Help with injured spider

[RedL3ader]

Hey there, I'm a new spood mom and have previously successfully purchased an adult female regal and a juvenile bold. I wanted to get more regals but the place I bought from before was sold out so I found another seller which didn't sound on the up and up but the reviews were good so I went ahead and purchased two more adult female regals. I think these are slightly younger because they're smaller and faster than my other regal. Anyways, all this to say, one of my new spoods arrived yesterday evening with a badly injured leg. The was shaking it back and forth violently and then began to suck on it for the next 20-30 minutes. She hasn't been able to walk on it even today. The other was fine. They were both packaged with mealworms for a two day shipment with FedEx and they were labeled perishable not live animal/this side up. Either they gave me a wounded spider, it was injured from FedEx mishandling it due to improper labeling , or it was attacked by one of the large mealworms that was enclosed with it.
My question is what do I do? Do I sound crazy, is this normal? My other two arrived in perfect condition with smaller non threatening feed and were marked live animal. I'm just frustrated because I feel like this was avoidable but maybe I'm just a worried new mom. Am I overreacting? What would y'all do in this situation?

 

[ForTW]

Hello

If i understood correctly, the leg will regrow within the Next few molts!
What Spider did you get? Phiddipus regius? Poecilotheria regalis? Or what xxx.regal are we talking about?

However, can come from mealworms and i avoid feeding them in General yet there are some fanboys who still think it's a good pick.

Regards

 

[RedL3ader]

Hello

If i understood correctly, the leg will regrow within the Next few molts!
What Spider did you get? Phiddipus regius? Poecilotheria regalis? Or what xxx.regal are we talking about?

However, can come from mealworms and i avoid feeding them in General yet there are some fanboys who still think it's a good pick.

Regards

She's a phiddipus Regius and they said she's an adult so I worry that she might not have many molts left or it might be a while until her next one. Her little belly isn't very full and she's refusing food.

 

[Jonathan6303]

If you like to post a review we have a review forum

 

[RedL3ader]

If you like to post a review we have a review forum

Not so much a review. I just want to know if this happens a lot and if it's normal to package live animals like that and put that kind of feeder in with them

 

[Jonathan6303]

Not so much a review. I just want to know if this happens a lot and if it's normal to package live animals like that and put that kind of feeder in with them

The feeder was in the tube the spider was in

 

[RedL3ader]

The feeder was in the tube the spider was in

Yes, there were at least two mealworms of the same size as the spider in the deli cups with the spiders

 

[ForTW]

Give them feedback, mayve they send another one and more importantly, will not so it again.

 

[Jonathan6303]

Yes, there were at least two mealworms of the same size as the spider in the deli cups with the spiders

That’s probably the reason your spider was damaged. It will regrow the leg so don’t worry but that is a terrible way to pack animals

 

[RedL3ader]

That’s probably the reason your spider was damaged. It will regrow the leg so don’t worry but that is a terrible way to pack animals

Give them feedback, mayve they send another one and more importantly, will not so it again.

I did and this was their reply
"I see this was a first time order with us! We do normally plaster our boxes with live, keep warm, ring door bell, etc. stickers, but lately we've been having problems with certain FedEx hubs holding packages that say "live" in fear that it could be something dangerous. This has caused quite the kink in our system as holding our insects in cold warehouses for extended periods of time can be detrimental, our FedEx representative suggest for us to leave these stickers off for the time being while he sorts this issue out. This is the first issue we've had with this method and we do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and the stress this may have caused for your spiders.

Also, while we understand that mealworms can be dangerous to weak spiders, we carefully pick mealworms based on the size of the spider to keep them from being overpowered. This is a method we've never had an issue with before, and actually something that has helped in the past when shipping delays leave spiders alone and hungry.

I can assure you that spiders can still happily hunt with one or even two fully missing legs. We have received some in the past in pretty rough shape, missing even two legs on one side and they still run around and hunt for their own food without issue.

Please let us know what we can do to help resolve this issue!"

