not moving but alive

[hermitcrab24]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
play sand, 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 I do not have gauges, I spray the tank daily
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
no
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)?
fresh and salt, treated with All Living Things freshwater conditioner and Instant Ocean
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I use various foods from the Hermit Crab Patch. I replace it every few days, whenever I see its low
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 years, purple pincher
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
I'm sure he has but I'm not sure how long ago, I have 3 crabs and they bury themselves frequently. hard to keep track
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I have them in a clear rubber maid container with the lid on, maybe 10 or 15 gallons
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
I have 3 hermit crabs, two medium, the one having the emergency is small
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
About 10 extra shells of varying sizes
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean out the water bowls and food bowls every other week, change moss monthly, clean shells when they start to bury them
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?
Yes, a large blue shell shaped fish tank decoration
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.)?
The lid was left opened a little for a couple of days when I forgot to completely close it. I was not home to secure it
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
My hermit crab, Little Bill has been in the same spot for a couple days now. Today I checked on him to see if he was okay and he was limp. I picked him up and he still didn't move and he was halfway out of his shell. He did not fall out of them shell and there is no strong smell. I moved him to an iso tank with fresh and salt water and a pile of his usual food. I don't know if he is trying to surface molt but I am very worried.

[LadyJinglyJones]

Hiya,
Thanks for filling out the template!
I'll try to make suggestions based on your answers - my comments in bold.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
play sand, 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 I do not have gauges, I spray the tank daily
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
no

Because hermits have a fairly narrow range of temperatures at which they're comfortable (upper seventies through to mid eighties are recommended, with 80° as a standard to aim for) a temperature guage is super important. Do you know the temp of your room?

Likewise humidity gauges - it could be too dry in the tank much of the time, but you wouldn't know it without a hygrometer. Misting helps, but is better as a quick fix than regular source of humidity.

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)?
fresh and salt, treated with All Living Things freshwater conditioner and Instant Ocean

Does the ALT conditioner remove chloramines, heavy metals & ammonia? (The ammonia part is needful in chloramine removal/neutralization. )

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I use various foods from the Hermit Crab Patch. I replace it every few days, whenever I see its low

I'll link the crab nutrition page in case you havent seen it before - it's my favourite page:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 years, purple pincher
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
I'm sure he has but I'm not sure how long ago, I have 3 crabs and they bury themselves frequently. hard to keep track

I feel you - I can't be sure of how many times several of mine have molted. :roll:
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I have them in a clear rubber maid container with the lid on, maybe 10 or 15 gallons
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
I have 3 hermit crabs, two medium, the one having the emergency is small
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
About 10 extra shells of varying sizes

As you may know, some kinds of shells are more popular with crabs than others. If you've never seen the preffered shell guide, i'll link it below so you can check it out & make sure all your shells are ones your crabs like:
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92552

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean out the water bowls and food bowls every other week, change moss monthly, clean shells when they start to bury them
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?
Yes, a large blue shell shaped fish tank decoration
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.)?
The lid was left opened a little for a couple of days when I forgot to completely close it. I was not home to secure it

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
My hermit crab, Little Bill has been in the same spot for a couple days now. Today I checked on him to see if he was okay and he was limp. I picked him up and he still didn't move and he was halfway out of his shell. He did not fall out of them shell and there is no strong smell. I moved him to an iso tank with fresh and salt water and a pile of his usual food. I don't know if he is trying to surface molt but I am very worried.

A surface moult is a possibility. For now, all you can do is continue to ISO and wait. You can offer unpasteurized honey, protein, & calcium in case he sort of comes to & might benefit from an energy boost... but that will only be helpful to him if he can eat it.

How did you set up the ISO? Darkness will promote the moulting hormone, ecdysone, if he is beginning a moult. Adding damp moss will keep up humidity in the ISO.

I'm sorry I haven't got a lot more to suggest, but it really is a waiting sort of situation.

[hermitcrab24]

Thank you so much for responding,
My room temperature is typically between 72 and 76 degrees.
Would a humidity gauge stick to a Rubber Maid container? i used to have one but it stopped working, any suggestions on brands?
Yes my conditioner removes heavy metals and neutralizes chlorine and chloramines
He is on one of those little critter keeper containers with maybe 4 inches of sand, as much as i could fit, with fresh and salt water and food. I'll go ahead and add some moss and put a towel over it for darkness.

[curlysister]

I agree with everything that has been suggested. The thermometer and hygrometer are important. Is your play sand the consistency to hold shape, moist enough to be 'sand castle' consistency?

[LadyJinglyJones]

It would be better if you could get the temp up to 80°, at least during the day.

I wouldn't recommend the guages with little dials, as they are quite unreliable.

That said, even digital hygrometers do loose accuracy after a time & need to be calibrated. Some people like the acurite temp & hygrometer combos you can get for about $10 at Walmart or Home Depot (near humidifiers or sometimes lighting, depending on the layout of the store).

You do need to come up with ways to mount these, as they don't stick... you can use craft mesh to make an easy little box it can be suspended by, or drill a couple of holes in the tote and rig up something with zip ties. (Zip ties are magic. )

[hermitcrab24]

Yes it is sand castle consistency, believe me they love building sand castles
I will look into gauges. Any ideas on upping the temperature? I'm a little nervous to put a heating pad on a plastic bin

[LadyJinglyJones]

The heat mat brand Ultratherm is safe (I used it on a tote), and you could position a lamp above the lid a bit - but lamps can be drying, and I'd me more nervous about that getting too hot than a heat mat.

[hermitcrab24]

I will be looking into a heater and gauges.
i really cant tell if he is still alive. He is unresponsive and hasn't moved in days. His antennae don't move and when i moved him to the iso tank he didn't try to retract into his shell or move. He is completely limp. But he has not fallen out of his shell and there is no smell. How long should i wait?

[LadyJinglyJones]

They can become super inactive, almost like they're in a torpor prior to a moult.

We recommend waiting til you smell the fishy death smell because the length of time can vary.

[hermitcrab24]

Sadly, my Little Bill passed away today. i was hit with the death smell when i opened his iso tank. He will be missed

[Hermiesguardian]

Sadly, my Little Bill passed away today. i was hit with the death smell when i opened his iso tank. He will be missed

[LadyJinglyJones]

So sorry for your loss.