Underground Shell Theft With Unknown Consequences

[Lilyco]

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?
5 inches of eco earth mixed with sand.

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?
75 degrees Fahrenheit 75-80% humidity and it is located away from the heat pad and opposite side of the tank from the water pool.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Zoomed UTH put 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)?
I have a deep fresh water pool filled with distilled water and use a spray bottle full of salt water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them every night. It often consists of some kind of fruit or vegetable like spinach, celery, banana, carrot, apple, broccoli and then either a piece of poached chicken, some mealworms, or some crickets for protein.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have Romulus who is a purple pincher for about 2.5 years and Remus whom I don't know his specie for 2 years.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Remus finished molting in late December and Romulus likely finished a molt last month.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I have an Aqueon 20 gallon long with a wooden lid coated in transparent tape to prevent the lid from rotting. I haven't had any issues with the lid apart from opening it and have been trying to get a different lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Just two crabs with Romulus being a medium and Remus having quickly grown to a large.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have provided 8 spare shells in the tank but they buried nearly all but one and I've been trying to find where to buy more.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I do spot cleaning about once every 1 to 2 weeks. Twice a year I do a full deep clean where I wash everything and change the substrate.

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?
I added a hamster wheel for them to use and added their hut back in about a month ago. I also took a little critter carrier, like the smallest one PetSmart has, and changed it into a water pool with plastic canvas as a ladder.

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.)?
After reintroducing the two and observing their behavior I noticed that as it got warmer outside Remus went underground and discovered that Romulus seemed to have a leg missing. When observing past photos I couldn't find much since that side was always obscured or the picture quality was poor. The earliest photo I have though (November 2019) shows that he did indeed have that leg. The shell he was in was too small and I got some of the shells out of the dirt and cleaned them hoping he'd change his shell. The biggest spare shell is about the same size as Remus's and has a wider opening.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Alright so over the past few days I saw Romulus digging holes in the substrate which had me slightly concerned that either something was up with Remus or Romulus was also about to go underground. I was theorizing what would happen if they did encounter each other underground but was hoping nothing would happen. He was missing almost all day yesterday until I saw Remus's shell on the surface when changing their food. I came back with the food and saw the exoskeleton of the crab occupying it. It wasn't Remus. It had a lighter color, purple pincher, and was smaller. It also had a leg missing. It was Romulus inside Remus's shell. A scenario I was trying to avoid. Even worse was that a green shell, the same color as Romulus's, was left empty in a slight depression in the ground next to the water pool. I put their food in, shut the lid, and hoped things would turn around while trying to find what to do. Then this morning I didn't see anything or smell anything different from last night. This afternoon I check-in and nothing looks different from last night except when I opened the tank and gave it a whiff a repugnant, fishy smell was there. I think something very bad did happen. I am considering going in and excavating to see if Remus is indeed dead and buried or if he is alive and down there. What should I do?

.

[curlysister]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5 inches of eco earth mixed with sand.
Curly - Is it moistened so that it is sand castle consistency? It should be at least 2-3 times as deep as your largest crab.

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?
75 degrees Fahrenheit 75-80% humidity and it is located away from the heat pad and opposite side of the tank from the water pool.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Zoomed UTH put 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)?
I have a deep fresh water pool filled with distilled water and use a spray bottle full of salt water.
Curly - If you are spraying/ misting your tank, you should use dechlorinated water, otherwise the salt will build up in the sub when the water evaporates. It is recommended to have two pools, one with dechlorinated fresh water, and the other with marine salt mixed with the dechlorinated water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them every night. It often consists of some kind of fruit or vegetable like spinach, celery, banana, carrot, apple, broccoli and then either a piece of poached chicken, some mealworms, or some crickets for protein.
Curly - Crabs also require a source of calcium daily.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have Romulus who is a purple pincher for about 2.5 years and Remus whom I don't know his specie for 2 years.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Remus finished molting in late December and Romulus likely finished a molt last month.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I have an Aqueon 20 gallon long with a wooden lid coated in transparent tape to prevent the lid from rotting. I haven't had any issues with the lid apart from opening it and have been trying to get a different lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Just two crabs with Romulus being a medium and Remus having quickly grown to a large.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have provided 8 spare shells in the tank but they buried nearly all but one and I've been trying to find where to buy more.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I do spot cleaning about once every 1 to 2 weeks. Twice a year I do a full deep clean where I wash everything and change the substrate.

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?
I added a hamster wheel for them to use and added their hut back in about a month ago. I also took a little critter carrier, like the smallest one PetSmart has, and changed it into a water pool with plastic canvas as a ladder.

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.)?
After reintroducing the two and observing their behavior I noticed that as it got warmer outside Remus went underground and discovered that Romulus seemed to have a leg missing. When observing past photos I couldn't find much since that side was always obscured or the picture quality was poor. The earliest photo I have though (November 2019) shows that he did indeed have that leg. The shell he was in was too small and I got some of the shells out of the dirt and cleaned them hoping he'd change his shell. The biggest spare shell is about the same size as Remus's and has a wider opening.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Alright so over the past few days I saw Romulus digging holes in the substrate which had me slightly concerned that either something was up with Remus or Romulus was also about to go underground. I was theorizing what would happen if they did encounter each other underground but was hoping nothing would happen. He was missing almost all day yesterday until I saw Remus's shell on the surface when changing their food. I came back with the food and saw the exoskeleton of the crab occupying it. It wasn't Remus. It had a lighter color, purple pincher, and was smaller. It also had a leg missing. It was Romulus inside Remus's shell. A scenario I was trying to avoid. Even worse was that a green shell, the same color as Romulus's, was left empty in a slight depression in the ground next to the water pool. I put their food in, shut the lid, and hoped things would turn around while trying to find what to do. Then this morning I didn't see anything or smell anything different from last night. This afternoon I check-in and nothing looks different from last night except when I opened the tank and gave it a whiff a repugnant, fishy smell was there. I think something very bad did happen. I am considering going in and excavating to see if Remus is indeed dead and buried or if he is alive and down there. What should I do?
Curly - To clarify, you have only one crab above ground? And it is in a shell, but has shed it's exoskeleton? And you think that the molting crab is in the other crab's shell, but the second crab is nowhere to be seen?

