Hermit Crab naked and digging

[jweeks]

Hi,

I had 3 hermit crabs. I had one die a few days ago from illness and bought a couple new ones on Monday. That same night, one of my original hermies (whom I've had for a few months now) started acting funny. He kept rolling on his back and everytime I would right him, he'd roll back again. I did some research and didn't find anything saying it might be due to illness, and the one that died never acted like that, so I ignored it. He responded to light and water and would occasionally roll back over to play in the substrate. Yesterday, however, he jumped out of his shell and started running around naked. Then he became immobile for awhile. I isolated him and let him be, spraying him with water every once in awhile. After isolation he kept digging in the substrate, very shallow (not getting too far) and refused to stay in a shell. Today he was filthy so i bathed him and all the shells, dried them, and returned him to isolation with food and drinking water and 3 shells to choose from. He is still refusing to stay in a shell and is digging. I did research and couldn't find anything about this sort of behavior. My only guess is he needs to molt but is acting very strange. Does anyone know what the heck he is doing??? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!

[AutumnHermie]

First and foremost you need to get him in a shell. He will not survive long without one. Gently uncurl his abdomen and place him in a proper fitting shell. When you have the time, please asnwer this so we can better help you to understand why this happend: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 27&t=46102

[jweeks]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Mix of coconut fiber and calcium sand. half of the tank is at least 4 inches, other side is more shallow and have the food and water bowls

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? Temperature usually around 75, Humidity between around 60% (i know this is low, despite me misting regularly)

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I have a heading pad on the bottom and the overhead light produces heat which i only turn on occasionally when the temperature might drop

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)? fresh and salt water, i buy prebottled salt water and the water is distilled so no chlorine in it

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? I replace the food every other day, i have a variety diet hermit crab specific food plus i give them other stuff like fresh fruits n veggies, scrambled eggs, unseasoned chicken, depending on what's available and what i've cooked recently.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Since mid December, I think he might be Ecuadorian

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He hasn't molted since I've had him

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10 gallon tank with an overhead hood originally meant for a fish aquarium, use the light for heat occasionally (it's an older model)

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 4 crabs, 3 small and 1 medium

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 5 extra shells

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? 2x a month, completely replace the bedding, wash all bowls (make sure to rinse with nonchlorinated water), wipe down the inside with paper towels.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponges

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? 2 new crabs on Monday

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 crabs are generally pretty social, I see them all come out multiple times a week

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. see original post

[jweeks]

He is in a shell for now, this is the 3rd one i've tried. for whatever reason he doesn't want to stay in them.

[amart24]

get rid of calcium sand
more sub
take that heating pad off the bottom

[theornerycheese]

I see a few things that could be contributing to the streaking and death.

First, the humidity needs to be above 75% for Es, and above 70% for PPs. If you don't keep it up, the crabs will have trouble breathing and will become more and more inactive and may eventually die. Secondly, I don't have Es personally but from what I've read they need really deep substrate so 4 inches is most likely not enough for even a small E as they love digging (probably 7 inches is good?). Thirdly, a full substrate clean is unnecessary and doing so twice a month will discourage your crabs from molting (try holding those off for 6-10 months and just scoop up any poop or food you see on the top). For reference, my baby Ruggies have been power molting on and off since October and are usually up for a few days to a week to eat and then bury down for another month to two months and have doubled in size since. I suggest changing to pure Eco Earth substrate for your humidity problems or using Eco Earth with play sand instead of calcium sand, which is supposedly bad for hermit crabs. Another thing may be overcrowding as 10 gallons is really, really small for 4 crabs especially with only 4 inches of substrate. Also remove the heating pad from the bottom as that can dry out the substrate.

When I had a streaking crab back when I first started crabbing I separated her into a little critter carrier with wet paper towel on top to keep humidity in and a bunch of shells and she switched into one immediately. While he's in a shell, I would take this opportunity to change out the substrate and add a few inches to it.

[jweeks]

thanks for the response...the people at PetSmart told me to deep clean it at least twice a month...I'll take the heating pad off. They also suggested the calcium sand substrate mix. I believe the substrate I bought this time was the Eco Earth brand, which definitely holds moisture better. Any other tips for increasing the humidity? I spray multiple times a day and cant get it above 70%

[jweeks]

I took the pad off and the humidity is already going up! Thank you!

[theornerycheese]

thanks for the response...the people at PetSmart told me to deep clean it at least twice a month...I'll take the heating pad off. They also suggested the calcium sand substrate mix. I believe the substrate I bought this time was the Eco Earth brand, which definitely holds moisture better. Any other tips for increasing the humidity? I spray multiple times a day and cant get it above 70%

You can still use the heating pad. Most people just put theirs on the back or the side an inch or two above the substrate line so that way you still get the heat but it won't affect the substrate too much. Apart from using pure Eco Earth you can try placing a blanket, shower curtain or a towel over the top of the tank. Avoid placing it over the lighting if it runs too hot. For me that gained me like 20-30% humidity in my big tank.

Edit: I suggest aiming for about 85% humidity. That seems to be the ideal level for all species and 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit for temperature.

Edit 2: Doh. Completely forgot about a moss pit. If you have any sphagnum moss you can soak that in water and put some in your tank on the substrate or in a container. It tends to dry out really quickly for me tho :<

[jweeks]

thanks for the response...the people at PetSmart told me to deep clean it at least twice a month...I'll take the heating pad off. They also suggested the calcium sand substrate mix. I believe the substrate I bought this time was the Eco Earth brand, which definitely holds moisture better. Any other tips for increasing the humidity? I spray multiple times a day and cant get it above 70%

You can still use the heating pad. Most people just put theirs on the back or the side an inch or two above the substrate line so that way you still get the heat but it won't affect the substrate too much. Apart from using pure Eco Earth you can try placing a blanket, shower curtain or a towel over the top of the tank. Avoid placing it over the lighting if it runs too hot. For me that gained me like 20-30% humidity in my big tank.

