Stuck shed help!!!

[Sterlingspider]

Just found my a metallica stuck mid shed between a feature and a wall. Not even sure it's alive but I got it out and got the shed off. It's in icu so I can't tell if moisture is from a rupture or from water but it seems very deflated so I suspect a rupture I'm just not seeing.
Worried I didn't get the booklungs out properly but I fear to pull on anything. Can anyone tell from this picture?

edit:I cleared as much of that white as I could, I'm pretty sure that was unshed booklung. Its back on its belly in ICU, so fingers crossed I guess.

This is it for avics. I know tarantulas arent exactly the brightest creatres but avics dont even seem to be able to do the basic things necessary to keep themselves alive. I have never had one that bothered to even look for food, water, or a sane place to shed.

 

[darkness975]

You got it out of the shed and stuck it in an ICU?

Not sure moving it to an ICU was the best idea. I have little faith in the whole ICU idea under most circumstances since that much moisture is detrimental to a great many species, especially arid ones.

While not hailing from the middle of the Sahara Desert, Avics do better in more dry conditions than many appear to keep them in so I would be concerned about its health even if it were not suffering from a bad molt if it were placed in such moist conditions.

My $0.02

 

[Sterlingspider]

I had to move her to ICU to get the shed off either way. I wasnt taking the chance that it had dried to her and removing the skin would cause a fresh rupture. Thankfully all legs were out completely.

This particular T seems to get dehydrated pretty often and based on the skinniness of the legs I felt either dehydration or a rupture was almost certainly a factor. If its the former an ICU will help, if its the latter she's probably already dead.

I have never had a non MM tarantula less interested in its own survival.

You got it out of the shed and stuck it in an ICU?

Not sure moving it to an ICU was the best idea. I have little faith in the whole ICU idea under most circumstances since that much moisture is detrimental to a great many species, especially arid ones.

While not hailing from the middle of the Sahara Desert, Avics do better in more dry conditions than many appear to keep them in so I would be concerned about its health even if it were not suffering from a bad molt if it were placed in such moist conditions.

My $0.02

 

[darkness975]

I had to move her to ICU to get the shed off either way. I wasnt taking the chance that it had dried to her and removing the skin would cause a fresh rupture. Thankfully all legs were out completely.

This particular T seems to get dehydrated pretty often and based on the skinniness of the legs I felt either dehydration or a rupture was almost certainly a factor. If its the former an ICU will help, if its the latter she's probably already dead.

I have never had a non MM tarantula less interested in its own survival.

Giving a dehydrated Tarantula water directly is more effective.

 

[Sterlingspider]

So what is your recommendation?
Dry enclosure on the back with wetted mouthparts? Some other setup?

Giving a dehydrated Tarantula water directly is more effective.

 

[Sterlingspider]

I've seen some slight movement which I don't *think* is just fluid mechanics so I'm not writing her off yet.

If there are any different concrete recommendations for care you could offer that would be pretty helpful.

 

[Andrea82]

It is difficult to give concrete advice, because everything I know of what you could do, could also harm or kill the spider. Moving it so shortly after molting is not good since probably hasn't hardened up enough yet, so damage is done quickly. But not moving is also not good since she needs your help.

Maybe keep her dry on her back, and drop some water on the mouthparts will help to make up for dehydration. That is all I can think of really. For the molting problems or leaking haemolymph, I have no idea..

 

[Sterlingspider]

Abdomen seems to be maintaining shape and exo is darkening from that shedding grey blue as expected, so I flipped her over onto a fresh dry paper towel at the bottom of her cage and wetted her mouthparts.

She didn't deathcurl at all so I am hopeful it's just exhaustion. I've pulled MMs back from situations that looked worse.

She shed from a web sling at the top of her enclosure and I guess fell through a gap into completely open air. The legs were stuck to the sling so she ended up dangling facedown and kind of sideways from her still unmolted abdomen between some corkbark and her tank wall. *headshake*

Even if she *had* gotten out on her own she would have face-planted into the bottom. Not a far drop, but still not the best idea.

 

[Sterlingspider]

Dead tarantulas don't wig out when you give them water so I guess that answers that.
Not out of the woods yet, but that is MASSIVELY encouraging.

 

[cold blood]

Are you positive its not a MM...we can't see the palps, but I could swear I see tibial hooks.

 

[Ghost56]

Are you positive its not a MM...we can't see the palps, but I could swear I see tibial hooks.

I noticed that too, and I'm not sure if I'm just confused from being tired or what but the legs look twisted 180 degrees on the left.?

 

[Ghost56]

Not sure if cold blood is seeing what I was seeing, but after looking I think that's just a piece of substrate in the background that looks like a hook. It'd be on the wrong leg as well so definitely not a hook. At least what I thought was the hook anyways.

 

[Sterlingspider]

Definitely not a MM and you're right about the twisted legs. She (presumably since she's a little over 5yo at this point) is really jacked up. Not sure how long she was hanging but she unquestionably started hardening and her legs are definitely not positioned or moving correctly. She's still fluffing out her "fur" but her legs are much skinnier looking than the shed and several of her joints appear locked.
She *is* moving on her own, but it looks torturous. I think I'm going to give her a few days to harden and then transfer her to a terrestrial style tank so she can move about a little easier. Im REALLY hoping she can eat on her own as I'm not keen on the idea of purée-ing enough crickets to power feed her to her next shed :/

 

[Sterlingspider]

And of course I have a g rosea shedding RIGHT NOW who I've had for all of two days. No pressure, right?
S/he is missing a limb (that's why I got it in the first place, shop didn't think it would sell) and it picked the inside of a wee small hide to shed *smh*
No progress since 5pm and now that I have to go to bed I'm sure it'll start active shedding any minute.

 

[Sterlingspider]

Of course she's picked the *most* awkward unphotographable position ever which allows me zero access to her without forcing her to move, but I think you can get some idea how not right things are from this.
She seems to want to climb so I almost want to put her on her corkbark so she can chill, but I'm afraid she doesn't have the strength or grip to stay on and worried about what will happen if she falls.

 

[Sterlingspider]

On the plus side the Rosie seemed to come through just fine, and the missing leg is even nearly 100%, I even got to sex it and Lucky is now Lady Luck... but sadly I am pretty sure at this point I have lost Honey Pie the avic as of yesterday.
I had hoped the fact that she lasted so many days already meant she was going to pull through, albeit with A LOT of assistance, but I don't believe that to be the case anymore.
She started moving around on her own a bit more but then she started death curling. I brought her back with water a few times but she is no longer responding at all. I had hoped if I could get her to the point where she could eat she'd get her strength up but I don't think it was meant to be.

 

[awiec]

For her recovery cage probably just something lined paper towel may do the job as she presumably is not moving very well and having her drag herself across sub may not be ideal. I think a small cage and a large water bowl should do the trick unless she becomes much better at moving around then a simple terrestrial setup like you planned should work.