Novice needing help with my baby GBB :(

[Josieelder]

Hello all, first time here and I need help!
My 1 year old GBB appears to have broken/disfigured a leg. He was in pre molt for a good month, all webbed up inside an ornament before finally molting and recovering out of the house he'd built.
He's very shy and skittish and still a small baby. I've had him since November and although he's getting bigger and more confident, I don't handle him, just admire him through the glass.
After he molted about 3 weeks I noticed he was standing awkwardly with one leg bent beneath him at a strange angle, I gave it a few days of monitoring but as he hides away a lot it was hard to tell whether the leg was a cause for concern, I've been keeping an eye on him but he's always awkwardly wedged somewhere in the tank, making webs and doing his own thing, so it's never easy to see him spread out and I don't like to disturb him and wreck his webs and home.
Well last night I saw him out in all his glory and his leg is defiantly broken and awkwardly contorted around his body. It looks awful and I have no ideas how he managed it. The only things I can think of are a molting incident, a fall or he was attacked by a cricket.
I have also read that his leg could still be trapped inside exo that he couldn't wriggle out of during molt and the "norm" is to cut their leg off which will mortify me
He is eating very well, drinking and walking about like nothing is wrong but I don't want to just ignore the fact that this could be a very horrible problem.
I also read that the next time he molts the leg could recover but it will be unlikely.

I'm pretty sad about the whole thing, probably more sad than poor Rags (Rags is his name)

Any advice please? Also I'll snap a few photos of him

Josie x

 

[Gman32176]

No need to worry. A single leg is fine. Probably got scrunched up after his molt, atleast that'd be my guess. If it's bad enough to get in his way, he'll probably drop it. If not, he should be fine after his next molt.

Side note: I'm still a noob to the hobby. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

 

[Josieelder]

No need to worry. A single leg is fine. Probably got scrunched up after his molt, atleast that'd be my guess. If it's bad enough to get in his way, he'll probably drop it. If not, he should be fine after his next molt.

Side note: I'm still a noob to the hobby. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

He appears very healthy and looks very well except that one leg. Can They just drop legs at will???

 

[BobBarley]

Can They just drop legs at will???

Pretty much yes. One leg missing will not hinder it at all.

 

[Gman32176]

He appears very healthy and looks very well except that one leg. Can They just drop legs at will???

They can indeed. Amazing little creatures. I usually hear it described as being like a valve right where the leg attaches to the body. They close it to stop the flow of hemolymph and the leg just drops off. More or less. Like this is a very basic description, and probably has a few problems with it. But yea. no need to worry.

 

[cold blood]

That leg will have no effect...its just a leg. They can lose many legs and not miss a beat. One bad leg is like you getting a bad haircut...mildly irritating maybe, but not something you would need medical assistance for.

Two-legged Avic

• cold blood
• Oct 15, 2016
• 8
• avicularia avicularia avicularia missing legs pinktoe tarantula sling

A. avic 2 legs is better than none. Fully recovered now.

Even this one made it just fine with only 2 legs.

 

[cold blood]

He appears very healthy and looks very well except that one leg. Can They just drop legs at will???

It will likely self amputate the damaged limb.

 

[Josieelder]

Pretty much yes. One leg missing will not hinder it at all.

Daft question but will he just remove the leg himself? Will the leg just fall off naturally or do I have to get it professionally removed?

 

[cold blood]

It will likely self amputate the damaged limb.

Daft question but will he just remove the leg himself? Will the leg just fall off naturally or do I have to get it professionally removed?

 

[Josieelder]

That leg will have no effect...its just a leg. They can lose many legs and not miss a beat. One bad leg is like you getting a bad haircut...mildly irritating maybe, but not something you would need medical assistance for.

Two-legged Avic

• cold blood
• Oct 15, 2016
• 8
• avicularia avicularia avicularia missing legs pinktoe tarantula sling

A. avic 2 legs is better than none. Fully recovered now.

Even this one made it just fine with only 2 legs.

How did that little one lose all of her legs???

 

[BobBarley]

Daft question but will he just remove the leg himself? Will the leg just fall off naturally or do I have to get it professionally removed?

If it causes an annoyance for the spider, it'll remove it itself.... LOL anyone offering to "professionally remove" a tarantula's leg is a scam.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

You have nothing transcendental to worry. Sucks because let's be honest, sucks... no one loves to have 6/7 legged T's, but nothing that a couple of molts can fix :-s

 

[Gman32176]

How did that little one lose all of her legs???

Shows you what a bad molt can do.

 

[cold blood]

How did that little one lose all of her legs???

Bad molt, those 2 were the only ones I could save.

 

[Josieelder]

Pretty much yes. One leg missing will not hinder it at all.

Aww well I hope it all goes smoothly for him then. I've not stopped thinking about it since I saw him properly last nignt and felt like him choosing to be on show for the last 24 hours was him crying for help...his way of saying "oi Mum! Look at my leg, what do I do?!"

I guess my fear is, is he he any pain? I doubt I'll know. I just hope it's something he can sort out.

 

[Gman32176]

Aww well I hope it all goes smoothly for him then. I've not stopped thinking about it since I saw him properly last nignt and felt like him choosing to be on show for the last 24 hours was him crying for help...his way of saying "oi Mum! Look at my f**king leg, what do I do?!"

I guess my fear is, is he he any pain? I doubt I'll know. I just hope it's something he can sort out.

Trust us, he'll be fine. I doubt he's in any pain either. If he was, surely he'd drop it even sooner. Good that you're concerned though. That's the proper response when you're not aware how the whole leg thing goes for spiders.

 

[Josieelder]

Bad molt, those 2 were the only ones I could save.

Coor, poor thing. Has it regenerated it's legs again or is this all recent?

 

[Josieelder]

You have nothing transcendental to worry. Sucks because let's be honest, sucks... no one loves to have 6/7 legged T's, but nothing that a couple of molts can fix :-s

This all puts my mind at ease. Ooh I'd love him even if he was just a set of fangs in a tank! My concern was stress, pain, discomfort ect...I wouldn't want him to die knowing there may have been something I could have done. He's my first and only and I although I did loads of research when I got him, this is all so new to me...I'm a new mother haha!

 

[cold blood]

This was the following molt

Formerly Johnny 2 legs

• cold blood
• Oct 15, 2016
• 3
• avicularia avicularia avicularia pinktoe tarantula sling

Formerly Johnny 2 legs. This is the recovered avic avic.

This is pretty current.

Resized952017030195121305

• cold blood
• Mar 1, 2017

Johnny 2 legs finally got an actual enclosure to enjoy...the recovery process and growth of this...

 

[Josieelder]

If it causes an annoyance for the spider, it'll remove it itself.... LOL anyone offering to "professionally remove" a tarantula's leg is a scam.

Meh I was thinking a vet with scissors. Then maybe I could put Rags in a little wheelchair and push him home after. If the leg was salvaged maybe a vet could wrap it in a little plaster cast and give him crutches