Is he dead or not??

[keerstn]

How long should we wait for a hermit crab, out of its shell, to show signs of life? We were assuming ours was dead, but it does *not* have a death smell. It hasn't moved even one millimeter in a week. It's all balled up and had buried itself under a log (without its shell). We'd like to bury it if it's dead - and if it's not, we'd like to know! There is NO small but it has changed from a dark gray color to a tannish-pinkish-brown color. I don't want to bury it alive outside, but I also don't want to keep a lifeless crab any longer if it is, indeed dead. Can someone clarify, please?

[YYWW]

Might be molting? That color change sounds molty. Where's the shell??


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[KellyCrabbieLove]

It seems that a naked crab would have passed by now. They do not live very long without a shell and the stress that caused the streaking plus the actual stress of streaking seems to often be enough to kill the little guys. I guess if no smell keep waiting but I honestly just don't understand how the crab could be alive given the circumstancs.

[keerstn]

He left his shell several days before we found him like this. So I have one person saying yes, dead, and the other saying molting. See how this could be a problem? I have no idea….

[CallaLily]

This is why we isolate and wait until we're sure they've passed (death smell or other signs of decomposition). Did you try to reshell this crab at all? It is extremely important when you find a naked crab to try and get them in a shell again as soon as possible. The longer they're naked, the less likely they are to recover. Streaking is a sign that something is off somewhere. Crabitat conditions or maybe an illness/injury. A molting crab does not leave it's shell. Double check your conditions just to be sure. I'm sorry to hear about your crab. :grouphug:

[keerstn]

We posted on here when our crab was naked - and desperately tried to reshell him. He kept going from shell to shell, unhappy with all of them, and now he is … I guess he's dead.

We don't know what the issue was, because it was quite sudden and we had a fairly flawless crabitat. We didn't have saltwater available (we do now) and there is an issue with our thermometer being broken, but otherwise, everything was good. It's possible that he didn't like the terrarium moss that we put into the crabitat because it's the only thing that changed within two weeks of his being naked. We took the moss out, though, and he didn't get any better. Is it possible that it was the moss? We can't even imagine what else it could be.

The other three crabs seem fine, but we are really concerned because this is the second crab (of five) we've lost in six months. The other one was running around like crazy, and not burying himself - but he never did adapt, and we thought it was just that he couldn't stand the stress of moving. After this last death, we are really concerned for the other 3 - who are (right now) acting fine. I am assuming, though, from what everyone has said here, that this guy couldn't be molting and is actually dead. We will bury him this afternoon.

[CallaLily]

Poor guy. Maybe he had an injury that made wearing a shell uncomfortable? I don't think a safe moss would be the problem. What kind and brand was it? Did it appear dyed? Was this crab fairly new? Has he molted with you before? Any chemicals sprayed near the tank?
I agree he has most likely passed by this point but it's always best to wait until you have no doubts.

[keerstn]

We got rid of the moss, but it said 'Terrarium Moss' and it was a regular green moss. It was supposed to help with humidity. He might have gotten an injury because he DID molt when we first got him - but he was in that shell for many months, and he seemed to want to go back to that shell, but it was definitely too small for him. Still, we left it in there for him in case he wanted to try again. With nearly 20 shells (probably 10 of which were good candidates for him), maybe he just knew he had outgrown his shell and didn't like any of his new ones. I just don't know. No chemicals anywhere near the tank, and all five crabs were introduced to the crabitat at the same time. Very sad. We get very attached to them, as you probably know, so when they die, it's a big deal. I wish we could stop it from happening!

[CallaLily]

With nearly 20 shells (probably 10 of which were good candidates for him), maybe he just knew he had outgrown his shell and didn't like any of his new ones. I just don't know.

I don't think not liking his options would cause him to stay naked until he passed. In the wild they've been known to take up pieces of trash when it's their only option. I imagine he would have settled on a shell, even if it wasn't the best option. I think it's more likely something was wrong, injury or illness. He may have never managed to recover from something that occurred before he came home with you.

It is hard to lose one of our crabbies. I'm so sorry. Hugs

[Drakezilla]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. These little guys can be so crazy sensitive that even with PPs it can be a hit or miss depending on whatever they brought with them from the wild or the store. But then there are just some crabs that don't take well to captivity.

Keep a close watch on your others and your conditions! Good luck!

[keerstn]

Funny you should say that about captivity… This is the guy who was always trying to get out - and once, managed to do so - and get halfway across the house AND downstairs before we found him! Still not sure how that happened. But that was many moons ago - not sure what caused this bout but we have, finally, buried him. Thanks for the condolensces.