Is my crab dying? ):

Please post here if you are having a crab care emergency! Use a real subject and not just "HELP!"
Post Reply
User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:27 am

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? EE 6inch (i plan on getting play sand to mix in and also add more ee because I bought way too much of the “blocks” a while ago)

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. Hanging up at the top of the tank. Temp: 80-83 degrees. Humidity: 75 at lowest 81 at highest. I also accidentally bought a temperature reading device that tells the temp of your water and their pools are 83 degrees (I thought it was something else)

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? 3 uth (2 small ones ~ 1 on each side of the tank) (3rd one is the largest and placed on the back wall of the tank) i plan on getting one giant one to cover the entire back wall once I have an opportunity to do so

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)? Fresh & salt. I’ve been using my refrigerator purified drinking water source for their water. I asked a while back if this was ok and told yes. I’ve been crabbing since October and this is what i’ve been using. If it’s risky though please let me know what you use to dechlorinate. I use instant ocean for their salt pool. I use the ratio they have on the box.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? For months I’ve been ordering food from etsy from the popular hermit crab groups like HermitGrub & HermiesKitchen. I placed an order for a large food mixer bundle (it includes all of the mixes thats best and achieves all of their diet/nutrition needs) on July 1st and I have not received it yet. I contacted HermiesKitchen and they replied that they’ve contacted USPS and to check back in with them soon (USPS has been losing packages lately). HermiesKitchen already even began preparing another bundle for me just in case :). So pretty much for the whole month of July i’ve been having to scrap items together from my kitchen that were safe to eat (I checked the list for safe & non safe). My family always eats out and so we never have anything in the kitchen. So far what i’ve fed them: a bag that contained organic dried fruits. eggs/shell. lettuce. watermelon. rice. raisins. crushed walnuts. oatmeal (before u cook it lol). crushed peanuts. tuna in water from can. ham (no spices or anything). sausage (no season/spice). carrots. peas. tomatoes. grape jam. strawberry jam. cheese. & i’m sure other items that I can’t think of right now. I’m trying to make do with what I have at home right now till their regular food source is delivered to my house /: but I can definitely tell the crabs HATE me being their chef cause they don’t swarm to the food bowl like they normally would lol. I leave the food in for about 24hours & then replace it.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? October. She was my first crab. She’s a purple pincher & she is definitely a female.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? Since October she has been molting as normal. This is the first time since i’ve had her that she is acting this way. I believe she came up around the beginning of July. So maybe a little over 2 weeks?

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? Glass 75gal tank kept inside my bedroom. It’s a glass lid that you lift up to open. The only time fresh air/oxygen enters the tank is when I lift the lid up when i’m feeding or cleaning.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 8. Small (the only one of that size and they’re about the size of a water bottle cap), the majority are then up to a medium/average size i’d say, then I have 3 baseball sized ones (the mediums are not even close to being this size) so I have 3 groups (small, med, large) the crab I’m concerned about is medium by the way. & all of the crabs are purple pinchers.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? About 40-50 and they’re all natural turbo seashells that are kept in a shell shop.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? No never.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I have never changed the substrate out i’ve only added more over time since I’ve upgraded tanks multiple times. I only wipe down the inside of the tank walls with a paper towel occasionally when a lot of moisture builds up & substrate specks get on it & I want a better view of the crabs. Sometimes I rearrange the decor to give them something interesting / add more stimulation

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

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? No but I did do a major rearranging of all their decor (same decor I just moved their largest hiding spots from one side to the other and hung items in another spot) a week ago

