I dug up my hermie!

[Brittleady]

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?
Hermit crab sand and 6in

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?
On the side up towards the lid. It’s usually 80 degrees and the humidity is tricky, during the day it stays at around 75-80% but when I wake up in the morning it goes down to like 50. Idk how you keep it high during the night. I have a screen lid, upside down and a glass lid on top of the upside down screen lid. I always feel like there isn’t enough oxygen in there but I’m trying to keep it humid. I can’t find the balance

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? yes, a tank heater, it sticks to the tank and it’s flat, on the side up high. It is inside but I tried outside and it didn’t do anything since it isn’t high powered but it’s up high, so it’s not hot for them


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 seperate and just dechorinated for fish not concentrated , and the hermit crab brand for 1 teaspoon for 8ml

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? mealworms/ nuts of any kind, they like walnuts, mealworms, hermit crab food in a bottle, really anything


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
For 1 month and both are Caribbean

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Yes, they just molted about a month ago, it’s already shedded it’s exo but hasn’t eaten it


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I answered the lid one, it’s screen upside down with glass one on top and it’s a 30 gallon

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, one is small about quarter size and the other is like a ping pong ball size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
About 7


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Haven’t done it yet

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No, we have only used moss so far

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.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Okay so I’m new to this. I’ve done lots and lots of research but since I’ve never done it I’ve been second guessing. So I bought my hermit crabs online, and I thought they would be shipped completely different. It made me mad and I would never do that again. I thought they had private shipping naive. So I got both of them in a cup with damp shredded paper. I thought I had a red pincher and an Ecuadorian because it was so gray. So the small one was super active and the big one was not. The big one stayed hidden and then he disappeared and I’m like okay he is probably molding. Then the little one disappeared and I’m like okay he is probably molting too lol. So it’s been about 5 weeks. Everywhere online said it takes 2-4 weeks. So I started thinking, maybe they escaped. I had all the shells in there that I put in there, I thought they took shells down there with then. So I tried looking for them. I hate myself right now. Well I found the small one, she or he idk yet, had already shed its exo. I thought it was them dead and i picked up the shell sad and seen them in there. So I buried it back with the exo. Then read, on here that that would suffocate them. So unburied it, but can’t find any of the exo except for a leg, and put the cocunut over there and keeping the light off, and put a mix of the water in a shell incase they need it. The big one is not disturbed, I didn’t see it. But will a leg be enough? What should I do? It needs the nutrients. I’m so sad right now. Will it live?
.

[curlysister]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Hermit crab sand and 6in
Curly - What brand of sand? Is it colored? Most hermit crab sand isn't actually safe for crabs. If it is calcium sand, it can get hard like cement when wet. Hermit Crab Beach sand is safe - but it comes in small bags and gets really expensive. You want play sand, which comes in big 50 pound bags for cheap at the hardware stores. You can mix in some eco earth (coco fiber) to help with moisture. It should be moistened with dechlorinated water so that it holds it's shape, but isn't so wet that there is water pooling in the bottom.

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?
On the side up towards the lid. It’s usually 80 degrees and the humidity is tricky, during the day it stays at around 75-80% but when I wake up in the morning it goes down to like 50. Idk how you keep it high during the night. I have a screen lid, upside down and a glass lid on top of the upside down screen lid. I always feel like there isn’t enough oxygen in there but I’m trying to keep it humid. I can’t find the balance
Curly - Is your substrate moistened with dechlorinated water? That will help with humidity. And mixing in some eco earth (coco fiber) with the sand can help as well. Also be sure to calibrate your hygrometer to ensure it is accurate (how to do that can be found in the care sheets). Where in the tank are the thermometer and hygrometer? If you are misting/ spraying, be careful that you don't add so much water that you create a flood.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? yes, a tank heater, it sticks to the tank and it’s flat, on the side up high. It is inside but I tried outside and it didn’t do anything since it isn’t high powered but it’s up high, so it’s not hot for them
Curly - The heater must be mounted on the outside of the tank. Unfortunately, the ones with a sticky side can't be used again once you peel it off. They aren't the best ones to use, as they can't be insulated over top, and often don't provide enough heat for the tank. Reptile Basics, and the ones from Bean Farm are good (there's another brand I can't recall) - you attach them with tape. And you will want to go by size dimensions, not by the number of gallons the heater says it will heat (that applies to reptiles, not how we use them for crabs).

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 seperate and just dechorinated for fish not concentrated , and the hermit crab brand for 1 teaspoon for 8ml
Curly - What brand of dechlorinator are you using? It needs to remove heavy metals, etc. Seachem Prime is a commonly used brand, but there are others that are appropriate. You need to use a marine salt, not a hermit crab salt. Instant Ocean is a commonly used brand.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? mealworms/ nuts of any kind, they like walnuts, mealworms, hermit crab food in a bottle, really anything
Curly - Be sure you are offering protein and calcium, as well as a variety of fruits, veggies, grains as well. The 'nutrition' care sheet has tons of info.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
For 1 month and both are Caribbean

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Yes, they just molted about a month ago, it’s already shedded it’s exo but hasn’t eaten it


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I answered the lid one, it’s screen upside down with glass one on top and it’s a 30 gallon

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2, one is small about quarter size and the other is like a ping pong ball size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
About 7


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Haven’t done it yet

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No, we have only used moss so far

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.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Okay so I’m new to this. I’ve done lots and lots of research but since I’ve never done it I’ve been second guessing. So I bought my hermit crabs online, and I thought they would be shipped completely different. It made me mad and I would never do that again. I thought they had private shipping naive. So I got both of them in a cup with damp shredded paper. I thought I had a red pincher and an Ecuadorian because it was so gray. So the small one was super active and the big one was not. The big one stayed hidden and then he disappeared and I’m like okay he is probably molding. Then the little one disappeared and I’m like okay he is probably molting too lol. So it’s been about 5 weeks. Everywhere online said it takes 2-4 weeks. So I started thinking, maybe they escaped. I had all the shells in there that I put in there, I thought they took shells down there with then. So I tried looking for them. I hate myself right now. Well I found the small one, she or he idk yet, had already shed its exo. I thought it was them dead and i picked up the shell sad and seen them in there. So I buried it back with the exo. Then read, on here that that would suffocate them. So unburied it, but can’t find any of the exo except for a leg, and put the cocunut over there and keeping the light off, and put a mix of the water in a shell incase they need it. The big one is not disturbed, I didn’t see it. But will a leg be enough? What should I do? It needs the nutrients. I’m so sad right now. Will it live?
Curly - Our guideline is not to go looking for a crab for at least 4 months (and that's only if you know for sure that they haven't been coming to the surface at night and going back down). The actual molting process is quick, but then they need to stay down and eat their exo and harden up before coming back up. It depends on where in the process the crab was, as to how big a risk digging it up might be.
To clarify - he is in the shell, correct?
You will need to keep it isolated from the other crab - but because that one is underground and you won't know when it is going to come up, I would probably put small crab in something like a margarine container with holes in the lid so the conditions are the same as in the tank. A crab only needs it's exoskeleton, but you may be able to add some other calcium rich foods like egg shells, cuttle bone, etc for it to eat.

[GotButterflies]

Hi there! I just wanted to add to not be too hard on yourself. We all made mistakes when we started out crabbing. All you can do is move forward and learn from mistakes. Just do your best, and don't dig them up again. Like Curly mentioned, provide that hermit with calcium supplements.

I just wanted to add a couple of things.

Are you using marine salt for your saltwater pools?

Also, 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:
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 25&t=92557
Unsafe food list:
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... 25&t=92556
Food pyramid: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554