3 crabs changed shells and died

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ciaraalston
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3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by ciaraalston » Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:43 pm

Hey y'all
A friend of mine had 4 hermit crabs, all purple pinchers, that he bought months ago from the beach. They were in a tank with plenty of shells, heat/humidity is 75-80, they've all been healthy until now.
He said last night 3 of them switched shells. 1 died last night, the other two this morning. He said there's no limbs missing like a fight, and they had plenty of shells.

Any idea what could have caused this?

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Oliviet#1
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Re: 3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by Oliviet#1 » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:21 pm

I’m sorry that happened, did they have painted shells on, because they could have been put into painted shells with it still wet and dried with them in it, and when they changed shells they could have hurt themselves. (This is only a guess)
I have had pets in the past, but my family can’t have any furry or feathered ones due to allergies. I usually try my best to help and currently trying to set up a crabitat. I also try to treat others with Love!❤️

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Re: 3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by JoeHermits » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:49 pm

I don’t think that they were glued into their shells. Not sure what’s going on, though. If all conditions are ideal, then maybe PPS finally caught up?

I guess you could try filling out an emergency form in case you missed something.


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Re: 3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by JoeHermits » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:50 pm

Otherwise it may have been external, like fumes from cooking or cleaning.


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aussieJJDude
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Re: 3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by aussieJJDude » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:23 am

Or even the shells used were treated with bleach or ammonia to remove the snail, and he didn't rinse beforehand? Insufficient cleaning could result in crabs becoming ill.



Or its just one massive coincidence!

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Re: 3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by wodesorel » Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:31 am

That's more than coincidence. Where did the shells come from? It really sounds like they had some sort of toxic chemical on them. It could be from fighting over shells, usually there is some physical evidence but all it takes is abdominal damage to do them in.
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Re: 3 crabs changed shells and died

Post by ciaraalston » Mon Mar 18, 2019 10:08 am

He recently joined the HCA because of this, so I'll have him fill out an emergency form and post it here.

I appreciate the replies! I'll get some more info as soon as I can

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4 purple pinchers & 2 ecuadorians living a life of luxury in south west Louisiana.
Follow my hermit crab learning journey on instagram! @hermitcrabs_in_the_boot

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