Damaged fangs I need some help

[Oni]

Im a new member so id like to say hi to everyone.
I just started collecting spiders this year and havent had any big problems up until now. I have a new small half inch sling and the reason I first knew there was a problem was he would wrestle his small crickets for 5 to 10 min and still not be able to eat them. I checked his fangs and one is sticking out straight and it looks like the other one is missing. Then I tried killing the food and leaving it on a piece of cork and he is still unable to eat. Is there anything I can do?? If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it

 

[Moltar]

He may molt soon and fix the problem if he has enough nutrition stored up already. You could try prekilling and slicing open the abdomen of a cricket for him. I've also heard of people making "cricket gruel" by just mashing it into a soup. I'm not sure how it is that the T perceives this to be prey but it has worked for some keepers in your situation. Make sure it always has water available and moist sub because hydration is harder for them to maintain if they're not eating. Unfortunately your options are limited with such a small specimen so you might lose him. They have remarkable resiliency though so don't lose hope.

What species is this spider? Are you familiar with the waiting period necessary before feeding a T after a molt? It sounds like it may have tried to take prey too soon and messed up his fangs.

 

[Neophyte]

Shouldn't a T be aware that it isn't ready to eat after molting?
Random question.

 

[Oni]

Its a nhandu chromatus. I did mash up the cricket but he didnt take to it. What I just did was slice open the abdomen I layed it down and the spider was able to see it moving a bit so im hoping that will work better. He molted a few days after I got him and he had a bad molt and since then he hasnt eaten so I think that his fangs were a result of the bad molt. I just hope this works and he eats thanks for your help

 

[NixHexDude]

Peronally I'd try using a pin to puncture instead of slicing open the abdomen. Remove the hind legs as well. Cricket should be somewhat alive, hopefully enough to attract the sling.

 

[Windchaser]

It will probably force a molt in order to repair its fangs. I have had larger tarantulas do this in the past. In one case a sub-adult (approx. 4") B. boehmei molted twice in a two month span. It lost a fang on its first molt and then molted again and emerged with two intact fangs. Definitely make sure it has plenty to drink available to it. At this point you have done basically everything you can and only time will tell the outcome.

 

[ph0bia]

Out of curiosity, is it possible to get a picture of the spider and/or it's enclosure? Might be able to discover if there's a deeper problem than a bad molt.

Yes, the spider is aware it can't eat for a short while after the molt and will not try to. That said, a bad molt shouldn't bend a fang forward and snap one off due to the nature of how the fangs and chelicerei are shaped and removed during molting...

 

[Neophyte]

So then it would be safe to say that if a spider has eaten shortly after it's molt it knew it was ready for a meal and wouldn't try to eat if it knew it's fangs would screw up...

 

[ph0bia]

So then it would be safe to say that if a spider has eaten shortly after it's molt it knew it was ready for a meal and wouldn't try to eat if it knew it's fangs would screw up...

Correct. The spider knows when it has hardened.