Crab is out of shell, he was camping in water.

Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:56 am

you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions by coping and pasting this list into a New Topic. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. Thanks!

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? He’s in the molting tank, so substrate is about 8-10 inches. I use coconut substrate

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? Yes. It was 80-85 humid, temp is about 80.

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)? Both. Top fin declorinator.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Hermit crab pellets with dried shrimp.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? He’s 3yr old, purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? Last year summerish. 4-5 months (he’s a pretty good size

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? He’s in a 10gal tank right now. Gate lid, but I have a towel on top for humidity control.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? There were 3 but he killed one, and stole the shell off the other. Not to sure why because food is always a cable, water, Homes. Their normal home is a 20 galling tank. It was very new to me for him to hurt other crabs. This was early January. Now I put him in the moly take maybe a month now while the new crab molts and gets used to the new environment.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 6-8

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? Not that I know of. My mother in law will sometimes light incense in the room.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? Once in a while. I check it every day to make sure there’s nothing wrong. Refill his waters, and his food, and most daily.

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

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? I bought a few new shells. I cleaned them before I put them in.

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.)? I don’t take him out to often because I have a lot of foot traffic around the home right now. He was eating a lot over the past few weeks and has a bubble on his side. His last molt was last year summer time. He is about 3 years old. He’s done this once before, but he went back into his shell. That was a few weeks ago, this is why I bought new shells. He is pretty limp and soft.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. I went to check on him 1 days ago he was out of his shell. He was moving around, so I misted the tank and kept his shells clean. TodY I notice he was in his water dish and wasn’t moving around. I checked him for mites and cleaned him off, he started moving when touched. His antennae aren’t very active. I cute up some veggies and put him in a bowl with 3 shells and the veggies to entice him into the bowl. I will check on him tomorrow. I also misted the tank to keep humidity up so he doesn’t dry out.

Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:15 am

Other helpful info: for a few weeks he’s been heavily camping his food bowl. Even when I clean it out and refil it, he’d been in there within the next 30 mins camping it. He was also changing ina nd out of shells for the past few weeks before his fist streaking event. I bought new shells, and he changed again. He was changing almost 2-3 times a day. I figure he was starting to molt, or didn’t like his shells which is why I bought more. This is really the first time he’s ever done this and it worries me so much because I’ve had him so long.

More notes: he was always super active, but when he began changing shells constantly within the last 3 months, that’s when I decided to put him in the molting tank, and now this is happening.

He does have a pretty good sized bubble on his side and he’s soft, not super squishy but he seems like he’s prepping to molt in my eyes. Plus it’s been a year since his last molt.

YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:34 am

Crab needs to be reshelled ASAP. The bubble on his side is his molt sac. More than likely he is ditching his shell because you don’t have one large enough for him with his molt sac. They also usually change into larger ones before they are getting ready to molt.

Go to Michaels, JoAnns or Hobby Lobby. Each one of those sells bags of shells. Use a 40% off coupon (on their website). There will be at least one good shell in that bag.

Give your crab some raw honey (unprocessed). That will give him some energy.

Also- what kind of salt are you using? You need Marine salt for making a saltwater tank. NOT Aquarium salt for freshwater fish. Use Instant Ocean, or Red Sea...etc.

Pellets are not good food. They need more variety. They can eat a lot of the foods we eat. Check out our safe food list. It’s fun to feed them! Also- he needs calcium- give him a cuttlebone (bird section in pet store) eggshell, etc.

Substrate needs to be 6” or three times the height of your largest crab. Whichever is deeper wins.

You also need a heat source for your crab. Most of us use ultratherms. We use them on the side of our tanks to heat the air. Www.reptilebasics.com

Good luck!

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Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:06 am

Ok. I have some larger shells in there as well, he never put those on, he always went for the ones that fit him well. He wasn’t snug in them, he had room when he scrunched inside. I will change his diet, and get some honey when I come back from work. I didn’t have a heat source because it’s always 80-90 degrees here right now, and it’s hot in the house in the am. I will pick up all these goodies on my way home and get him in a shell.

Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:15 am

Also I am using marine saltwater. It’s in a blue box from pst I. I use the directions to make it.

Post by **wodesorel** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:31 am

Purple pinchers will streak if they get too warm or too cold. 80 is really good for them. If it's closer to 90 he might be overheated, but most crabs are still perfectly okay with those temps.