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.)? In the beginning when I first started crabbing I used to take out the crabs and let them walk around on my arm or bed for a few minutes and put them back, I was super obsessed and always took them out to show my friends but i’ve calmed down and that hasn’t happened since January. Every so often I will take out a crab that I know is super friendly/active and put them on my bed to crawl around for a few minutes & then i’d put them back (but this is not frequent). Only other time they’re out of the tank is when I scoop up the ones not burrowed and place them in a temporary bucket that I have for them when I am cleaning or moving things around. Again I don’t do it often. I don’t bathe my crabs either by the way.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Big Poppa is the crab i’m worried about. She holds a very special place in my heart. I love all my crabs but she was my FIRST one so she is special to me and reminds me that everyday that i’m becoming an even better crab mom because of how far my tank and experience have become. I don’t think I would have gotten into crabbing so serious if it weren’t for her because if she had died a long time ago (like when I first got her) I wouldn’t be known as Crab Girl on snapchat by all of my followers & friends lol. I would of gave up. Big Poppa has always been SUPER active. She is awesome! She loves humans (I think?) because she is not the type of crab to shy back into her shell when she sees a human/shadow from inside the tank or even outside of the tank. She’s a fan favorite by all my friends & followers that know of her. I’m hyping her up because this crab is a SAVAGE. I’m talking you can wave your arms and hands near her/over her body when she’s on my bed and she does NOT care. My bestfriend and I have an inside joke we like to say to eachother “I came to pinch and not let go” because of Big Poppa lol. Not that she has ever pinched me or my friends when being held but because she is known as an O.G (original gangster) like this is the crab i’d feel nervous around if I were a crab. Typically all my other crabs or crabs i’ve seen or read about shy away back into their shell real easily if you even look at them lol. Nah this is not Big Poppa. If she were back in the wild i’d hate to be the bird (or other threat) to try and mess with her. Overall she is a friendly crab to my other crabs. Though there was this one incident where she killed my SECOND hermit crab Henry and I have no idea why. I got Big Poppa and a week later I got Henry. I thought they were bestfriends because they were the only crabs I owned for a while before I started adding more to the family. Henry is also way smaller than her so i’ve no idea why she did what she did because if it were over shells she couldn’t possibly fit into his. I also at the time had other crabs in the tank that she could have chosen to bully but no she chose little Henry. I gave them proper food, they had the proper water pools, all the proper shells, all the proper substrate, all the proper humidity/temp. Everything was golden in my tank in my opinion. Was this out of cold blood? Who knows. Over time I did see her act as a little bully to others but it was never anything serious and it wasn’t continuous. So to later explain her, she is very active. She will be in one location of the tank and 2minutes later I see her on the other end of the tank. She is quick. She loves to climb and play in the shell shop too. She will calm down though and camp out in a spot on the second level and then she gets back to her usual of climbing and running all over. I’ve also realized that she is not like the others. She enjoys being seen. She is never hiding or burrowed (unless molting). If you ever look at my tank and look for a crab she is always the one that’s out. A little disappointing because I have 8 I wish they all did this lol. Anyway sorry I just thought y’all should get an ideal picture of the kind of crab I’m describing. Her current behavior since she has came up from the molt is worrisome which is why I’m posting in the emergency thread. This is nothing like her. I’m scared she is slowly slipping away from life. I noticed after her molt her colors were very pale and sorta faded (like a water paint drawing i.m.o). Which is normal because she just shed her exoskeleton and her colors will return normally. I posted previously in another part of the group (non emergency section) about her behavior and I was given great feedback and I told them i’d keep an eye out for her and I have. Now like I said I’m genuinely concerned because out of experience with her and other crabs she should have returned back to normal, right? She is SLOW! Like she is very sluggish and she just sits at the bottom level of the tank in one spot for hours. Maybe just maybe i’ll get a glance of her walking a few steps to a different spot and she just parks again. She walks like a little old lady with a cane. She looks very weak like if you were to poke her she’d fall apart or even breathe on her she’d blow away as if she were dust. I know crabs are fragile but even my littlest crab looks more tough and “sturdier”. The only time i’ve seen her eat is when I very carefully pick her up and place her in the bowl, she actually eats for a couple minutes but i’m thinking if I hadn’t of put her there she just probably wouldn’t of ate. & I know she must be interested or hungry because if she weren’t she would of done what any other crab would of and climbed out of the bowl but no I can very much tell she is consuming the food. I also have put her on the mesh ramp of the water pools so she can atleast get some water if needed (the mesh ramp has a little water thats very shallow so she was not completely forced to submerge, just her legs were in water). The only other thing that has happened with her since she came up from her molt is when I placed a few empty shells around her and other spots in the tank and she changed into a smaller shell. Other than that her behavior is just completely different (like she was a wild reckless teenager before her molt and after her molt she became a 90yr old weak woman in a retirement home that needs to be bathed, fed & changed.). BUT what isn’t different is her shyness. She’s still very much friendly when it comes to me. She isn’t hiding in her shell when she sees my hand or shadow, she’s still out and saying hello. Please is there anything I can do to help? Is this normal? I don’t understand because she didn’t act like this before with her other molts. I know things can take time to return to normal but this has taken much too long i.m.o. Other crabs who went down at the same time & came back up at the same time are back to their usual routine. She’s the only one. What can I do to help? Thank y’all :(


