I returned home last night at 2030ish Est to find my roomate's T. sp "burgundy" on his back! Checked on him again at 2300ish, and then finally at ~0200 today, only to find he had not moved an inch. Figuring he's such a big guy, it'd take forever to molt, I went to sleep. Waking up at 1000, I found he was still in the same posistion.. upon further investigation, I found he was completely stuck within his molt...
I figured by this point, I'd have to intervene to attempt to save him
I was EXTREMELY careful in moving him, and then with a scalpel and a pair of surgical scissors; I began freeing his segments
(Have a small video example of freeing each leg: but cannot upload it while at work). Snipping the coxa of each leg, I gently grabbed between the metatarsus and tarsus, placing the tweezers at the femur - slowly contracting and extending the leg to simulate proper removal.. to which the T responded to and expanded and contracted with it as well.
Once all segments were safely removed, he spent aprox. 30mins inside of a critical condition ICU (in which he drank deeply):
And then finally; into a enclosure with a water drip (set up like an IV) towards his mouth from above to assist in rehydration while he streaches.
Surgical removal from the molt took aprox. 25 mins (counting the time for pictures, proper doccumentation). His legs seem to be virtually undamaged, though the appearance of right side leg IV causes some concern.
It is too soon to announce failfure or success at this point and time, however, upon my departure to work, he was streaching VERY well. I remain optomistic.
I figured by this point, I'd have to intervene to attempt to save him
I was EXTREMELY careful in moving him, and then with a scalpel and a pair of surgical scissors; I began freeing his segments
(Have a small video example of freeing each leg: but cannot upload it while at work). Snipping the coxa of each leg, I gently grabbed between the metatarsus and tarsus, placing the tweezers at the femur - slowly contracting and extending the leg to simulate proper removal.. to which the T responded to and expanded and contracted with it as well.
Once all segments were safely removed, he spent aprox. 30mins inside of a critical condition ICU (in which he drank deeply):
And then finally; into a enclosure with a water drip (set up like an IV) towards his mouth from above to assist in rehydration while he streaches.
Surgical removal from the molt took aprox. 25 mins (counting the time for pictures, proper doccumentation). His legs seem to be virtually undamaged, though the appearance of right side leg IV causes some concern.
It is too soon to announce failfure or success at this point and time, however, upon my departure to work, he was streaching VERY well. I remain optomistic.