lethargic hermie! ):

[hermitcrablover2]

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, coco substrate (I'm getting sand to add in)


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, humidity is about 70 - 80% and temp is usually 74 F.


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
heat pad, usually i dont need it tho


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)?
fresh and salt are available, both dechlorinated and the salt is used with a pinch of aquarium salt


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
hermit crab food, dried shrimp, coconut, eggshell etc. replaced every few days


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
ive had them for nearly 7 months, ive had crunchy for about 5 theyre all pps

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
blue molted about 4 mths ago, boba about 3 mnths, and crunchy about 2


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
a 20 gal glass tank, mesh lid with plastic wrap over


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
3, id say medium-small


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
5


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no, crunchys shell is painted but he hasnt changed into a normal shell yet ):


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
big clean every 6 months, and a small weekly clean


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?
dried shrimp, as far and i can tell they havent been touched yet tho


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.)?
no

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
about a week ago crunchy started being lethargic, but he would still come out if i held him. a few days ago he would start freezing in a position for almost a day straight, this morning he seemed better but then he was hanging out of his shell, when i opened the lid and put my hand in front of him he pulled back into his shell very slightly. about 10 min ago he was cleaning his gills a little bit, hanging out even more now so that i could see the tip of his abdomen inside the shell. now hes stopped cleaning his gills but is still hanging out of the shell. what should i do?!


.

[hermitcrablover2]

he barely seems to be alive now, the only way i know hes still alive is because one of his small legs moved should i move him to an iso tank or is it too risky?

[hermitcrablover2]

for now i put half of a plastic bottle over him, ill check on him in the morning!

[hermitcrablover2]

unfortunately, crunchy died last night! :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: :crybaby: im really worried now tho because boba took crunchys painted shell (he came with it at the store he never switched shells even tho i had a bunch his size tho ) i dont know how to get boba out of the shell! i think the painted shell was what made crunchy so weak and then die, i dont want boba to get sick and/or die too!! ive heard you can boil the shells with the same mixture of saltwater you put in their tank, but that has never worked for me before. what should i do?!

[hermitcrablover2]

it looks like during the night boba managed to somehow tip over the cup, kill crunchy, and take his shell! ): the fact that crunchy was murdered makes it kind of even sadder, but i guess thats just what hermies do, especially if it means free food ):

[curlysister]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5 inches, coco substrate (I'm getting sand to add in)
Curly - All coco fiber is fine, if that's what you want to use. It can be harder to maintain proper moisture for tunneling, sometimes adding sand will help with that. Be sure it is at least 2 to 3 times as deep as your largest crab, and moistened so it holds it's shape.

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, humidity is about 70 - 80% and temp is usually 74 F.
Curly - 70% is at the low end for humidity, it's often good to have it closer to 80 to allow for some fluctuations and still be high enough.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
heat pad, usually i dont need it tho


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)?
fresh and salt are available, both dechlorinated and the salt is used with a pinch of aquarium salt
Curly- Is your salt a marine salt, like Instant Ocean or Red Sea? What brand of dechlorinator do you use?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
hermit crab food, dried shrimp, coconut, eggshell etc. replaced every few days
Curly - Crabs do best with a variety of foods. Veggies, fruits, grains, leaves, nuts, etc - and a source of both protein and calcium daily. Be sure to check the 'nutrition' care sheet for full info.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
ive had them for nearly 7 months, ive had crunchy for about 5 theyre all pps

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
blue molted about 4 mths ago, boba about 3 mnths, and crunchy about 2


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
a 20 gal glass tank, mesh lid with plastic wrap over


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
3, id say medium-small


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
5
Curly - HCA recommends 3 to 5 extra shells per crab - so with three crabs, you should have 12 to 15 shells. Not all shells are appropriate; be sure to check the 'shells' care sheet to be sure that you are offering shells that they will use.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no, crunchys shell is painted but he hasnt changed into a normal shell yet ):


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
big clean every 6 months, and a small weekly clean
Curly - You don't really need to 'deep clean' that often if you have good substrate and there isn't an emergency liek a flood or bacterial bloom.

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?
dried shrimp, as far and i can tell they havent been touched yet tho


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.)?
no

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
about a week ago crunchy started being lethargic, but he would still come out if i held him. a few days ago he would start freezing in a position for almost a day straight, this morning he seemed better but then he was hanging out of his shell, when i opened the lid and put my hand in front of him he pulled back into his shell very slightly. about 10 min ago he was cleaning his gills a little bit, hanging out even more now so that i could see the tip of his abdomen inside the shell. now hes stopped cleaning his gills but is still hanging out of the shell. what should i do?!
Curly - Sorry I didn't see this post earlier. No, it was not the painted shell that caused him to get weak and die. The paint won't be 'toxic' to them. Unfortunately, we often don't know the cause of their death. You can't make a crab take a new shell. But the fact that the other crab stole the painted one leads me to believe that you don't have enough appropriate types/ size/ number of shells for them to choose from. All you can do is get more shells and offer them.

[hermitcrablover2]

Okay, thank you! I'll make sure to get more shells (: