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Vittata has lost a leg ☹️

Cody-Myles

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3 Year Member
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126
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Burntwood, Staffordshire
I never expected to ever have this happen to one of my Ts but I came home from work and checked on my Ts as I normally do and my vittata has lost her leg. How?, she hasn't been doing anything and hasn't been wrestling prey, nor has she got it trapped anywhere so I don't understand?!.
52152b8463448187111f26b8983dffb2.jpg



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Metalman2004

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Well the good news as you know is that it’ll grow back.

Is it a new to you T? I had a B auratum get hurt in shipping to me and hold onto a hurt leg for almost 3 weeks before it self amputated.
 

Cody-Myles

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126
Location
Burntwood, Staffordshire
Well the good news as you know is that it’ll grow back.

Is it a new to you T? I had a B auratum get hurt in shipping to me and hold onto a hurt leg for almost 3 weeks before it self amputated.
I've had 'her' since the end of November, she refused her last meal but I think she is in pre moult. Or maybe she has injured it at some point and finally decided to drop it.
She was shop-bought too where I have bought my other 3 from and they're fine. She freaked out a little when she went to take down a mealworm, first time she'd been given one, always fed crickets before that so maybe she injured it fighting the MW?!


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Enn49

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Is that the leg at the top of the container? Maybe she has got it trapped in the lid. I always give my little Ts a quick blow or nudge to get them away from the rim before I screw those tops on.
 

PanzoN88

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My male B. sabulosum used to self amputate and to this day i never found out why, but he was perfectly fine and still is several molts later. He is nearing that home stretch now. Most cases of self amputation usually don't affect the tarantula in any way. My B. sabulosum was and still is as defensive as ever.
 

Cody-Myles

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Burntwood, Staffordshire
I always make sure she is well clear of the lid before I take it off or screw it back on, mostly so I don't get a jailbreak or leg trapped (oh the irony).
Will she have normal use of the new leg or does it just 'exist' and she won't have full motor control of it?


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Enn49

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I always make sure she is well clear of the lid before I take it off or screw it back on, mostly so I don't get a jailbreak or leg trapped (oh the irony).
Will she have normal use of the new leg or does it just 'exist' and she won't have full motor control of it?


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She'll have use of it after next moult although it may be lightly smaller than her others but after the 2nd moult you won't know she ever lost it.
 

Cody-Myles

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126
Location
Burntwood, Staffordshire
Oh god that looks weird. Gladly she's still a little sling so she should get a full and normal looking & functioning leg within a few moults. I have watched videos of moulting tarantulas that have lost a leg and it just appears from nowhere lol


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MassExodus

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She'll be a horrid abomination for awhile, dragging her skinny half formed leg around. Just put a sack over her cage so nobody sees her disgusting deformity, you don't need to be cleaning up puke...
And for God's sake stop tearing her legs off.
I'm joking, if that wasn't clear :D she'll be fine. It happens.
 

Cody-Myles

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126
Location
Burntwood, Staffordshire
She'll be a horrid abomination for awhile, dragging her skinny half formed leg around. Just put a sack over her cage so nobody sees her disgusting deformity, you don't need to be cleaning up puke...
And for God's sake stop tearing her legs off.
I'm joking, if that wasn't clear :D she'll be fine. It happens.
Lol yeah I know you're joking. It's kind of hard to notice it tbh at first glance. She has webbed up quite a bit and is currently residing behind her cork bark and has refused her last meal so a moult should be imminent :D


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Whitelightning777

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Maybe consider a safer enclosure where that problem can't happen in the future? There are many vendors with excellent specialty enclosures.

Terra Blue professional makes several sizes. Jamie's has multiple types for all stages of development. ExoTerra makes a good line as well.

A pokie clearly justifies the one time expense that'll pay for itself over and over again.
 

Cody-Myles

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Location
Burntwood, Staffordshire
I have a week off work after today so I'm off out to buy new enclosures for a few of my Ts, zebra knee will need a new one after the next moult, Chaco needs moving to the zebra knees enclosure and I'm gonna pick up a candle lantern that I can adapt into an enclosure for the vittata in question for the next few moult stages. I'm gonna try make it both front door opening and lid opening so I have freedom with how I work on it considering her speed and venom potency. Results of all of these will obviously be posted up. I'm also gonna design and build a background scape for my snakes vivarium cus it's looking a bit bare in there [emoji53]


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Metalman2004

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I have a week off work after today so I'm off out to buy new enclosures for a few of my Ts, zebra knee will need a new one after the next moult, Chaco needs moving to the zebra knees enclosure and I'm gonna pick up a candle lantern that I can adapt into an enclosure for the vittata in question for the next few moult stages. I'm gonna try make it both front door opening and lid opening so I have freedom with how I work on it considering her speed and venom potency. Results of all of these will obviously be posted up. I'm also gonna design and build a background scape for my snakes vivarium cus it's looking a bit bare in there [emoji53]

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Sounds like you have plenty of work ahead of you! Pictures are indeed a must. I am waiting on a few enclosures to come in the mail myself!
 

Whitelightning777

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This is a nice setup for P Vittata. You're aware that they are reputed to get 9"? With the blarney factor unknown, that might turn out to be true. A 9" T in a candle lantern sounds a bit cramped unless it's a pretty big one!!

https://tomsbigspiders.com/2014/04/16/poecilotheria-vittata/

These Exo Terra cages open from the top and the sides both, which can be helpful. Usually when pokies run, they go in circles so opening from the top is best.

I can't confirm that directly because mine had always behaved perfectly during feeding and maintenance.
 

Cody-Myles

Active Member
3 Year Member
Messages
126
Location
Burntwood, Staffordshire
This is a nice setup for P Vittata. You're aware that they are reputed to get 9"? With the blarney factor unknown, that might turn out to be true. A 9" T in a candle lantern sounds a bit cramped unless it's a pretty big one!!

https://tomsbigspiders.com/2014/04/16/poecilotheria-vittata/

These Exo Terra cages open from the top and the sides both, which can be helpful. Usually when pokies run, they go in circles so opening from the top is best.

I can't confirm that directly because mine had always behaved perfectly during feeding and maintenance.
9"?!...............
I thought vittatas reached 7"?!.
Either way, an adequately sized candle lantern will be used when she outgrows this one and for the proceeding few moults, after that she will be housed in her final enclosure which I've decided won't be a candle lantern.
I'm designing a full glass enclosure with opening front door, mesh grill covering half of the top at the back and the front half will be glass, the mesh and glass will be put into runners to make them easy to slide out, I will use plastic runners because metal ones will create noisy friction whenever I remove them so plastic is best, still don't know whether to join the mesh and glass pieces to make one or have them separate so I only have to remove the glass at the front half.
It will be made so I can remove the top piece on its own without opening the front door and visa versa so I can't open one or both.

I'm gonna make it around 14" x 14" x 21" (or there abouts).


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Whitelightning777

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Those slots should be safe for the T, but building your own might not be cost effective once you factor in the time and tools unless you already have a machine shop.

I have my little striata doing in a Terra Blue precessional enclosure, the taller model. I may switch her to an ExoTerra small tall it mini tall one.


P striatta privacy screen Patricia.jpg
Patricia privacy screen.jpg
 

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