Crooked fangs after molt

[Katiekooleyes]

Hey all, hope you're well. My p. Ornata came out of molt about a week ago. Managed to have a decent look a her tonight and found her fangs to bee crooked. They're still sharp and in one piece, but one is definitely pointing outward . Should I be worried, and is there anything I can do? I've dropped a prekilled mealworm into her enclosure about 30 minutes ago, and I'll leave it overnight. I've tried to take a pic but the reflection makes it hard to see:

 

[Andrea82]

It's the next day now; did she manage to eat the worm? If yes, there's no worry, if no, she might need some help in the form of mashed feeder soup.

She may need you to kill her food until she moults again but other than that I have not heard of severe complications because a wrong pointed fang. Any idea on how she bent it?

 

[Katiekooleyes]

It's the next day now; did she manage to eat the worm? If yes, there's no worry, if no, she might need some help in the form of mashed feeder soup.

She may need you to kill her food until she moults again but other than that I have not heard of severe complications because a wrong pointed fang. Any idea on how she bent it?

She didn't eat it unfortunately, and it was a prekilled. I agree, was thinking of making a mealworm soup later.

I'm not sure how sh managed it. I think she did it in her molt, or just after. She did her molt in her lair where I couldn't see her, and this is the first time I've managed to get a good look at her

 

[Katiekooleyes]

Update: Got back in a short while ago. It appears that she may have taken it. It's no longer in the spot, but I have no way of confirming if she's eaten it, or simply hidden it in her lair. That said, I've made up a mealworm soup for her anyway. Fingers crossed

 

[Tenebrarius]

Update: Got back in a short while ago. It appears that she may have taken it. It's no longer in the spot, but I have no way of confirming if she's eaten it, or simply hidden it in her lair. That said, I've made up a mealworm soup for her anyway. Fingers crossed

I am not sure they will take the soup, you might need to force feed it. BUT if one fang is crooked it will probably be fine with the one good one until the next molt.

 

[Ellenantula]

As long as the crooked fang isn't interfering (getting in the way), I've certainly heard of Ts making kills and eating sufficiently with just 1 fang.
(fingers crossed all goes well)

 

[chanda]

Good luck with it! I had a Pamphobeteus that I bought off Craigslist who had one crooked fang that went sideways and hooked over his pedipalp. He was able to eat with the one good fang and survived through two or three molts - but the fang never did fix itself. After each molt it still went sideways - and after the last molt he pretty much quit eating and eventually wasted away. I'm not sure if the fang itself was the cause of that or not, but it seemed pretty suspicious.

 

[Tenebrarius]

Good luck with it! I had a Pamphobeteus that I bought off Craigslist who had one crooked fang that went sideways and hooked over his pedipalp. He was able to eat with the one good fang and survived through two or three molts - but the fang never did fix itself. After each molt it still went sideways - and after the last molt he pretty much quit eating and eventually wasted away. I'm not sure if the fang itself was the cause of that or not, but it seemed pretty suspicious.
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for something like this I am curious to wether it is worth intervening. Maybe if it was clipped off it could grow back straighter? especially if you know it's fine with the one.

what do you think?

 

[Vanisher]

Agree with Tenebrarius. If it was chipoed off, maybe when it moulted a new fang maybe would grow back in normal fashion? If doing nothing the fang may be in the same position no matter how many moult the spider go through? Just a thought!

 

[Vanisher]

I have a subadult female P chordatus that in the last moult was crippled somehow. One of it legs was bent in a strange pisition. The spider behaved and hunts and feed like normal, but it had some problems walking normally, and when it ate prey she held the leg in the air. I have been thinking about if i should intervein or not? But yesterday i noticed that the tarantula have amputate the leg herself! (Smart animal thise tarantulas!) I am certain they do this cos it makes it easier for them in the next moult!? Maybe the leg still would have been bent and not fixed itself?

 

[Andrea82]

Agree with Tenebrarius. If it was chipoed off, maybe when it moulted a new fang maybe would grow back in normal fashion? If doing nothing the fang may be in the same position no matter how many moult the spider go through? Just a thought!

Our knowledge of Theraphosidae is nowhere near good enough to try and surgically remove (part of) a fang. I would really advise against such a plan, you can do way more harm than good.

 

[EtienneN]

Yeah, I don't see 'fang clipping' an OW to be any kind of good plan. Try some kind of soft worm. Like a hornworm. They are so soft it should be relatively easy for your T to nab it with just the one good fang.

 

[Andrea82]

Yeah, I don't see 'fang clipping' an OW to be any kind of good plan. Try some kind of soft worm. Like a hornworm. They are so soft it should be relatively easy for your T to nab it with just the one good fang.

Or waxworms. They're practically goo enveloped by a thin layer of skin

 

[Katiekooleyes]

Our knowledge of Theraphosidae is nowhere near good enough to try and surgically remove (part of) a fang. I would really advise against such a plan, you can do way more harm than good.

As with yourself and @EtienneN have suggested, I have no intention of removing Wednesdays fangs. (P. ornata) I don't think that would be helpful fir both me and her. Being such a high strung species, even if I were to succeed in that operation somehow, it'll only leave me with a seriously stressed T. As it is, she's still appearing in the morning on the side of her enclosure. So, I'm going to take that as a positive.

I'm going to continue with leaving a pre-killed each feeding day, and leave it overnight. Also, I'm going to leave a mealworm soup for her every 3rd day (with an extra dish of "soup" near her lair). That way, 1 day soup, 2 days pure water, then a day of soup etc.

I must admit, I'm worried a lot about her food response. She has always been VERY food responsive. To the point that movement = inner. However, she's not in the least bit interested in live food atm, She's a totally different Wednesday from the angry ball of lint I knew her from

 

[EtienneN]

I think the ‘soup’ sounds like a great idea. She probably knows she is injured and might hopefully take non-moving prey. Also, thinking outside the box here, but there’s no harm in trying to offer a bit of raw beef (maybe like heart?) or chicken. Just trying to think of other ideas to get your baby to eat.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

I think the ‘soup’ sounds like a great idea. She probably knows she is injured and might hopefully take non-moving prey. Also, thinking outside the box here, but there’s no harm in trying to offer a bit of raw beef (maybe like heart?) or chicken. Just trying to think of other ideas to get your baby to eat.

I remember an oooooold T care guide from 1977 that someone posted on here awhile back, it suggested ground beef on a string. Y'know, if OP can't get a hold of heart.

 

[Katiekooleyes]

Update:

While been fed on "soup", she's pooped once in a while. Obviously, that's a good sign she's been eating something.

Her abdomen is still "fresh molt" skinny.

However, good news. She ate a pre-killed today. She was at the side of her enclosure, newar the bottom. So, I found a small mealworm, killed it and dropped it in. She did a clumsey kill, but a kill none the less. Took it into her lair in her mouth. So, fingers crossed