Interrupted Naked Molting

[ancrylu]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum, and while I'm not sure that this still classifies as an emergency, I thought I'd put it out here to see what you all think.

I currently have two hermit crabs, Baba Yaga and Mormo. I have honestly never kept an ISO tank because I never had any problems with molting aggression, UNTIL NOW! Baba Yaga decided to do a surface molt next to the water dish. This has never been an issue before, they always burrow, and so I did not catch it in time until it was too late. One morning I went to spray their tank and found Baba Yaga in the fresh water dish outside of her shell and halfway through shedding her skin! I was very surprised at this, until I saw Mormo donning her shell. She has no injuries and she is much larger than Mormo, so I'm unsure if she left her shell herself and he took it while it was abandoned, or if he pulled her out in her delicate state. Regardless, he did not seem about to give it back.

I used a paper towel to soak up the water from the water dish until there was a shallow layer at the bottom. I then moved the entire dish to a Tupperware container. I placed her dead skin inside, as well as some carrots and oatmeal. I then added some moss for humidity and sprayed down the container. I also added a shell that looked similar to her old one, but larger. I placed a lid on top gently, and lifted it off only to steam her while I showered. She stayed like this for 48 hours, the container in the dark bathroom. She was very alert, antennae moving, and she even moved around in circles with her big swollen tail and molting pouch underneath her. After 48 hours of her not eating, not finishing her molt, and not entering a shell, I took to forums in a panic and found this one.

While on this forum I found that it was important that they enter a shell immediately, even if they need to finish molting. I had hesitated before because I did not want to disturb her and I was not sure with her tail so swollen that she should enter a shell. After reading some posts here, I decided, for better or worse, to give it a try. I used a spoon to gently scoop her up and place her on this shell I had laid in there. After three hours, she was still uninterested. I found another suitable empty shell and tried again, this time with success. Within the hour she had planted herself within the shell. After this, I put her in a larger container with a salt water dish, fresh water dish, her skin, about 5-6 inches of coconut fiber, and moss for humidity. I am hoping she will now be able to complete her molt. I've had this crab for 4 years and she's a fighter, so I'm truly emotionally invested in her recovery.

I would be happy to answer questions about her habitat to figure out what might have gone wrong. However, I would like to first focus on what I could currently be doing wrong and what else I could be doing to help her through this process. Just to give a quick idea, she shares a 10gallon with Mormo, substrate is coconut fiber and crab sand (starts separate but gets mixed together), heating pad on the right end and the left stays cooled, I gauge their humidity and temperature, they always have a salt and freshwater dish available, and I keep moss on a hanging hammock used as their "second story." I would be happy to provide more info, but let's focus on her first please!


You can see the swollen tail and skin unshed.


Another view before she entered the shell.




This is how she is set up now. She is inside the shell. She has not moved at all since entering it and being placed in this setting.

[wodesorel]

The swollen tail is normal when they have just molted - in order to slide of their old exoskeleton, they pull the fluid out of the front half of their bodies and it gets stored in the tail. As they re-inflate and harden the swelling goes back down. That's why it looks horrifically huge. (Although hers looks really big, so she may have ditched her shell over it being too tight.)

I'd recommend moving her out of the dish and onto either the substrate or moss with her exo directly underneath her. They usually can't move for a few days after molting but can start eating immediately if it's close enough. Then turn the dish upside down on top of her to keep her dark and to make a false cave so she feels more secure.

[ancrylu]

UPDATE: I followed all of wodesorel's recommendations. She made it through and seems mostly okay. However, there is now a new issue. The bottoms of two of her feet look deformed and... deflated? They look soft and like they might fall off. I've never seen this before. Maybe a cause of her being moved around during a molt??

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[ancrylu]

Notice the two rightmost legs

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[ancrylu]

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[ancrylu]

Also possible discoloration on her right claw

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[ancrylu]

UPDATE: the end, squishy parts of the limbs have fallen of so she now just has partial legs on that side.

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[mool]

I would stay as hands off as possible and just keep offering the most nutrient dense foods such as peanut butter, honey, a protein, and calcium supplement. Hopefully, she'll heal her insides and then molt again to heal the outside.

[DragonsFly]

If she has just molted, you really need to leave her alone, in the dark, with her exo, undisturbed for a while (days to maybe weeks). If she has problems with the feet, she could fix that in her next molt (she might do back-to-back molts if necessary). In the meantime, she does need to be left alone.

Also, to make sure there isn't something wrong with the conditions that may have contributed to this issue (and that could affect your other crab if not corrected), it would be good to fill out the questions on the emergency "template" and put them in here, so we can take a look at everything that's going on and see how things could be improved (things can always be a bit better, even if there's nothing really out of whack).

