Supporting a Crab after Interrupted Molt

[Mirrorakay]

I came home to find my E without his shell, perched up in one of the trees. He's been MIA for roughly the last two or three months, molting. I moved him to an iso tank and he has since reshelled. He has almost no color to him and still seems to be soft. The tip of a back walking leg is broken off before the first joint, but otherwise he appears unharmed. Since I don't have access to his exo without disrupting other molters, I'm wondering the best way to supplement that and help him to survive whatever went wrong. My best guess is another crab happened upon him during the molt, but I'm not 100% sure. His original shell is nowhere to be seen so I'm guessing he abandoned it in his molting cave.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Sand/ eco earth mix. 12"

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?
Temp is between 79-82 Farenheit
Humidity is 80%

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Ultratherm mat on the back of the tank, insulated with styrofoam

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)?
Salt and fresh water. Treated with Prime. I use Instant Ocean for the salt.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Food is replaced daily. I feed a wide variety of foods, all natural and organic. Protein is available every night.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Ecuadorian and he's been with me about five years.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
He's currently finishing up a molt.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
55 gallon home tank. Screen lid covered with plastic wrap to maintain humidity.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
There are eight or nine. I'm not sure my current count as a few I haven't seen in a long time. Most are mediums, but I have two larges.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
There are normally somewhere between 20-30 extra shells of various size.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Every other night I change water. Shells are swapped out weekly. I also scoop poop and rewet the top layer of substrate on a weekly basis.

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

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No

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.)?
Crabs are always in the tank. I only handle them if moving them in order to clean the tank. He is the only E in the tank after that other one was killed several months ago. I'm not a big fan of Es, so he's my last one. They have a habit of picking on my PPs.


Thank you for any help. In seven years I've never had this happen so I just want to make sure I do my best to support my little guy through this!

[GotButterflies]

Uh...sorry about your little guy. I'm on my phone, will be home shortly to reply on computer. Give raw organic honey, crushed eggshells, calcium carbonate, crushed oyster shell. Protein: shrimp, grasshoppers, crickets, mealworms. I have two e's. Love them! They need a lot of substrate and lots of protein. Prob with 55 is there really isn't a large "footprint" for molting space imho. Ttyl~ good luck!


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[mlakers]

Sorry to hear this! How is your E doing now? I agree with all GB's suggestions for food, and I would add crushed cuttlebone and some shrimp tails as a replacement exo. I hope he pulls through!

Oh, and I will also say that I've noticed my PPs have long memories and sometimes hold grudges against a "problem" crab. If your E had been annoying your PPs, one of them might have just been annoyed enough to take advantage of the E at a vulnerable stage.