# Chaeta bad molt



## Dimity (Apr 24, 2022)

*One of my Chaetas molted in the middle of the night a couple of nights ago and I think it either mismolted and climbed part way down, or fell and climbed back up. One of the back legs is missing at the 1st joint, the wings are fluffy, and the remaining legs look like Bambi. I have been giving it all the honey/water it wants and I think it may have eaten a hook worm I put near it. I've attached pics of the one that molted a while back. Can someone tell me the sex? Also do the think the injured one will make it? If so should I amputate the wing that sticks out?*


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## Dimity (Apr 24, 2022)

More pics...


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## The Wolven (Apr 25, 2022)

She'll be alright if she can eat. It doesn't really look like you need to amputate anything. Is she able to catch prey?


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## Dimity (Apr 25, 2022)

Don't know if she can or not. Waiting on flies to hatch. I think she likes horn worms. I know the smallest sub adult I have does. So you think female? And the other one that molted fine? Female also?


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## The Wolven (Apr 29, 2022)

I think the one that molted fine is female. I don't know about the other because I cannot properly see the abdomen.


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## Dimity (May 4, 2022)

The one that had the bad molt is eating fine. She can't hold her body unright on a flat surface but she gets around OK hanging from things. You want to see something? Her his the exoskeleton. Tell me if this is weird? The leg to the right is the one that broke off because it's still in there. And you see the other 3. What is that stick like object coming out of the back? Is that why she can't keep her rear straight?


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## The Wolven (May 5, 2022)

Uh that's a leg. Glad she's able to get around though. She eating ok?

(Also where did you get them? I want one lol.)


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## Dimity (May 5, 2022)

She has no problem catching flies. And she likes horn worms hand fed. She seems to get around fine hanging and climbing up and down. But every once and a while she wags her whole back end from side to side. She was perfect up until the final molt which of course happened while I was asleep. I got them from ebay

But come to think of it she only has 3 legs, & 1 of the 4 in the pic is solid so, can that be a leg? That would make 5? Plus it's not segmented...


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## The Wolven (May 5, 2022)

Dimity said:


> She has no problem catching flies. And she likes horn worms hand fed. She seems to get around fine hanging and climbing up and down. But every once and a while she wags her whole back end from side to side. She was perfect up until the final molt which of course happened while I was asleep. I got them from ebay
> 
> But come to think of it she only has 3 legs, & 1 of the 4 in the pic is solid so, can that be a leg? That would make 5? Plus it's not segmented...


Maybe? I'm honestly not sure what you meant by "stick" in her back. If you're referring to the piece that is not part of the molt in the picture, it looks like the leg that got ripped off.


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## Dimity (May 5, 2022)

No, not the separated leg to the left, the straight thing sticking out to the right and down. That comes from the middle inside of the exoskeleton.


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## The Wolven (May 6, 2022)

Yes. That looks like what is left of the actual leg she lost. The leg to the left is just a piece of the molt. Is there any hemolymph left around the protrusion in her back?


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## Dimity (May 25, 2022)

I don't know but she actually has a stump of that leg sticking out of her body along with the 3 other back legs. She gets around pretty well. And the other day I saw one of the smaller chaetas riding her.


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