mold on T's Leg

[kevinarmour]

I have a t. strimi, and so far i have had nothing but trouble from trying to keep the cage at perfect conditions. but that's beside the point... i just bearly changed the substrate to Eco earth but not there was a mold out break the cage even though there was good venting and i removed all the food left overs. i only left the humidity at 60%, previously she had injured her leg becasue she was trying to climb on the top of the cage so she had a so called scab on the knee joint of her leg. when i took her out i saw a white looking powder on it.. so i can only assume the mold spores had sprouted on the scab... i now have her out of the cage and in a plastic container with some dry paper town in the bottom with good ventilation. now i need to know if i need to go out and buy something to kill it or will the dry airy environment take care of it.

 

[iaminside]

i read somewhere to put betadine on the infected area, can help eliminate it if it hasnt already spread to the internal organs.

 

[SamuraiSid]

^ +1. Should be able to pick it up OTC at any drug store. Just use a cotton swab to apply... not sure how your going to apply to a T though.

Taking it out of the moist environment will help reduce fungal growth, but might not reverse it. How old is your T? I heard its possible to acclimatize the swamp dwellers to rosie-like conditions.

 

[kevinarmour]

T.stirmi pulled her leg off

well i have my t. stirmi in ICU because i thought it had mold... now when i got home i was checking on it, and it has pulled one of its legs off and it was a healthy leg not even the one she has injured... so i dont know what im doing wrong,,, the spider has been nothing but trouble.. all i know is i will never buy another T online again... im just going to put her back in her clean cage and hope for the best...

ive read all the books her cage was at the perfect conditions..

 

[Scoolman]

ICU would be a heaven for mold, not a good remedy.
She may injured the leg while in the ICU and decided it best to remove it.

 

[malevolentrobot]

why would you use an ICU for that? i'm having a hard time understanding the methodology behind that. i thought ICUs were only beneficial in cases of dehydration and ambient humidity needed, not the cure all for all tarantula ailments :?

i almost want to hazard saying she knows what she is doing, as the only pulled legs i have ever seen were from spiders discarding an injured leg but i think i have read about it happening for no apparent reason as well.

 

[Shell]

i thought ICUs were only beneficial in cases of dehydration and ambient humidity needed, not the cure all for all tarantula ailments :?

You thought right. However, somewhere along the way the ICU became a "do this for everything that's wrong" type treatment. Sort of like how DKS gets blamed for every single "msytery" death...

 

[Vespula]

I've got an Aphonopelma sling that keeps shedding legs, too. The best thing to do is just trust that the spider knows why she ditched the digit.

 

[malevolentrobot]

You thought right. However, somewhere along the way the ICU became a "do this for everything that's wrong" type treatment. Sort of like how DKS gets blamed for every single "msytery" death...

it does seem like ICUs have taken on a life of their own since my return to the boards. i think this is a good example of when NOT to use one as Scoolman said it would be the perfect environment for mold to proliferate further.

and i like to think of DKS like lupus. house fans will get that.

 

[kevinarmour]

ok first the icu was not super wet like it traditionally is, it was jut a plastic box with some dry paper towel in the bottom at hide spot and a small water dish i had her in dry conditions... i know that mold loves humidity i just had to get her out of the cage. i checked the leg and it seems like she did injure it right now i put a small amount of flour on the wound to dry it up she seems fine shes just weak it looks like. so i have her in a dark quiet room

 

[malevolentrobot]

ok first the icu was not super wet like it traditionally is, it was jut a plastic box with some dry paper towel in the bottom at hide spot and a small water dish i had her in dry conditions... i know that mold loves humidity i just had to get her out of the cage. i checked the leg and it seems like she did injure it right now i put a small amount of flour on the wound to dry it up she seems fine shes just weak it looks like. so i have her in a dark quiet room

why call it an ICU then? i'm sorry if my response sounded rude but your wording led me to believe something else (the situation that is commonly referred to an ICU involves a damp environment every time i have heard it mentioned). you simply moved her to a different enclosure.

anyway, i see you've added more information for clarity. again i will state that tarantulas will often pull injured legs to preserve themselves. i have not dealt extensively with mold though, so i will let someone else more experienced take over and chime in now

 

[Shell]

why call it an ICU then? i'm sorry if my response sounded rude but your wording led me to believe something else (the situation that is commonly referred to an ICU involves a damp environment every time i have heard it mentioned). you simply moved her to a different enclosure.

anyway, i see you've added more information for clarity. again i will state that tarantulas will often pull injured legs to preserve themselves. i have not dealt extensively with mold though, so i will let someone else more experienced take over and chime in now

Again, I'm going to agree. An ICU is intended to be a warm, moist environment meant for re-hydration. Hence why we questioned that, certainly not to be rude, but to try and understand.

 

[Scoolman]

Flour in a warm humid environment is going to mold rapidly. Not a good choice. Is the wound actively leaking? If so a small piece of gauze would work better.

 

[kevinarmour]

I have the humidity very low for now until I know she is healed and she was leaking and I had no gauze