Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

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Julsie
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Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

Post by Julsie » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:36 am

Hi! I don’t know if this is the right place to post this in but I feel terrible about some confusion i’ve had on some posts of mine. My notifications for tapatalk are turned off and I don’t check this app frequently so when I post something I typically continue to check the app while waiting for a response and once I get answers to my post I don’t check the app again for a while. Today out of curiosity I went to a post I made about a week ago I think to see if someone else commented. I was like omggg when I saw the concern in the comments! I quickly replied (a week later ugh) and I felt a lengthy answer to their questions was needed because I was horrified. I quickly looked through my old posts to see if I received the same questions and concerns and I did! So I hope that by posting this might clear up your concerns if you did comment or thought about but didn’t mention anything. Again i’m sorry if this is the wrong place to post this I just feel super awkward. So basically I have a bucket where I place my crabs in (crabs not burrowed) when I am cleaning their main tank or rearranging things etc. The crabs are only placed in the bucket for about 5-10mins and then put back into the main tank. So I realized i’ve posted some things and I have included some pictures in my posts. In some of the pictures it has been my crabs in the bucket and in the pictures you can see old limbs (1-3 limbs). I wasn’t using my brain and thinking about limbs being shown in the pictures and how someone might be concerned. I apologize. Again if you are familiar with my posts and have commented on them or thought about why I have these limbs in the background but didn’t mention anything I just want to clear things up with this post without having to go through all my posts and having to keep replying the same answer. I look awful because I had not seen these comments of concern and since then i’ve continued posting new topics and it just makes me look bad like i’m ignoring these concerns. Humiliating. So about the limbs that are seen in the pictures, I had a crab do a surface molt and was already dead by the time I decided to scoop its body up and set it in a small isolation container inside of the main tank. I was still fairly new to crabbing and didn’t have a lot of experience but I read “NEVER ASSUME A CRAB IS DEAD” everywhere and stories gone horribly wrong about a crab that was still alive but looked dead and then it was thrown out. So basically I was mortified and didn’t want to take a chance. I assumed this *dead* crab was alive but not moving because it molted and I read it takes crabs some time to get back to normal and function again. I’m totally looking back on it now and having gone through successful molts since then I know that I misinterpreted that information about “returning back to normal functionality”. The best scenario that I can tell you about what I thought: You know how something freezes over and then melts and that *thing* can start doing things again? Yeah. So me, a still new crabber, took this cardboard container box (the ones you get when you take home a new crab from petco/petsmart) and put the crab in it with some substrate and a bottle cap with water in it. It was the only thing I was able to use for an isolation container since I had a smaller tank at the time and it fit and my mom didn’t want me using her kitchen containers lol. Sooo I wait up until almost 2 weeks and I declared the crab dead. I carefully move this falling apart cardboard container into the bucket until my dad can come dispose of the crab himself because I never can. Since the humidity in the tank damaged the cardboard my dad wasn’t able to carry it the distance to dispose of the body. I dumped out the crabs body *carefully* into the bucket so my dad could scoop it up with something else and carry it out to dispose of. The crab was dead for pretty much 2 weeks. It’s body was also flimsy much like the cardboard and some limbs detached. This explains the limbs in the pictures. I had plans and things to do and I was in quite a hurry to go so I didn’t clean the bucket out. I wasn’t prepared to go through that process with removing the crab and having my dad dispose of it and all of that, I thought I was just gonna do a quick little mist of the tank and perimeter check and leave but I was so disappointed & sad just looking at that crab I had to dispose of it. After that incident I had forgotten the left over limbs and I pulled out the bucket and began placing crabs in it so I could do what I needed to do in the main tank. Like I said I was oblivious to the limbs and how my pictures might be questioned. Before even seeing the comments of concerns though I had cleaned the bucket out. The pictures are older but I posted them in some newer posts. Not only were the limbs a concern the sand/rocks in the bucket were questioning to some of you as well. I thought of the bucket when I first began crabbing and I was looking for a *ground* for them to walk on instead of the plastic bottom of the bucket and slipping everywhere. My neighborhood is new and lots of houses are being built. Since I was scared of fertilizer and more things that could be in dirt my dad suggested the sand they use in construction. Also known as quikrete all purpose play sand? So I believe it’s similar or the same to the kind in childrens sand boxes? If I’m incorrect I apologize. Yes I know what you’re thinking... a construction site. Nails. Glass. & more. I only scooped up a small amount good enough for the bucket and it was not hard to do a safety check of the sand before placing it in the bucket. The “rocks” that some of you questioned are more really “hard sand” because I guess maybe the weather? Rain? Hot sun? From what I remember (I can’t check right now) it’s just hard pieces of the sand rolled up like a ball and they appear like rocks. But if it’s a rock I don’t see the harm. I don’t intend on keeping the crabs in that bucket past 10minutes so they won’t be burrowing in it and what not. If the sand is unsafe I apologize i’ll switch it out I just didn’t think of it since there only in the bucket for a short moment and the buckets been around since October and my crabbies are alive. Again I apologize if the way I worded things seemed rude and spread false information about the sand in this post.

I know this post was super lengthy and I’m sorry! (I say sorry a lot because i’m very insecure and shy lol) I hope this was cool to post about because i’m genuinely humiliated and upset for being inconsiderate. I look like a bad owner. I’m the type of person that cares and respects other people’s questions, opinions, concerns or whatever. If I didn’t write this literal book explaining my actions I wouldn’t be able to continue my day lol. If you’re familiar with my posts and seen them i’m sure you saw my pictures (if not go through my profile if you’d like and click on a few posts & you’ll see what I’m talking about). Yikes. But thanks for reading this awkwardly long post and hopefully understanding *fingers crossed*


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aussieJJDude
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Re: Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

Post by aussieJJDude » Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:26 pm

I wouldn't stress too much, and I'm sure you're doing the best for your crabs. :) But in saying, I do understand the concern, as I often tried to make sure I was doing the right thing until I got my footing on the matter.

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Overmountain1
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Re: Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

Post by Overmountain1 » Sun Jul 26, 2020 10:13 am

I think we have all ‘abandoned’ some of our threads once we got what we needed from them before! That said, it is sweet that you wanted to be sure we knew the whole story, and I agree, there’s probably no easier way to do it than make it it’s own thread! No worries, I’m sure your crabs are doing great now, and we can tell you love and care for them a good deal.


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Julsie
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Re: Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

Post by Julsie » Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:08 am

Thanks guys!! Even after I posted this I was still embarrassed and didn’t check THESE notifications for over 24hrs haha. Thank you again for understanding :) I do love my hermies and I am known as “Crab Girl” on snapchat according to everyone that adds me lol. I get told all the time to start a YouTube account for the crabs & people always say they feel like their watching an episode of animal planet haha.


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Maddamay32
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Re: Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

Post by Maddamay32 » Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:48 am

I appreciate your long response don't be too hard on yourself, the pictures were worrying, but with your explanation it all makes sense now!

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

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Julsie
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Re: Clearing some confusion [LONG!]

Post by Julsie » Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:42 pm

thanks !


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