Crab Can't Get Legs Out of Shell
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2023 1:07 pm
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?
Six inches of half play sand and half Eco earth. Just did a full change.
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, 70-80% humidity, 75-80 degrees F.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Yes, a ZooMed UTH on the side.
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 water are provided in bowls large enough for self submersion. I use distilled water and non iodized sea salt.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Fresh fruits, oats, coconut, Cuttlebone, changed daily.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Four years, and PP.
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Yes, about two months ago.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are in a 60 Gal glass tank, with a wire lid, and a towel+garbage bag on top to keep heat and humidity in.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Two, and about the size of a golf ball with their shells on.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
About six.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I spot clean for poops and food dragged out of the bowl, change water every other day and remove everything with mold on it (New decor/food).
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
Just in the salt water. I usually just squeeze it out and let it dry while I clean and dry the bowl out before refilling, but I recently went on a trip and left my sister in charge of the crabs and she rinsed it with tap water, then let it dry for three days in the windowsill.
14. Has anything new been added to your habitat recently?
Yes, two apple wood hamster platforms with bridges and railings, and a lizard hammock set upright so they can climb up it, but these quickly began to grow green and white mold so I took them out and will be spraying them with salt water. I also added a moss pit of Fluker's Green Sphagnum Moss.
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.)?
His shell is NOT painted. None of them are.
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
About three days ago, Bubbles stopped moving around at night. I thought he was guarding the food bowl, but when I flipped him over yesterday he could barely come out of his shell, had two strings of moss stuck in his shell, and his legs were cramped in a weird position, like he was squeezing through the opening of his shell and getting stuck. I removed the moss and tried to lure him out by hand feeding him fish flakes on a spoon, but he didn't want to eat. I placed him on the ground, and he tried to walk, but fell over and flipped onto his back. I placed him next to a bigger shell and left him in privacy for a few hours while I did extensive googling, but came back to find him on his back again. I gave him a fresh water bath just in case he was sticking to something, and left him in the food bowl so he could eat and placed the same shell i had tried to get him into plus a lighter one near the bowl, both larger than his current one. I checked in with him after turning off the light and he got his eyes out, but shrunk back in when he saw me. This morning he was on his back again, and I put him in a bowl of freshly cleaned shells after another bath. He's flipped himself on his back again, and is waving his legs around. I don't know if he's eaten anything in the past four days. He was also very interested in the green mold a few days before he stopped moving. I'm worried he might have eaten some, and don't know what to do. Any advice is welcome!
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Six inches of half play sand and half Eco earth. Just did a full change.
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, 70-80% humidity, 75-80 degrees F.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Yes, a ZooMed UTH on the side.
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 water are provided in bowls large enough for self submersion. I use distilled water and non iodized sea salt.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Fresh fruits, oats, coconut, Cuttlebone, changed daily.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Four years, and PP.
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Yes, about two months ago.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are in a 60 Gal glass tank, with a wire lid, and a towel+garbage bag on top to keep heat and humidity in.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Two, and about the size of a golf ball with their shells on.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
About six.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I spot clean for poops and food dragged out of the bowl, change water every other day and remove everything with mold on it (New decor/food).
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
Just in the salt water. I usually just squeeze it out and let it dry while I clean and dry the bowl out before refilling, but I recently went on a trip and left my sister in charge of the crabs and she rinsed it with tap water, then let it dry for three days in the windowsill.
14. Has anything new been added to your habitat recently?
Yes, two apple wood hamster platforms with bridges and railings, and a lizard hammock set upright so they can climb up it, but these quickly began to grow green and white mold so I took them out and will be spraying them with salt water. I also added a moss pit of Fluker's Green Sphagnum Moss.
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.)?
His shell is NOT painted. None of them are.
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
About three days ago, Bubbles stopped moving around at night. I thought he was guarding the food bowl, but when I flipped him over yesterday he could barely come out of his shell, had two strings of moss stuck in his shell, and his legs were cramped in a weird position, like he was squeezing through the opening of his shell and getting stuck. I removed the moss and tried to lure him out by hand feeding him fish flakes on a spoon, but he didn't want to eat. I placed him on the ground, and he tried to walk, but fell over and flipped onto his back. I placed him next to a bigger shell and left him in privacy for a few hours while I did extensive googling, but came back to find him on his back again. I gave him a fresh water bath just in case he was sticking to something, and left him in the food bowl so he could eat and placed the same shell i had tried to get him into plus a lighter one near the bowl, both larger than his current one. I checked in with him after turning off the light and he got his eyes out, but shrunk back in when he saw me. This morning he was on his back again, and I put him in a bowl of freshly cleaned shells after another bath. He's flipped himself on his back again, and is waving his legs around. I don't know if he's eaten anything in the past four days. He was also very interested in the green mold a few days before he stopped moving. I'm worried he might have eaten some, and don't know what to do. Any advice is welcome!
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