Aggression towards molting crab?

[TheKeroseneKid]

Greetings, all. New crab owner and first-time poster here. I looked at the Molting forum but couldn't find my particular situation addressed.

I have two crabs that have been in my classroom about a month. One of them went down about a week ago, and I assumed she was molting. This morning, when I got in, the other crab had almost completely dug in near to or right on top of the spot where I'm pretty sure the first crab dug in. Is there a chance that the second crab could be digging in to try to eat the first? I examined the second crab just yesterday and didn't see a molting pouch. Temp and humidity have been stable in the correct ranges, though I did discover that the substrate (play sand) is drier and harder to dig in on the warmer end of the tank. I really don't want to disturb the first crab's molt, but should I attempt to get the second crab out in case he's bothering the first crab? (Their names, by the way, are Sassy and Naughty, as voted on by the kids. I suspect Naughty, the second crab, might be acting very naughty!)

Thanks for any advice. This is an exceptionally helpful forum.

[Ellysara]

aAs long as you have plenty of substrate and feed a variety of protein and calcium, everything should be okay. Even though they went down in the same spot, they probably switched directions under the surface. Do you know what species you have?

You might want to fill out the emergency template, just to be sure:

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

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?

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

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)?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

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

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

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

10. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

11. How often do you clean the tank and how?

12. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

14. 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.)?

15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

[TheKeroseneKid]

Curiouser and curiouser: I kept peeking in the tank during the last hour, and Naughty (the potential aggressor) has partially reemerged. During the class, I could see him tunneling, and I fear it was in the direction that I expect Sassy to have gone when she went under.

The template:
1. For substrate, I have 3 inches of play sand, more damp on one end of the tank and slightly less damp on the end closer to the undertank heater.

2. Yes to gauges; temp is holding steady at 75-80 degrees and humidity hovers around 80, though I do mist throughout the day and dampen the sand before I leave for the night.

3. I have an undertank heater, a day light, and a moon light.

4. Fresh dechlorinated water is always available. I occasionally provide some salt water for which I use Instant Ocean.

5. I feed All Living Things pellet food (changed every couple days) and the occasional piece of fruit, which I remove before I go home at night.

6 & 8. I have two PPs that I've had since 9/6/14. They're mini-to-small. The pet store assistant had to help me find a suitable array of shells that were small enough.

7. Tank is glass, measuring 8x10X15 inches. I have a mesh lid that is partially covered in plastic to keep in the humidity.

9. 4 extra shells.

10. No fumes or chemicals.

11. I scoop weekly and clean dishes weekly or more often. I was going to do a deep clean at the one-month mark, but that was before Sassy went down for molting (I assume).

12. One sponge in the water dish, cleaned weekly under very hot water. (No chemicals.)

13. No new additions to crabitat.

14. Sometimes the classroom gets a little noisy during group activities. This seemed to make the crabs hide at first, but now they're out and about most of the day (except for molting behavior, of course).

Thanks for any help/advice you can provide!

[Ellysara]

I'm going to put my advice within the following quote. I just had this post almost written and lost it on Tapatalk

Curiouser and curiouser: I kept peeking in the tank during the last hour, and Naughty (the potential aggressor) has partially reemerged. During the class, I could see him tunneling, and I fear it was in the direction that I expect Sassy to have gone when she went under.

The template:
1. For substrate, I have 3 inches of play sand, more damp on one end of the tank and slightly less damp on the end closer to the undertank heater.

Crabs need at least 6 inches of sub. With less, they can smell each other and find each other more easily, which can lead to the problem you're having. I recommend gently adding more a handful at a time ASAP.

2. Yes to gauges; temp is holding steady at 75-80 degrees and humidity hovers around 80, though I do mist throughout the day and dampen the sand before I leave for the night.

Good.

3. I have an undertank heater, a day light, and a moon light.

Where is the heater located? Just concerned because you say it is drying your sub.

4. Fresh dechlorinated water is always available. I occasionally provide some salt water for which I use Instant Ocean.

Both are important to have available at all times in dishes they can each completely submerge in.

5. I feed All Living Things pellet food (changed every couple days) and the occasional piece of fruit, which I remove before I go home at night.

This food is likely loaded with bad ingredients Check out the food articles on the care sheets board. A fresh diet is best, but since you need convenience, check out the food mixes at hermitcrabgarden.com and hermitcrabpatch.com Both are great choices. The lack of protein and calcium in their diet could cause the behavior you are seeing. The lack of essential nutrients can lead to cannibalism.

6 & 8. I have two PPs that I've had since 9/6/14. They're mini-to-small. The pet store assistant had to help me find a suitable array of shells that were small enough.

7. Tank is glass, measuring 8x10X15 inches. I have a mesh lid that is partially covered in plastic to keep in the humidity.

Is this smaller than a 10 gallon? Being cramped can also lead to disturbed molts because of the small footprint of the tank. Might look into upgrading. It's probably hard to fit everything you need into such a small tank.

9. 4 extra shells.

Usually you need at least 3 per crab.

10. No fumes or chemicals.

11. I scoop weekly and clean dishes weekly or more often. I was going to do a deep clean at the one-month mark, but that was before Sassy went down for molting (I assume).

You probably don't need to deep clean so soon anyway. Once per year is the most frequent that's needed. The sub will build up good bacteria that you don't want to disturb.

12. One sponge in the water dish, cleaned weekly under very hot water. (No chemicals.)

Probably don't need the sponge. It just harbors bacteria. If you want to keep it, start microwaving it every time you change water.

13. No new additions to crabitat.

14. Sometimes the classroom gets a little noisy during group activities. This seemed to make the crabs hide at first, but now they're out and about most of the day (except for molting behavior, of course).

Thanks for any help/advice you can provide!

I know this is a lot of info and I hope it all makes sense. I'm kind of rushing because im at work but I wanted to get this reply written.

Hope everything goes well!

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

[TheKeroseneKid]

Ellysara, that is EXTREMELY helpful info, and I'll be making crabitat mods ASAP, especially with the food. Thanks a ton! I'll keep updating if there are new developments.