# My shrimp lost his legs!



## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

My pized blue tiger shrimp has lost some of his legs! I don't know how it happened but does anyone know if they grow back their legs like crabs?

She seems disabled and doesn't travel very well but looks alive and sluggish. I hope she recovers


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## OhNo123 (Jan 8, 2008)

Im pretty sure shrimp and crayfish grow back their legs and limbs after molts, but they don't grow back after 1 molt, it takes a few I think.

My dwarf crayfish fully grew back a lag after 2-3 molts I think.

Don't know if its the same for shrimp


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## Valthenya (Feb 15, 2009)

i've heard they do grow back their legs just make sure she gets food near her too so that she doesnt have to compete as much


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## Ebichua (May 13, 2008)

If it isn't severe enough that will impair his/her feeding habits, then it should regenerate. What are the tank mates? I've never heard of a shrimp-only tank suddenly losing legs.


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

Their legs will grow back. He probably lost his legs in a bad molt.


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## tazdevil (Jan 26, 2009)

When I was doing reef tanks, this happened on more than one occasion. Some shrimp were killed by the other inhabitants (bad to be without your legs on a reef), others grew them back within one or 2 molts. The one thing that I wasn't testing for, iodine level, became the issue (not sure on the biology, but saltwater shrimp need iodine when molting, and mine was severely deficient, like almost 0). I would think in freshwater the shrimp would have a better chance (no bristleworms that can attack a immobile shrimp) as long as your other shrimps or anything else doesn't view that shrimp as food.


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

Oh my god its amazing. I dosed extra calcium in this tank just to make sure they can molt corectly. I realized I don't think I added enough last time because they all started to molt after I added it. Today when I woke up, i found it with 5 legs. Some are a little stubby but its a start. It only had 1 leg before. 

Amazing! I didn't really think it was gonna happen and I thought it was done for.


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