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Mon Jul 27, 2020 9:12 am

): don’t mean to be annoying just genuinely concerned it sucks losing a crab.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Mon Jul 27, 2020 8:44 pm

Image
She looks like she keeps trying to come out of her shell


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

Hermiesguardian
Posts: 3029
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 10:41 pm

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Hermiesguardian » Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:49 am

It sounds like you're doing everything right. I would cut out the ham and sausage. Sausage already has seasonings in it. And ham is very salty and may have preservatives. Do you give them calcium everyday? Give her some honey. That might boost her energy. Bee pollen.
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

User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Tue Jul 28, 2020 6:11 am

Hermiesguardian wrote:It sounds like you're doing everything right. I would cut out the ham and sausage. Sausage already has seasonings in it. And ham is very salty and may have preservatives. Do you give them calcium everyday? Give her some honey. That might boost her energy. Bee pollen.
Okay thanks i wanted to try and offer everything i could *meat wise* but i will definitely remove the sausage & ham. tuna in water ok? i will go to the store & buy some honey. i have a large bowl with crushed egg shells cause i heard that also helps with weak crabs? where can i buy bee pollen in store? thank u


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

CrabbyLover77
Posts: 3145
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:30 pm
Location: PA
Contact:

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:36 am

Julsie wrote: Okay thanks i wanted to try and offer everything i could *meat wise* but i will definitely remove the sausage & ham. tuna in water ok? i will go to the store & buy some honey. i have a large bowl with crushed egg shells cause i heard that also helps with weak crabs? where can i buy bee pollen in store? thank u


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tuna packed in just water is good. I occasionally offer that to my crabbies (it's not their fav). Not sure where you can get bee pollen in a store, probably a Whole Foods. But I found organic bee pollen on Amazon that I'm going to order. You could probably pay a little more to have it shipped to you within a day:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B019HI ... G94R&psc=1

Good luck. Happy thoughts for you and BP!

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

My Pets: 2 Pomeranians, 1 Russian tortoise, fishes/snails(40 gal freshwater aquarium), and 13 hermit crabs.
"Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game." -Paul Rodriguez-
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigBeausBouti ... form-mcnav

User avatar

AwesomeHermit
Posts: 927
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 7:19 pm

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by AwesomeHermit » Tue Jul 28, 2020 6:28 pm

Sometimes my crabs like to hang out of their shell and I notice it is because they seem to be cleaning themselves. As soon as they see another crab in sight, they zoom back in for defense. I've also seen a crab lunge at another that was half out of their shell cleaning.
One or hopefully two Clypeatus
Goodbye my little E. See you soon.
Bye Fred. You lasted almost 4 years with me. Hope you're with my E now! See you soon Reeba as well. I can't believe I lost you only after a month.
Crabbing for 4 years!

User avatar

GotButterflies
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 7242
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 6:56 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by GotButterflies » Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:16 am

Hello.

