The Mysterious Missing Molter

[svandoren]

Hello crabbers!
I have two hermit crabs, Mishelle and Junior. They are the class pets for my kindergarten class. Only, there's one problem: they aren't in my classroom. Right before our winter break (that's mid-December), Mishelle went underground to molt. Due to the fact that the school would be closed for two and the heat in the building would be lowered and a myriad of other factors, I had to move the tank with Mishelle buried and molting. This made me nervous because I know that molting is a delicate time for the little fellows but I wanted to make sure she didn't freeze to death. Also, Junior needed to be fed and stuff.
ANYWAY!
It is now mid-April. There have been no signs of Mishelle. Junior does not dig near where she is buried. There is no smell. But it has been five months for a medium/large purple pincher. And due to circumstances that I don't understand, there was a brief period of flooding a few weeks ago.
So my question is this: is she dead? Is there a chance she's still alive? What do I do? My students miss having their pets in the classroom, but I don't want to transport poor molting Mishelle again just in case. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Sarah

[mool]

That does seem like a long time, but some molts last for months. I would opt to wait. If she has gone on to the big "crabitat in the sky", waiting doesn't hurt because she's already passed. Her body will not affect the surviving crab negatively. However, if she is molting you can kill her by moving her again.

Do you smell the death smell at all?

[svandoren]

I don't notice any death smell, no.

[mool]

Stay the course and good luck!

[AleyedtoBuggie]

She may be doing several back to back molts. Smaller crabs do that sometimes. She may come up twice her orig. size. You'll know the death smell when you smell it! I'm waiting on one crab since mid march and one since a few days ago(nowhere near 5 months, I know). So fingers crossed for successful molts all around!

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[svandoren]

Regarding smells...
I was washing the water dish that sits near/over where Mishelle is buried and the sand on the bottom smelled kinda stinky and fishy. Is that the death smell?

[AleyedtoBuggie]

Is the sand wet? Like, not just damp, but wet? It might be the beginnings of a bacterial bloom...or a dead crab. It the sub has changed colors that's a clue it's not a dead crab.

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[soilentgringa]

Is the sand wet? Like, not just damp, but wet? It might be the beginnings of a bacterial bloom...or a dead crab. It the sub has changed colors that's a clue it's not a dead crab.

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The substrate around a dead crab can actually turn sludgy grey or black, and will smell like rotten eggs/fish.

[AleyedtoBuggie]

Is the sand wet? Like, not just damp, but wet? It might be the beginnings of a bacterial bloom...or a dead crab. It the sub has changed colors that's a clue it's not a dead crab.

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The substrate around a dead crab can actually turn sludgy grey or black, and will smell like rotten eggs/fish.

Eww...but it makes sense when I think about it. Learn something new everyday. Thanks!

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[svandoren]

There has been mysterious amounts of liquid in the tank lately. And the rotten eggs/fishy smell is pretty much what it smelled like. Guess she did move on to the crabitat in the aky. RIP Mishelle

[soilentgringa]

There has been mysterious amounts of liquid in the tank lately. And the rotten eggs/fishy smell is pretty much what it smelled like. Guess she did move on to the crabitat in the aky. RIP Mishelle

If you have excess water in your tat and rotten smelling substrate, you've had a flood and bacterial bloom. The substrate needs to be changed out ASAP and any molters that are down need to be carefully dug up and isolated.

[svandoren]

How do you dig up a molten without hurting them?

New crabber, so sorry for all the questions!

[mool]

I cut and pasted this from a post put up by Solientgringa, it might be helpful to you:

Find a corner spot to start digging down in. You can use your hands or an old spoon. If water starts pooling after you've dug a bit, you may need to change your substrate completely because this could mean that all your underground crabs caves are full of water.

To dig: start at one end of the tank, and from front to back start digging gently straight down in slices. If you come across a crab or cave, you are more likely to open the top or side of it this way and prevent harming a molter.

If you come across a molter, isolate it in a smaller tank or critter keeper that is kept at the proper temps/humidity, like the tank. You can put moist paper towels in the bottom or some substrate, it's up to you.

[AleyedtoBuggie]

Just had to do this, good luck! It was my first time and hopefully my last, but it can be done!

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[svandoren]

I've cleaned out all the substrate, and my suspicions were right. Poor Mishelle didn't make it. RIP. Thanks everyone for all your help.