn starch on the amputation site to try to staunch the bleeding.

At this point, you just have to wait and see if she recovers. Crossing my fingers!

 

[Emilylrd]

It would have been better if she amputated it herself, but if she survives the ordeal, one missing leg won't hinder her. (In a couple of molts, you won't even be able to see that she was ever missing a leg.) If it's bleeding, you can put a bit of corn starch on the amputation site to try to staunch the bleeding.

Crossing my fingers that she makes it!

It completely just popped off when I was trying to readjust her legs, It made a little progress but when it got near the new joint it all of a sudden stopped sliding, thanks for the help, this has been really nerve-wracking I only have 5, so this was my first experience with a bad molt

 

[Hellblazer]

If the only damage was to the leg it might make it. I would make sure it has a full water dish and leave it alone for awhile.

 

[Emilylrd]

If the only damage was to the leg it might make it. I would make sure it has a full water dish and leave it alone for awhile.

Definitely, she looks exhausted She isn't bleeding so I'm hoping itll be okay

 

[Ungoliant]

It completely just popped off when I was trying to readjust her legs, It made a little progress but when it got near the new joint it all of a sudden stopped sliding, thanks for the help, this has been really nerve-wracking I only have 5, so this was my first experience with a bad molt

The leg joints are definitely where things tend to get stuck. When I was cutting my elderly Avic out of her molt, the longer leg sections of the old exoskeleton were easy to open, but the joints usually had to be snipped to make any additional progress.

 

[D Sherlod]

Good luck

 

[Andrea82]

Hope it makes it! Best of luck!