Digging Up Molters

theophaneia · Post by **theophaneia** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:02 pm

I'm moving soon and I have numerous molters. My tank is too big to move as is so I'm going to have to dig them up and put them into smaller tats for the 8ish hour drive. Has anyone had any issues doing this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

tigermoon89 · Post by **tigermoon89** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:57 pm

Try this:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=41322
It's pretty hard to do- I disturbed each of the ones that I did this to (2 molters). Thankfully, they had just finished molting and were just hanging out.

Make sure the substrate is moist enough to hold shape. Don't use a spatula- a cake cutter would be best- it's completely flat whereas most spatula's have a ridge at the end.

Good Luck!

This thread gives suggestions on caring for them and packing them during the move:
viewtopic.php?t=74206&highlight=moving

theophaneia · Post by **theophaneia** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:54 pm

Thanks, but I have no idea where the molters are, and will have to remove them from the tank anyways not just a deep clean.

Post by **wodesorel** » Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:27 am

It's pretty easy, and as long as you're gentle you shouldn't have problems. I found the cutting thing to only work when you know exactly where the crab is, and you don't have any obstructions in the tank. (Like sunken dishes, ground-floor moss pits, or plastic plants stuck into the ground.)

Go slowly and have a place for any potential molters ready. Since you'll be moving, large opaque plastic cups might be the best idea (quart-sized, can be bought new at deli counters), then you can place the cups in the bottom of a smaller tank or container and provide heat for the whole group until you get to the new house. The containers can then be uncovered and you can just wait them out like you would a normal molt. Just fill the bottom three-quarters of the cup with substrate before you start, and have one for every crab that's missing. Make sure to punch holes in the lid, and then place somewhere dark! (For normal relocation, I use a 10 gallon and dig a small divot in the sand for the crab and exo, and then cover them with a ceramic cat dish.)

I start by carefully digging a trench down one end of the tank, slowly removing substrate as I go. If I feel anything, I stop and carefully assess what it is. (9 times out of 10 it's buried food, but safety is key here!) I don't think I've ever discovered a crab in the initial trench, but I start on the side of the tank where they rarely ever dig. Once the trench is done, then scrape the sand away from the "cliff" edge with the side of your hand, stopping the minute you feel a hole or something hard.

If you find something more than food, feel around with your fingers to get a sense of where the crab is at, how it's positioned, if it's in a shell, and if there is exo. Scrape the layers of sand off the top of it to free it, and then carefully move it to the cup, placing any exo found underneath it. Cover the cup, and leave it alone for about 24 hours.

The only danger period is if you have a crab that is currently pushing off exo. There is a window of a few hours where if they get startled and retract they'll disfigure their limbs until their next molt because they are so soft. Cutting around them would probably cause them to startle anyway, so the risk is most likely the same.

I've done this procedure during deep cleans, remodels, and for when the other crabs when on digging sprees through the molting area and crabs needed pulled and isoed. (Stolen shells, molters attacked, etc.) We're talking a lot of molts - more than 20, some with the same crabs - and no deaths.

ANY crab you find undergrounds needs to be isolated, even if it doesn't look like it's molting. They can molt at any time, or still be too weak to put up a fight - meaning that what seemed like a normal crab could pull a surface molt the next day, or be eaten by the other crabs. Once they've been in the cup for 24 hours and they have not dug down and are showing signs of normal activity can they get a bath and be returned to the group. (And the bath for dug-up molters is important and they haven't had the chance to scrub off the molting smell by digging themselves out.)

The hardest part is then waiting for them to finish their molt.

Good luck with the move!

tigermoon89 · Post by **tigermoon89** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:08 am

theophaneia wrote:Thanks, but I have no idea where the molters are, and will have to remove them from the tank anyways not just a deep clean.

I meant that you would use the cake cutter to pick up the "slice" of substrate where you have found the molter and be very very gentle so as to not break it.
Lift the piece out an put it into some sort of container- cups like wodesorel said or tupperware.

I usually start in the back corner of the tanks. Carefully scrape back the top layer of substrate and feel the area for any shell tips. I discard the first handful of substrate. If there are no protrusions (shells points) in the bottom second layer, I carefully scrape that back. Once a section has been cleared, it makes it easier to see if there are any tunnels in the bottom layers of the area around it.

I pretty much follow the deep clean method but take the crabs out in a "slice" once they are found. Put a clam shell or moss over them to keep it dark after you have discovered them and placed them into the container.

You can also use the water bottles (metal) fill them with hot water and wrap a wet dish towel or wash cloth around it. This will help keep the temp and humidity up for about 3 or so hours. When you notice the temp dropping, you can stop at a McDonalds, gas station, or even rest stop <---(fill with coffee), and refill with hot water meant for hot tea.

theophaneia · Post by **theophaneia** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:41 pm

Thanks wodesorel. I've actually used 'your' deep cleaning method before and it worked perfectly with no after stress deaths. But I knew the crabs that were down were done molting already. I'm just worried about interrupting my LARGE molters

I think I've decided to just try to move the tank as is. I have 7 out of 10 crabs down including my very very specials ones. I'm too scared of disrupting the bigger crabs molts. Heating and humidity I have covered. I'm still a tad nervous but I think it's a better suggestion...

????????

tnt4eva · Post by **tnt4eva** » Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:49 pm

If the substrate is moist through to the bottom, then their burrows and air pockets should be able to withstand the tank being picked up and carried, providing it doesn't get jolted around too much. I'd remove all other objects from the tank to avoid anything crashing around and possibly caving in a burrow.

What are the roads like on the way to your new place?

theophaneia · Post by **theophaneia** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:41 pm

It is a mountain pass.
Corners and hills but relatively smooth.
The sand is EXTREMELY damp so it 'shouldn't' cave in.
I'm going to take everything out except for a few sturdy caves to hide in. I'm also going to scrape a few layers of sand off of the top to take away some of the over 100 pounds of weight.