My T's legs are up in the air! Please help!

[Saebrin]

Hi everyone, I was gifted Copper a year ago by a stranger. I don't know the breed but he's a mature male and so gentle. He was a happy spidey just last night and now...

When I found him this morning I freaked out thinking he was dead and although I know a bit about molting and the death curl I panicked and I turned him over, more than once, and I was sure he was dead. I didn't know what I was looking at tbh... he wasn't stiff, and it looked like his abdomen was molting, and then he moved when my paintbrush touched him underneath and it gave me hope... But then I realised I'd possibly killed him by interrupting a molt and I just feel utterly terrible.

I've been online all morning and I can't find pics of other spiders molting this way...
The pics show him last night (I don't usually take pics so what a coincidence) and then this morning... What is happening to him? Is this normal? It's been 3 hours and he hasn't moved at all.. Is there a chance he'll be okay?

Please don't tell me I shouldn't have touched him... I've been crying on and off and I feel terrible and utterly incompetent already.

 

[Dorifto]

He is trying to molt, unfortunatelly most die in the attempt. You can only raise the moisture or manually help to release their emboli, the main cause why they get stuck

 

[Saebrin]

Gosh, okay. Thank you. I've increased the humidity and now I'm hoping for the best.

 

[arthurliuyz]

Any updates?

 

[curtisgiganteus]

It’s a mature male, most don’t live through a molt after they mature.

 

[Saebrin]

I did what I could... Created an ICU and brushed him gently to see if the carapace was loose... But I couldn't help him at all. I gave him another day but nothing changed.

I couldn't stand to see him suffer any longer and read that putting him in the freezer would be a kindness. So I did. I could never have squashed him.

I only had him for a year. I don't know what else to say, it's been a horrible experience.

 

[arthurliuyz]

I did what I could... Created an ICU

Just FYI, ICUs are normally not recommended here as the stagnant air may cause it to turn into a death trap.

 

[Saebrin]

Thank you. I read that if the humidity was too high I would drown him so I created an ICU with quite a bit of ventilation. Maybe that was wrong? I was trying to increase the humidity because that was what was recommended? His enclosure was quite dry - if his soil was slightly wet he'd climb the walls in a panic so I kept his water full and only wet the area around the water "bowl".

 

[arthurliuyz]

Thank you. I read that if the humidity was too high I would drown him so I created an ICU with quite a bit of ventilation. Maybe that was wrong? I was trying to increase the humidity because that was what was recommended? His enclosure was quite dry - if his soil was slightly wet he'd climb the walls in a panic so I kept his water full and only wet the area around the water "bowl".

Next time you could try to put its mouthpart in a water dish if you think it is dehydrated. As long as you don't put its books lungs underwater, it will not drown.

 

[Saebrin]

I honestly didn't know what to do but thank you, I'll keep that in mind. Hopefully I won't be in this situation again.

 

[Saebrin]

Next time you could try to put its mouthpart in a water dish if you think it is dehydrated. As long as you don't put its books lungs underwater, it will not drown.

I thought the ICU was meant to soften the exoskeleton and help him break free?

 

[arthurliuyz]

I thought the ICU was meant to soften the exoskeleton and help him break free?

My mistake. The method I provided was for dehydration.
IIRC external moisture won't do much when a t is molting, they depend on internal moisture.

 

[Dorifto]

My mistake. The method I provided was for dehydration.
IIRC external moisture won't do much when a t is molting, they depend on internal moisture.

Incorrect.

External moisture will determine the rate of evaporation of the internal moisture.

Internal moisture it's the most important part to have a succesful and easy molting process, but external conditions also play a big role on it.

If the conditions are dry enough, it could desicate much quicker that internal lubrication, that otherwise will took way longer to evaporate, leaving a T with the molt stuck on it.

That's why it's recommended to raise the moisture level if your T it's having a hard time. Not because it could hydrate them, because it won't, but because it will give them longer time and better conditions to molt properly

 

[Saebrin]

Oh, I see. That's interesting. I didn't know he was going to molt. He was pretty mobile and it wasn't strange for him to skip a meal or two. He preferred dry conditions... Had I known, should I have misted his soil or something?

 

[Dorifto]

Oh, I see. That's interesting. I didn't know he was going to molt. He was pretty mobile and it wasn't strange for him to skip a meal or two. He preferred dry conditions... Had I known, should I have misted his soil or something?

If your climatic conditions are dry enough, a moist spot helps them a bit. A bit, not too moist. Neither extremes are good.

 

[Saebrin]

Sigh. So many regrets I have... Thank you everyone for your input. I really appreciate it.

 

[Dorifto]

Sigh. So many regrets I have... Thank you everyone for your input. I really appreciate it.

Personally, you couldn't do much more. 99'9 percent of the time they die before trying to molt again after maturing, and if they try to molt the fail 99'9 percent of the time, since their embolis get stuck and they can't fully shed their bodies before they get stuck on it.

The only time I saw cases of them to succesfully molt after maturing, it was loosing their pedipalps or at least partially amputating a part of it. So the only thing you could have done to it was to manually release their emboli, probably causing a "serious" injury to it.

So don't have any remorse, you did the best you can.

 

[Saebrin]

Gosh, okay... That's reassuring...
When you initially mentioned releasing his emboli manually, I considered it but I couldn't do it... I feared I'd kill him in the process.

Do mature females struggle to molt as well?

 

[Dorifto]

Gosh, okay... That's reassuring...
When you initially mentioned releasing his emboli manually, I considered it but I couldn't do it... I feared I'd kill him in the process.

Do mature females struggle to molt as well?

Every T could struggle with the incorrect conditions or improper care, like poor hydration. But usually they manage to do it succesfully without much of a problem.

Females don't develop embolis, so even it's matured, they won't have such handicap. In case they struggle to molt properly it will be more likely due to an incorrect husbandry or an internal problem.

 

[Matt Man]

it's a mature male, the molt AFTER they hook out is typically fatal.