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T's legs sticking straight up in the air. Deformed ?!

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  • T's legs sticking straight up in the air. Deformed ?!

    Okay.. I am completley BAFFLED at this one. On tuesday I recieved 3 spiderlings in the mail, of which... one of them was a Lasiodora parahybana.

    I don't know much about this spieces except what I have read on care sheets.. and I had never seen a spiderling before.

    Well when it arrived.. it didn't move much.. and it appeared as though a couple of it's front legs were sticking straight up in the air.. and it seemed to walk with it's back two legs not touching the ground at all. I was confused.. was told that "stiff legs" might be due to a pre moult syndrom, etc.. or maybe it got too cold for it duing shipping.

    Well.. yesterday a day after it arrived, it moulted. I watched this my self. Ever since it moulted.. it's legs span seemed VERY long. I saw it walk shortly after it moulted though.. and it seemed to walk fine. Next time I come in and check on it.. it's "laying" down.. and it's legs look like spaghetti.. they really seem too long for it... however, this may be normal for this spieces, I don't know.

    Well... after a 3 or 4 hour nap this afternoon.. I come into my spider room to see how my lovelies are doing.... and my L. parahybana has got all it's legs stuck up in the air ! It looks SO freakish....

    I am really scared. I feel so bad for he little guy. Its legs were stuck up in the air when it first arrived.. but it seemed to walk okay after 3 or 4 hours while it warmed up. But it's legs never looked to function properly.

    Has this happened to anyone else ? I am seriously so confused. After the moult I witnessed it walking somewhat normally...

    Could this be birth defect or what ? The temperature in the room has been between 80-84.

    Now, the spider seems like it's still alive.. but it's legs don't work. If that is possible ? I am "moving" it with a stick.. and of course, it isn't responding.. but I feel like it's still alive. One if it's front legs twitched a little bit when i tapped one if it's legs.

    I guess this guy is a gonner. Either way, I am going to give it a day to see if it miraciously has fixed legs.

    Any insights ?

    Thanks,
    Jeni

  • #2
    Hi, i recently had this happen with 2 of my adult P.regalis, they were exposed to the cold for too long and were showing the exact symptoms as youve discribed. they were alive but could barely walk!!!!. they have both moulted out now, and one of them seems ok, not as flighty as you would normally expect from P.regalis, but shes getting about ok, just hoping she can feed and get through to another moult??? i think if its kept warm enough and has enough humidity it should be ok??? im just hoping she can make another moult, everything seems to be working fine, but she's just not as rapid as usuall, maybe someone with more experience or one of the BTS committee can shed more light on this???? cheers....neil

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    • #3
      I am pretty certain it is dead =( I took it out on the counter.. and it's legs turned back down (which look really deformed).. but it didn't move.. and showed no signs of life.
      It's just weird that it was walking fine after the moult....=(

      All well... I guess the cold just damaged it's legs for good. Shame.... I would order another L.P sling, but I am scared that it will get too cold again !

      - Jeni

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      • #4
        Hi,
        mouting is a particularly difficut time for all spiders. It is the most stressful times of their lives. It is not unusual for a spider to become stuck in its old skin during a moult. This leads to all sorts of problems and often results in the spider dieing or shedding legs. If the humidity or temperature is not quite right then problems may also occur. It is also tempting to try an assit the spider but there is very little you can do. However please dont panic and be put off by this. We have all had spiders experience difficult moults. The species you describe is a fairly robust creature and I am sure your next spiderling will be fine.

        Ray Hale (BTS Commitee)
        British Tarantula Society - Join today safe and secure online

        [B]
        The 29th BTS Annual Exhibition
        On
        [B]Sunday 18th May 2014[B]

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        • #5
          Hi everyone.

          I got a lovely thorough reply from Staney A. Schultz (the tarantula keepers guide) a few hours after I sent him an e-mail explaining the situation. I'll copy and paste !

          An immediate molt such as that would not have had time to repair any
          damage, and the fact that the tarantula was in the process of molting
          during shipment made it particularly susceptible to injury.

          Any deformations that you saw were probably due to the new exoskeleton
          still being very pliable and unable to hold its true shape in the face of
          stress placed on it by the tarantula as it got weaker and weaker.

          If it were injureed during shipment it could have taken a short period to
          finally die. This also happens to people in car accidents. They may have
          received a hit on the head or be bleeding internally and not show obvious
          symptoms for hours or even a day or two. (Always go to the hospital after
          a car accident or other traumatic incident so the emergency docs can look
          for things like this.)



          Poor little guy.
          Don't worry, I am not put off. I like spiderlings a lot .. just they are so fragile !

          Thanks

          - Jeni Peck

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