One thing I notice right away is that you have them in a 10g, but you say you've had them for 4 years. I don't know how large they are (because I don't know how big your hand is), but I'm guessing they may be too big for a 10g with only 4-5 inches of substrate at this point. I know our first two rescues were a large large and a jumbo in less than two years, and really needed at least a 55g and at least a foot of substrate by then. If your guys are approaching that size, I'd recommend skipping straight up to at least a 90g, rather than going up by steps (it's cheaper in the long run). I know that sounds intimidating, but there are lots of ways to get a tank for less than new price (ideas below); and remember that these animals naturally roam for MILES every night, in their wild homes, so even a 90g is a TINY little box to them. I only use a 10g for an iso.

Ways to find cheaper tanks:

Ask around at pet stores for "leakers;" they will let them go cheap, and you don't need the tank to hold water, only moist substrate. As long as there's no cracked or broken glass, it's good.

Check craigslist and local flea markets for used tanks. Again, since you don't need it to hold water, you can often drive a good bargain with people who know their tank is no good anymore for fish.

Join freecycle online and post for a tank. Often, people who are tired of fish-keeping (or whatever other animal they used to have in it) will GIVE you their tank if you will just come haul it away. This is how we got our 55g and stand. Note: the etiquette on freecycle is that you should offer something first, before asking for anything that you want; so have a clear-out and see if there aren't some nice things you aren't using anymore that you could offer for free; then post for your big tank, and keep posting each month. I think it took two or three months of posting for a large tank before we got our 55g. Our 90g also came free, but we did have to drive several hours to pick it up, and it came with about 40 crabs(!!!) that we had to find a new home for; but they are in "crabtopia" now, with Kip in New Mexico, in his truly gigantic crabitats, and our remaining few now have the biggest tank we could manage for them, so that's all good.

[ancrylu]

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[ancrylu]

So keep her isolated and sitting over high protein and calcium diets? How long does it take an injured hermit crab to molt? She typically only molts a couple times a year

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[ancrylu]

If she has just molted, you really need to leave her alone, in the dark, with her exo, undisturbed for a while (days to maybe weeks). If she has problems with the feet, she could fix that in her next molt (she might do back-to-back molts if necessary). In the meantime, she does need to be left alone.

Also, to make sure there isn't something wrong with the conditions that may have contributed to this issue (and that could affect your other crab if not corrected), it would be good to fill out the questions on the emergency "template" and put them in here, so we can take a look at everything that's going on and see how things could be improved (things can always be a bit better, even if there's nothing really out of whack).

One thing I notice right away is that you have them in a 10g, but you say you've had them for 4 years. I don't know how large they are (because I don't know how big your hand is), but I'm guessing they may be too big for a 10g with only 4-5 inches of substrate at this point. I know our first two rescues were a large large and a jumbo in less than two years, and really needed at least a 55g and at least a foot of substrate by then. If your guys are approaching that size, I'd recommend skipping straight up to at least a 90g, rather than going up by steps (it's cheaper in the long run). I know that sounds intimidating, but there are lots of ways to get a tank for less than new price (ideas below); and remember that these animals naturally roam for MILES every night, in their wild homes, so even a 90g is a TINY little box to them. I only use a 10g for an iso.

Ways to find cheaper tanks:

Ask around at pet stores for "leakers;" they will let them go cheap, and you don't need the tank to hold water, only moist substrate. As long as there's no cracked or broken glass, it's good.

Check craigslist and local flea markets for used tanks. Again, since you don't need it to hold water, you can often drive a good bargain with people who know their tank is no good anymore for fish.

Join freecycle online and post for a tank. Often, people who are tired of fish-keeping (or whatever other animal they used to have in it) will GIVE you their tank if you will just come haul it away. This is how we got our 55g and stand. Note: the etiquette on freecycle is that you should offer something first, before asking for anything that you want; so have a clear-out and see if there aren't some nice things you aren't using anymore that you could offer for free; then post for your big tank, and keep posting each month. I think it took two or three months of posting for a large tank before we got our 55g. Our 90g also came free, but we did have to drive several hours to pick it up, and it came with about 40 crabs(!!!) that we had to find a new home for; but they are in "crabtopia" now, with Kip in New Mexico, in his truly gigantic crabitats, and our remaining few now have the biggest tank we could manage for them, so that's all good.

Thanks! I will fill out the questionnaire shortly.

As far as size, the ten gallon is plenty of room. They are both still very small. Baba Yaga is the largest and her she'll is maybe four inches long. I'll post pictures of the tank with Mormo in it for a comparison.

