Fiddler crabs missing legs

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:27 pm

I purchased two yesterday. My daughter was trying to get small ones and picked these out. One has two outside walking legs. He also has his two chelipeds. How will they be when they grow back?

They just hang around the bubbler and heater. One was up on one of the cords this morning. I have yet to see them on the sand that is above water. I just added some plastic leaves on that side for them to hide in. I asked dh why I needed all this space when they hang out in a one cup area.

Kathy

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:56 pm

The grow back just like hermit crabs, although I have never seen jel limbs with my fiddlers, my first couple were missing lots of legs and did fine

In fact Leg-o-less only had two limbs, no pincers...and he did well for a month or so (they came from a home that kept them in fresh water for who knows how long..which is very bad).

So give the little guy a month or so and he should be feeling good enough to molt!

No worries if they arent on the beach, mine stay underwater a good portion of the time...infact since I got my boys some girlfriends they seem to permanently live under the drift wood until nightfall and then I can hear them clanking around the tank. lol

Oh are they boys or girls??!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:47 pm

Does the sand need to be dry? I can't see how I could do that, but was just wondering. They are so small. About the size of a nail. I had been waiting for PetSmart to get more. What they had before was slowing being eaten by the red claws. I wasn't going to but my kids pushed me into it. I already had everything set up except for the water. I just had my guinea pig die and wasn't sure I was ready to kill something else.

Kathy

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:22 pm

Well, my fiddlers stay under the water most of the time as well. I rarely see them above, maybe their eyes will be sticking out of the water, but that is about it.

I have a heat lamp and they love that thing. It is a 75W moon glow. And I have a regular day glow of 20W in there to keep their night and day cycle going

Mine have been molting alright in there, but I have lost a few. I bought a hydrometer for their brackish water content. When I got the saltilinity correct, they stopped dying as often

They can't live in fresh water. And it's very hard to explain this to a pet store. Most refuse to believe it.

Good luck

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:03 pm

I have two males.
I read on one site that they don't need to be fed. I had put a algea wafer on the sand, then today I broke a another piece off and stuck it in the water.
There is doc wellfish (whatever the name is) in the water. That is what I forgot. The hydrometer.

Kathy

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:11 pm

Nope the sand is going to be really wet, saturated

Their fav! lol!

They do require brakish water, filtration and mine also love the heat lamp. I have 2 boys and 2 girls in a 10 gallon...I run a 75 watt day lamp and a 75 watt night lamp when its chilly at night, so I havent been running it lately as the apartment superheats and then stays warm until 4:30 or so in the am. But I still run the day lamp and they bask all day long!

But its definitely important to have the salinity of the water within the right parameters.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:59 pm

I'm having a different situation with my babies (you can see the post in the general section to hear their sad story). However, my little ones just love to burrow in the sand above the water. I'm not sure if it's because they have had a traumatic situation, but they seem releived to not be in the water all the time.

I also have a female that is missing legs. I'm not sure that she has a chance at growing them back, but she doesn't let it bother her. She even has managed to find ways to eat without her pinchers. It's rather amazing. So there is definitely hope!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 2:49 pm

One died today. He was laying on his back with his legs twitching. I didn't know what to do?

Any idea on what might be wrong? They spend a lot of time in one spot.