[Lilyco]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5 inches of eco earth mixed with sand.
Curly - Is it moistened so that it is sand castle consistency? It should be at least 2-3 times as deep as your largest crab.

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?
75 degrees Fahrenheit 75-80% humidity and it is located away from the heat pad and opposite side of the tank from the water pool.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Zoomed UTH put 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)?
I have a deep fresh water pool filled with distilled water and use a spray bottle full of salt water.
Curly - If you are spraying/ misting your tank, you should use dechlorinated water, otherwise the salt will build up in the sub when the water evaporates. It is recommended to have two pools, one with dechlorinated fresh water, and the other with marine salt mixed with the dechlorinated water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them every night. It often consists of some kind of fruit or vegetable like spinach, celery, banana, carrot, apple, broccoli and then either a piece of poached chicken, some mealworms, or some crickets for protein.
Curly - Crabs also require a source of calcium daily.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have Romulus who is a purple pincher for about 2.5 years and Remus whom I don't know his specie for 2 years.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Remus finished molting in late December and Romulus likely finished a molt last month.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I have an Aqueon 20 gallon long with a wooden lid coated in transparent tape to prevent the lid from rotting. I haven't had any issues with the lid apart from opening it and have been trying to get a different lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Just two crabs with Romulus being a medium and Remus having quickly grown to a large.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have provided 8 spare shells in the tank but they buried nearly all but one and I've been trying to find where to buy more.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I do spot cleaning about once every 1 to 2 weeks. Twice a year I do a full deep clean where I wash everything and change the substrate.

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?
I added a hamster wheel for them to use and added their hut back in about a month ago. I also took a little critter carrier, like the smallest one PetSmart has, and changed it into a water pool with plastic canvas as a ladder.

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.)?
After reintroducing the two and observing their behavior I noticed that as it got warmer outside Remus went underground and discovered that Romulus seemed to have a leg missing. When observing past photos I couldn't find much since that side was always obscured or the picture quality was poor. The earliest photo I have though (November 2019) shows that he did indeed have that leg. The shell he was in was too small and I got some of the shells out of the dirt and cleaned them hoping he'd change his shell. The biggest spare shell is about the same size as Remus's and has a wider opening.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Alright so over the past few days I saw Romulus digging holes in the substrate which had me slightly concerned that either something was up with Remus or Romulus was also about to go underground. I was theorizing what would happen if they did encounter each other underground but was hoping nothing would happen. He was missing almost all day yesterday until I saw Remus's shell on the surface when changing their food. I came back with the food and saw the exoskeleton of the crab occupying it. It wasn't Remus. It had a lighter color, purple pincher, and was smaller. It also had a leg missing. It was Romulus inside Remus's shell. A scenario I was trying to avoid. Even worse was that a green shell, the same color as Romulus's, was left empty in a slight depression in the ground next to the water pool. I put their food in, shut the lid, and hoped things would turn around while trying to find what to do. Then this morning I didn't see anything or smell anything different from last night. This afternoon I check-in and nothing looks different from last night except when I opened the tank and gave it a whiff a repugnant, fishy smell was there. I think something very bad did happen. I am considering going in and excavating to see if Remus is indeed dead and buried or if he is alive and down there. What should I do?
Curly - To clarify, you have only one crab above ground? And it is in a shell, but has shed it's exoskeleton? And you think that the molting crab is in the other crab's shell, but the second crab is nowhere to be seen?

There is only one crab above ground wearing the shell of his tankmate that is underground. The underground crab is nowhere to be seen, and when checking in this afternoon there was a fishy smell. I think a lethal encounter may have occurred underground that ended in the underground crab's shell being stolen. I can't know for sure without digging through the substrate or waiting for something, and I am unsure if I should dig through it. I don't think any crab shed their exoskeleton. It would be weird if they did. I only mentioned it because their differently colored exoskeletons is how I tell them apart in case they change shells.

[curlysister]

Ah, okay. I thought that the exo your were describing was shed.
There isn't really a right or wrong answer. If your other crab is dead underground, there is nothing to be gained by digging him up. If he is alive, and just took a different shell, you could harm him if he is molting and you dig him up. Most times when people think a crab's shell is above ground but the crab is under, the crab simply took a different shell. If you don't have any shells on the surface, and the other crab really wanted the one that was already in use, he could have taken it. If your substrate isn't deep enough or tank isn't large enough for the crabs, one may have come across the other accidentally when digging, and if the one was molting, the other could have taken advantage of that (they will take an easy meal, even if it is their tank mate).

[wodesorel]

Having had this situation a few times before, if your gut is telling you he's in trouble, it's worth it to dig. Crabs underground who have had their shell stolen can survive the encounter but will often need assistance to get safely reshelled. However, it's important to be absolutely sure that's what happened - what you're describing makes it sound like you are sure of the events, not everyone who comes here with a similar situation is that convinced! A naked crab is extremely delicate though and a bump can cause fatal organ damage. When digging, go extremely slow with your hands and be prepared to stop the moment you feel something. If he's had his shell stolen he'll likely be packed into the substrate and not in a cave anymore, making him harder to locate safely.