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[DragonsFly]

Yeah, you really, really need to leave her alone in the dark with her exo now. Really steel yourself to RESIST "checking" on her. I KNOW it is hard--believe me, I have one that had a very similar issue over a month ago, and he is in iso, in "molting limbo", and has been all that time, and who knows how much longer; but I keep the conditions good and keep the waters fresh and keep it dark where he is and just keep waiting. Handling them is stressful to them, so the best thing you can do for her now is to cover her with her exo in with her, like wodes said, and just leave her in peace and quiet (and good conditions) for a good long time.

As far as how long it may take, that totally depends--the bigger ones usually take longer, but it's really impossible to say. She may take days, weeks, or even months. When they do have an injury, they will often molt back-to-back, also. It would be a good time to plan and prepare your much bigger crabitat, so when she's finished, she has a bigger home to move into with her buddy.

[ancrylu]

If she has just molted, you really need to leave her alone, in the dark, with her exo, undisturbed for a while (days to maybe weeks). If she has problems with the feet, she could fix that in her next molt (she might do back-to-back molts if necessary). In the meantime, she does need to be left alone.

Also, to make sure there isn't something wrong with the conditions that may have contributed to this issue (and that could affect your other crab if not corrected), it would be good to fill out the questions on the emergency "template" and put them in here, so we can take a look at everything that's going on and see how things could be improved (things can always be a bit better, even if there's nothing really out of whack).

One thing I notice right away is that you have them in a 10g, but you say you've had them for 4 years. I don't know how large they are (because I don't know how big your hand is), but I'm guessing they may be too big for a 10g with only 4-5 inches of substrate at this point. I know our first two rescues were a large large and a jumbo in less than two years, and really needed at least a 55g and at least a foot of substrate by then. If your guys are approaching that size, I'd recommend skipping straight up to at least a 90g, rather than going up by steps (it's cheaper in the long run). I know that sounds intimidating, but there are lots of ways to get a tank for less than new price (ideas below); and remember that these animals naturally roam for MILES every night, in their wild homes, so even a 90g is a TINY little box to them. I only use a 10g for an iso.

Ways to find cheaper tanks:

Ask around at pet stores for "leakers;" they will let them go cheap, and you don't need the tank to hold water, only moist substrate. As long as there's no cracked or broken glass, it's good.

Check craigslist and local flea markets for used tanks. Again, since you don't need it to hold water, you can often drive a good bargain with people who know their tank is no good anymore for fish.

Join freecycle online and post for a tank. Often, people who are tired of fish-keeping (or whatever other animal they used to have in it) will GIVE you their tank if you will just come haul it away. This is how we got our 55g and stand. Note: the etiquette on freecycle is that you should offer something first, before asking for anything that you want; so have a clear-out and see if there aren't some nice things you aren't using anymore that you could offer for free; then post for your big tank, and keep posting each month. I think it took two or three months of posting for a large tank before we got our 55g. Our 90g also came free, but we did have to drive several hours to pick it up, and it came with about 40 crabs(!!!) that we had to find a new home for; but they are in "crabtopia" now, with Kip in New Mexico, in his truly gigantic crabitats, and our remaining few now have the biggest tank we could manage for them, so that's all good.

Thanks! I will fill out the questionnaire shortly.

As far as size, the ten gallon is plenty of room. They are both still very small. Baba Yaga is the largest and her she'll is maybe four inches long. I'll post pictures of the tank with Mormo in it for a comparison.

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Also, to add, I found her post molt around 12 days ago. I plan to put her in iso again, especially if immediate molts are possible

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[ancrylu]

Yeah, you really, really need to leave her alone in the dark with her exo now. Really steel yourself to RESIST "checking" on her. I KNOW it is hard--believe me, I have one that had a very similar issue over a month ago, and he is in iso, in "molting limbo", and has been all that time, and who knows how much longer; but I keep the conditions good and keep the waters fresh and keep it dark where he is and just keep waiting. Handling them is stressful to them, so the best thing you can do for her now is to cover her with her exo in with her, like wodes said, and just leave her in peace and quiet (and good conditions) for a good long time.

As far as how long it may take, that totally depends--the bigger ones usually take longer, but it's really impossible to say. She may take days, weeks, or even months. When they do have an injury, they will often molt back-to-back, also. It would be a good time to plan and prepare your much bigger crabitat, so when she's finished, she has a bigger home to move into with her buddy.

In iso, the most disturbance should be spraying once a day and feeding her more calcium and protein? Or is this still too much? Before I had her in my private bathroom with the light off where it's warmer and she could get steamed while I took a shower, but I didn't let anyone go in to use the restroom. Also, is there a recommended diet? She had already eaten all of her exo.