Okay, call me mad – you certainly won’t be the first, I can assure you, and probably not the last, but I believe that, irrespective of the species, limb damage needs a certain amount of physiotherapy.
To this end, I take Mrs Bert out of her abode a couple of times a day and with a bit of cajoling, get her to perambulate across my hand and up and down my arm.
Like any ”athlete” in training she will also get a few drops of water.
As can be seen here, she will dunk one of her pedipalps and then take a sip while giving her fangs a bit of a wash in the process.
I also stroke her damaged legs, in an effort to encourage her to move them. I am flying by the seat of my pants here, of course, but she seems to be more mobile.
Odd thing. Once I place her on my hand she seems reluctant to leave and has to be prodded off!
Oh, well, if she’s content and doesn’t bite me then I’m okay with it.
”Oi! Senor! You can tell the time, I presume? That’s why you’re wearing a watch, right? So where’s my dinner, then eh?”
A bit more exercise I think.
”Good grief”. What does an arachnid have to do get a meal around here?”
Try a bit of abseiling. And use every one of your legs if you please!
”Okay, okay. Enough already. Bloody slave driver. I’m going to see Ems. We girls must stick together!”
”Smooth! Do I get my supper now?”
And talking of Smooth ….
Ark
A Tale Unfolds 
You know how long they (generally) live for?
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Two years, or thereabouts.
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Ever hear of the Florence Nightingale effect? I think Mrs. Bert has fallen in love with you!
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Ark…She seem to be doing well. Good for you helping her.
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Weird, but because of her wonky legs. I am becoming more and more reluctant to release her back to the garden. In her present condition, she will make an easy target.
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I must’ve been a fly in a previous incantation … spiders, brrrrr~! (And yeuch, too.)
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A love affair that surpasses all others.
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Jealous?
🙂
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Keeps me up at night … (mostly hoping none of these critters have found their way between the sheets). 😖
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But in as much as all living things are God’s creations, then you are doing the Lord’s work—
—which puts me in mind of John Cleese’s musical rendition of “All things Bright and Beautiful”. (Well said, that man!)
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“Mr Argus, Sir?”
“Yes, little Virginia?”
“Sir … why don’t The Lord look after His spiders Himself?”
“He’s testing Ark, child.”
(Sheesh … and I thought I was dum. Don’t they teach kids nothink no more?)
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I am so impressed by the compassion you are showing this spider. I would not dare have it on my hand. Could she bite you?
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She HAS bitten me. Broke flesh too, the cheeky madam. But it was a surprise rather than painful and certainly not venomous or harmful to us humans.
Since that ”love bite”- she may have been still feeling the effects of the Wasp Venom and was understandably a bit fed up – she has been well behaved and gentle.
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I’m happy to hear that you won’t be releasing her right off. It would be heartbreaking to help her so much only to see her whisked away in a bird’s bill. Ark, do you know if she’s full grown? I was just poking around google and saw that juveniles can regrow legs. See what you’ve done to me? I’m googling spider legs now! Cheers to Mrs. Bert and here’s to her health!
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She is still not fully mature, but has grown and filled out a bit during her rehabilitation.
They go through several moults and this is when new limbs will appear, but they can manage if they are missing a couple.
If they lose a limb after their final moult it will not regrow.
She has lost one full leg and half of the leg next to it.
I am more concerned with Pompilid Wasps rather than birds.
If she were caught by a bird, it would be quick.
Not so with a Pompilid Wasp!
They will live plus minus 2 years, so we have plenty of time.
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I’ll be cheering her on from here!
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