Come On Buddy! You can do it! Naked for about 24 hours.

[Paradigm]

I'm very new to this and want to do things the best I can and care for these guys the proper way. Thanks to this forum I have my naked guy resting in a shell, in an ISO tank, with a Qtip with honey dipped in cuttlefish sitting in front of him.

Buddy was naked since last night, we watched him slowly exit his shell over a 45 minute time period last night. This morning when he was still naked propped between the side of the tank and the fresh water bowl I crafted a small ISO tank for him. The tank is the original carrying tank he came in the measures about 3 inches by 6 inches. He sat between a water fresh water bowl and an empty shell, very similar to the one he left, all day. After reading more and more and more I finally was able to get him to "relax" his abdomen and slip his tail into the shell. I don't think he is doing more than just hanging there though. When I say relax, it went from stiffly contracted to immediately hanging down and swinging. I had the shell ready, though, and got his rear end in the shell. I stuck a QTIP with honey and cuttlefish on it right in front of him. He's right next to water, I'll go put a water QTIP up when I'm done with this. His small ISO tank is set directly into the larger 10 gallon tank, it's the only way I can think of to keep the temp and humidity close to where it should be. The little carrying case/ISO tank is firmly shut, he can't get out, others can't get in. I've draped a damp dark cloth over the top and around the sides to keep it dark. He is a lot more ashy gray than he was yesterday. His antenna look like they've wilted not just not active but wrinkled and wilted. He is just sitting on top of the substrate in the shell, no digging. But he is making small movements, like he's breathing.

Before anyone blasts me, I know I have a lot of room for improvement. I'm doing the best I can with what I have, it will only improve from here. I know I need to improve Substrate mix by adding sand, I need to get gauges, a light, a different or additional heat source, I'll check my dechlorinator and food brands, need to replace the ceiling on the tank, I do feel pretty confident in the size of the tank. Will get rid of the sponges.

I think I've done everything I can as of right now, it's just wait and see but if anyone has any additional suggestions I'm ready and willing.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Eco Earth about 4-6 inches

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? No

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? Heat mat underneath 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)? Yes to both, not sure of the dechloriniator brand, mixed according the label directions. Instant Ocean for salt water, mixed according to label directions.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Pre made Mix with cuttlefish and shrimp, I haven't compared it to the safe food list yet. I can't do anything about it right this instant. Veggies, fruit. I will include maple leaves tomorrow.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Buddy, since July PP; Hermie and Kona since September, both PP.

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? As of Sunday an aquarium with a mesh/wire lid. 10 gallon.

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3; 1 Med to Large, 2 on the smaller Medium Scale

9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Buddy has two extras in the ISO tank with him right now and there are at least four in with the other two.

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

11. How often do you clean the tank and how? Brand new, wiped out the new tank with dechlorinated water.

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

13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? The whole thing is new.

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.)? I'm thinking when we switched to the current crabitat Buddy was molting and we didn't recognize it/know any better.

15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Top of this post.

[YYWW]

I'm very new to this and want to do things the best I can and care for these guys the proper way. Thanks to this forum I have my naked guy resting in a shell, in an ISO tank, with a Qtip with honey dipped in cuttlefish sitting in front of him.

Buddy was naked since last night, we watched him slowly exit his shell over a 45 minute time period last night. This morning when he was still naked propped between the side of the tank and the fresh water bowl I crafted a small ISO tank for him. The tank is the original carrying tank he came in the measures about 3 inches by 6 inches. He sat between a water fresh water bowl and an empty shell, very similar to the one he left, all day. After reading more and more and more I finally was able to get him to "relax" his abdomen and slip his tail into the shell. I don't think he is doing more than just hanging there though. When I say relax, it went from stiffly contracted to immediately hanging down and swinging. I had the shell ready, though, and got his rear end in the shell. I stuck a QTIP with honey and cuttlefish on it right in front of him. He's right next to water, I'll go put a water QTIP up when I'm done with this. His small ISO tank is set directly into the larger 10 gallon tank, it's the only way I can think of to keep the temp and humidity close to where it should be. The little carrying case/ISO tank is firmly shut, he can't get out, others can't get in. I've draped a damp dark cloth over the top and around the sides to keep it dark. He is a lot more ashy gray than he was yesterday. His antenna look like they've wilted not just not active but wrinkled and wilted. He is just sitting on top of the substrate in the shell, no digging. But he is making small movements, like he's breathing.

Before anyone blasts me, I know I have a lot of room for improvement. I'm doing the best I can with what I have, it will only improve from here. I know I need to improve Substrate mix by adding sand, I need to get gauges, a light, a different or additional heat source, I'll check my dechlorinator and food brands, need to replace the ceiling on the tank, I do feel pretty confident in the size of the tank. Will get rid of the sponges.

I think I've done everything I can as of right now, it's just wait and see but if anyone has any additional suggestions I'm ready and willing.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Eco Earth about 4-6 inches

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? No

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? Heat mat underneath 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)? Yes to both, not sure of the dechloriniator brand, mixed according the label directions. Instant Ocean for salt water, mixed according to label directions.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Pre made Mix with cuttlefish and shrimp, I haven't compared it to the safe food list yet. I can't do anything about it right this instant. Veggies, fruit. I will include maple leaves tomorrow.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Buddy, since July PP; Hermie and Kona since September, both PP.

