keeps dropping shell in salt water

[quinnn12]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
play sand and coco fiber mix- like six inches at the lowest point

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?

yes, temp is always between 70 and 80, humidity is usually at least 70 but right now has been a bit above 60 because the weather is changing and i cant get it back up at the moment
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
yes, two large uth's on the side of the tank

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 and salt, i have to use distilled because the water at my apartment is so disgusting that i use jugs of drinking water for me and my cats, so i dont trust it even with treatment. salt i use instant ocean- the ratio on the bag

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
i have a large variety of different organic foods and its replaced every couple of days

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

i have had this one for about 6-9 months, hes really small, and hes a purple pincher
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

i dont think so, but a couple months ago he was under for a couple of weeks so he could have then. i never noticed a drastic color change
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
40-50 gal terrarium, mesh lid but it has saran wrap over most of it for humidity

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
four- three smalls and a tiny

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

like 25-30
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
the only thing that has been near it is diatomaceous earth

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i keep it surface cleaned but deep clean it about every six months. i JUST deep cleaned it a couple weeks ago. i bake the sand and boil their decor and wipe down the tank with hot water and then dry it

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
a couple of fake plants

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 found ants a couple weeks ago and immediately took them out, deep cleaned the tank, and gave them baths in salt water. then i moved them to a different room and put diatomaceous earth around the tank

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

my tiny dropped his shell a few days ago in the salt water bowl and then went and hid. i found him, put him in a cup with some water, his shell, and two other shells about his size. he got back in the old shell and seemed normal. then this morning his old shell was in the salt water bowl again and he was half buried. i did the cup thing again but am at work and only have a blurry camera to watch him. i THINK he got in one of the new shells, as i didnt put his old shell in there this time, but i cant tell for sure.

either way, i was posting because i feel like im missing something. i was wondering if maybe he was dropping his shell in the salt bowl because theres a bug in there and his instincts tell him salt water will help? i dont know. the shell fit him perfectly and i dont see it falling off like that even if it was a bit too big. all the other crabs are buried right now so i cant base his behavior off of theirs and im worried hes sick or something because the crab i got at the same time as him did this too, except she dropped her shell and then kept going and sitting in the water bowl without it. she refused to get in a shell at all no matter what and eventually died. he is doing better than she was but im afraid he will die too.
.

[CrabbyLover77]

I'll put my suggestions under your answers. Hope this helps!

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
play sand and coco fiber mix- like six inches at the lowest point

CL77- Is it moistened to sand castle consistency with dechlor fresh/salt water?

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?

yes, temp is always between 70 and 80, humidity is usually at least 70 but right now has been a bit above 60 because the weather is changing and i cant get it back up at the moment

CL77- To boost your humidity, cover your mesh lid completely. The crabs will get air exchange when you do your tank maintenance every day or two. The closer you can get your heat and humidity to 80°/80%, the more comfortable your crabby will be.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
yes, two large uth's on the side of the tank

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 and salt, i have to use distilled because the water at my apartment is so disgusting that i use jugs of drinking water for me and my cats, so i dont trust it even with treatment. salt i use instant ocean- the ratio on the bag

CL77- Distilled water lacks minerals for your crabs found in normal tap water. If you don't want to use your tap, you can buy spring water and use that for your fresh water instead.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
i have a large variety of different organic foods and its replaced every couple of days

CL77- Are you offering a daily source of protein and calcium?

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

i have had this one for about 6-9 months, hes really small, and hes a purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

i dont think so, but a couple months ago he was under for a couple of weeks so he could have then. i never noticed a drastic color change

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
40-50 gal terrarium, mesh lid but it has saran wrap over most of it for humidity

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
four- three smalls and a tiny

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

like 25-30

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
the only thing that has been near it is diatomaceous earth

CL77- As long as it doesn't get in the tank I would think this wouldn't be a problem. I don't have any experience with DE, so maybe someone else can comment on this.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i keep it surface cleaned but deep clean it about every six months. i JUST deep cleaned it a couple weeks ago. i bake the sand and boil their decor and wipe down the tank with hot water and then dry it

CL77- No need to do a deep clean unless there is an emergency, like a bacterial bloom or flood. I understand you did it this time because of ants, but no need to do it again if you don't have to.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
a couple of fake plants

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 found ants a couple weeks ago and immediately took them out, deep cleaned the tank, and gave them baths in salt water. then i moved them to a different room and put diatomaceous earth around the tank

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

my tiny dropped his shell a few days ago in the salt water bowl and then went and hid. i found him, put him in a cup with some water, his shell, and two other shells about his size. he got back in the old shell and seemed normal. then this morning his old shell was in the salt water bowl again and he was half buried. i did the cup thing again but am at work and only have a blurry camera to watch him. i THINK he got in one of the new shells, as i didnt put his old shell in there this time, but i cant tell for sure.

either way, i was posting because i feel like im missing something. i was wondering if maybe he was dropping his shell in the salt bowl because theres a bug in there and his instincts tell him salt water will help? i dont know. the shell fit him perfectly and i dont see it falling off like that even if it was a bit too big. all the other crabs are buried right now so i cant base his behavior off of theirs and im worried hes sick or something because the crab i got at the same time as him did this too, except she dropped her shell and then kept going and sitting in the water bowl without it. she refused to get in a shell at all no matter what and eventually died. he is doing better than she was but im afraid he will die too.

CL77- I'm sorry your little guy isn't feeling well. You'll have to try to re-shell him manually if he doesn't take a shell on his own. If your humidity is constantly dipping into the 60s, that could be a problem. Like I mentioned before, cover the entire mesh lid and don't leave any air holes. This should help keep it more steady. Otherwise, I don't see anything horribly wrong with your setup. Just keep conditions optimal and offer lots of calcium and protein.

.

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