Moult crisis in progress... help welcome...

[Cerbera]

Hi people.

11th instar L parahybana has moulted, and has turned itself the right way up, however, the exuvium remains stuck to the top of it somehow. He has tried to crawl away from it several times, but it goes with him. I cannot at all clearly see what is attached where, but he is mobile, and not bleeding from anywhere I can see.

Suggestions on whether to leave him to it, or try and pull the old exo away from him, first with a fine paintbrush, and if appropriate when I get there, tweezers...

Or would you think the stress of the intrusion alone could finish him ? ( spiders, 4 years, and this the first time a moult has gone wrong - I feel suitably out of my experience range, and therefore depth.

All suggestions, especially those arriving very shortly, are most welcome...

At the moment she lies still, presumably recovering from the effort she's just put in trying to escape he former self. It is harder than I thought it would be not to worry.

thanks guys

Jay

 

[Cirith Ungol]

So, the carpace plate is stuck to the new carpace?

Old suggestions "when stuck" have often pointed towards glycerin, which works like a super-lubricant if I'm correct. For starters it could help though to try and raise the humidity (much but carefully as to not spook the T while doing it) and see what happens within 1-2 hours.

If there is anything better I don't know about it.

How large is the specimin? Mature?

 

[Cerbera]

Sub adult - bout 4 - 60 months away from mature, I'd say...

I'm not entirely sure it is stuck to the carapace, or merely resting on it. But she's gonna stress big time if I open up her tank, and nudge it to find out, isn't she ?

I'll up the humidity, and watch on night webcam so she can be in darkness.
Have just attempted rushed photos - will upload in a sec...

Cheers

J

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Sub adult - bout 4 - 60 months away from mature, I'd say...

I'm not entirely sure it is stuck to the carapace, or merely resting on it. But she's gonna stress big time if I open up her tank, and nudge it to find out, isn't she ?

I'll up the humidity, and watch on night webcam so she can be in darkness.
Have just attempted rushed photos - will upload in a sec...

Cheers

J

She'd very likely get stressed. Paras are easily startled by things that move close to them.

 

[edie]

that happened to me with a A. geniculata s'ling.
it had moulted and the skin was stuck to its abdomen, when i tried to take it off it was stuck and i didn't want to hurt anything so i tried to get the humidity up to see if that would help and the next day it was still stuck to it so i cut the skin off leaving what was stuck to its abdomen and it seemed fine, its still on it now and it doesn't seem to bother it

 

[Cerbera]

No - we seem to be stuck at a trochantal joint on the ventral side. Nuts. No wonder it won't come off... heres a pic, such as it is...

Still wait, or go and try to help ? What do you think ? Cheers..

 

[wicked]

If you decide to intervene and can identify where exactly the molt is stuck, a wet/damp Q tip or soft paint brush can be used to moisten and loosen the stuck skin. That 'should' soften it up enough to gently pull it away.
Good luck.

 

[Talkenlate04]

I would just take tweezers and grab the molt at the farthest point from the T and lift up slowly. If the molt is truely stuck to something that did not properly shed you will then know you have a bigger problem because gently lifting the molt is not going to remove it if that is the case. I think its going to come right off with no problem. Just make sure the direction you are lifting is in alinment with that joint and pull gently to see if it gives way some, if not then you will have to work on softening up the skin and repeating the same process.

The longer you wait to try the harder its going to be to get off.

 

[bonesmama]

DEFINATELY moisten it!! I have had many stuck molts successfully peel away after wetting the exuvium-- DO NOT USE TWEEZERS!! As Wicked said, use a moistened paintbrush or q-tip! Try not to freak out, it will probably be okay!

 

[Talkenlate04]

DEFINATELY moisten it!! I have had many stuck molts successfully peel away after wetting the exuvium-- DO NOT USE TWEEZERS!! As Wicked said, use a moistened paintbrush or q-tip! Try not to freak out, it will probably be okay!

There is still part of a leg stuck.... you are not going to get anything done with a paintbush. Its stuck up to a joint. Thats what it looks like in the picture at least. He is going to have to grab part of the cast I would grab the same leg thats involved but at the end and pull gently while keeping alignment. Lightyl misting with roomtemp water might help some as well before pulling that is.
Keep in mind that part might be stuck stuck stuck now and the T is going to have to deal with it but the rest of the skin can be removed.

 

[Daniel_h]

it will most probably come off easily if you wet the bit thats stuck...i have wet several moults to get them to a different position and once they become wet they go very soft.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Hey Cerbera is that leg stuck in the shed still? Thats really what it looks like. I am not to clear though.

 

[bonesmama]

He said the carapace is stuck, Ryan- not a leg. The pic is very deceiving.

 

[Daniel_h]

it is hard to tell whats what in that pic lol

any chance of a different angle...maybe from above?

 

[Talkenlate04]

He said the carapace is stuck, Ryan- not a leg. The pic is very deceiving.

No he did not look at the writing above his picture....... he is saying its stuck up the the top of a joint. He thought carapace at first.

He said
No - we seem to be stuck at a trochantal joint on the ventral side. Nuts. No wonder it won't come off... heres a pic, such as it is...

 

[Talkenlate04]

Ither way. Just take hold of part of the cast skin that you know is free and clear and gently pull up to see where its stuck for sure and see if it gives way. A spray of water I dont think is needed because the skin should come off easily.
And if its good and stuck just remove as much of the cast skin as you can and leave her to figure it out herself.

 

[bkirchner81]

.
.
if the wetting alone fails- get some VERY FINE SCISSORS like a barber would use for touch-ups, then just start nibbling away at the exuvium- leaving a bit attached so you dont cut into her exo.

This just happenned to my A.Metallica sling- I had to hold him down on my hand- fangs pressed against my palm- but everything went well and he just let me cut the old piece away...


The scissors MUST be very pointy and sharp- not large and bulky at all.

Good luck C!

 

[Cerbera]

nope - there are times for fannying about, and this wasn't one of them. Misted thoroughly, but she just could not get out of that moult.

In I went with moist paintbrush, moved stuff around until I could see what was going on, and he was joined at the right I trochantal / joint. I was able to moisten it well with the paintbrush, which he tolerated for a while, and in the end made a break for it, at which point there was small crack, like the snapping of dry twigs, and he ran out from under the moult. Success ?

I don't know - I immediately retrieved the moult and discovered that he had autotomized his leg at the trochanter. It looks to be a clean break, and the spider is of course now free, but with one leg less, which remains, I assume stuck in the moult.

i can't handle that much at the mo due to my hands already being covered in urticators from the faux-surgery attempt.

But he is alive, and I am watching his every heartbeat on webcam to try and make sure he stays that way.

thank you, everyone that did, for your swift responses...

Jay

 

[Talkenlate04]

I have had that happen a few times now....... the molt will happen when I am gone at work or something and I get back and there is one leg still stuck inside..... a few times I have gotten it free but it was deformed a bit from being stuck inside. But most of the time they cast it off as a survival method. Well gimpy shale only be gimpy for a few molts. Not to bad of an outcome unless you consider itching bad lol.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Congrats, considering this could have been worse (and lets hope there is no residual bleeding of any kind).