Accidentally uncovered Bob, a possible molter.

wickedannabella · Post by **wickedannabella** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:57 pm

Bob's been down about two weeks. I was doing a light surface cleaning and accidentally uncovered my possible molter. I didn't realize he was SOOOO close to the surface. He was still alive and I quickly recovered him lightly with sand.

Did I just kill him??? *sigh* I was trying to be SOOOO careful and just get the poop and old food that was starting to get icky out of the sand.

*worried*

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:02 pm

Naah, he'll be fine. The fact that he was very close to the surface makes me suspect he's not molting, but simply staying buried during the day. When they molt, they usually go all the way down to the bottom or close to it to make their molt nest.

wickedannabella · Post by **wickedannabella** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:09 pm

Well he HAD dug down to the bottom right away...you could see his lump of sand trail...which is where I was staying away from but he'd moved UP from wherever he was and was about an inch or so down and when I scooped to sift, there he was.... He moved...so I know he was alive. It was like he was irritated with me.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 6:16 pm

OIC.

It sounds like he wasn't at a critical part of the molting process, so he'll redig himself down and try again. No worries!

I usually only remove the food and waste that is right on top myself. I do it daily when I switch their food so nothing usually gets buried very deeply. Once a week I scrape away the top fourth inch of substrate right around the food dish and throw it away because it seems to get the most dirty there.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:28 pm

So what if I accidently dug up a molter?

I was cleaning the tank, and the two crabs that are still living are both buried. Have been for a little over a month now. One of them is near the top, because when I moved a piece of driftwood there was a hole and he was squirming about in it, so I left him be. The other, meanwhile, I peeked under the tank to check on him, and he wasn't moving. Assuming he passed away I dug him up. He was a light pink color and wasn't moving. After moving is claw to check for a response, I got none, and assumed he had passed on, I left the room to get a bag and when I returned I saw his shell drop, as if he had been startled.

Well, I assume he's molting, so I quickly buried him back in the hole where I found him, though not all the way to the bottom as he had been.

I totally just killed him didn't I?

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:33 pm

It's not a good idea to bury the hermies ourselves, because, when they dig, they leave an air pocket, but when we bury them, we have no way of providing the same air space. I'd dig him back up so he doesn't suffocate. Then separate him from the other crabs, either by putting him in a separate iso tank, or a KK inside the main tank, or by putting in a divider. Give him foods high in calcium and chitin, such as cuttlebone and shrimp. I've dug up fresh moulters before, it's not necessarily a death sentence.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:36 pm

I uncovered one of my molters by accident. I could see the top of her shell. I was afraid to cover her. I didn't want to cave in her tunnel, so I put a bottle over her and left her alone. I came back a few minutes later and she had recovered herself. I don't know if this was the right thing to do, but it seemed to work.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:04 am

Willow wrote:It's not a good idea to bury the hermies ourselves, because, when they dig, they leave an air pocket, but when we bury them, we have no way of providing the same air space. I'd dig him back up so he doesn't suffocate. Then separate him from the other crabs, either by putting him in a separate iso tank, or a KK inside the main tank, or by putting in a divider. Give him foods high in calcium and chitin, such as cuttlebone and shrimp. I've dug up fresh moulters before, it's not necessarily a death sentence.

I gotta head off to school before I'm late so I can't do anything major, but I did dig him up real quick this morning and placed him under a coconut hut facing the corner of the tank. Nobody will mess with him anyway because there's only one other crab in the tank and he's buried as well. He's still alive because I felt him moving the shell when I was holding him.

I don't have any of those foods, and all I usually have in the dish is teh FMR crab food and some raisins because they don't spoil as quickly, but I'll definitely pick up some cuttlebone on the way home to grind up into the crab food. Any other suggestions on food to get?

Edit: In the time I typed the he apparently got up because when I went back to the tank he was sitting int he water dish. His eyes are still black but his entire body is the color of a freshly boiled shrimp...

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:30 pm

Here's a good food link: http://www.epicureanhermit.com/ Fresh foods help to keep them MUCH healthier than if they only get commercial food. It's best to offer a wide variety to prevent deficiencies.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 1:27 pm

Willow wrote:Here's a good food link: http://www.epicureanhermit.com/ Fresh foods help to keep them MUCH healthier than if they only get commercial food. It's best to offer a wide variety to prevent deficiencies.

Usually I toss in slices of banana or oranges, or pieces of lettuce and tomato, but they usually spoil before the guys even notice them.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:43 pm

Well the one whom I suspect is molting buried himself again, in the exact spot where I saw him this morning.

I forgot to pick up some cuttlebone, so I ground an eggshell into a powder, somehow rememembering that it's a good calcium suppliment in a pinch.