One of my tenny crabs has no big pincher! Should I isolate her until she molts?

[star6teen]

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?
25% coconut fiber, 50% medium sand, 25% oyster shell (all was mixed in with salt water when put in to make it sand castle consistency); tallest point is around 4 inches, shortest is around 2 and 1/2 inches (btw, i am not good with eyeballing measurements which is why i said “around”)

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; located left wall of 40 gal, top left towards the front of the tank
humidity: 60 (im working on getting this higher but i’m trying to dry out after a short period of accidental flooding)
temperature: 78

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
two heating pads, one heat lamp, all of which are on the left side of the tank (the eating pads were not enough and everyone was piling into the left corner, so i hope yall understand)

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 water are available; 2 drops of per each 8 ounce of water

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
my crabs really like cheese, grapes, bananas, apples, black raspberries, and strawberries; replaced either daily or every other day

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
i believe ive had her, pequaña, for about a month? she’s blueish grey and brown and has long eyes instead of those little dot eyes

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
i don’t believe she has, but she was gone for a while after i got her— might’ve just been stressed out, since she doesn’t really have any nails and isn’t shiny

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
glass tank with two doors in the front that open up; 40 gallon tank (which is really all i could afford), mesh lid that can “screw” shut

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
16 hermit crabs; two or one mediums (might be considered in between medium and small), 6 teenies, and the rest of the 8 are smalls

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
12-13 extra shells, all in a “shell shop” made of egg cartons (they are various sizes)

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
none that i know of, and i don’t believe that candles count, since ive done a bit of research on here, plus my candle is across the room

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i have not cleaned my tank yet, since i only upgraded a little over a month ago. the first time i got the tank i used limes (as recommended by someone on this website) and i wiped it down clean

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
yes, rinsed with filtered tap water, squeezed, and left to dry

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
nothing that i can remember, no

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.)?
one of my mediums, gordita crunch, is starting to be a bit of a bully to one of my smalls (possibly medium too), nugget, who she used to be buddies with when i got them together. she just sits on nugget and sometimes approaches from the front and (probably) gets a hold of him. i’ve pulled them apart every time this has happened, because nugget chirps loudly each time. gordita crunch, before she got a name, had the nickname “no boundaries” because she would walk all over everyone. that behavior stopped once i got the heating lamp, so they all wouldn’t be competing for warmth, up until this recent situation of her being a bully to nugget. i assume that her “aggression” might be due to her needing to molt, since she has been one of the only hermit crabs that has been visible almost constantly for about a month (because i believe that i got her around a month ago), plus her eyes are more of a \/ than a ||, which ive heard is a sign of needing to molt.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
i discovered today that pequaña, one of my teenies, doesn’t have a big pincher! she does have a little bubble where her pincher was, which is a good sign that it will grow back once she molts, but i’m worried that some of my other crabs might start to pick on her while she’s still not ready to molt. should i put her in a 10 gallon isolation tank so she can molt in it peacefully? or should i just monitor the tank for now and see if anyone tries to be mean to her? i don’t want to stress her out by putting her alone, but i’m scared that something bad might happen to her if i don’t isolate her.

.

[curlysister]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
25% coconut fiber, 50% medium sand, 25% oyster shell (all was mixed in with salt water when put in to make it sand castle consistency); tallest point is around 4 inches, shortest is around 2 and 1/2 inches (btw, i am not good with eyeballing measurements which is why i said “around”)
Curly - Be sure that even the most shallow part of your tank is at least 2-3 times as deep as your largest crab. I would even make it a bit deeper due ot the number of crabs you have in your tank.

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; located left wall of 40 gal, top left towards the front of the tank
humidity: 60 (im working on getting this higher but i’m trying to dry out after a short period of accidental flooding)
temperature: 78
Curly - Your heat lamp will be zapping humidity. Did you try insulating the tank to help hold in heat (remember not all UTH can be insulated over top. You also want to have most of the lid covered, since the mesh will allow humidity to escape.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
two heating pads, one heat lamp, all of which are on the left side of the tank (the eating pads were not enough and everyone was piling into the left corner, so i hope yall understand)

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 water are available; 2 drops of per each 8 ounce of water
Curly - Be sure to check the 'water' care sheet. You will need a dechlorinator such ad Seachem Prime, and a marine salt. What brand are you using now?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
my crabs really like cheese, grapes, bananas, apples, black raspberries, and strawberries; replaced either daily or every other day
Curly - Be sure that they are getting animal protein and calcium sources daily. Crabs need a variety, including fruits, vegetable, nuts, seeds, greens, eggs, meats, etc. The 'nutrition' care sheet outlines everything you need to know.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
i believe ive had her, pequaña, for about a month? she’s blueish grey and brown and has long eyes instead of those little dot eyes

