Sluggish and Sandy

[turoconnor]

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?
cocofiber eco earth mix, 10 inches deep.

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?
Middle of the tank accurite reads usually 70-75% humidty and 86°F

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Reptilebasics ultratherm heat mat on the entire back wall and a small heat lamp over one corner.

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)?
salt and freshwater. seachem prime dechlorinator. instant ocean saltwater mix. saltwater stays at 1.021-1.025 salinity.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
shriml, coconut, mealworms, corn, dried kale and veggies. hikari bio pure tubifex worm on rareoccasion. variety stuff not commercial diet. i change the food probably every 3 days sometimes more or less if it looks untouched or spoiled.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Purple pincher, I've had teddy for 5 months now. He was a rescue.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
I believe he recently molted or was otherwise under the surface for a little over a month.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
75gal tank with solid acrylic lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
14 crabs total currently, most are around 2inch shells with two being smaller and two being slightly larger.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I keep at least 20 at a time in there and swap them all out every month. I swap out random ones every week or so and rinse them with saltwater.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no, i burnt some candles in a different room yesterday but it shouldnt have reached teddys enclosure.


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I wipe the glass daily and do water changes weekly (they are filtered tanks) but otherwise I haven't had to.

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?
New shells. boiled before adding.

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.)?
Another crab previously acted sluggishly in a nearby spot and stayed there for a whole day without moving before he died. It is right by the saltwater pool.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Teddy is sluggish and covered in sand. It seems caked onto him and onto his eyes specifically.
He has not moved out of the painted shell he was given to me in. He was looking brighter and more active for a while but now he looks sickly again.
I could use some help with general recovery advice and troubleshooting. I will add photos of my enclosure and of Teddy here in a bit.
.

[JoeHermits]

Could be a delayed onset of PPS. Is he still alive? Weird that there’d be sand on the eyestalks, normally those are kept pretty clean


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