My Crab is out of his shell!
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:01 pm
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Zoo Med Coconut Fiber, four-5 inches
2. Humidity gauge is usually around 60-80, when it gets below 70 I mist it. I have a "handheld" digital infrared temperature, it usually reads 86 in the day and 84 when it gets cold at night. It is currently at 86.
3. A heat pad and a heat lamp a few feet over the tank.
4. Fresh and salt, zoo med brands. My parents mix up the water, I do not know the ratio but they follow the instructions.
5. Fresh fruits, boiled eggs, freeze-dried krill. For the last couple of days they have eaten carrot, I usually change it every day or every other day.
6. Around 3 months, don't know the species.
7. Maybe a month ago he buried for a couple weeks. I do not know if he molted but I assume he did.
8. This crab is separated from the others, but the whole tank is 29 gal. He has a little section which is about 8+ gal. There is a cage lid with duct tape.
9. 4, small-medium size.
10.He has 10 shells.
11. My spray bottle I use to mist was kept in a room where freebreeze was sprayed, I went ahead and used it. I do not think that made a difference though, because the other crabs seem fine.
12. Every month I trade out some of the substrate for fresh. I have not changed out the whole tank yet because I have crabs molting.
13. No sponges, but I have a small shell in the water dishes to help them climb out.
14. A fake plant, but he's been around it before and it was just in the other section of the tank. Also shells, but again he's been around them.
15.No bathing, but because he was fighting with the other crabs he was in a cut-off milk galleon with 4 inches of coco fiber, 3 shells, a small piece of plastic plant and a water dish for 5 days until I could get a divider. He seemed fine and was active until just last night, before I added him back into his own section. (The cut-off container was in the tank with the rest of the crabs, so he had the same humidity and heat and stuff.)
16. Last night when I was placing him in his own section of the tank, he didn't seem very active. His antennas weren't moving much and he was sitting in his water dish, which had spilled out. I thought he was thirsty so I filled it half way. He sat in it for a few minutes before crawling out and sitting on a shell. He did not move for 20 minutes while I was rearranging the tank. Then I placed him in his own section, he did not move much for half an hour. After that he had somehow ended up on his back, and it took him 5 minute to figure out how to turn over. He crawled a few inches, into the hut (it's a plastic cup -- pet store was out of the kind I use, my friend suggested it, I cleaned it with fresh water.) and did not move for hours. I placed some carrot in the hut with him, and almost immediately he crawled out and over to the shell he was on before.
He stayed like that overnight, and a couple hours ago I saw him near his water dish. But now he is hanging on to that same shell, with his shell fallen off behind him. His antennas are not moving again, but he seems to be hanging on tight to the one shell. Is he dead? His abdomen is not curled. Two other crabs are molting, but the one I can see seems fine, just not very active. (He usually isn't after I change the dirt, but he is crawling back and forth on his stick, so that's usual for him.) Do I place the shell back on or leave him? Do I move him or cover him with a cup? Please help!
2. Humidity gauge is usually around 60-80, when it gets below 70 I mist it. I have a "handheld" digital infrared temperature, it usually reads 86 in the day and 84 when it gets cold at night. It is currently at 86.
3. A heat pad and a heat lamp a few feet over the tank.
4. Fresh and salt, zoo med brands. My parents mix up the water, I do not know the ratio but they follow the instructions.
5. Fresh fruits, boiled eggs, freeze-dried krill. For the last couple of days they have eaten carrot, I usually change it every day or every other day.
6. Around 3 months, don't know the species.
7. Maybe a month ago he buried for a couple weeks. I do not know if he molted but I assume he did.
8. This crab is separated from the others, but the whole tank is 29 gal. He has a little section which is about 8+ gal. There is a cage lid with duct tape.
9. 4, small-medium size.
10.He has 10 shells.
11. My spray bottle I use to mist was kept in a room where freebreeze was sprayed, I went ahead and used it. I do not think that made a difference though, because the other crabs seem fine.
12. Every month I trade out some of the substrate for fresh. I have not changed out the whole tank yet because I have crabs molting.
13. No sponges, but I have a small shell in the water dishes to help them climb out.
14. A fake plant, but he's been around it before and it was just in the other section of the tank. Also shells, but again he's been around them.
15.No bathing, but because he was fighting with the other crabs he was in a cut-off milk galleon with 4 inches of coco fiber, 3 shells, a small piece of plastic plant and a water dish for 5 days until I could get a divider. He seemed fine and was active until just last night, before I added him back into his own section. (The cut-off container was in the tank with the rest of the crabs, so he had the same humidity and heat and stuff.)
16. Last night when I was placing him in his own section of the tank, he didn't seem very active. His antennas weren't moving much and he was sitting in his water dish, which had spilled out. I thought he was thirsty so I filled it half way. He sat in it for a few minutes before crawling out and sitting on a shell. He did not move for 20 minutes while I was rearranging the tank. Then I placed him in his own section, he did not move much for half an hour. After that he had somehow ended up on his back, and it took him 5 minute to figure out how to turn over. He crawled a few inches, into the hut (it's a plastic cup -- pet store was out of the kind I use, my friend suggested it, I cleaned it with fresh water.) and did not move for hours. I placed some carrot in the hut with him, and almost immediately he crawled out and over to the shell he was on before.
He stayed like that overnight, and a couple hours ago I saw him near his water dish. But now he is hanging on to that same shell, with his shell fallen off behind him. His antennas are not moving again, but he seems to be hanging on tight to the one shell. Is he dead? His abdomen is not curled. Two other crabs are molting, but the one I can see seems fine, just not very active. (He usually isn't after I change the dirt, but he is crawling back and forth on his stick, so that's usual for him.) Do I place the shell back on or leave him? Do I move him or cover him with a cup? Please help!
I replied with GB for GotButterflies
They are $8, digital, run on batteries, and tell you temp and humidity currently as well as low and high for last 24 hours. You can find them in the home improvement section by the air filters.