 

[PidderPeets]

From how you're describing it, all fault lies with the seller. That is not a normal experience and don't get fooled into thinking it is. They should absolutely not have been shipped with a live feeder. A healthy spider won't starve in two days, and mealworms in particular would likely destroy any packing material in with the spider to keep it safe in transit.

I can't totally fault them for not labeling the package as "live animal", as that often makes it an entirely different process in terms of shipping and regulation, if they would even be accepted by the shipper since they're technically venomous (even though they're harmless). However, if packaged properly, it would be irrelevant if they were labeled as a "live animal" or not. Proper sellers package their animals (even if it's "just bugs") to be safe during the shipping process. It's ridiculous to assume that a package is going to be handled with the utmost care by the dozens to hundreds of people that will handle that single package, and that's why how things are packaged is so important. In your case, it sounds like the seller didn't have much clue for what they were doing, or simply didn't care. The seller did not package it the right way.

It sounds like the leg was damaged to the point that the spider was trying to remove it (hence the "sucking on it"). It may still attempt to remove the leg, so don't be surprised if that happens. If it molts, it will regenerate. But one leg isn't crucial to survival, so even if it is an adult and doesn't molt again it's not the end of the world. But I wouldn't recommend buying from that seller again

 

[xXTristinaXx]

That’s not good that the jumping spider was housed with a mealworm, as long as the injury isn’t bleeding you should be fine then

 

[RedL3ader]

From how you're describing it, all fault lies with the seller. That is not a normal experience and don't get fooled into thinking it is. They should absolutely not have been shipped with a live feeder. A healthy spider won't starve in two days, and mealworms in particular would likely destroy any packing material in with the spider to keep it safe in transit.

I can't totally fault them for not labeling the package as "live animal", as that often makes it an entirely different process in terms of shipping and regulation, if they would even be accepted by the shipper since they're technically venomous (even though they're harmless). However, if packaged properly, it would be irrelevant if they were labeled as a "live animal" or not. Proper sellers package their animals (even if it's "just bugs") to be safe during the shipping process. It's ridiculous to assume that a package is going to be handled with the utmost care by the dozens to hundreds of people that will handle that single package, and that's why how things are packaged is so important. In your case, it sounds like the seller didn't have much clue for what they were doing, or simply didn't care. The seller did not package it the right way.

It sounds like the leg was damaged to the point that the spider was trying to remove it (hence the "sucking on it"). It may still attempt to remove the leg, so don't be surprised if that happens. If it molts, it will regenerate. But one leg isn't crucial to survival, so even if it is an adult and doesn't molt again it's not the end of the world. But I wouldn't recommend buying from that seller again

Thank you so much. That makes me feel a lot better . Something about it just didn't feel right. I'm definitely not buying form them again.

 

[PidderPeets]

Thank you so much. That makes me feel a lot better . Something about it just didn't feel right. I'm definitely not buying form them again.

Not a problem. There's plenty of reputable sellers out there, this just doesn't seem to be one of them. Just took a look on their website myself and there's a few other things on there that makes me question them. The biggest things being that they don't have the option at all for next day shipping and the price of the heatpacks you have to buy are being sold for at least 3.5x markup (possibly up to 5x markup) in comparison to what they're being sold for on even the heatpack seller's website. It makes me think that the seller is strictly money driven, not concerned with quality.

But what's done is done and I'm glad the spider came to you with only a damaged leg considering it could have been much worse. Though that doesn't justify the fact that the whole situation could have been avoided had the seller taken more care into packaging. But regardless, as long as it's just a leg, the spider should be fine. I wish you the best of luck with both of your new spiders!

 

[Nicole C G]

Jumping spiders can survive with a few legs missing. Lowest leg count I found in the wild was 4. Two on each side. (At that point I’m sure their life would be made hard, but it didn’t seem to have trouble walking) Its perfectly fine to be missing a few legs and they can still live a normal life.

 

[RedL3ader]

Not a problem. There's plenty of reputable sellers out there, this just doesn't seem to be one of them. Just took a look on their website myself and there's a few other things on there that makes me question them. The biggest things being that they don't have the option at all for next day shipping and the price of the heatpacks you have to buy are being sold for at least 3.5x markup (possibly up to 5x markup) in comparison to what they're being sold for on even the heatpack seller's website. It makes me think that the seller is strictly money driven, not concerned with quality.

