P ornata legs stuck in molt, please advise

[Natalya Boothe]

My 3 inch P ornata has three front legs stuck in its molt. I just looked in on it for the first time in 4 or 5 days since I knew it was in premolt and was just leaving it alone. But I think it molted days ago since its fangs are no longer white. Both its pedipalps are out, and it looks like a back foot is broken. Its already hardened, so I would like some advice on how to assist it.

Ive been doing some reading and because its hardened, it will have to break off those three legs, correct? Should I leave it alone to break them off, or should I pin down the molt so it can break them then? Ive never had to deal with this before and I am nervous. Thankfully its fangs, lungs and abdomen are free

Ive been dribbling water down the side of the enclosure to it and its been drinking. It hasnt been able to get water after its molt since it cant move. I dont know whether I should move it to a container so it can get water easier, or leave it in its home so it doesnt get stressed out.

 

[Tbone192]

This is a rough situation but your T should be able to remove it's legs on its own and they will recover slowly. Keep the enclosure a bit more humid than usual, not swamp, and try to get a water dish close to your ornata. I seriously hope the best for you and your spider

 

[viper69]

Wait

 

[Natalya Boothe]

Thank you for answering. I put another water dish in on the ground near it, as its old one was glued to the wood high up. I put it in a dark place and will leave it alone.

 

[fcat]

Fangs being black means it's too risky for you to try to intervene. Like Viper says, wait. They will safely amputate on her own if needed and you could do damage to your T or worse.

 

[Natalya Boothe]

Update: I got up at six this morning to check on her, and saw she had gotten two of the three legs out of the molt. She was pushing at the molt to get the last one out, so I left her alone. She has changed positions several times, but she seems to be dragging the molt around with her so I think the last leg is still stuck. Shes all bunched up in the corner so I cant see for sure.

I noticed she has spit up a clear liquid and was browsing threads here to find an answer. Could it be a grooming response due to her messed up legs? Or a trauma response? Im curious if anyone has seen this happen after a stressful molt. I hope its not signs of anything more serious.

Update: It was just for grooming. She's detached the legs of the molt from the rest, but her feet are still stuck in them. So now she's walking around with what looks like 3 extra long legs. Thank you for all your advice, you all kept me from intervening unnecessarily.

 

[darkness975]

Update: It was just for grooming. She's detached the legs of the molt from the rest, but her feet are still stuck in them. So now she's walking around with what looks like 3 extra long legs. Thank you for all your advice, you all kept me from intervening unnecessarily.

Promising.

 

[Brewser]

Hope Springs Eternal

 

[LilithArachne]

Slowly but surely!

 

[Natalya Boothe]

Update: Molted today, and I learned (again) that spiders know what they are doing and I just need to relax and wait. It ripped off one leg before hand, R1, and its already started growing back from this molt.

After the molt, it ripped off leg L1, and L4 was stuck deep in the molt. It dragged the molt around for a few hours, and I got really nervous when I saw a drop of blood at the joint, as if the leg were coming off wrong. But it dropped the leg not ten minutes ago, and is now relaxing. One successful molt down!

Side note: the purple is really coming on, theres a lovely ring around the carapace, and a shimmer on the femurs and chelicerae. Its one of the most beautiful spiders Ive ever seen. Doesnt show up great in pictures, sadly, but I'll try to get a good one

Got some pics of her when she came out on the log today. You can see the new leg on the upper right