Concerns. No movement

[laiace]

My issue is my smallest hermit crab surface molted like December 24th and did everything good (was isolated was part of a coke bottle). He wasn’t moving much (kept a camera on the tank) if it did it would be just a few steps; I did place food in his isolated area with water daily but hermit crab never would touch it. Here the past three days he hasn’t moved and a strong odor is coming from the tank. Very worried!!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

It’s at 2.5 to 5.5 inches depending on how much they have dug in a certain area.


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, hot are and cooler side. Anywhere from 70 to 95 degree F. 75% or higher humidity on either side


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

Hot side is heated with a side heat mat.

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 each treated with the petsmart brand of hermit crab water solutions


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

Salad greens or fruits once a week, pellets, powdered food. Also provided is calcium.


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

Less than 6 months & almost certain it’s PP


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

First time with me. So started late at night December 24th. Didn’t see movement or any activity until a week and a half ago.


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

10 gallon tank with problem hermit and two others. A mesh lid half covered seran wrap


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

3 total biggest is size of a quarter


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

At least 10 assorted shell sizes


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

No


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

Spot clean every other day, deep clean and change/clean everything once every month


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

None don’t use at all


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

Nothing at all


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.)?

Usually all pretty active; I just don’t want to bother this problem hermit crab if he’s shedding again as he is the smaller of the three.


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Hermit crab molted late night on December 24th. About half a week ago it started being more active with supervision left out of isolated with minimal movement even when food was near it. Three or four days now crab has not moved formed the same spot and a strong Oder from it and the tank. (Note all other crabs are fine as have witnessed them trying to bother isolated crab since the start of the molt.


.

[myllkti]

My issue is my smallest hermit crab surface molted like December 24th and did everything good (was isolated was part of a coke bottle). He wasn’t moving much (kept a camera on the tank) if it did it would be just a few steps; I did place food in his isolated area with water daily but hermit crab never would touch it. Here the past three days he hasn’t moved and a strong odor is coming from the tank. Very worried!!

myllkti - the odor is very concerning indeed! Is it similar to either the seafood section of a supermarket or very strong lobster? both indicate passing unfortunately.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

It’s at 2.5 to 5.5 inches depending on how much they have dug in a certain area.

myllkti- it should be at least 6, which it sounds like is not even the case in higher places so I would guess maybe 3 in evenly distributed? Try for enough so that it would be 6 in evenly distribute it, and dont purposely make any area less than 6 if you want variation.

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, hot are and cooler side. Anywhere from 70 to 95 degree F. 75% or higher humidity on either side


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

Hot side is heated with a side heat mat.

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 each treated with the petsmart brand of hermit crab water solutions

myllkti - i will have to double check but i doubt petsmart brand products have everything they need. check viewtopic.php?f=127&t=92553 for other options (you'll need one that does everything except stress coat, which is optional)

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

Salad greens or fruits once a week, pellets, powdered food. Also provided is calcium.

myllkti- calcium and freshfood is great! Just make sure the plant materials are organic, and to provide plenty of animal protein as well 9plant protein is fine sometimes, but majority meat is best). Also what pellets do you use? Many are considered a risk factor to specifically molting iirc

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

Less than 6 months & almost certain it’s PP

myllkti - this could be a case of PPS! Most crabbers have lost a crab to PPS at some point, so please know you're not alone!

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

First time with me. So started late at night December 24th. Didn’t see movement or any activity until a week and a half ago.

myllkti - ^^same point about PPS. sending hugs and love your way

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

10 gallon tank with problem hermit and two others. A mesh lid half covered seran wrap

myllkti - 10 gallon is not great for 3 hermits, depending on size. If they're avg size a 29 gallon would last you for a little whilem you maybbe able to squeeze by with a 20 gal if money is an issue as well.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

3 total biggest is size of a quarter


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

At least 10 assorted shell sizes

myllkti - great! Not urgent but do you have D or ) openings or both? If you want some feedback on it, if not it's def not relevant so feel free not to share

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

No


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

Spot clean every other day, deep clean and change/clean everything once every month

myllkti - just to make sure the deep cleaning is the right form I'm'a just plop a video here rq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjONUzIv4_Y&t=601s


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

None don’t use at all


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

Nothing at all


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.)?

