Tarantulas abdomen stuck in molt.

[Dark241993]

My GBB started molting last night, this morning all her legs were out of her exoskeleton but the abdomen was still attached and was dragging the whole molt around. Very carefully and with a lot of time I was able to remove most of it, but there looks to be a cyst on the left side of the abdomen and some of the molt is still attached that I couldn't remove. She is alive, nothing has been lost or hurt from what I can see but I thought it best to let it be and put her into an ICU and there she has stayed for 8 hours. I just got home from w.e. and have only now had the time to post this. She looks weak, but alive still. I am not sure how to proceed from here, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, how long should she stay in the ICU?

 

[Thegloryfades]

I personally have no advice but pictures would help some of the more experienced members help you

 

[Embers To Ashes]

moisen the molt. Keep her hidrated. Make sure she has a water dish.

 

[newspidermom]

As long as you don't see any bleeding or leaking of fluids ánd you know it's still alive I'd say all you can do is keep an eye out. Seeming weak is actually normal even with a smooth molt. It takes alot out of them. I'm guessing the "cyst" you're seeing might be a raw spot where the old skin was stuck. It's hard to say without pics. I know ICUs can be good for most situations, but I'd be careful not to allow the humidity or moisture in the ICU to get too high. If there is a raw spot it really needs a chance to harden back up.. the sooner the better. Too much humidity right after a molt might deter that. I hope all turns out well.

---------- Post added at 08:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:28 PM ----------

oh...and as far as the piece of molt still attached I wouldn't worry too much about as long as it's not detering movement or drinking and eating. It actually might act as a patch to an othrwise raw spot. It might fall off on it's own or shed off with the next molt.

 

[Dark241993]

How would you suggest moving her back to her inclosure then? When I moved her out of it i used a plastic spatula so it would be flat but now she will probably move...

 

[nesok]

Is there any way you can put the ICU in her enclosure and let her leave when she's ready?

 

[kean]

every time they molt they will really look weak.. they look soft and won't move much.. so that's pretty normal.. i suggest you bring her back to her enclosure and just provide a water dish.. no need for the ICU.. usually the ICU is only used for dehydrated T's.. don't worry about the old molt stuck on her abdomen.. it will be gone the next molt.. i had my experience on that.. a part of the old exoskeleton was stuck after molting.. then after the next molt all is fine..

 

[webbedone]

There is not much you can do considering the area where the old molt is stuck. I would leave it alone and let her be she will need as much rest as she can possibly get. Ohh and prepare to combat MOLD since the old patch is now just dead tissue waiting to be devoured by all sorts of biological nightmares.

 

[curiousme]

How big is this T? Do you have a full water dish available?

Other than those 2 questions, I would say to put it back in the enclosure and leave it be. If the molt is covering up a cyst-like area then I would leave it for the moment. Pictures would really help in this situation. Borrow a camera if you need to, but the cyst is what I/ more experienced keepers would want pics of to help more.

 

[esotericman]

Cyst = falling damage usually.

Putting this species into an ICU for more than a couple of days will kill it. They're quite sensitive to overly wet conditions. Since this species is kept fairly dry, I have no idea where anyone would think you'd have pathological issues.

My suggestion is to cut way the rest of the exoskeleton and just leave what is stuck on the animal to that damaged area. The next molt then will allow it to hopefully molt out more normally. Once things have calmed down for you and the animal, you'll want to search for terms like "ulcer, blister, cyst" and read those posts. I would suggest keeping the feeding down to a minimum so the next molt takes a bit longer to be reached, allowing the new exoskeleton plenty of time to form.

And I agree, pictures would be helpful, but don't stress the animal out any more than you need to.