Carol And Jonathon Molting Questions by KyMart

[KyMart]

I have been reading a lot about Carol and her crab Jonathon and their story. I have read that she was very hands on and helped her crabs through the molting process, what exactly does that mean? How did she help them? What did she do? Is it proven to be unsafe now that we know more? Does anyone here use this method? I have so many questions about this, and am very interested! I know it's not recommended, that is very clear. I'm just curious to what she did and your guy's thoughts on it!

[KyMart]

Does anyone have any info on this?

[wodesorel]

If memory serves she would create a molting cave for them using slate, keep watch, and actually help peel their shed exoskeleton off of them. The things she did in the early days with those two are the exact opposite of what is considered standard of care now. I've never been sure if she got extremely lucky, or if we're the ones approaching things the wrong way.

[KyMart]

If memory serves she would create a molting cave for them using slate, keep watch, and actually help peel their shed exoskeleton off of them. The things she did in the early days with those two are the exact opposite of what is considered standard of care now. I've never been sure if she got extremely lucky, or if we're the ones approaching things the wrong way.

A molting cave sounds super cool! Also, sounds like it would keep them safe as well! And the fact that she helped them with the hardest part of molting is super sweet! It makes me wonder if we are approaching things the wrong way.. I hope some day someone does a test of this, raising two sets of two crabs, one set with standard care, and the other set with the methods she used with Jonathan and his tankmate (I can't remember her name rn)! We have to take into account that some crabs are hardier then others. I wish we knew what exactly she did, step by step, every single day she had them, that would be so useful!

[wodesorel]

It's Jon and Kate.

Personally I think her secret was that she's a microbiologist, so much of what she did early on was based on keeping infection risks low. Small 20 gallon tank with fine gravel that she rinsed and washed frequently. They spent 4 hours a night roaming the house so their immune systems were challenged safely as well, along with good exercise which is super important for captive animals. (Fatty liver is common in most pets, even fish.)

She also did things that we know can lower risks. Kept a separate molting tank so there were no surprises or risks from other crabs while molting. Had only two crabs which cuts down on the risks of anything communicable and on aggression. (Singles and pairs seem to live the longest.) Offered a varied diet which is also extremely important, even though by today's standards many things fed would horrify keepers like fish flakes and hot dogs. They were also well handled and socialized, so would have been less likely to succumb to sudden stress.

Something that gets forgotten is that she did have a third crab that passed extremely early on, within the first year.

[KyMart]

It's Jon and Kate.

Personally I think her secret was that she's a microbiologist, so much of what she did early on was based on keeping infection risks low. Small 20 gallon tank with fine gravel that she rinsed and washed frequently. They spent 4 hours a night roaming the house so their immune systems were challenged safely as well, along with good exercise which is super important for captive animals. (Fatty liver is common in most pets, even fish.)

She also did things that we know can lower risks. Kept a separate molting tank so there were no surprises or risks from other crabs while molting. Had only two crabs which cuts down on the risks of anything communicable and on aggression. (Singles and pairs seem to live the longest.) Offered a varied diet which is also extremely important, even though by today's standards many things fed would horrify keepers like fish flakes and hot dogs. They were also well handled and socialized, so would have been less likely to succumb to sudden stress.

Something that gets forgotten is that she did have a third crab that passed extremely early on, within the first year.

Do we know the name of the crab that didn't make it?

[wodesorel]

No, it happened it in 1976. She just mentioned it in passing decades later.

[KyMart]

No, it happened it in 1976. She just mentioned it in passing decades later.

Ok! I was just wondering! Do you have any links to stuff about her and Jonathan? I would love to give them a good read!