Edit: I suggest aiming for about 85% humidity. That seems to be the ideal level for all species and 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit for temperature.

Edit 2: Doh. Completely forgot about a moss pit. If you have any sphagnum moss you can soak that in water and put some in your tank on the substrate or in a container. It tends to dry out really quickly for me tho :<

Any specific brand of moss?

[theornerycheese]

I use this one

[jweeks]

Thank you so much, just ordered some new substrate and moss!! Humidity is above 70% already. Thanks for the help!

[jweeks]

He seems to be doing better now that he's isolated and in a shell so hopefully he'll pull through

[marandashermies]

hi there! I see a few problems that should be addressed and could be causing your little guy to streak! Sorry I am trying to write this fast before I leave from work. And don't worry, we have all been here. Listening to the pet store people and finding they knew nothing! See below, once you get these things adjusted I think you will have some happy and healthier crablets

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Mix of coconut fiber and calcium sand. half of the tank is at least 4 inches, other side is more shallow and have the food and water bowls - You are going to want to ditch that calcium sand ASAP! It is not good substrate for a crab for many reasons. What you want is a mix of playsand and coconut fiber. You can get the playsand at Home Depot or Lowes for just a few dollars. Most of us mix that 5:1 ratio. The 5 being playsand to 1 coco fiber. You are going to want to mix this with decholinated water until you have sand castle consistency. This is so your little guys can tunnel under there and make molting caves, safely. You are also going to want to make sure your sub is a minimum of 6 inches. More if your crabs are bigger, but 6 is really the minimum.

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? Temperature usually around 75, Humidity between around 60% (i know this is low, despite me misting regularly) [I The rule of thumb is 80 degrees and 80% humidity is best. 75 is not life threatening, but your crabs would most likely be more happier and active with a temp around 80. Humidity should also be 80%. Once you change the sand that will help with this. You can also do things like add a moss pit, bubblers in your pools and spray as needed. [/i]

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I have a heading pad on the bottom and the overhead light produces heat which i only turn on occasionally when the temperature might drop You are also going to want to remove that heater from under the tank. For hermit crabs, we are trying to heat the air in the tank, so that should be placed above the substrate line on the back of the tank. The reason it should be above the substrate and not under the tank is because you are heating the sand. Crabs can overheat when they go down to molt and it also dries out the sand, preventing them from making tunnels that will stay at sand castle consistency and not collapse on them, while they are vulnerable in mid molt. So if you can, get that moved right away!

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)? fresh and salt water, i buy prebottled salt water and the water is distilled so no chlorine in it The distilled water is fine, however you are going to want marine salt. Most of us use Instant Ocean which can be found at most pet stores in the fish section. You just mix this with the decholrinated or distilled water per the instructions. The bottled water you are currently using, does not have all the necessary supplements that crabs require in salt water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? I replace the food every other day, i have a variety diet hermit crab specific food plus i give them other stuff like fresh fruits n veggies, scrambled eggs, unseasoned chicken, depending on what's available and what i've cooked recently. good job with the fresh fruits and veggies! I would recommend to ditch the crab specific food completely and just feed them human food. I would also try to add a bit more protein to their diet and supplements. You can buy a turtle medley at petsmart or petco that has crickets, shrimp and meal worms in there. That is a good staple diet. They also Like things like cuttlebone, worm castings & egg shells

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Since mid December, I think he might be Ecuadorian

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He hasn't molted since I've had him He may not have molted yet, because of the depth and types of sand. Hopefully you can that switched and he will dig his little butt under there!

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10 gallon tank with an overhead hood originally meant for a fish aquarium, use the light for heat occasionally (it's an older model) You may also be dealing with over crowding in the tank. For a 10 gal, only 2 small/tiny crabs is really recommended. This is so that everyone has enough room to go under and molt without running into each other and others tunnel systems/caves. If you do have an E, they need a TON of climbing space. It is recommended that they be kept in nothing less than a 40g. They are a very active crab and tend to have aggressive behaviors. So the more room the better for an E. Do you have a glass lid or a screen? If its a screen, I would saran wrap that baby up or else put a damp towl over it to keep that humidity in. The light that you have, the fish tank hood, is probably not really providing any heat.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 4 crabs, 3 small and 1 medium - are they all E's or just the one?

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 5 extra shells I would definatley get some more shells in there as well. You are going to want a minimum of 3-5 extra shells per crab.

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? 2x a month, completely replace the bedding, wash all bowls (make sure to rinse with nonchlorinated water), wipe down the inside with paper towels. Once you switch out to the proper substrate, you will not need to do any deep cleans. Unless you have a flood or bacterial bloom, which we all hope doesn't happen! Change food and water every day or two and that's all you should really have too do. Some of us take the shells out and clean those as well every now and again.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponges

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? 2 new crabs on Monday

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 crabs are generally pretty social, I see them all come out multiple times a week

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. see original post

check out the care sheets as well!
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 51&t=92457

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 26&t=92544

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 26&t=92541

[marandashermies]

I also forgot to mention for the pools, make sure they are deep enough for the crabs to fully submerge in! Just make sure they have a way to climb out. Tupperware containers work well with sewing canvas ramps to exit I know I am missing a million things as I am rushing, but the care sheets are a great source. If you have any other specific questions just ask! You came to the right place for help. We are all pulling for your little guy!


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