Is your substrate mixed with dechlorinated marine saltwater or dechlorinated freshwater to make it sandcastle consistency?

Your humidity going down into the 70s is too low. IMO it shouldn't ever dip below 80. Hermits need the humidity to breathe.

You need to buy a dechlorinator. Use tap water. Don't use the water from your fridge. They need minerals in their water. You need a dechlorinator that removes chorine and chloramine and neutralizes ammonia and heavy metals. A lot of us use a product called Prime. This is important.

Are you providing calcium daily? Are you providing protein daily? These are fundamental building blocks for successful molts.

Hermit crabs can eat a lot of the same things that we eat. Just check to make sure the item is on the safe list. Foods should be organic when possible. Hermit crabs are sensitive to pesticides and fertilizers.
You also want to provide one or more calcium sources at all times. Examples would be Cuttlebone, Organic Eggshell, Oyster Shell, Lobster Exo, Shrimp Exo.
Make sure you cover all aspects of food pyramid :)
Safe food list: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92556
Food pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554
Truly blessed to have incredible creatures, wonderful friends and my amazing family in my life!! I'm very thankful & grateful for all of them! www.thehealthyhermit.com

User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:32 pm

GotButterflies wrote:Hello.

Is your substrate mixed with dechlorinated marine saltwater or dechlorinated freshwater to make it sandcastle consistency?

Your humidity going down into the 70s is too low. IMO it shouldn't ever dip below 80. Hermits need the humidity to breathe.

You need to buy a dechlorinator. Use tap water. Don't use the water from your fridge. They need minerals in their water. You need a dechlorinator that removes chorine and chloramine and neutralizes ammonia and heavy metals. A lot of us use a product called Prime. This is important.

Are you providing calcium daily? Are you providing protein daily? These are fundamental building blocks for successful molts.

Hermit crabs can eat a lot of the same things that we eat. Just check to make sure the item is on the safe list. Foods should be organic when possible. Hermit crabs are sensitive to pesticides and fertilizers.
You also want to provide one or more calcium sources at all times. Examples would be Cuttlebone, Organic Eggshell, Oyster Shell, Lobster Exo, Shrimp Exo.
Make sure you cover all aspects of food pyramid :)
Safe food list: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92556
Food pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554
No my substrate isn’t mixed with anything like that. Just the ee (since October). When I touch the substrate or dig a small area of it the substrate is soft/moist and holds shape I’m assuming this is what sand castle consistency is? I’ve seen my crabs dig underneath one side of the food bowl and make a tunnel all the way underneath and pop out on the other side of the food bowl. Is that a good sign? I’ve always used straight EE but I know whats recommended is the playsand/EE, i’ve been meaning to do that but I just haven’t been able to because other things were more of a priority with them (+ my bills). I will buy the prime though before I buy the sand. I’ve been using my filtered fridge water for months after I asked if it was ok but I will buy the prime as soon as I can. I read on these forums that humidity higher up into the 80s+ was “ok” but not as crucial if they weren’t “exotic”. Example; strawberries need higher humidity than a pp would. Is that incorrect or as a crabber you prefer yours to have that higher of a humidity as well? For the past few months my humidity dips higher above 75 // 78 during day and 81 at night. I just used 75 as the lowest it’s been (but hasnt reached that humidity in awhile). Is 78 ok for purple pinchers? Their temp is also in 80s. && i’ve only been able to feed them what I listed in my post. The food bundle I ordered is large and reaches all their needs dietwise but I still plan to feed them egg shells & fresh fruit occasionally. My family just never has food in the kitchen so it’s been hard. Thank you!! Image


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edit: I fed them earlier fresh food from what I could gather and I know for a fact this is what I was able to feed them: watermelon, cheese, egg shells, oatmeal, crushed raisin/walnut/peanuts, carrots, tuna (water from can), rice.
Last edited by Julsie on Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:37 pm

