HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I am a new hermmie mommy of two. Have been trying to save these little guys. Two were purchased from the mall by my sis in law for her kids, but one died. They moved away and forgot to take Batman with! So I bought some supplies for my crabitat and another crab (Mary Jane) for company from the pet store. I only have the bare basics at the moment:

-10 gal tank with plexiglass lid
-6-8 inches of coco fiber substrate
-fresh distilled water
-salt distilled water
-a variety of foods including fresh fruit and spinach, organic coconut, calcium blocks, nuts, a bit of crushed pellet food, and a dehydrated omnivore mix from PetCo I've been trying out (not ground)
-a dome light with a blue day bulb for heat during the day (no UTH yet)
-thermometer and hygrometer both staying between 70-80
-no climbing toys or hiding caves yet (running to Dollar Store this week )
-have a sponge and mist the cage once a day
-they have both been handled too much by other family members against my wishes but they've gotten significantly better.
-batman destressed for a few days after settling into his new home but came up, his health has improved significantly

Herein is my problem:
Mary Jane checked out her new home and was active for a day or so, eating, drinking, and checking it all out. Then she burrowed into the substrate and stayed there. She came up once or twice and nibbled on the calcium block then went back down. My mom kept digging her up out of concern (I begged her not to and explained molting and PPS to her multiple times). But once she was put down, she quickly returned to her favorite spot and dug in. I assumed she was stressed out and suffering from PPS. However...I went to Colorado for a week, leaving them in my brothers hands...when i returned, MJ had molted and switched shells! I am so excited for and proud of her! However, I did not see her exo but did some digging and found something soft and squishy and totally covered in substrate...I am assuming that is her exo? I don't know when she molted, came back up, if she's eaten, if she ate any of her exo, or how long she's been in her new shell. She is surfaced and so so weak. I have not seen her move. I lifted her to see if she was dead and she twitched a bit but did not come out at all so I immediately returned her to the substrate but a bit closer to the food and water. Sidenote: the tank was an utter MESS, there was no salt water remaining in the bowl (assuming no one replaced it) the FW was dirty, there was MOLD from food that wasn't replaced all along the surface, it smelled nasty (not fishy, probably a molt odor), and noticed one of the painted shells (all I had at the time) was chipping (thankfully not in th food or water). Side note II: Batman is burrowed in the corner now haha.

Is she okay on the surface? Is she okay in general? Is this normal post-molt behavior? Should I try to isolate her? Will she be fine as long as Batman is burrowed? Should I give her a quick bath or leave her be? Also, I need to clean out the substrate, should I wait until she is showing normal, active behavior?
Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns! I have huge respect for the amazing care you all have for your little hermmies:)))

Also, if that is her exo, should I leave it in the tank?

Or do you think she is finished with it since she surfaced?

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I'm going to touch on a few things in order so I don't forget anything.

Make sure the omnivore mix is giving them some sort of protein daily. They need insects, seafood or meat (like the kind we eat but unseasoned).

Temp should be kept no lower than 72. Ideally around 80 is great for them. If it's too cold they'll be more likely to die or suffer from PPS.

If there's no pesticides used in your backyard, you can take branches and use those as free climbs!


Okay, now for Mary Jane - what are you seeing that makes you think she molted? Change of color? Sharp black nail points where there wasn't any before? Regrown missing parts? A shell change had nothing to do with molting in and of itself and I've seen a lot of new owners think that one automatically means the other - I just want to make sure that she has molted since that will change recommendations a bit. The molting process can sometimes happen quickly, but for the most part when a crab molts it stays underground for a couple of months. It's unlikely that she molted during the week you were gone and that what she's going through is still PPS. The severe weakness can be a sign of PPS (which I'd be leaning towards), a violently disturbed molt (dug up or shell stolen), or recovery from a molt that for whatever reason ended too soon and got them up to the surface too quickly (which some crabs do sometimes).

Best thing is to leave her be and see what happens. Stress is going to be a big issue either way, and keeping her calm and protected is key. So long as Batman stays away she should be fine, but weak crabs are not able to protect themselves so if you can secure her in some way it might be better. Is there any way you can share a photo of her? Some of the things that go wrong can be identified visually by those of us who have gone through it before.

Shed exoskeleton will be hard and crispy. It'll feel just like the front half of their bodies including limbs, only it will be empty inside and may crumble easier when pinched. They will eat nearly all of it under normal circumstances in order to regain the lost calcium and minerals. They usually will leave the very tips of the legs and the very end of the claws since it's hard and thick and often not worth the effort to consume. The molting smell has been said to smell like iodine or medicinal. I think it smells like like ladybugs and fireflies. It's a very distinctive odor that will remind you of either hospitals or insects.

Substrate covered squishy stuff is usually food that's been dragged off and abandoned. Your tank after a week sounds like most people's come morning! Nothing outright dangerous there, though it's always upsetting to see it trashed.

Thank you for the quick response!

The temp has stayed between 80 and 85 with the help of the lamp, but it dropped to about 70 while I was gone.

The omnivore mix has mealworms and crickets. Do I need to grind this mix for them?

And now for Mary Jane:
I thought she had molted because of the intense odor and because her BP appeared MUCH smaller and lighter in color where it was a deep purple before. I think maybe that is because it was retracted further in her new bigger shell.

When I went to take a picture of MJ, she was turned over and lying on her back in the same spot before, not moving. I think she may have passed