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
i don’t believe she has, but she was gone for a while after i got her— might’ve just been stressed out, since she doesn’t really have any nails and isn’t shiny

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
glass tank with two doors in the front that open up; 40 gallon tank (which is really all i could afford), mesh lid that can “screw” shut

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
16 hermit crabs; two or one mediums (might be considered in between medium and small), 6 teenies, and the rest of the 8 are smalls
Curly - There is a care sheet that outlines how many crabs of what size can be safely housed in one tank.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
12-13 extra shells, all in a “shell shop” made of egg cartons (they are various sizes)
Curly - HCA recommends 3-5 extra shells per crab. Be sure to read the 'shells' care sheet to ensure you are offering the correct types.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
none that i know of, and i don’t believe that candles count, since ive done a bit of research on here, plus my candle is across the room

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i have not cleaned my tank yet, since i only upgraded a little over a month ago. the first time i got the tank i used limes (as recommended by someone on this website) and i wiped it down clean

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
yes, rinsed with filtered tap water, squeezed, and left to dry
Curly - Sponges harbor bacteria when in water - you can just put them in the tank dry for crabs to munch on.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
nothing that i can remember, no

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.)?
one of my mediums, gordita crunch, is starting to be a bit of a bully to one of my smalls (possibly medium too), nugget, who she used to be buddies with when i got them together. she just sits on nugget and sometimes approaches from the front and (probably) gets a hold of him. i’ve pulled them apart every time this has happened, because nugget chirps loudly each time. gordita crunch, before she got a name, had the nickname “no boundaries” because she would walk all over everyone. that behavior stopped once i got the heating lamp, so they all wouldn’t be competing for warmth, up until this recent situation of her being a bully to nugget. i assume that her “aggression” might be due to her needing to molt, since she has been one of the only hermit crabs that has been visible almost constantly for about a month (because i believe that i got her around a month ago), plus her eyes are more of a \/ than a ||, which ive heard is a sign of needing to molt.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
i discovered today that pequaña, one of my teenies, doesn’t have a big pincher! she does have a little bubble where her pincher was, which is a good sign that it will grow back once she molts, but i’m worried that some of my other crabs might start to pick on her while she’s still not ready to molt. should i put her in a 10 gallon isolation tank so she can molt in it peacefully? or should i just monitor the tank for now and see if anyone tries to be mean to her? i don’t want to stress her out by putting her alone, but i’m scared that something bad might happen to her if i don’t isolate her.
Curly - If you are worried that your crab is at risk of being harmed, then yes you should isolate her. Be sure that your iso tank has proper conditions, including deep enough sub for her to molt. I am concerned that your tank might be a bit crowded. Your crabs also need animal protein, and probably some more shells - otherwise they are competing for resources.

[star6teen]

thank you for the advice!
everyone in my tank seems to be doing okay besides the two that i mentioned, and ive looked around and seen people with many crabs in a 40 gal too, so i wasn’t too worried about them being too crowded, but i’ll be sure to get a tank set up for pequeña asap
as i said, i had a bit of a problem with flooding before, so i don’t think i’ll really need to worry about covering the tank lid too much, especially since i have an automatic mister and sometimes even go in with a spray bottle myself to mist the places that the mister doesnt get
the brand i use to condition the water is zoo med’s hermit crab drinking water conditioner and salt water conditioner

[curlysister]

Be careful with the mister - they can add a lot of moisture into a tank and for sure increase the flooding risk.
60% humidity is too low.
You might have better luck at keeping the humidity in a safe range, and not having flooding if you have a covered lid and don't mist.
Unfortunately, that conditioner and salt are not safe or appropriate to use. Check the 'water' care sheet for info about brands - you will need a dechlorinator to use with tap water (Seachem Prime is a commonly used brand), and then a marine salt to add for the salt water (Instant Ocean is a commonly used brand).

[star6teen]

Thank you for the warning about the mister! I think I’ve got it at a level where it’s beneficial but not going to cause any flooding. I’ll go and buy some new water conditioner and salt asap.
Since I posted this, it turns out that the hospital tank was a success!
Pequeña grew a tiny claw after her molt and is now back in the big tank with everyone else! She also changed shells too. Gordita crunch isn’t a bully anymore.
I’ve also got them on a better diet— way more variety. I’ve also added more sand to the tank as well, and they seem to enjoy it a lot. I’ve also gotten them way more shells, though it’s extremely hard for me to find places that have good shells that are big enough.
I think this problem has been solved! Thank you for your help.