Help! We lost 2 in 2 days.

[Lutterback]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
2 blocks of ee to 1 40 bag of play sand 6 1/2 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 on the right side of the tank above the UTH on side if tank.
90% humidity and 80 degrees

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

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)?
Both available (fresh water- zoomed 2 drops in 8 oz) (salt water- instant ocean 1/2 cup per gallon)

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Varied- hermit crab patch surf-n-turf, hcp popcorn treats, hcp powdered calcium, hcp worm castings, dehydrated fruits and veggies washed in de chlorinated water before dehydrating replaced daily

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
4 weeks from reptile city PP

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Neither of the 2 in question had molted yet with me

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
29 gallon tank with a led hood

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
5 crabs 1 large and the other 4 were "smalls" according to Reptile City (2 looked closer to mediums to me)

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
22

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
None

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Mostly just daily surface cleaning (3 under molting) isopods in the tank

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No sponges now. I stopped using them 3 weeks ago, but I used to dry them and microwave them.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
Yes. Climbing net from hugsforhermits, 2 weeks ago moss from yard microwaved, and isopods 1 week ago

15. 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.)?
My son held one 3 weeks ago and it pinched him. It startled him and he dropped it about 2 1/2 feet. The 2 crabs in question were my 2 smallest crabs.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Yesterday morning, I noticed one crab had not gone back into hiding for the day, but was just sitting in the middle of the shell shop. Last night he was still there, so I picked him up and he fell out of his shell. He was completely limp, but I reshelled him. He did not twitch or anything. I put him in a small ISO to see if anything changed and this morning he is definitely dead. So this morning I checked on the other one that is not molting. He was hiding under a log with one of his left legs in front of him. I checked to see if he was limp and his other left leg fell off. I tried feeding him some organic honey and peanut butter with a toothpick and there was no movement either. They are both definitely dead. I want to figure this out before my 3 molters come up.

[Lutterback]

The first one smells, but the second one with lost limbs does not. Should I leave it alone until it does?

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Yes

[CallaLily]

Sounds like it may be PPS. More info here: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=92531.



Always ISO them in proper conditions until you're absolutely sure they've passed.