But what's done is done and I'm glad the spider came to you with only a damaged leg considering it could have been much worse. Though that doesn't justify the fact that the whole situation could have been avoided had the seller taken more care into packaging. But regardless, as long as it's just a leg, the spider should be fine. I wish you the best of luck with both of your new spiders!

I appreciate that. Considering I'm new to this I didn't really know what I was looking for. But definitely will be more careful in the future. So you have any recommended breeders?

 

[PidderPeets]

I appreciate that. Considering I'm new to this I didn't really know what I was looking for. But definitely will be more careful in the future. So you have any recommended breeders?

I don't know that I can directly recommend sellers on the main forum here because of forum rules, but I can say that I've bought from BugsinCyberspace multiple times before and always had good experiences with him. Jumpers also show up for sale in the classified section on here more often in the warmer months. The tough thing with many US native true spiders is that they're often wild-caught and therefore tend to be more seasonally available. If you're not in a rush for them, I'd say it's pretty easy to find them for sale in the summer months. If you're looking for them asap, it might be worth posting a "Wanted" ad for them on the forums.

Other than that, I'm afraid I'm not much help cuz I tend to work more with tarantulas rather than true spider

 

[RedL3ader]

I don't know that I can directly recommend sellers on the main forum here because of forum rules, but I can say that I've bought from BugsinCyberspace multiple times before and always had good experiences with him. Jumpers also show up for sale in the classified section on here more often in the warmer months. The tough thing with many US native true spiders is that they're often wild-caught and therefore tend to be more seasonally available. If you're not in a rush for them, I'd say it's pretty easy to find them for sale in the summer months. If you're looking for them asap, it might be worth posting a "Wanted" ad for them on the forums.

Other than that, I'm afraid I'm not much help cuz I tend to work more with tarantulas rather than true spider

Thank you so much,
I do have an urgent question now as the injured jumper I received is now barely alive it seems. She won't eat, she barely drinks from a qtip and she has lost the use of the left side of her body. She's lethargic and barely moving at all. And she won't take any food, even bug guts she won't clean from her chelicerae. I'm very concerned there is something more wrong with her and she's not just injured. Help!

 

[Nicole C G]

Thank you so much,
I do have an urgent question now as the injured jumper I received is now barely alive it seems. She won't eat, she barely drinks from a qtip and she has lost the use of the left side of her body. She's lethargic and barely moving at all. And she won't take any food, even bug guts she won't clean from her chelicerae. I'm very concerned there is something more wrong with her and she's not just injured. Help!

I’m so sorry! That sounds really bad. Can we see a picture?

 

[PidderPeets]

Thank you so much,
I do have an urgent question now as the injured jumper I received is now barely alive it seems. She won't eat, she barely drinks from a qtip and she has lost the use of the left side of her body. She's lethargic and barely moving at all. And she won't take any food, even bug guts she won't clean from her chelicerae. I'm very concerned there is something more wrong with her and she's not just injured. Help!

Is it possible that she's injured and bleeding from somewhere? You would see a clear or slightly white wet spot if there's an injury. Did she ever remove the leg or was she unable to? My concern would be that either she's actively bleeding, or she took some type of internal damage in shipment. Try offering her plain water as opposed to water on a qtip, such as in a bottle cap or even just a droplet on something. It might be difficult for her to drink from the qtip, and if she's injured she'll need as much fluids as she can get so you'll want to make it easier for her.

If she has an external injury that's bleeding, then it may be possible to stop it with a small amount of cornstarch or flour (since spider injuries don't usually clot unless on joints where the anatomy is designed with valves to stop hemolymph/blood loss) and then water would help her recover loss fluids. But if there's any internal injuries, there's not much that can be done.

So really the best thing I can suggest is the checking for external injuries and offering of plain water. If she's injured, she should be VERY thirsty, so the seeming disinterest in water has me worried, but that's why I'm wondering if she just can't drink from the qtip