I posted on here a few weeks ago, when our crab was naked and running from shell to shell. He finally disappeared and we thought he was molting - didn't see him again until last night, we found him under a log and, from what we can tell, quite dead.
This is the second crab (of five) that we've lost in basically the same way. The crab suddenly starts moving around more than the others, not burying himself, then dies. (The first one never left his original shell - this one was naked for a few weeks.) We have a 33-gallon tank, plenty of submergeable (filtered) water, a wide variety of food with plenty of protein, more than 6 inches of substrate all around, and plenty of shells and choya wood to climb on.
Having just read here about lifeless bodies, we are holding onto the one - it's a smell like seaweed, which we assume means he is dead. Can someone please clarify what the 'death smell' is? We surely don't want to bury him unless he is really dead!
We only have three crabs left, and we are feeling like something is terribly wrong - we've had them all less than a year and been vigilant in our care. We have already answered all the 'standard' questions (a few weeks ago) and everyone has agreed that we might need some saltwater but that otherwise, our crabitat is great and that sometimes crabs just don't thrive. But it feels like we are doing something horribly wrong, since we expected our guys to live 30 years - not 10 months! ANY and ALL advice is much appreciated.
second dead crab
Re: second dead crab
Does this still hold true?
The death smell is like rotten fish. It's unmistakable. It's definitely a good idea to isolate and wait til you're sure. I'm sorry you're crabbies are struggling. I hope we can help figure out what's going on. :grouphug:
If so, your temp is way too low. With PPs it should be 75-85F. Anything under 75 can cause sluggishness and anything below 70 can lead to death. Your UTH should be attached on the outside back or side of the tank, not the bottom. They're just not designed to work through the amount of substrate hermit crabs need. If you think it's not actually that low in there, try moving your gauge or picking up a new one if it doesn't seem to be reading right. There is no doubt, you need saltwater available at all times (as well as fresh) for all species. You'll want a mix sold for saltwater aquariums, like Instant Ocean. There are many elements in these mixes that are vital to healthy molts and overall well-being of the crabs. Is there a calcium source provided? If any of this has already been changed, can you go over your crabitat conditions again please?To answer the questions, we have 6-8" of substrate zoo med coconut fiber substrate. We have four crabs in a 35-gallon tank. We have humidity and temperature gauges and the humidity and is consistently right around 80. The temp is 57 degrees (which is likely because the gauge is way up in the top corner, and the heater is under the tank). It does NOT feel cool in there! We have a large, shallow bowl for swimming. We use SeaChem water conditioner and don't currently have any salt water available. We use a variety of foods including meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains and we change it every day.
The death smell is like rotten fish. It's unmistakable. It's definitely a good idea to isolate and wait til you're sure. I'm sorry you're crabbies are struggling. I hope we can help figure out what's going on. :grouphug:
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wodesorel
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Re: second dead crab
I'm so sorry you lost another one!
What are you using for heat, and has that come up any? Temperatures below 60 can kill within a couple of days, and anything under 70 consistently (not warming up to 75 or 80 during the days) can kill within a week or two. You need to verify what temperature your tank actually is, as that could be be the issue!
This is the topic where you had listed the answers to the help questionnaire: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 35#p926635
What are you using for heat, and has that come up any? Temperatures below 60 can kill within a couple of days, and anything under 70 consistently (not warming up to 75 or 80 during the days) can kill within a week or two. You need to verify what temperature your tank actually is, as that could be be the issue!
This is the topic where you had listed the answers to the help questionnaire: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 35#p926635
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Re: second dead crab
My husband insists that the heater installation REQUIRES us to keep the heater on the bottom of the tank - and if we move it, it won't stick anymore. (We tried to restick one when we moved them from a smaller tank to this one.) Our house is always at least 70 degress (and was 75-80 in the summer because of the way our house's heater works) - and the tank feels warmer than our house. When we put in our hand, it feels warmer in the tank than in our home. It does NOT feel like 57 degrees in there.
But we are moving it *right now* because we really have no idea what will work, and if the heater moving will make a difference, we can buy yet another heater.
We DO have Instant Ocean - and will make some saltwater today. We have been avoiding it because we didn't know where to put the second bowl, as the first bowl is so large/shallow that it takes up much of the ground space for the crabs. Would it be better to have a larger bowl of saltwater and a smaller bowl of freshwater, or vice versa?
