Molting or gone?:(

[hermiemama]

I brought my baby Rock to the vet after I noticed some growth on his eyes and legs and him dropping a leg (and he just hadn’t been active). He hasn’t been as active since his friend Chuck passed. At the vet, they found it to be a bacterial and yeast infection and to give him baths in Melafix. I put him in an isolation tank and gave him one bath and he did fine; then later that night he completely stopped moving except for a few twitches/movements of his eyes or antennae. When I woke up the next morning he was in his water bowl and hasn’t moved for about 1.5 days now. I know some crabs molt on top of the sand but would it be normal for one to molt in water? (I’ve had him for almost 2 years and he’s never molted so I’m not sure what’s normal molting behavior for him). Does he look like it’s molting or should I say my goodbyes?:(




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[curlysister]

If you pick him up, does he fall out of the shell?
Interesting that your vet knows about hermit crabs! How did he/she diagnose the infections?
Something is very wrong if a crab did not molt in 2 years. What are your temp and humidity? What are you using for substrate?

[hermiemama]

I had to call about 20 different vets and to find one with enough knowledge to see him lol!! But I picked up him when I found him in the water and he didn’t come completely out but he is very very limp and just hangs there. I thought the same thing about it being weird that he hadn’t molted since i’ve had him because my others molt very frequently but they are smaller than Rock is. Before I was a very new hermie mom a few years ago I used to just have a metal screen as a lid for the tank and no heating or humidity sources and those crabs lived for 3-4 years. But now, I have a reptile heading pad on the back of their tank (about 2.5 in. above the substate) and I use sand (sterilized/clean play sand) mixed with coconut fiber for the humidity. I also spray the substrate with a spray bottle. I do not have a humidity gauge but I do have a thermometer. During the night I keep the temperature around 67-70°F and during the day 70-72°F. I feel like I tried to become a better hermie mom with these new things and I feel like they are worse off now:( I’m really trying my best like I’ve spent hundreds on Rock this week just trying to get him the medicine and nutrients he needs and I feel terrible:(


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[hermiemama]

and the water has recently changed colors since he’s been in there for a while now


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[JoeHermits]

Unfortunately it sounds like he has passed away. Surface molting in water is not the norm and he should have shed his exo now


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