tiny dead or molting? trying to make difficult decision

[quinnn12]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know 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 as best you can. 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. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
1:5 ratio coco fiber and play sand. it depends on the section of the tank but plenty deep for molting and such

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. middle of tank, mid seventies.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

yes. uth
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 available, distilled (yes i know it doesnt have all the minerals) and distilled with instant ocean
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
a mix of healthy foods for them and every couple of days

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
less than a year, PP

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
no
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

usually she is in a ten gal aquarium with a towel over the lid
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, very small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
at least ten

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

too complex this is an emergency
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.)?
she is very active and outgoing, frequently eating and drinking and climbing

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

my tiniest crab, alice, randomly dropped her shell a couple days ago. i tried the tactics to get her back in one and she got in one but i put her in an iso tank anyways just in case and within a minute she dropped that shell and refused to get in another one, and would only sit in the water bowl. she would choose a place that was damp but not where she was submerged and just stay there, but was fully alert and took the time to eat some. she was like that for the whole day. i went to bed and the next morning she was in the water bowl laying with all her legs together the way they do when they are either dead or surface molting. im stopped up so i cant smell much but my boyfriend smelled the iso tank a few times and has said there is no smell. her tail is a little bit bloated from the wetness but at least shes not drying out? i have black fabric around the iso tank to keep it dark and its inside my 40-50 gal tank to keep the conditions the same as they were in her normal tank. im worried that if she isnt already dead then she will be soon from not being in a shell. my only other crab that has surface molted was inside a shell the whole time. its best to leave her totally alone and i know its the worst thing you can do to disturb a molting crab but should i drop her tail into a shell real quick? or leave her and hope the damp environment is enough? i dont wanna not do anything and be the reason she dries out but i also dont wanna kill her by disturbing her. idk if she is dead or molting but it seems like a 50/50 chance of either at this point. either way im gonna give her plenty of time till i know one for sure. thanks for any help
.

[CrabbyLover77]

Hi, I'll put my suggestions under your answers. Hope this helps.

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know 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 as best you can. 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. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
1:5 ratio coco fiber and play sand. it depends on the section of the tank but plenty deep for molting and such

CL77- As long is it's 3x the height of your biggest crab, you're good.

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. middle of tank, mid seventies.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

yes. uth
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 available, distilled (yes i know it doesnt have all the minerals) and distilled with instant ocean

CL77- I'd change over to tap water with a dechlorinator (like Prime). It's cheaper than using distilled all the time too.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
a mix of healthy foods for them and every couple of days

CL77- Does this include lots of protein and calcium daily?

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
less than a year, PP

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
no

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

usually she is in a ten gal aquarium with a towel over the lid

CL77- A towel is porous and will absorb the moisture instead of keeping it in the tank. Try wrapping the lid in saran wrap instead.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, very small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
at least ten

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

too complex this is an emergency
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.)?
she is very active and outgoing, frequently eating and drinking and climbing

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

my tiniest crab, alice, randomly dropped her shell a couple days ago. i tried the tactics to get her back in one and she got in one but i put her in an iso tank anyways just in case and within a minute she dropped that shell and refused to get in another one, and would only sit in the water bowl. she would choose a place that was damp but not where she was submerged and just stay there, but was fully alert and took the time to eat some. she was like that for the whole day. i went to bed and the next morning she was in the water bowl laying with all her legs together the way they do when they are either dead or surface molting. im stopped up so i cant smell much but my boyfriend smelled the iso tank a few times and has said there is no smell. her tail is a little bit bloated from the wetness but at least shes not drying out? i have black fabric around the iso tank to keep it dark and its inside my 40-50 gal tank to keep the conditions the same as they were in her normal tank. im worried that if she isnt already dead then she will be soon from not being in a shell. my only other crab that has surface molted was inside a shell the whole time. its best to leave her totally alone and i know its the worst thing you can do to disturb a molting crab but should i drop her tail into a shell real quick? or leave her and hope the damp environment is enough? i dont wanna not do anything and be the reason she dries out but i also dont wanna kill her by disturbing her. idk if she is dead or molting but it seems like a 50/50 chance of either at this point. either way im gonna give her plenty of time till i know one for sure. thanks for any help

CL77- It sounds like she may have passed even though she doesn't smell. Just in case she hasn't, you need to manually re-shell her asap and then wait to see what she does. I don't see anything horribly wrong with your setup. I'd change to using tap water with a dechlor asap though. Also make sure she is getting a constant supply of protein and calcium (if she isn't currently). Adding saran wrap to your top will also boost your humidity to make it a little more comfy for them too.

.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[curlysister]

CL77 covered your conditions. But I just wanted to clarify that a crab does NOT leave it's shell to molt. A crab stays in it's shell, sheds it's exo and eats it, and should stay underground until the new exo is hardened up again. Like CL said, a crab without a shell will die.