Usually all pretty active; I just don’t want to bother this problem hermit crab if he’s shedding again as he is the smaller of the three.


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Hermit crab molted late night on December 24th. About half a week ago it started being more active with supervision left out of isolated with minimal movement even when food was near it. Three or four days now crab has not moved formed the same spot and a strong Oder from it and the tank. (Note all other crabs are fine as have witnessed them trying to bother isolated crab since the start of the molt.


.

[myllkti]

Also i know i infodumped a lot but you don't have to take it all in at once! I don't mean to be overwhelming right when you might've lost a pet, but I would highly recommend looking into areas such as water conditioners and diet as soon as you are emotionally ready to confront this so you don't lose any more crabs (though also fingers crossed you haven't lost this one either! The smell is highly concerning but I've talked people through "molting smells" situations where we've both been surprised by what the smell actually was, so hope is low but not totally lost!)

[hermitcrablover2]

My issue is my smallest hermit crab surface molted like December 24th and did everything good (was isolated was part of a coke bottle). He wasn’t moving much (kept a camera on the tank) if it did it would be just a few steps; I did place food in his isolated area with water daily but hermit crab never would touch it. Here the past three days he hasn’t moved and a strong odor is coming from the tank. Very worried!!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

It’s at 2.5 to 5.5 inches depending on how much they have dug in a certain area.


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, hot are and cooler side. Anywhere from 70 to 95 degree F. 75% or higher humidity on either side


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

Hot side is heated with a side heat mat.

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 each treated with the petsmart brand of hermit crab water solutions


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

Salad greens or fruits once a week, pellets, powdered food. Also provided is calcium.
Make sure you are giving them a source of protein like fish, meat, or insects, too!

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

Less than 6 months & almost certain it’s PP


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

First time with me. So started late at night December 24th. Didn’t see movement or any activity until a week and a half ago.


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

10 gallon tank with problem hermit and two others. A mesh lid half covered seran wrap
This should work for now, eventually as they get larger you will need to upgrade to a bigger tank though.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

3 total biggest is size of a quarter


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

At least 10 assorted shell sizes
Are any of the shells available and/or being currently used by a hermit crab painted?

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

No


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

Spot clean every other day, deep clean and change/clean everything once every month
You don't need to deep clean the tank that often, you only need to do it every year, or possibly only a few times in the hermit crabs lifespan if you're hermit crabs are very tidy, unlike mine lol

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

None don’t use at all


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

Nothing at all


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.)?

Usually all pretty active; I just don’t want to bother this problem hermit crab if he’s shedding again as he is the smaller of the three.


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Hermit crab molted late night on December 24th. About half a week ago it started being more active with supervision left out of isolated with minimal movement even when food was near it. Three or four days now crab has not moved formed the same spot and a strong Oder from it and the tank. (Note all other crabs are fine as have witnessed them trying to bother isolated crab since the start of the molt.
Unfortunately, it sounds like he might have passed, I would wait a few more days, because if he is still alive and you threw him away or buried him, that definitely wouldn't be good. I would recommend very gently moving the hermit crab and the substrate around him into an ISO tank, that way he's safer from the other hermit crabs if he's still alive, and if he somehow got sick from somewhere he won't make the others sick too You said that this is his first time molting with you, it's possible he has PPDS, which comes from being stressed in the Pet store, and then suddenly switched to a new better tank, or the opposite way around.

.

[laiace]

If the hermit crab has passed should I deep clean the tank?

[hermitcrablover2]

You could, if you have more hermits underground I would wait until they come up though, and while you wait you could deep clean just the area around the dead hermie

[curlysister]

If the hermit crab has passed should I deep clean the tank?

There is no need to deep clean the tank just because a crab died in it.

