HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello,
So I have posted about this particular molter several times. Her name is Starlite, and she has been buried for about 4 months now. She is an Ecuadorian. I have been worried about her for a while, because I lost 2 Ecuadorians before her, so when she buried, I got worried, and it has been 4 months now. I was talking to my aunt about her today, my aunt is one of the two people in my family who likes/cares about my crabs. I told her about her and she thinks I should dig her up. Now I know I am not really supposed to, but here are he reasons:
1. it has been 4 months
2. I used reptile sand, which is a not so great sand, and I noticed when I was digging on the surface, it was hard to dig in, and I am scared she is trapped.
3. If she is alive, I can move her to good sand and hope she will finish molting, if she didn't make it, I will know
4. If she is trapped, I could save her

I think my aunt had some good points, but in the end I trust your judgment, because you guys are hermit crab experts and have gone through this stuff before.

Thank you,
Bonnie

This is really a judgement call on what to do. Given that it's calci-sand, an E, and it's been four month, I personally would go looking. I know that others would choose to wait it it out longer though.

I'm more digger-happy than most. I'd dig for sure. But if you do find her, impacted, how to save her then?


Crabbers unite!!!

YYWW, what do you mean by "impacted?"

Like, stuck? I was going to gently get her out, so she can complete her molt in proper sand.

If she is alive, and I move her to a critter keeper with play sand, food and water, will it be okay if I put it in the main tank to regulate heat and humidity?

Yes, and yes.

Although after 4 months the likelihood of finding her mid-molt is extremely slim. She's either done with her mlt and just chilling underground (or trapped) like they do sometimes, or she'll be gone.

Okay, I am digging her up tomorrow, I will keep you guys posted!

She didn't make it, I dug her up a few minutes ago, it was really hard. I am posting another post about it under molting.

Sorry for your loss
Impacted bowels are when the poop cements and seals up the lizard's bum, and poop cant come out. You can wash critters' impacted bums with warm water to try to save them, if its not too bad. But crabs impacted in calcisand will be all sealed up, glued into their shell.


Crabbers unite!!!

Thank you.
I feel like it is my fault, if I had used play sand, she might still be here

Its hard to deal with miseducation on such a large scale. Somehow we need to get supply distributers to change their tune. Even if it means over paying for playsand, repackaged as "special hermit crab sand."


Crabbers unite!!!

We need to get our approved care sheets into stores, sand was one thing I just never thought made a difference, I knew to watch out for calcium sand, but I never would have thought reptile sand would be just as bad.

I think reptile sand is the same thing. My hermit crab kit came with something called Vita-Sand, and it said calcium fortified or something. Had a big lizard pictured on it. The dude at Petco let me know that it was bad for crabs and would cement them and kill them, so i was lucky to have been helped by him. He said they used to use it and had lost many crabs that way.
We are all slowly learning more about crabs. Don't lose hope. You've many more crabs to help!


Crabbers unite!!!

I am so sorry she didn't make it!

YYWW wrote:Sorry for your loss
Impacted bowels are when the poop cements and seals up the lizard's bum, and poop cant come out. You can wash critters' impacted bums with warm water to try to save them, if its not too bad. But crabs impacted in calcisand will be all sealed up, glued into their shell.

Impaction in reptiles is internal and may require surgery as the mass is located somewhere in the intestines. They can become impacted from anything that is too large (chunks) or too small that sticks together in a clump (even cocofiber, though calcisand is much more common). It's the same thing that happens if a dog eats something it shouldn't, like a pile of change, or a shredded towel. Sometimes the animal can pass it naturally, but a vet visit is always in order in case the blockage has to be cut out in an emergency surgery. It is deadly, it's almost always preventable, and it does kill a lot of pet reptiles.

I've never seen a crab glued into it's shell with calcisand, though calcisand will stick to them. What it can do however is dry out and harden, turning into a solid block of concrete around them, trapping them when it's time to dig back out. That dryness is also deadly, as the crab will dessicate without a moist substrate around them. The same exact thing can happen with playsand, only playsand will cave in as it dries rather than retain it's shape. Calcisand also has a tendency to dry out much faster.

There wasn't much sand on her shell, but the inside of her shell was filled with sand.

Sorry, I don't understand what you guys are talking about with the impacted reptiles. Are you saying this happened to Starlite?