Crab color concern

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_____Jillian
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Crab color concern

Post by _____Jillian » Thu Aug 30, 2018 6:59 pm

Hey all! I’m very new to crabbies and I have some questions about my crab Lil Bit. I’ve taken him in from a friend and I’m just concerned about his health. He’s missing a few legs and is very pale compared to his new ‘tat mate and I would liks to know if its safe to have them together. Thanks in advance.

https://imgur.com/gallery/1JcET1J
Last edited by _____Jillian on Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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soilentgringa
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by soilentgringa » Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:20 pm

Crabs come in all shades, so pale isn't necessarily a concern but the missing limbs are.

Be sure to provide them with deep eco earth and playsand substrate and a variety of foods and the crab will bury to molt and the missing limbs will regenerate.

However, if the crab is too ill or injured, it may succumb to those. Please don't feel badly, they are wild caught and don't acclimate to captivy well a lot of the time.

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_____Jillian
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by _____Jillian » Thu Aug 30, 2018 7:30 pm

So far he's done well, I should have probably added that my friend was taking care of him for three years. I can tell he's trying his best cause he loves to run around on my hand but I'm just worried.

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Hermiesguardian
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by Hermiesguardian » Thu Aug 30, 2018 10:52 pm

_____Jillian wrote:So far he's done well, I should have probably added that my friend was taking care of him for three years. I can tell he's trying his best cause he loves to run around on my hand but I'm just worried.
Try not to handle him. They stress easily.
raising son's dog, Dante. Husky/hound.
Raising daughter's hermit crabs, Shelder, Paras and Derek. Added 2 more of my own (of course) Pete and Stryper. Former mommy to 2 guinea pigs and beloved cat, Nissi

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curlysister
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by curlysister » Fri Aug 31, 2018 9:58 am

How were the conditions at you friend's place compared to yours? Is your playsand moist enough to hold it's shape, and how deep is it? Do you have a thermometer and hygrometer?
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers


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_____Jillian
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by _____Jillian » Fri Aug 31, 2018 1:51 pm

He was in fairly deep, dry mulch, burried in the bottom of it, the sand is moist enough to hold its shape and I have a hygro-thermometer. The sand currently is only 3 inches deep which works for my small guy but I know I need to get more its just not in the budget right now. He seems to be more active today than he has been all week which is a good sign.

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curlysister
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by curlysister » Fri Aug 31, 2018 3:26 pm

Was he dug up from the bottom of the mulch at your friend's? The minimum depth of sand should be 6 inches, or 3x as deep as your largest crab, whichever is deeper. Playsand is recommended, and is really cheap at places like Home Depot.

What are you using for water - dechlorinator, salt, etc?
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers


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_____Jillian
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by _____Jillian » Fri Aug 31, 2018 9:52 pm

I ended up digging him out of the mulch because I was changing the substrate to sand and we genuinely had no idea where he was since he’s a micro crab that was by himself in a ten gallon tank. And I have distilled water that I let evaporate and bottled salt water from petsmart. They have the all living things food medley and I add in a few fresh veggies or fruits every few days.

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curlysister
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by curlysister » Fri Aug 31, 2018 10:57 pm

Please read through the care sheets. Your crab could be pale/ unwell because his diet/ water/ conditions aren't optimal. A crab should never be dug up if it is under the substrate. Interrupting a molt can be deadly. Bottled salt water probably isn't good for the crabs, even if it is marketed as such. You need to use a marine salt, such as Instant Ocean, in order to provide the proper minerals. If using tap water, you will need a conditioner that dechlorinates it - I am not sure about distilled water. Commercial foods, such as the food medley, are not considered safe for crabs, they have too many additives. Crabs also need protein and calcium sources.

What is the temperature and humidity readings?

In order to re-grow limbs, hermit crabs need to molt. In order to molt successfully, they need deeper substrate than you have. If they don't have proper conditions, they will delay molting, which can be dangerous for them.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

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Motörcrab
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Re: Crab color concern

Post by Motörcrab » Mon Sep 03, 2018 9:05 am

What are you feeding your crabbies? Like everyone else stated most products sold for hermit crabs aren't ideal products for them. Food included. Here is a link to hermit crab nutrition and gives you the rundown of their diet needs.
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92554

Here is a link to the HCA's safe food list. Some items are available in your own kitchen.
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92557

We originally went down the road of the store bought salt water and used distilled water. Now we use tap water treated with dechlorinator and for saltwater we add instant ocean. A good dechlorinator will run you $5 and will treat gallons upon gallons of tap water. A $10 box of Instant Ocean will turn 10 gallons of fresh water into 10 gallons of salt water. It's way cheaper than buying the small $4 bottles at pet shops! Once again here's a link about fresh and saltwater importance.
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92553
Coenobita Curiosities offering crabby decor
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoenobitaCuriosities

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