[quinnn12]

okay thank yall sm. ill put her in a shell just in case she is alive even though i doubt it. and yes she does have calcium and protein, as well as mineral supplements to help with the fact that i have distilled rn

[GotButterflies]

I did GB for GotButterflies

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know 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 as best you can. 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. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
1:5 ratio coco fiber and play sand. it depends on the section of the tank but plenty deep for molting and such

GB: Great! IMO, for purple pinchers substrate, (playsand mixed with eco earth 5:1 ratio), should be 6 inches or 3 times the height of your largest crab (whichever is deeper). If you have Es substrate should be at least 10-12”. Substrate should be mixed with dechlorinated marine saltwater or dechlorinated freshwater to make the substrate sandcastle consistency. I personally mix mine with dechlorinated marine saltwater.

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. middle of tank, mid seventies.

GB: This is important. You need to know what the humidity and the temperature is for your crabs. IMO, minimum heat and humidity should be 80/80. Hermit crabs have modified gills and need the humidity to breathe.
Also IMO analog gauges can be a little wonky and unreliable. If you are interested, you can buy an Acurite guage from Amazon, digital, runs on batteries, tells you temp and humidity currently as well as low and high for last 24 hours: https://smile.amazon.com/AcuRite-00325- ... 184&sr=8-2

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

yes. uth

If you have an ultratherm, you can try to insulate over your heating pad and tank to raise the temperature of your tank. There are several ways to do this. Don't insulate over your heating pad if it is a zoomed, or any other heating pad that is insulated (padded). If your heating pad is insulated, you would insulate AROUND the heating pad.

Cheaper way: You can use aluminum foil (shiny part facing the crabitat), then cardboard. Attach using packaging tape, duct tape or Reflectix tape.

More expensive: Purchase a product called Reflectix. This product looks like car shade material. It is sold in rolls at local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot. You can also purchase it on Amazon. Cut the Reflectix to fit your tank. Attach using packaging tape, duct tape or Reflectix tape.


It can take several hours to see the difference. If doing the insulation doesn't raise your temperature, you might want to consider getting a bigger and or better heater. Most of us use ultratherms. They are great heaters. www.reptilebasics.com or www.beanfarm.com sells them.

Hermit crabs have modified gills, and need humidity to breathe. IMO heat lamps are terrible at making the humidity evaporate, so I personally do not like them. A vast majority of crabbers use the ultratherms to heat the air instead of heat lamps.

I personally prefer glass tops, however with glass tops you cannot set heat lamps on top of them. Heat lamps can crack glass lids.

With mesh lids you can cover them in Press-N-Seal, or cut open gallon sized Ziploc bags and tape them to the outside with packaging tape to help keep the humidity in the tank.
Humidity boosters: Bubblers definitely do help boost the humidity. Double dish bubblers: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... r#p1030806

You can also add moss pits to help. You would use organic moss (as well as moss that is on the safe list), and moisten it with dechlorinated fresh water. Then, put the moss in a shower caddy or a glass vase laying on it's side so the hermits can walk in and out of it. Glass tops also help keep humidity in.

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 available, distilled (yes i know it doesnt have all the minerals) and distilled with instant ocean


GB: You would be better to use tap water with a dechlorintor than to use distilled. You need a dechlorinator that removes chlorine, and chloramine as well as neutralizes ammonia and heavy metals. A lot of us use a product called Prime. You have to use the dechlorinator for both freshwater and marine saltwater. Both pools should be deep enough for them to fully submerge in and safe enough for them to get out of.
Double dish water pools: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... le+dish+yo


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
a mix of healthy foods for them and every couple of days

GB: Hermit crabs can eat a lot of the same things that we eat. Just check to make sure the item is on the safe list. Foods should be organic when possible. Hermit crabs are sensitive to pesticides and fertilizers.
You also want to provide one or more calcium sources at all times. Examples would be Cuttlebone, Organic Eggshell, Oyster Shell, Lobster Exo, Shrimp Exo.
Make sure you cover all aspects of food pyramid
Safe food list: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92556
Food pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
less than a year, PP

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
no
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

usually she is in a ten gal aquarium with a towel over the lid
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, very small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
at least ten

GB: The HCA recommends 3-5 shells per hermit crab. I personally recommend more. It never hurts to have more There are incorrect shells to buy. Here is the shell guide: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 24&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?

too complex this is an emergency
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.)?
she is very active and outgoing, frequently eating and drinking and climbing

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

GB: At this point it doesn't hurt to keep her isolated, provide her with protein, calcium and honey or bee pollen. Make sure she is reshelled. Best wishes. Make sure her humidity and heat are at least 80/80!