weird behavior after molt

[crabs_lex]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

plain eco earth 8-10 inches

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?

yes, middle height against tank wall and 80% and 75-80°

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

no, i dont need one

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?

salt and fresh (prime and instant ocean for treatment) and i use the directions given on the box

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

wide variety of fruits and veggies and calcium and protein sources as well

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

could not identify the particular crab bc he was naked so anywhere from 2-9 months

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

yes he just came up from a moly before the incident

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

55 gal with screen lid but wet paper towels are used to keep on humidity

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

20 mostly teeny and smalls (except 2 larger) (most are usually buried they love to dig tunnels)

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

i have multiple shells bc many of my crabs are the same size i have more than enough for each crab

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

maybe vinegar if anything

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

just cleaned out the whole tank a couple months ago

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

nets and plants

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?

not really, i try not to bother or touch them

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

i found an empty shell that belonged to a crab that was buried under (presumed molting at the time) and i figured he switched shells no big deal but the next day i found him naked so i put him in an ISO tank and he got in the first shell he saw and throughout the night i kept and eye on him and he changed shells a lot like at least 6 times but now he barely moves he climbed into the water bowl and couldn’t even get himself out (and there are ramps and rocks for easy access for small crabs) he was dangling out of his shell trying to get out and he just sits in the same spot now and doesn’t move and i’m worried he won’t make it and like i said he is post molt

.

[CrabbyLover77]

When you said you cleaned out the whole tank, did you replace the substrate too? Usually you only need to replace the substrate if there is a flood or bacterial bloom.

Other than that, your tank conditions sound good to me. Is this his first molt with you? Once in your care, the first molt is the most important one. He may need help recovering.
Is he still in iso? I'd keep him in iso with small/shallow water dishes so he can get in and out easily. Then he doesn't have to compete for food and calcium either.
Do you have any honey? It's a good healing food. Try to buy organic/local if you can.
What are you using for calcium? Try to give him something that's easy to access, like calcium powder or ground up eggshells (I stick mine in the food processor to make them bite size). He may be too weak to scrape at cuttlebone.

I'll cross my fingers you can get him to pep up.

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[crabs_lex]

thank you so much
it is my first molt with him yes and i was worried bc my other crabs that have noted with me so far have all been successful thankfully
i’m not sure if i’ll be able to get honey but i sure will try
i ordered a calcium powder from hermieskitchen on etsy and am just using regular fruits and other things people on here have suggested for now
and i always think the worst of things and last time something like this happened (luckily once it had happened) the crab was extremely sick and died so i get anxious

[CrabbyLover77]

You're welcome. I'm sorry he's having a tough time.
It sounds like you're doing everything right. I totally understand being anxious. I adopted my crab June Bug last year on my bday, but she didn't survive her first molt.
I never knew about honey until I found the HCA. I have organic honey from the grocery store and some local honey that my pharmacy sells. I just ordered organic bee pollen off of Amazon too. It has honey and other bee goodies in it too. So I figured that's something good to keep on hand.
The calcium powder is good. He can access that easily.
Just keep feeding lots of that, protein, and honey if you can get it. I think it will be a game of wait and see. Keep me updated.

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[crabs_lex]

he still hasn’t moved all night
he’s still alive but doesn’t look good
and he has an odd smell

[jonathon1989]

he still hasn’t moved all night
he’s still alive but doesn’t look good
and he has an odd smell

Make sure the ISO tank temperature and humidity is the same as your main tank. Any change in environment can be fatal.

Also, try adding more shells to the tank if possible. I would try talking to him so he knows you're near him. I really believe hermit cabs get close to their owners like ay other animal.

[CrabbyLover77]

he still hasn’t moved all night
he’s still alive but doesn’t look good
and he has an odd smell

Is it a fishy smell? I'm not sure if they smell like that when they are still alive or not. I'm not sure there is too much else you can do. I'm sorry.

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[crabs_lex]

i just had another crab believe it or not go naked!!
he was buried (not molting) and came up and i think he was just being bugged by another crab and decided to go naked
the crabs i think were bugging him are barely bigger than him tho (maybe 1 or 2 shell sizes bigger)
i currently has him in iso with the other crab that was mentioned above even tho he went right back in a shell and seems normal

[CrabbyLover77]

i just had another crab believe it or not go naked!!
he was buried (not molting) and came up and i think he was just being bugged by another crab and decided to go naked
the crabs i think were bugging him are barely bigger than him tho (maybe 1 or 2 shell sizes bigger)
i currently has him in iso with the other crab that was mentioned above even tho he went right back in a shell and seems normal

That's so strange! Your crabitat conditions sound good. Did you happen to inspect either of their bodies for mites? Just a thought of maybe why they're ditching their shells.

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[crabs_lex]

they looked perfectly fine to me
but the guy who was named just now i noticed there were two crabs just a bit bigger than him and one or both were crawling on him
i have him in iso for tonight but he seems very healthy unlike the other guy
and another thing is i cannot seem the keep the fruit flies out but i only get one or two in the tank and unless i’m wrong i don’t think they are as much a problem as they were

[CrabbyLover77]

they looked perfectly fine to me
but the guy who was named just now i noticed there were two crabs just a bit bigger than him and one or both were crawling on him
i have him in iso for tonight but he seems very healthy unlike the other guy
and another thing is i cannot seem the keep the fruit flies out but i only get one or two in the tank and unless i’m wrong i don’t think they are as much a problem as they were

Keeping him in iso for the night sounds like a good idea. Maybe he was being picked on since he grabbed a shell right away after. You have all PPs right? I think I remember someone saying sometimes an E will ditch it's shell if it means it can get away from a threat faster.

Fruit flies can def be annoying. It sounds like their numbers are dwindling, so that's good.

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[crabs_lex]

i can honestly tell anything ab crabs except their species
embarrassing i know but i know for sure that this guy is a PP
he active and everything now he seems fine i’m so just not used to naked crabs hahah
but he’s in iso for the night
all i hear is him climbing the walls trying to get out poor little guy

[CrabbyLover77]

i can honestly tell anything ab crabs except their species
embarrassing i know but i know for sure that this guy is a PP
he active and everything now he seems fine i’m so just not used to naked crabs hahah
but he’s in iso for the night
all i hear is him climbing the walls trying to get out poor little guy

He's probably thinking, I took my shell back, why am I in here? Lol.
But seriously, I hope all works out for both of them.

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[crabs_lex]

the first crab i had go naked passed last night
the second one is doing just fine in the main tank now

[CrabbyLover77]

the first crab i had go naked passed last night
the second one is doing just fine in the main tank now

Aw I'm sorry. I'm glad the other guy is doing ok though.

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