Possible attack on molting crab

[parker_roo]

Hey, so I need some help! I have two PPs, and one may be attacking the other, while she is molting! What happened was that I wasn't smart enough to keep my non molting crab in an iso tank. The both crabs are small, and their names are Ollie and Sebastian, Ollie just finished molting. Ollie had a very successful molt, bright colors and sharp claws! I got both of them the last week of August at the beach. When I moved them into the ideal tank, Ollie immediately started to molt, which lasted for almost two months. She came back up from molting last week on Wed. Sebastian molted about a day after Ollie started to molt, so around the first week of September. Sebastian took about a week and a half, then she started to molt again, about three weeks ago. Sebastian is still molting, and is the one I believe is getting attacked. Yesterday night, I had to move Ollie on the other side of the tank. She was digging down near where Sebastian is molting, so I moved her to prevent an attack. Then I got home today, and saw that Ollie had dug down into the substrate, covering herself. The place where she dug, is right next to where Sebastian is molting. This is a tough situation, I want to stop the attack, but I can't dig Ollie up, in risk of hurting Sebastian. If this is not an attack, Ollie could be digging because she is stressed. She has not had a lot of interaction with me, because she has been molting for so long, which was right after I purchased her. Since she came back up from molting (Wed.), I have taken her out every day to play with her. The only problem is that she won't come out of her shell, metaphorically (sorry, I had to say that pun). She has been very shy, and will run away from me when I let her crawl on the floor. Could she just be digging there because she is stressed out from me trying to play with her? Or would it most likely be an attack? If anyone could help shed some light to this problem, it would be very appreciative. And I just want to thank in advanced those who help me out with this issue. Below are my tank conditions.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? I use half coco-fiber, and half play sand. Both are about 6-8 inches deep.

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, I have a digital hydrometer and thermometer combined. They usually read 75%-85% humidity, and 70*-80* F, but I have just added a light, which has brought the heat up to 85*F.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I use an Ultratherm UTH, taped to the backside of the tank, which is insulated with styrofoam. And I have just added a light, one of those reptile dish lights, with a household light bulb.

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)? Salt water: Instant Ocean Sea Salt, and fresh water: Aqueon Water Conditioner (for tap water). And the ratios are as it says on the instructions, salt water-1gal:1/2cup, and fresh water-1gal:1ml

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? I replace the food everyday, and since Ollie has come back up from molting, I have fed her hard boiled egg, egg shells, corn, peas, green beans, carrots, steel cut oats, apples, fresh mint, and honey mixed into some of those. I also offer a powder mixture of river shrimp, meal worms, and crickets, but she has not been eating much of that.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I bought both crabs the last week of August in a gift shop at the beach, both are PPs.

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? Both crabs are kept in a 29 gallon tank, with a cardboard lid, with holes in it, weighed down with a book. Tank dimensions: 30.3" x 12.5" x 18.8"

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? There are two crabs in the tank, both are small sized.

9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? I have kept about 15 in the tank, and both crabs have changed shells recently.

10. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? Not any that I can think of.

11. How often do you clean the tank and how? I cleaned the tank when I got it. They had a ten gallon, until I upgraded to a 29 gallon around the last week of September. I cleaned the 29 gallon tank with natural soap made out of coconut and corn, it was then rinsed with boiling water. Since then, I have not cleaned the tank besides changing water, changing food, and picking up little pieces of food scattered around the tank.

12. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? I do not have any sponges in the tank.

13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? Ollie was added after she came back up from molting from the old 10 gallon tank, so everything is new to her.

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.)? Not that I can think of.

15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Listed above questions.

[CallaLily]

Everything sounds ok. Honestly, they don't often stay right where they dug under. They'll usually tunnel around underground a while before settling on a place to molt. With proper substrate, good foods, plenty of extra shells, and not being overcrowded I don't think you should worry too much. The one crab is likely digging down again from stress of being handled. I personally feel they're more of a hands off pet.

[parker_roo]

Hey, thanks for replying so quickly! I actually just checked my crabitat, and Ollie is back on the surface, eating! So I guess I just panicked. This post is kind of useless, should I delete it, or just leave it be? And like you said, it is probably from the stress. Now that Ollie is up on the surface, do I need to put her in an iso tank, so that Sebastian can molt in peace? Or would it be okay to just leave her in the main tank with the molter?

[YYWW]

How can you tell where Sebastian is molting? My crabs never dig up where they dug down, so i never know where they are at, molting or not


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[parker_roo]

Oh, I guess that is true. This is my 3rd molt in my first two months of owning them. Just for both of them, they actually both came back up from where they dug down. This may just be because they were in a 10 gallon last molt, so they didn't have much room. But both molts, they came back to the surface around the same area where they dug. So Sebastian could be some where else in the tank, under the substrate. I guess I will find out when she is done molting.

[CallaLily]

This post is kind of useless, should I delete it, or just leave it be?

It's fine. It's not useless when others can learn from it.

Now that Ollie is up on the surface, do I need to put her in an iso tank, so that Sebastian can molt in peace? Or would it be okay to just leave her in the main tank with the molter?

No, there shouldn't be any need. Like I said, with proper substrate, space, foods, and extra shells there shouldn't be any issue. They should be just fine left in the main tank.

[parker_roo]

Alright, thank you guys so much for all your help!