Fungus? Molting disturbance?

[Fledgling]

So one of my medium/large crabs, Robin, finally came up after 3 weeks of destressing. Today while I was doing tank maintenance I noticed that movable part of his big pincer is lame. Collapsed. Not functioning. Since he is so big, I didn't think he could molt that quick, but he does have really nice black nails, so I don't know...I don't know if Speedy bothered him during molt or what. I, very gently, touch the injury, just to see if the exo was hardened, and it appears to be a bit soft, so now I'm worried about infection...I'll fill out the emergency template when I get a chance, but I wanted to throw up some pics and get some preliminary feedback really quick. Thanks!

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[wodesorel]

It's an injury, could be from another crab or a problem with shedding, it happens sometimes. The soft part you're feeling is the flesh that is normally under the exo. It's going to look black and funky. That's normal, it's their body sealing off the open parts so nothing gets in. She may choose to drop her BP, but more likely she'll try to regrow the missing parts next moly. It takes a few molts for claws to look completely normal.

[GotButterflies]

Awe! Sorry you are both experiencing this! Msw might be the best, but I wouldn't want to stress her out.


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[Fledgling]

Thank you so much for the quick response. Do you think I should iso? I just can't remember if he had the injury when I adopted him... I wouldn't be surprised if Speedy is the culprit. All of his tunneling has displaced a lot of sub from one side of the tank, so there's a noticeable gradient now with the max height being 6 inches. After I move I'm going to try and get my hands on a tank with more vertical space, but until then I'm stuck with a 20L with very little climbing space...

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[wodesorel]

I bought one with a worse wound, let her be in the main tank, and she was fine. Only the open tissue covered during her first molt, she was still missing the top part of her pincher, and it took I think another three or four molts before she was indistinguishable from my others.

[Fledgling]

Ok, I'll leave him be. Is there anything else I can do to help with the healing process?

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[wodesorel]

Some people like to use saltwater topically, or smear on honey, or use medicinal bath from the hermit crab patch. I've always chosen to let them be and wounds like this have healed with a molt. I think every owner has their own personal mindset on what is best for their crab.

[GotButterflies]

I'm fostering 3 crabs that came to me in a 20 L - 29/30g has same footprint with more height


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[Fledgling]

I already lightly dipped him in the water pool to wash off the sand and get a better look...turns out it was the sw pool...oops...
I might do honey if it starting looking really bad.

Haha, I've been considering a 29-30gal! The problem is that I'm a college student and move a lot between school and home, not to mention there's not a lot of room in my apartment...

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[wodesorel]

29s are considerably heavier (probably because of the span of the glass it has to be thicker) and harder to move around because of the height. I can swing 20 gallons around pretty easy and get them out to the backyard for cleaning and back upstairs by myself, but anything bigger and I have to get my hubby.

[Hermias_mom]

I already lightly dipped him in the water pool to wash off the sand and get a better look...turns out it was the sw pool...oops...
I might do honey if it starting looking really bad.

Haha, I've been considering a 29-30gal! The problem is that I'm a college student and move a lot between school and home, not to mention there's not a lot of room in my apartment...

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I love my 29 gallon! The footprint and height in my opinion are superb, for a small tank (larger would be better, but I don't have the floorspace yet... ). I can move the 29 gallon by myself when it's totally empty, but just barely. I usually chicken out and ask my husband to move it while I get the door and such. With substrate and stuff in it, it's definitely a two person job, and then it would have to sit in the back floorboard of the van for transport. All molters would have to get dug up if anyone was down due to the vibrations of driving the car.

If it was a tank I'd be moving by myself to school and back, I'd hesitate to go larger than a 10 gallon. But not having had a regular 20 gallon, that might work too, I don't know...

[NLindsey921]

I had a crab with literally that exact same wound. It was caused during a fight. I have him lots of protein and calcium and when he molted he regrew it. I never isod him or anything.

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[Fledgling]

Thanks everybody! The pincher part of the big claw has come off now, and it doesn't seem to bugging him much.

I'm going to be keeping my eye open for a 29 or 30 gal for my apartment at school. Hopefully I'll be able to keep the 20L at home for breaks. Since my school is only an hour and a half from my home I plan to move all of my big stuff first, then move the crabs the next day. One little stinker went and made himself what I believe is a molting cage under the salt water dish. ON THE SHALLOW SIDE of the tank. The water dish acts as the roof of the cave, so everytime I go to change the water, I end up spooking the poor guy. Hopefully he holds off his actual molt for just a little while longer...

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[LadyJinglyJones]

Building a cave under the water pool is a CLASSIC crab-jerk move.

In future you can get a container that the pool will nest inside of so that you can change the water without worrying about disturbing the cave. Then the little jerks will have to find some other way to make life difficult.

[Fledgling]

Building a cave under the water pool is a CLASSIC crab-jerk move.

In future you can get a container that the pool will nest inside of so that you can change the water without worrying about disturbing the cave. Then the little jerks will have to find some other way to make life difficult.

That's the plan. My 20 gal setup is kind of a temporary thing right now. My two big guys came from an adoption and I was waiting for my little guy to come up from his first molt. He's since come up, but now it's so close to moving time that I'm just going to wait until the move to set up the tank officially. So right now they have pretty much all stuff that they came with. I'm got LOTS of plans for the final set up

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