Everything else looks good aside from diet. He may be suffering from a nutrient deficiency from having just pellets and shrimp. That doesn't supply everything they need, though the companies will have you believe that, and there are some very hardy hermits who do alright on it. It could explain why he attacked his tankmates, and why he has been acting so weird over time.

Unfortunately by the time they ditch their shells and start soaking in water, serious internal damage has occurred. There may not be enough time to correct it. Honey and peanut butter are great to offer in these situations and most people have them on hand without having to buy anything, they offer sugars and proteins and minerals. Other very helpful foods are coconut and bee pollen because of their fat and vitamin/mineral content.

Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:49 am

Ok. I am going to try and fix this situation. It’s only been 2 days so I’m hoping nothing bad has happened. He is definitely a hardy crab. I checked him this am he’s not to well, so I am leaving work early! How would I give him the honey?

Hermie225 · Post by **Hermie225** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 3:11 pm

I’m sorry you are having to deal with this

our little shelled buddies go through a lot before they get to us and sometimes sustain damage/illness long before we see any signs of distress.
You can put some honey in a small dish or flat shell. Cuttlebone found in the bird section at the pet store is a great calcium source and you can just stick it in the substrate like a surfboard. For this situation I would crush up some egg shells so it’s easier for him to eat, and throw in a whole half of one with some egg goop still inside.
As said above, a naked crab is an emergency and it’s possible he ditched it because of lack of energy.
Generally crabs can all be in one tank without needing to be moved to a separate tank, provided substrate is deep enough and able to hold its shape for them to tunnel and molt safely.
Best of luck and hope for a quick recovery!

YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:49 pm

Kyswans123 wrote:Also I am using marine saltwater. It’s in a blue box from pst I. I use the directions to make it.

Does it say Aquarium Salt? https://www.chewy.com/api-freshwater-aq ... gLRGfD_BwE

If so, that is not the correct salt. That is salt for freshwater fish.

You need salt like this: https://www.chewy.com/instant-ocean-sea ... gJASfD_BwE

As far as the honey, but a tsp of it into a bottle cap and offer it to him

You can do the same with the peanut butter. It's best if you can buy organic peanut butter, as hermit crabs are sensitive to pesticides and fertilizers.

Best wishes!

Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:59 pm

Sadler I think he may have passed

I went to the store and bought all new stuff. Got a cuttle bone, hermit crab salt solution, honey, etc etc. when I got home he wasn’t moving, but one limb didn’t feel limp it felt like he was trying to pull it back. I put the honey in his bowl by his mouth, and put him in a shell and sprayed. If he passed he will have a good burial because he was with me for so long

it does show me to not listen to “hermit experts”. I wish I found you guys earlier, you may have saved him...

I will definitely use all this info with my new hermit that I had gotten a month ago. He just came up from molting and he is active like bonkers. I’m sad he couldn’t meet his big brother monty

thank you guys for your help and great answers.

YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:48 pm

I am so sorry! Please do not bury him. He can possibly be getting ready to pull a surface molt. Keep conditions optimal for him (80/80). Try to be patient. Do not handle him. Let him be. Hopefully he is still alive. Best wishes!

Edit: I’m sorry- the hermit crab salt solution won’t work either. It lacks the essential trace elements the hermit crabs need that Marine saltwater has. Pet stores should carry a brand called instant ocean. It would be in the fish section.

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Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:39 pm

I looked all over for the instant Ocean, but I didn't see it. I am going to check another store tomorrow, otherwise order it off of amazon. Right now I got: All living things Soaking salt. it says natural sea salt for soaking and bathing. contains extra calcium to aid in molting and to support exoskeleton strength. It contains Sodium Chloride, Essential trace elements (not to sure what that is). I heard good things about the company all living things, but please let me know!

I will wait for a reply before i order anything.

Post by **JoeHermits** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:29 pm

I’ve never gotten anything really useful for hermit crabs from All Living Things.

Considering how unreliable crab salts can be, it’ll be more practical to just order a marine salt. Those are specifically formulated to mimic ocean water, which can contain as many as seventy different elements and trace minerals. It’s a lot cheaper in the long run, as well.

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Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:41 pm

Ok, I saw instant ocean at petco for 11 dollars (25 gallons worth!) so I am gonna run up there tomorrow and get it. Thank you all for your help!

Kyswans123 · Post by **Kyswans123** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:24 pm

I checked on Monty today, and he is completely limp, hes giving off a slightly fish smell

HCA: Hermit Crab Association