I found this post on Arachnids RVA's Facebook Page and thought it might be worth reading:

Arachnids RVA
3 hours ago
This is Velma, the Lampropelma. - Someone wanted to "trade her" because she was no longer worth any value to them. Clearly they had no value at all on her considering they wouldn't give her a container big enough for her stretch her legs or molt out.

We've done surgery before, this wouldn't be the first time. The amazing part is that after cricket 3 she actually tries her best to scootch her little butt towards me as I start extending a cricket in her direction.

Her book-lungs are shifted to the sides of the her body (which gives her 50/50 odds) her mangled leg is going to be a doozy considering it will complicate the molting process. Most likely I'll have to cut half of it off and use liquid bandaid.

7 legs are better than 4.5

This poor creature is miserable, not only is this unfair - she was also unfed by someone because she had no cash value. This is now one of my favorite Tarantulas of all time. It's been hard tearing up every time I show a customer this poor creature and as a grown man I try hard to play it off.

I hope one day to have her climbing logs and vines and I will get her the largest exo-terra enclosure complete with fog and more dirt that she'll know what to do with. I'll hand-feed her giant hissers and dubia. Maybe she'll actually one day be able to tag me.

She was headed to the trashcan - instead she made it here. Say hello to Velma, one of our permanent store fixtures.

Every cricket she takes from me is another inch of hope for a creature that deserves more than a deli-cup to die in.

See photo attached of the recovering tarantula.





I think it's quite amazing how these people go out of their way to save this tarantula. Some might think it would be better to humanely put it out of its misery.... but then again: I've bought tarantulas that were saved by very caring people - If someone hadn't saved my A.versicolor female from dying when she was a sling (thanks Onyx)... and if someone hadn't taken care of my T.apophysis when she lost her front legs (thanks Cerat and Stalker) ... I wouldn't have these two amazing tarantulas in my collection.

So, to the angel tarantula keepers out there: Thank you for caring enough, your efforts don't go unnoticed :angel:

Please feel free to share your tarantula recovery stories here!

It is so sad that people can be so cruel, Thumbs up to the guy who took her in, no creature big or small deserve such cruelty.

Did that T's legs go like that because her enclosure was too small? I'm wondering because my H. lividum had a curled up leg once. I don't think my enclosure was too small but I do think the substrate was far too compact so maybe it's burrow couldn't be made large enough. I've since changed its enclosure and not pressed the substrate down too much but is that maybe the reason why T's legs "mangle"?

Yes, lack of space can cause a bad molt.
The spider can not pull/push itself out of the molt properly.

Sometimes with lots of space spiders still have bad molts, it happens.

Your H. lividum wont have issues digging through compressed peat, as long as it is moist.

The I definitely think I have a lazy T, the substrate stays moist so I guess it just doesn't feel like exerting the effort. I read somewhere that H. lividum's should have vermiculite as a substrate. Is that a myth or is there some kind of purpose?

It can't have just vermiculite as a substrate, it wont be able to burrow.
But vermiculite is used to keep the moisture longer in substrate more than anything.

You are lucky, they are normally pet holes with deep burrows for hiding.