OH NOO..my p. metalica!!

[cacoseraph]

and THAT is why it is great to have a big local group! i could pretty easily arrange for someone to watch my bugs.



another thing that has occurred to me... poeci's aren't the most casual spider... i would really only want someone taking care of my poeci's that was not likely to mess up and get bit

 

[jonie]

I had an Avicularia spp which had this, and the next moult fixed it, nothing to worry about.
depending on its size, and how long it was since she moulted with your freind, she may be waiting to moult again. Even if she isn't remember there is no set timetable for them to eat in the wild, and feeding her a little less will only mean she makes the most of what she gets.
On a said note, her Abdomen does look a little thin.

 

[curiousme]

I would love to see a pic that is a close-up of the problem legs. Or at least one that you can zoom in on.

Do you know when she molted last? Also, what humidity measures are you taking with her right now?

 

[whitehaze2008]

Also

I would keep it a bit on the dry side to keep any kind of infection setting in.

Remember if you feed with anoles you can use a thread to tie their jaws shut. These animals have incredible strength in their jaws and can do some serious damage if they get an abdomen in them.

I would not feed anoles just from this alone.

and a forwarning to everyone on this board. Never ever ever feed tarantulas those blue tailed skinks.....I lost an adult female GBB and an adult Rose Hair after feeding these animals to them. They must be poisonous.

 

[fangsalot]

i told him everything he needed to know to care for her.there was no way to get a hold of me for the last 3 months he had her(i was going through some issues,NO0 I WASNT IN JAIL)i did give him this site address in case he had any questions.he knew about the not feeding during molt and i told him not to feed her for a few days after molt just to be on the safe side.he claims after that molt period he fed her but would just find dead crickets, thats when he tried the lizards.she didnt eat them either.thats when he tried the lizard on pliers thing and it worked.honestly,she wasnt ever a voracious eater.i tried tong feeding but she would just scurry away.i now raised the temp in her enclosure and she just actually starting coming out of her hidespot more(ive only seen her twice walking around in 3 yrs)im going to try crickets again in a couple days,see what happens.as soon as i get my usb for my digi cam from my sons mothers house ill take closeup pics.now i totally understand that i shouldnt feed her lizards,but what if she wont eat the crickets?what then?my gooty is such a diva,,geez.

 

[fangsalot]

anyone?she just wants the the lizards on the pliers.im using smaller lizards hopefully so they wont hurt her anymore and im catching the lizards in an overgrown empty lot hoping there are no pesticides.

 

[Venari]

Do you have access to roaches? but then, if you're in florida, probably not legally.

just make sure she has a full water dish, and try feeding at least once a week. If she turns down food, just take the crix out the next day (try not to get tagged!)

 

[dougle]

dougle

My 1 and only P.Metallica so how broke its front leg during the last molt , so I know how you feel , its a juvi right now about 1 inch , got it when it was just a spiderling , its still doing well and I pretty sure it will grow back healthy with the next few molts.

 

[Ritzman]

Yea, I agree with never letting your friend watch your Ts. I had this happen to an A. versicolor before. She got webbing stuck around her back foot ant the next day it looked just like your P. metallica. I have pics somewhere. After the next molt she was fine.
Interesting though. A T that only wants Lizards on Hemos...

 

[Hobo]

Don't feed it wild caught lizards. Try crickets on pliers (or get yourself some decent tongs). If not, just try feeding every 2 weeks. She doesn't look starving so you don't have to worry.

But don't feed wild caught. If you ever feel like you have too, just look at her legs.

 

[SDiego]

I'd ease up on the friend. Look at the facts.

Even if the friend made an error in judgment, it was nice of her/him to babysit, for free, a defensive arboreal tarantula with a somewhat potent bite.

What's more, he went out of his way to ensure your spider lived. He couldn't get hold of you. The spider stops eating crickets. Sure, maybe he could have done some research, but man, he went through the trouble to catch some wild bugs, and secure them so your tarantula would eat them. And he did this for half a year while misting the cage as well.

Even with the mistakes, that sounds like a pretty nice friend who did quite a bit of work, and performed the best he could to ensure your spider lived while you were gone.

 

[BrynWilliams]

you may wish to ask your buddy if she tried to escape when he opened the enclosures at any stage?

I've seen those injuries at my LPS all to often and it's getting the toes caught in a lid being put on while the T is try to get out

just a potential

 

[fangsalot]

yeah,i guess he did what he had to do.he knew how important she is to me,after all i got rid of all my Ts and just kept her.im still trying the crickets.but i am thinkin if i really have to,offering small lizards as not to cause damage to her when she pounces on them.im not sure about crickets on the pliers,,the crickets would be crushed and as soon as i offer them with tongs she just scurries away and wants nothin to do with end of the tongs nomatter whats at the end of them.the "injury" on her legs arent getting worse and im waiting for her to molt and see what happens.and i asked my friend if she escaped or was close to escaping and he said no.she just stayed behind her corkbark whenever the front of her cage was open.

 

[Malhavoc's]

The injury itself doesnt look bad at all, It looks more like missing hair then actual damage to the carapce so completly superficcia, it could simply be as stated, an anole bite or pinched/caught toes somewhere, either way that far down th leg if it was sever 90% chance she'd of thrown the leg, as to what she is eating if you are worried avour lizards, try larger roaches it could be becoming an issue of crix being too small.

 

[fangsalot]

hmmm maybe the crix are too small,but getting roaches here in florida is almost impossible.

 

[Malhavoc's]

ever checked a motel?

 

[fangsalot]

ever checked a motel?

lol..i mean getting someone to ship them to me:}

 

[splangy]

ever checked a motel?

gross!!:barf:

 

[fangsalot]

alright..so a big negative on crickets,and mealworms clamped on the end of pliers.all she wants are them darn lizards! >;( her abdomen was shrinking and i had to do something.5 minutes of introducing the lizard and me giving her some privacy she goes for it.im giving her small lizards as not to cause anyfurther damage to her legs.she hasnt molted yet but as you can imagine im soo looking foward to see if the legs get better with the next molt.i caught her once drinking water(first time ive seen her drink) so she is well hydrated.

 

[robd]

Her being well hydrated is the most important thing in all of this and since you've got that going I'd say all in all she's in pretty good shape. As stated earlier in this thread, T's certainly don't need to eat every day or even every week or month. In the wild, you'd probably imagine a T only comes across potential food every so often.

I understand your concern, as you have an adult female of one of the most treasured T's in the hobby, but she can be weaned off of the lizards. Of this I am sure.

I am currently administering out some tough love to my new adult female A geniculata who is accustomed to eating baby bearded dragons and whatever else the losers at the Aquatic Critter in Nashville used to feed her. Tonight, I caught her munching on a B dubia as she finally gave in.