Excessive molting

This is the place to post if you have questions and aren't sure where to ask them! If it relates to one of the sections below, please post there instead.
Post Reply

Topic author
Al3xand3r
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:57 pm
Location: Winnipeg

Excessive molting

Post by Al3xand3r » Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:16 pm

I got my 2 hermys a few months back, almost immediately one of them, Casper, dug into the sand a month or 2 later I realized I had mites so they got moved to a bucket while I cleaned a re did their tank. Partway through i realized my other hermy, Zoidburg, had pulled casper out of his shell so I pried them apart and separated them. Casper took a liking to a new shell and when the tank was done he dug back into the sand, a few weeks past and I started to worry about him, dug him out and (I've since learned not to do this) but, I pulled his exoskeleton out and tossed it. A couple weeks later I got them a bigger tank and whilst transferring my hermys and the clean substrate I learned that at some point casper had melted again. Anybody know whats going on? Should I be worried?

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 3864
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Excessive molting

Post by curlysister » Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:51 pm

What's going on is that the crab has not been able to molt uninterrupted and eat his exo.
The mites may have been food mites and not harmful to your crabs in the first place.

How many extra shells do you have? How are your heat and humidity?
What do you use for substrate and how deep is it?
What do you use for water? What do you feed them?
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers


Topic author
Al3xand3r
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:57 pm
Location: Winnipeg

Re: Excessive molting

Post by Al3xand3r » Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:03 pm

curlysister wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:51 pm
What's going on is that the crab has not been able to molt uninterrupted and eat his exo.
The mites may have been food mites and not harmful to your crabs in the first place.

How many extra shells do you have? How are your heat and humidity?
What do you use for substrate and how deep is it?
What do you use for water? What do you feed them?
I'm not a 100% sure what type of mites they had but I read that mold mites were an issue so I didn't want to risk it.
There's 4 extra shells the humidity usually sits right around 80% i mist it when it gets below 70% my temp is 28-30 degrees (its summer here so some days it gets a little warmer)
I have about 3" calc. Sand mixed with coconut fiber, 4 little pots with plants and half my tank has an inch of moss on top
I have a small dish of freshwater and a larger dish of saltwater. I feed them a mix of dried fruit, pellet food, shrimp, crickets, grasshoppers, hay, spray millet, coconut, pumpkin and sunflower seed all mixed with a calcium/vitamin powder for them

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 3864
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Excessive molting

Post by curlysister » Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:46 pm

I would suggest reading through the care sheets. There's lots of info, everything from water to shells, and even a bug identification sheet that can help you determine whether the bugs are harmful or not.

viewforum.php?f=120

There are likely some aspects of your tank that can be improved, to ensure that the crabs have the least amount of stress possible.

Calci-sand is not safe for crabs. Unfortunately, many products that are marketed for crabs are either unsafe or inappropriate. You want to get play sand (cheap in 50 pound bags are hardware stores). Many of us use a mix of play sand and eco earth (coco fiber), which should be moistened with dechlor water. It should be at least two to three times as deep as your largest crab, or six inches deep, whichever is deeper.
HCA recommends 3-5 extra shells per crab. This helps prevent them from going after each other's shells. The shell guide in the care sheets explains the type of shells that most crabs prefer.
The dishes/ pools of water should be deep enough for the crabs to submerge, but also have a way for them to get in and out. Water should be treated with a dechlorinator such as Prime. The salt water should be a marine salt such as Instant Ocean.

It sounds like you're off to a great start!
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

Post Reply