He won't eat his exo and lost 2 legs...help!

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:14 am

Ok, so I have a jumbo PP who molted ( I posted about this a couple of weeks ago) 3 months ago, and then, I found this guy half molted about 3 weeks ago. He was surface molting, and was caught in his molt. I had to help him get out of his molt...

He ended up dropping 2 legs, but will not eat his exo. His mouth parts move, but not the way they should. When I put some baby food in his mouth area, he really eats that up. He can't crawl/walk, and hasn't attempted to.

He is still separated from the others up high in a shower sectional (that I use for second levels).

Do I keep hand feeding him, or leave him alone? I haven't seen him touch his exo, and it usually would be gone/eaten by now. I sure don't want to lose this beautiful PP.

Anyone been through this before?

Thanks!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:47 pm

I am going through the same sort of thing...
I found my Bugsy7 naked under the salt pond yesterday...
At first I thought he was a victim of a shell snatcher.. He was covered in sand all over his abdomen and very pale...and lifeless..
I placed him in ISO inside his tank, and really figured he would be dead this morning.... He too dropped a leg with all the movement I had to do handling him, ..
This morning I checked on him to find he has surface molted.. he is laying there naked, with his EXO next to him... Barely any movement.. HE has honey, cuttlebone, water, food etc.. But he too does not seem to be eating his EXO... I have done the same thing adding small drops of baby food next to him, he appears to be eating it...
I feel so bad for him....
Lets hope we are doing the right thing...
Good luck to you....

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:53 pm

NanT wrote:I am going through the same sort of thing...
I found my Bugsy7 naked under the salt pond yesterday...
At first I thought he was a victim of a shell snatcher.. He was covered in sand all over his abdomen and very pale...and lifeless..
I placed him in ISO inside his tank, and really figured he would be dead this morning.... He too dropped a leg with all the movement I had to do handling him, ..
This morning I checked on him to find he has surface molted.. he is laying there naked, with his EXO next to him... Barely any movement.. HE has honey, cuttlebone, water, food etc.. But he too does not seem to be eating his EXO... I have done the same thing adding small drops of baby food next to him, he appears to be eating it...
I feel so bad for him....
Lets hope we are doing the right thing...
Good luck to you....

Wow!! I am so sorry to hear about your little guy! Amazing though! I don't know why this sorta stuff happens...and I just don't understand it.

It has been about 2 weeks, and I haven't seen him eating his exo...I am not sure he can eat it...he will try to scoop up the baby food though....let's hope they both pull through...

Thanks for sharing your story, and the best of luck to you as well...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:47 pm

Fully expecting to find Bugsy7 dead this morning.... still un-shelled...with his EXO next to him....He spent all day without his clothes....
I was really afraid to open the tank to check on him...

HE HAS RESHELLED!!!!

and slowly beginning to eat his EXO..... He is all pink today and so pretty...
I know we still have a long way to go.. but this is a good sign...I replaced all his food, honey etc... but he doesn't seem to have moved from the position he has been in... the shell is still upside down (Claw Up) but he is alive..

I just hope he gets a bit stronger every day..

With your little one... I would say if the feeding is helping him, keep going...For me it is worth the try to keep him alive....

Hope it works hon....

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:18 am

NanT wrote:Fully expecting to find Bugsy7 dead this morning.... still un-shelled...with his EXO next to him....He spent all day without his clothes....
I was really afraid to open the tank to check on him...

HE HAS RESHELLED!!!!
and slowly beginning to eat his EXO..... He is all pink today and so pretty...
I know we still have a long way to go.. but this is a good sign...I replaced all his food, honey etc... but he doesn't seem to have moved from the position he has been in... the shell is still upside down (Claw Up) but he is alive..

I just hope he gets a bit stronger every day..

With your little one... I would say if the feeding is helping him, keep going...For me it is worth the try to keep him alive....

Hope it works hon....

I am SO GLAD to hear your little one has reshelled! I bet that took a lot of his energy! I hope he pulls through for you, it all sounds so very positive

It encourages me!

Yes, I am still giving mine a little baby food on his mouth parts, and he will work those around like he is eating it...I haven't seen him eat exo yet though

I will keep yall updated....also let us know about Bugsy7 progress!!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:46 am

I would keep trying. I hand fed my E, Scootch, for three months like that and he ended up molting again and is fine now.

When you do hand feed him, be sure to feed some protein (meats) and calcium also (scrape a cuttlebone to powder it). I used the Colorado Care Co.'s Kibble crushed to a powder with some water and a touch of olive oil. I would also bathe the crab every day in both water dishes.

If he cannot eat or move on his own, your choices are to either hand-feed in hopes of a good molt or maybe euthanasia by putting him in the freezer.

I'm sorry you are both having a tough time.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:52 am

Just a thought. If you are able to get some of his exo and finely grind it, maybe he would eat it. You could also try it in his baby food.

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:02 pm

Grammarcia wrote:Just a thought. If you are able to get some of his exo and finely grind it, maybe he would eat it. You could also try it in his baby food.

That is a GREAT idea....I will try that this week.....

brad873 · Post by **brad873** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:29 pm

grrr, i was going to say that

i hope he eats for you soon

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:44 pm

Keep doing whatever it takes...
Powering the EXO is an excellent idea...
As long as he is eating... that's a good sign....I would say.. A lot of work on you... But you must be a GOOD Crabby Mom...

Be proud of yourself for your accomplishments.. Your little guy is still alive... and maybe another molt will help....

Good Luck hon

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 8:14 am

I just wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate all the replies and thoughts for my Gary.

He did pass away on Tues., June 17th. He just couldn't hold on any longer, and I thought I would give you all an update....

Thanks for all the advice and concerns....I hope I don't have to go through this again....good luck to the rest of my crabbies....and to all of yours!

:crabcry:

MudCrabDude · Post by **MudCrabDude** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:59 pm

So sorry to hear about this.

There's also the possibility that being a jumbo PP, maybe it was his time...

At the very least, he lived his last days in this reality with someone who cared for him well.

Well, it might seem facetious, but in times like these, I think of this:

Grig from The Last Starfighter wrote:Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of [him] as battling evil, in another dimension. . . !

Hermie Lover · Post by **Hermie Lover** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:25 am

Thank you for your kind words.....I did all I could humanly do.....