Come On Buddy! You can do it! Naked for about 24 hours.
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 12:22 am
I'm very new to this and want to do things the best I can and care for these guys the proper way. Thanks to this forum I have my naked guy resting in a shell, in an ISO tank, with a Qtip with honey dipped in cuttlefish sitting in front of him.
Buddy was naked since last night, we watched him slowly exit his shell over a 45 minute time period last night. This morning when he was still naked propped between the side of the tank and the fresh water bowl I crafted a small ISO tank for him. The tank is the original carrying tank he came in the measures about 3 inches by 6 inches. He sat between a water fresh water bowl and an empty shell, very similar to the one he left, all day. After reading more and more and more I finally was able to get him to "relax" his abdomen and slip his tail into the shell. I don't think he is doing more than just hanging there though. When I say relax, it went from stiffly contracted to immediately hanging down and swinging. I had the shell ready, though, and got his rear end in the shell. I stuck a QTIP with honey and cuttlefish on it right in front of him. He's right next to water, I'll go put a water QTIP up when I'm done with this. His small ISO tank is set directly into the larger 10 gallon tank, it's the only way I can think of to keep the temp and humidity close to where it should be. The little carrying case/ISO tank is firmly shut, he can't get out, others can't get in. I've draped a damp dark cloth over the top and around the sides to keep it dark. He is a lot more ashy gray than he was yesterday. His antenna look like they've wilted not just not active but wrinkled and wilted. He is just sitting on top of the substrate in the shell, no digging. But he is making small movements, like he's breathing.
Before anyone blasts me, I know I have a lot of room for improvement. I'm doing the best I can with what I have, it will only improve from here. I know I need to improve Substrate mix by adding sand, I need to get gauges, a light, a different or additional heat source, I'll check my dechlorinator and food brands, need to replace the ceiling on the tank, I do feel pretty confident in the size of the tank. Will get rid of the sponges.
I think I've done everything I can as of right now, it's just wait and see but if anyone has any additional suggestions I'm ready and willing.
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Eco Earth about 4-6 inches
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? No
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? Heat mat underneath the tank
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)? Yes to both, not sure of the dechloriniator brand, mixed according the label directions. Instant Ocean for salt water, mixed according to label directions.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Pre made Mix with cuttlefish and shrimp, I haven't compared it to the safe food list yet. I can't do anything about it right this instant. Veggies, fruit. I will include maple leaves tomorrow.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Buddy, since July PP; Hermie and Kona since September, both PP.
7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? As of Sunday an aquarium with a mesh/wire lid. 10 gallon.
8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3; 1 Med to Large, 2 on the smaller Medium Scale
9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Buddy has two extras in the ISO tank with him right now and there are at least four in with the other two.
10. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? No
11. How often do you clean the tank and how? Brand new, wiped out the new tank with dechlorinated water.
12. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? Yes, boiled clean.
13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? The whole thing is new.
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.)? I'm thinking when we switched to the current crabitat Buddy was molting and we didn't recognize it/know any better.
15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Top of this post.
Buddy was naked since last night, we watched him slowly exit his shell over a 45 minute time period last night. This morning when he was still naked propped between the side of the tank and the fresh water bowl I crafted a small ISO tank for him. The tank is the original carrying tank he came in the measures about 3 inches by 6 inches. He sat between a water fresh water bowl and an empty shell, very similar to the one he left, all day. After reading more and more and more I finally was able to get him to "relax" his abdomen and slip his tail into the shell. I don't think he is doing more than just hanging there though. When I say relax, it went from stiffly contracted to immediately hanging down and swinging. I had the shell ready, though, and got his rear end in the shell. I stuck a QTIP with honey and cuttlefish on it right in front of him. He's right next to water, I'll go put a water QTIP up when I'm done with this. His small ISO tank is set directly into the larger 10 gallon tank, it's the only way I can think of to keep the temp and humidity close to where it should be. The little carrying case/ISO tank is firmly shut, he can't get out, others can't get in. I've draped a damp dark cloth over the top and around the sides to keep it dark. He is a lot more ashy gray than he was yesterday. His antenna look like they've wilted not just not active but wrinkled and wilted. He is just sitting on top of the substrate in the shell, no digging. But he is making small movements, like he's breathing.
Before anyone blasts me, I know I have a lot of room for improvement. I'm doing the best I can with what I have, it will only improve from here. I know I need to improve Substrate mix by adding sand, I need to get gauges, a light, a different or additional heat source, I'll check my dechlorinator and food brands, need to replace the ceiling on the tank, I do feel pretty confident in the size of the tank. Will get rid of the sponges.
I think I've done everything I can as of right now, it's just wait and see but if anyone has any additional suggestions I'm ready and willing.
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Eco Earth about 4-6 inches
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? No
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? Heat mat underneath the tank
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)? Yes to both, not sure of the dechloriniator brand, mixed according the label directions. Instant Ocean for salt water, mixed according to label directions.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Pre made Mix with cuttlefish and shrimp, I haven't compared it to the safe food list yet. I can't do anything about it right this instant. Veggies, fruit. I will include maple leaves tomorrow.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Buddy, since July PP; Hermie and Kona since September, both PP.
7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? As of Sunday an aquarium with a mesh/wire lid. 10 gallon.
8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3; 1 Med to Large, 2 on the smaller Medium Scale
9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Buddy has two extras in the ISO tank with him right now and there are at least four in with the other two.
10. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? No
11. How often do you clean the tank and how? Brand new, wiped out the new tank with dechlorinated water.
12. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? Yes, boiled clean.
13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? The whole thing is new.
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.)? I'm thinking when we switched to the current crabitat Buddy was molting and we didn't recognize it/know any better.
15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Top of this post.
I usually don't go into things unprepared, I'm usually set-up ready to go before I have living creatures I'm taking care of. I've got three kids, three dogs, three cats, and now three Crabs. I don't want to lose this guy, it would throw my numbers off. 
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