If this is all it will take to keep our crabs happy, we certainly can do it. Thanks for your help. I hope it works.
But we are moving it *right now* because we really have no idea what will work, and if the heater moving will make a difference, we can buy yet another heater.
We DO have Instant Ocean - and will make some saltwater today. We have been avoiding it because we didn't know where to put the second bowl, as the first bowl is so large/shallow that it takes up much of the ground space for the crabs. Would it be better to have a larger bowl of saltwater and a smaller bowl of freshwater, or vice versa?
If this is all it will take to keep our crabs happy, we certainly can do it. Thanks for your help. I hope it works.
Re: second dead crab
It does sound like your thermometer may be broken. Can you pick up another to double check temps? Installing the UTH on the back or side should make a difference. You may also need to insulate it (but check the instructions first, some brands do not recommend insulating) to help direct heat into the tank.
If I have to choose, I always make the saltwater pool larger. It doesn't really matter though, as long as they can easily get in and out of both and submerge if they choose to.
I hope this solves your problems. Good luck and keep us updated.
If I have to choose, I always make the saltwater pool larger. It doesn't really matter though, as long as they can easily get in and out of both and submerge if they choose to.
I hope this solves your problems. Good luck and keep us updated.
Re: second dead crabs
I am so sorry to hear about your crabbies. 
As for the UTH, you may have some luck reattaching it with foil duct tape if you do lose all the sticky stuff when you take it off the bottom. (Not the gray, sticky kind, but the one that actually looks like aluminum foil.)
My UTH also showed and explained installation on the bottom of the tank. But that's because most UTH mats have reptiles in mind. Not hermies. My husband would likely have been the same way because he does not know anything about hermits and is a "direction-rule" follower.
Def double check the thermometer. I have a stick on one, and realized it is off by about 7-8 degrees. I am currently waiting for a smaller, digital one to go on sale. (I have a 10 gal). I figured out mine was off when we started having cooler weather here in the south, and the temp in the tat was off. (This is my first time having crabbies in the fall....Just started in July!)
As for the UTH, you may have some luck reattaching it with foil duct tape if you do lose all the sticky stuff when you take it off the bottom. (Not the gray, sticky kind, but the one that actually looks like aluminum foil.)
My UTH also showed and explained installation on the bottom of the tank. But that's because most UTH mats have reptiles in mind. Not hermies. My husband would likely have been the same way because he does not know anything about hermits and is a "direction-rule" follower.
Def double check the thermometer. I have a stick on one, and realized it is off by about 7-8 degrees. I am currently waiting for a smaller, digital one to go on sale. (I have a 10 gal). I figured out mine was off when we started having cooler weather here in the south, and the temp in the tat was off. (This is my first time having crabbies in the fall....Just started in July!)
Mom to two little girls, ages 5 and 8
Owners of 3 PPs: Sunshine, Squirmy the Hermie, and Captain Morgan
Owners of 3 PPs: Sunshine, Squirmy the Hermie, and Captain Morgan
Re: second dead crab
We have moved the heater to the side of the tank - much closer to the thermometer, and also 2/3 of the heater is above the substrate, and now the thermometer says it's 42 degrees in there. There's NO WAY it's 42 degrees in there. So we are getting a new thermometer. And we have put in instant ocean saltwater, in a nice, shallow but submergable bowl.
We are still baffled about the second crab. He doesn't smell like rotting fish. He is in a bowl with paper towels, where we put him two nights ago thinking he is dead. We don't know for sure, although he hasn't moved a single millimeter in two days and he sure looks dead. If he really is dead, we still don't know what's killed him. He wasn't in his shell, so he didn't fall out of his shell like the last one did.
And if he's not dead, we don't know if we harmed him in taking him out of the tank, but we don't want to disturb him any further if he's not dead! It's all very confusing. Tips and advice are still much appreciated!
We are still baffled about the second crab. He doesn't smell like rotting fish. He is in a bowl with paper towels, where we put him two nights ago thinking he is dead. We don't know for sure, although he hasn't moved a single millimeter in two days and he sure looks dead. If he really is dead, we still don't know what's killed him. He wasn't in his shell, so he didn't fall out of his shell like the last one did.
And if he's not dead, we don't know if we harmed him in taking him out of the tank, but we don't want to disturb him any further if he's not dead! It's all very confusing. Tips and advice are still much appreciated!