AwesomeHermit wrote:Sometimes my crabs like to hang out of their shell and I notice it is because they seem to be cleaning themselves. As soon as they see another crab in sight, they zoom back in for defense. I've also seen a crab lunge at another that was half out of their shell cleaning.
When she hangs out of her shell like this (or whatever it looks like she’s doing) she stays in place when another small or larger crab approaches her. She doesn’t flinch && none have attacked her from what i’ve seen. The only time she moved and curled back up into her shell was when my much much much larger crab climbed down from a ledge and landed on top of her knocking her over. He’s so big I doubt he knew she was underneath him. Other than that since I questioned her being “sick” or “dying” she doesn’t flinch.. ):


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

Topic author
Julsie
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 6:39 am
Location: Texas

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Julsie » Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:50 pm

I isolated her in a container with a little bit of substrate, egg shells and a small water dish & 2 empty shells because I found her shell-less. She took 1 shell and I thought maybe I could remove her from the isolation container so I did. A couple hours later I check the tank and she’s shell-less again and she’s moving quick without the shell too (like she had her energy and spunk back). I carefully was able to grab her and put her back into the isolation container filled with the same things ~ egg shells, water, substrate & empty shells. I hoped she would take a shell again & then i’d leave her in the isolation container a little longer. She never took a shell and the crabitat smelled horrible when I opened the lid. She died...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

User avatar

CrabbyLover77
Posts: 3145
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:30 pm
Location: PA
Contact:

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Fri Aug 07, 2020 6:08 pm

Julsie wrote:I isolated her in a container with a little bit of substrate, egg shells and a small water dish & 2 empty shells because I found her shell-less. She took 1 shell and I thought maybe I could remove her from the isolation container so I did. A couple hours later I check the tank and she’s shell-less again and she’s moving quick without the shell too (like she had her energy and spunk back). I carefully was able to grab her and put her back into the isolation container filled with the same things ~ egg shells, water, substrate & empty shells. I hoped she would take a shell again & then i’d leave her in the isolation container a little longer. She never took a shell and the crabitat smelled horrible when I opened the lid. She died...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Aw I'm so sorry! I was really rooting for BP. Image

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

My Pets: 2 Pomeranians, 1 Russian tortoise, fishes/snails(40 gal freshwater aquarium), and 13 hermit crabs.
"Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game." -Paul Rodriguez-
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigBeausBouti ... form-mcnav

User avatar

Maddamay32
Posts: 260
Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 5:34 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by Maddamay32 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 6:58 am

I'm so sorry

Sent from my cp3705AS using Tapatalk

8 crabs at the moment "Tarzan, Kermit, Shy guy, Eduardo, Jimbo, Rosa, Diesel, Treaker"

User avatar

crabish
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 7:58 pm

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by crabish » Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:20 pm

aww man i read this thread hoping for a good ending but no....im so sorry for your loss, i was crying today because i am so scared to lose my crab (he's also my first one and kind of old) this thread made me so sad im so sorry :( she is in crab heaven now watching over you, keep your head up high :)
mother of fancy ^_^

User avatar

GotButterflies
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 7242
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2016 6:56 pm
Location: Florida
Contact:

Re: Is my crab dying? ):

Post by GotButterflies » Thu Aug 13, 2020 11:38 am

I apologize for not responding sooner, but my Lupus and Fibro are flaring right now.

I'm very sorry for your loss.

You always need to use a water conditioner like prime, or one that removes chlorine and chloramine, and also neutralizes ammonia and heavy metals.

It's okay to use EE, but you need to mix it with dechlorinated marine saltwater or dechlorinated freshwater (with ee better to use dechlorinated msw), to make it sandcastle consistency. This way it always holds it's shape when crabs dig tunnels or molting caves.
Truly blessed to have incredible creatures, wonderful friends and my amazing family in my life!! I'm very thankful & grateful for all of them! www.thehealthyhermit.com

Post Reply