# do spiders eat there own legs????



## cape123 (Apr 7, 2008)

sounds stupid but my t lost a leg a few wks ago and the leg could not b found anywhere..... then last wk the same thing again and now today he only has 5 legs..... he is eating well and regular... but cant understand where his legs are going????!!!! any info much appreciated.


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## Vaughan69 (Nov 22, 2007)

cape123 said:


> sounds stupid but my t lost a leg a few wks ago and the leg could not b found anywhere..... then last wk the same thing again and now today he only has 5 legs..... he is eating well and regular... but cant understand where his legs are going????!!!! any info much appreciated.


Maybe hes making an escape rope? :whistling2:


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## cape123 (Apr 7, 2008)

:lol2::lol2: its really strange....


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## Vaughan69 (Nov 22, 2007)

On a serious note i cant say ive EVER heard of it before mate, you tried googling it?


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## cape123 (Apr 7, 2008)

not yet...


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## joe0709 (Sep 22, 2007)

that doesnt sound right :hmm: any pics ?


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## Vaughan69 (Nov 22, 2007)

joe0709 said:


> that doesnt sound right :hmm: any pics ?


A stab in the dark here but it will prpbably be a spider missing 2 legs? :whistling2:


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## cape123 (Apr 7, 2008)

not at the min mate.... cant upload onto comp. but it has 3 missing from its left hand side... what is worse is the legs are no where in its tank..... apart from the leg loses its ok, eating v well etc


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## joe0709 (Sep 22, 2007)

Vaughan69 said:


> A stab in the dark here but it will prpbably be a spider missing 2 legs? :whistling2:


3 legs :whistling2:


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## joe0709 (Sep 22, 2007)

cape123 said:


> not at the min mate.... cant upload onto comp. but it has 3 missing from its left hand side... what is worse is the legs are no where in its tank..... apart from the leg loses its ok, eating v well etc


sounds really strange. you sure it didnt lose them in a moult ?


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## cape123 (Apr 7, 2008)

*d*

nope mate def not was last moult was ok....


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

if a leg is damaged, a spider will autotomise it, the digest and eat it to re-absorb lost nutrients. it will grow oon the next molt...even the 3
i have a Poecilother fasciata that had 3 legs total, and 1 pedi.. was funny watching it feed but it managed fine


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

also if the tarantulas body isnt hydrated enough it can loose legs through lack of fluid in the joints. I have a spider who lost a leg and think it may have been a cause though I don't know for definite but it's a possibility. one of my books described how the legs and body of a tarantula works and read somewhere (cant remember exact wording at the moment) regards to legs needing fluid or they can cease up and become brittle.


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## BlackRose (Jul 8, 2007)

is it a sling? not that it matters, but my red knee sling lost a leg a week after a sucessful molt, and its nowhere to be seen, but he is very small and lives in a small tub.


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

spider_mad said:


> also if the tarantulas body isnt hydrated enough it can loose legs through lack of fluid in the joints. I have a spider who lost a leg and think it may have been a cause though I don't know for definite but it's a possibility. one of my books described how the legs and body of a tarantula works and read somewhere (cant remember exact wording at the moment) regards to legs needing fluid or they can cease up and become brittle.


Totally, theraphosids do not have a muscular system, all the movement is pressure based. they are hydrolic. and infact connot breathe whilst moving because of the pressure.
The hydraulic pressres they deal with far excert that of what a human can produce. its a very high pressure.
They effectively hold their breath when they run, hendce only short distance.
I dont know about legs falling off due to hyrdation levels, but it kind of makes sense...enough to ensure they are hydrated, iv never had an experience that has made me consider this, but tahts definately not saying its not possible. i would assume taht might be an extreme situation for an old, big specimen in need of a molt. interesting none the less


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

C_Strike said:


> Totally, theraphosids do not have a muscular system, all the movement is pressure based. they are hydrolic. and infact connot breathe whilst moving because of the pressure.
> The hydraulic pressres they deal with far excert that of what a human can produce. its a very high pressure.
> They effectively hold their breath when they run, hendce only short distance.
> I dont know about legs falling off due to hyrdation levels, but it kind of makes sense...enough to ensure they are hydrated, iv never had an experience that has made me consider this, but tahts definately not saying its not possible. i would assume taht might be an extreme situation for an old, big specimen in need of a molt. interesting none the less


Yeah definitely. Don't think that is the cause but who knows. If the leg is not around then chances would have been eaten. My sub male A bicoloratum middle leg just fell off, one day looked in and it was on the floor next to him but there was no excess bleeding from where the leg was so still never know what happened


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

The structure of the leg is awesome. 32 different' muscle' structures for movement in each. But only one that goes from Trochanter into the coxa, when a leg is autotomised, the trochanter has a membrane that tenses and makes a seal for the leg, ensuring no fluidic loss. Baring in mind spider blood hemolymph does not contain a coagulant, a clotting substance.
I have a Adult female T apophysis freezypop that was DOA, the spiders leg had reformed within the coxa in a matrice style.. fascinating that the whole, although half sized leg can regenerate within that one structure.


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