Worried about molt that has been reallllly long
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2020 11:59 am
So I've had my 2 hermit crabs (Philippe and Houdini) for about 6 months now, and both of them had a successful molt back when I first got them. Houdini has been doing great ever since, and seems to have no issues. He's very active, and does all the normal hermit crab things. However, Philippe has been molting now since September 18 (almost 11 weeks). I've never had a crab molt this long. I know they can go for a while, but this seems really long. His first molt was exactly a month, so over 2 months seems long. They're not very big either. Idk how to describe their size very well, but I know they fit best in their 3/4 opening shells. I am going ahead and filling out the emergency form just so there is all the information, even though this isn't really an emergency, per se.
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play sand and Eco earth mix (idk the exact ratio, but maybe 2/3 play sand and 1/3 Eco earth). It's 6 inches deep.
2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
I have an AcuRite digital thermometer/hygrometer. It's located in an area where the crabs spend most of their time. The temp is consistently between 80 and 85, and humidity is consistently between 80 and 85 (sometimes it gets a little higher, up to 88 or so) as well.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I have 2 Fluker's UTH attached to two different sides of the outside of the tank. Both are insulated with cardboard and tin foil (I researched this extensively to see if it was safe). I also have to throw a blanket part way (so as to let air in and not cover the UTHs) over the tank in the winter at night because the temp will dip down to <80 if I don't--I learned this the hard way when my first 2 crabs passed away last winter because my temp gages were incorrect and they basically froze to death
).
4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Both fresh water (treated with Prime) and salt water (treated with Prime then Instant Ocean) are available to the crabs. I use just a few drops of Prime for each bottle of water (they're about 1L each) and a couple tsp of Instant Ocean for the salt water.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them a variety of organic fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables, eggshell daily, Fluker's freeze dried shrimp (the only store-bought food I feed them), walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, etc. I check all foods from the safe foods list before I give it to them. I change the food out about every other day since they don't typically eat it all in one night. I also don't like it to get moldy so I change it before I gets to that point.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Not sure of the species. I've had both for 6 months.
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Both have successfully molted before. This is Philippe's second molt.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon Aqueon tank, glass lid.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 crabs, size as stated above.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have so many shells lol. I have like 15 extra shells in there. I have more that I can use for when they get bigger but not all of them will fit into the tank. I set up a moss pit/shell shop a couple months ago with a shower caddy thing, but it kept falling and I can't get it to stay up. So vertical space is limited.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Nope.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I deep cleaned the tank like 3 months ago; just replaced the substrate because it had gotten really icky (there was a mushroom growing; it was disgusting. The mushroom was harmless to the crabs--again, I did a lot of research to make sure). At that time, I also added some other climbing things because they needed it lol. Made a climbing bridge thing out of popsicle sticks and crab-safe twine. Added said shell shop/moss pit, and new water dishes that were bigger/deeper (I used that plastic net stuff so they can climb out). Other than that, I pretty much keep my hands out of there. It seems like crabitats don't really need much cleaning, so I only so it if there's something really wacky (like mushrooms).
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No sponges.
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
See above.
15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
I don't play with my crabs. I only pick them up when absolutely necessary. Reasons being that I don't want to stress them, and that I don't want to be pinched lol.
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
See above.
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play sand and Eco earth mix (idk the exact ratio, but maybe 2/3 play sand and 1/3 Eco earth). It's 6 inches deep.
2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
I have an AcuRite digital thermometer/hygrometer. It's located in an area where the crabs spend most of their time. The temp is consistently between 80 and 85, and humidity is consistently between 80 and 85 (sometimes it gets a little higher, up to 88 or so) as well.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I have 2 Fluker's UTH attached to two different sides of the outside of the tank. Both are insulated with cardboard and tin foil (I researched this extensively to see if it was safe). I also have to throw a blanket part way (so as to let air in and not cover the UTHs) over the tank in the winter at night because the temp will dip down to <80 if I don't--I learned this the hard way when my first 2 crabs passed away last winter because my temp gages were incorrect and they basically froze to death
).4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Both fresh water (treated with Prime) and salt water (treated with Prime then Instant Ocean) are available to the crabs. I use just a few drops of Prime for each bottle of water (they're about 1L each) and a couple tsp of Instant Ocean for the salt water.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them a variety of organic fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables, eggshell daily, Fluker's freeze dried shrimp (the only store-bought food I feed them), walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, etc. I check all foods from the safe foods list before I give it to them. I change the food out about every other day since they don't typically eat it all in one night. I also don't like it to get moldy so I change it before I gets to that point.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Not sure of the species. I've had both for 6 months.
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Both have successfully molted before. This is Philippe's second molt.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon Aqueon tank, glass lid.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 crabs, size as stated above.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have so many shells lol. I have like 15 extra shells in there. I have more that I can use for when they get bigger but not all of them will fit into the tank. I set up a moss pit/shell shop a couple months ago with a shower caddy thing, but it kept falling and I can't get it to stay up. So vertical space is limited.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Nope.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I deep cleaned the tank like 3 months ago; just replaced the substrate because it had gotten really icky (there was a mushroom growing; it was disgusting. The mushroom was harmless to the crabs--again, I did a lot of research to make sure). At that time, I also added some other climbing things because they needed it lol. Made a climbing bridge thing out of popsicle sticks and crab-safe twine. Added said shell shop/moss pit, and new water dishes that were bigger/deeper (I used that plastic net stuff so they can climb out). Other than that, I pretty much keep my hands out of there. It seems like crabitats don't really need much cleaning, so I only so it if there's something really wacky (like mushrooms).
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No sponges.
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
See above.
15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
I don't play with my crabs. I only pick them up when absolutely necessary. Reasons being that I don't want to stress them, and that I don't want to be pinched lol.
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
See above.