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? As of Sunday an aquarium with a mesh/wire lid. 10 gallon.

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3; 1 Med to Large, 2 on the smaller Medium Scale

9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Buddy has two extras in the ISO tank with him right now and there are at least four in with the other two.

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

11. How often do you clean the tank and how? Brand new, wiped out the new tank with dechlorinated water.

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

13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? The whole thing is new.

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.)? I'm thinking when we switched to the current crabitat Buddy was molting and we didn't recognize it/know any better.

15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Top of this post.

Hi there! I'm an amateur insomniac, and i'll do my best to help

0. Offer water in bottlecaps, as he will need more than a qtip. Your ISO sounds perfect, given the circumstance. If it is overcrowding your other crabs you can use a small tupperware (or cheap GLAD alternative) with some holes poked in the lid to save space. Otherwise, sounds fine.

3. Peel off the UTH and stick it on a side or the back of the tank, above the line of substrate. UTHs are initially designed for use with thin, dry sand and are a hazard to heat through the many inches of thin, moist crabitat substrate. The heat will also dry out the sub at the bottom, unbeknownst to you, and potentially harm molting crabs. If the UTH loses sticking power from being perled off, use tape to help.

4. Some ppl use Stress Coat to dechlor, i like SeaChem Prime. 2-4 drops per gallon! The hermit crab labeled stuff is ok, not ideal, and expensive.

12. Sponges provide little to no added value, but are the best friends of potentially harmful bacteria and germs. Don't feel bad about tossing them!

14. You could be right, it's hard to tell. Keep him dark, moist, peaceful, and fresh food and water. Hoping he pulls another molt and perks up!



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[TammaraBb13]

Taking care of a hermit crab is not easy at all. Its quite expensive and time consuming. I guess, taking care of dogs is more fun and practical. That's just my opinion.

[Paradigm]

YYWW thanks for the input. I will use the bottle caps when I get home this afternoon. When I did put the water QTIP up last night buddy was still in his shell and he was licking on the Honey. Made me feel better. I didn't disturb him this morning because he does have a pool of water with him. Will do the bottle caps this afternoon and toss the sponges.

Tammara Bb13: you are right, Taking care of hermit crabs properly is not easy, at least the set-up and education on what is proper. Dogs and cats are cuddly, but the crabs are kinda neat.

I think I'm more upset with myself for trusting what I was told and how easy they are to take care of. I usually don't go into things unprepared, I'm usually set-up ready to go before I have living creatures I'm taking care of. I've got three kids, three dogs, three cats, and now three Crabs. I don't want to lose this guy, it would throw my numbers off.

[YYWW]

Lucky number 3!
I think just about EVERYONE starts the crab journey miseducated. Don't worry about that one. What counts is that you're here now and doing your best ️
It's good that he's eating! And it is best to leave them alone most of the time. Just make sure he stays shelled and well fed. You can try mixing natural PB with honey for some added protein. The bottlecaps are more for easy access, seen used with crabs that have no limbs.
Keep tabs on those antennae, which is so concerning. Good luck and keep us posted!


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[Paradigm]

Not feeling good about this, he stayed in his shell but didn't move at all. If he is still capable of that at the moment. On the bad side he smelled, on the good side, it wasn't dead fish smell. On the good side his antennae are straighter but bad, eyes and antennae are drooping directly down. Good side, temp and humidity seem to have stayed the same since i got home home with the gauge. Temp 76 Humidity 79. Of course I'll have to wake up and check it, good thing I don't have to disturb anyone to see the measurements and I may get to see the other two playing then. If Buddy is in a Surface Molt I don't have to disturb him, I can fill water in the almost dark with a straw. Fingers crossed.

[Paradigm]

Oh no, just found and read this thread: viewtopic.php?t=92951

I had noticed Buddy with bubbles earlier in the day. Clear/White bubbles. We had just moved the crabs to a more natural setting so maybe this was a response to things getting closer to what they should have been. Makes more sense, moved tats, I saw the bubbles and didn't think anything of it. Then later he took about 45 minutes getting out of his shell and didn't go back in one until I put him in last night.

I'm so sorry dude!

[KellyCrabbieLove]

*hug*

[YYWW]

The antenna abd eyes droop for molting. Hope thats what is going on! Good luck!!!


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[Paradigm]

Well, Buddy didn't make it. Feeling very bad and guilty for not knowing 5 days ago what I do today.

Soccer and Kona were out to see me while I was rearranging everything. I promised them I would be the best Crabbie Momma I could be from here on out.

Not looking forward to telling my Son tomorrow. Take this as an opportunity to educate everyone in the house about our new friends. And the responsibility of caring for them. I hope to interact more in other places on the forum.

[YYWW]

Aww I'm sorry Buddy didn't make it. It is often in such tragic situations that we learn the most. Wish you the best of luck being the best Crab Momma, and many more lessons learned, but not the hard way


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