Emergency Surgery
After having lost a tarantula from blood loss injured in the same way a few weeks earlier, the editor decided not to make the same mistake of simply trying to stop the bleeding. Various materials like liquid skin, talcum powder, and super glue have worked in the past to stop bleeding; but the methods fail more often than not. It was time for drastic measures. The editor performed emergency forced autotomy surgery, removing the front leg and both pedipalps (see Forum 4:10-13). Stumpy went from "near death" to "just fine but thirsty" within minutes, but there would be complications.
About four weeks later, the editor noticed blood flowing from at least the coxal stump of the front leg. Stumpy was again facing a rapid demise. In desperation, he used several coats of triple nail hardener (a common tool of the entomologist) to stop the flow, even though he knew that almost all the toxic ingredients in the hardener could've killed Stumpy (Forum 4: 53-54).

Back To Normal
Stumpy molted in May of 1995. Gone was the coating of nail hardener, back were two undersized but normal looking pedipalps for an immature tarantula. The oh-so-critical-for-a-male front leg did not regenerate successfully. A skinny non-functional front leg presented itself, but upon the July molt of the same year, was lost again.

Stumpy Grows Up
In April of 1996, Stumpy molted into a mature male tarantula, complete with yet another thin front leg. Was there hope? Alas, he lost it again in a matter of weeks. No more molts for Stumps, and the critically brief mating period for Texas tan tarantulas was upon him. No other mature male Texas tans being handy, and with a bevy of egg making females awaiting, there was nothing to do but give the unfortunate spider a chance. At first, it didn't look like he would be able to mate. Later, after much maneuvering by paintbrush, he would finally, often apparently by accident, wander into the female and touch her with his remaining front leg -- and stop dead. "Yes!" we'd tell him. "It's a girl! Go for it!"
Then, he'd vibrate, and tap her, and behave generally like a responsible male tarantula, but when he started getting into position it would get tricky. After a few tries, he came up with an adaptation -- hook the female's right fang with his remaining right leg. This sometimes resulted in a problematic torquing motion with both of them tilting off sideways in opposite directions, but at least one time he got the job done right, and became the (proud?) father of an eggsac full of Texas tan spiderlings.
He went on to mate with nearly all of the other females, leaving Blue for last. Blue has a history of being less than cooperative about such inter-tarantula relations, and indeed fulfilled her reputation by promptly biting poor Stumps on the left back leg. Horrified, the editor took a minute to admonish the female spider before going back to attend to Stumps, left languishing on the rug. Nail hardener was applied, but hopes were low -- in any case, it was late in the season and there were few females left to mate.
The next morning, Stumpy was limping around his cage, if an eight-legged (er, seven-legged) animal could be said to limp. The currently injured leg was held up off the substrate, cocked at an odd angle. "He's done" said the editor, surprised the tarantula was even still alive. Stumpy, however, had other ideas. Within 24 hours he was using the leg again, and built himself another sperm web as proof of his potential.
By now it was getting QUITE late in the season, late July (many adult female Texas tans actually molt in July, standard behavior after laying or resorbing their eggs each year). Still, we could not help but be impressed, and did happen to have one especially intelligent and well-behaved female left unmated, and appearing to be still carrying eggs -- Killer.
Killer has a history of molting especially late, in late August or early September, so I gave the guy yet another chance. As usual, when put into the female's cage, he didn't have a clue as to what was going on, making his standard frantic attempts to escape. Killer was hiding inside her cardboard tube (cut from a map/poster cardboard mailer, for those of you who appreciate the odd housing tip). Stumps first figured out that here was yet another female upon touching her therein, and then went right in for it. Things were moving at their own pace, and both the participants behaved admirably. Stumpy had a bit of trouble holding his footing in the rear and had to be assisted, but then he always did (those plastic shoebox bottoms are obviously not the ideal mating substrate). Eventually Killer tired of his attentions and backed off, and we quickly and easily separated the two.
Stumpy died on August 21, living a bit longer than most Texas tan males, but his genes live on. Morticia, a large and pretty female the editor has had for over five years, made an eggsac. Thanks to ATS members, nearly 500 tiny "Stumpies" are now in good homes from coast to coast in the US.