[curlysister]

My issue is my smallest hermit crab surface molted like December 24th and did everything good (was isolated was part of a coke bottle). He wasn’t moving much (kept a camera on the tank) if it did it would be just a few steps; I did place food in his isolated area with water daily but hermit crab never would touch it. Here the past three days he hasn’t moved and a strong odor is coming from the tank. Very worried!!

myllkti - the odor is very concerning indeed! Is it similar to either the seafood section of a supermarket or very strong lobster? both indicate passing unfortunately.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

It’s at 2.5 to 5.5 inches depending on how much they have dug in a certain area.

myllkti- it should be at least 6, which it sounds like is not even the case in higher places so I would guess maybe 3 in evenly distributed? Try for enough so that it would be 6 in evenly distribute it, and dont purposely make any area less than 6 if you want variation.
Curly - Substrate should be at least 2 to 3 times as deep as your largest crab. It needs to be moistened with dechlorinated water so that it holds it's shape, but not so wet that water pools in the bottom at all.

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, hot are and cooler side. Anywhere from 70 to 95 degree F. 75% or higher humidity on either side


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

Hot side is heated with a side heat mat.

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 each treated with the petsmart brand of hermit crab water solutions

myllkti - i will have to double check but i doubt petsmart brand products have everything they need. check viewtopic.php?f=127&t=92553 for other options (you'll need one that does everything except stress coat, which is optional)
Curly - Agree that the water probably isn't great for long term health.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

Salad greens or fruits once a week, pellets, powdered food. Also provided is calcium.

myllkti- calcium and freshfood is great! Just make sure the plant materials are organic, and to provide plenty of animal protein as well 9plant protein is fine sometimes, but majority meat is best). Also what pellets do you use? Many are considered a risk factor to specifically molting iirc
Curly - If you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to look at the 'nutrition' care sheet for lots of info about what crabs need in their diet. Not all of us choose to feed organic produce, of course some are more likely to absorb pesticides etc than others.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

Less than 6 months & almost certain it’s PP

myllkti - this could be a case of PPS! Most crabbers have lost a crab to PPS at some point, so please know you're not alone!

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

First time with me. So started late at night December 24th. Didn’t see movement or any activity until a week and a half ago.

myllkti - ^^same point about PPS. sending hugs and love your way

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

10 gallon tank with problem hermit and two others. A mesh lid half covered seran wrap

myllkti - 10 gallon is not great for 3 hermits, depending on size. If they're avg size a 29 gallon would last you for a little whilem you maybbe able to squeeze by with a 20 gal if money is an issue as well.
Curly - For info about what size crabs can be kept in what size of tank, we have a care sheet for that too! It will depend on the size of your crabs. A ten gallon tank will be fine for a bit, but as they get larger you will need to upgrade. I had my two in a ten gallon for about 3 years.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

3 total biggest is size of a quarter


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

At least 10 assorted shell sizes

myllkti - great! Not urgent but do you have D or ) openings or both? If you want some feedback on it, if not it's def not relevant so feel free not to share

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

No


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

Spot clean every other day, deep clean and change/clean everything once every month

myllkti - just to make sure the deep cleaning is the right form I'm'a just plop a video here rq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjONUzIv4_Y&t=601s
Curly - I refuse to watch any of that group's videos, but would use caution for anyone who says there is a 'right' and 'wrong' way to deep clean a tank. I mean, take everything out, clean it, and replace the substrate. There is no magic. I would also not recommend a deep clean every month. Personally, in the 12+ years I have had my crabs, I have never thrown out all the sub and started again - I have just removed bits that had mold etc, and have added more as I upgraded tanks and as the crabs have grown. There are people who do deep clean once every year or so. But once a month is just wasting substrate and money, really.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

None don’t use at all


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

Nothing at all


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.)?

Usually all pretty active; I just don’t want to bother this problem hermit crab if he’s shedding again as he is the smaller of the three.


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Hermit crab molted late night on December 24th. About half a week ago it started being more active with supervision left out of isolated with minimal movement even when food was near it. Three or four days now crab has not moved formed the same spot and a strong Oder from it and the tank. (Note all other crabs are fine as have witnessed them trying to bother isolated crab since the start of the molt.
Curly - Unfortunately, if it is the crab that smells, he may have passed away.

[hermitsinnc]

Unfortunately, it sounds like your crab has probably passed.


Curly: the method of cleaning recommended by that video does not include removing/replacing the substrate.
I don't mean to be disrespectful or rude, just wanted to share a piece of relevant information.