New to forum; and grieving

Please post here if you are a new crab owner and someone will be along shortly to welcome you to the HCA! This is also the place to welcome new crabbies to your clan!
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Artistmom81
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New to forum; and grieving

Post by Artistmom81 » Sun Jul 09, 2017 9:37 am

Hello, I'm new to the forum and so glad to have found this! I'm mom to 2 girls and 2 boys(they call me mom; I'm all they've ever known), 5 hermits, 1 chihuahua, 1 cat that thinks he's not a cat, and 2 betta.
I've had hermits when I was a girl, teen, and again here I am. I'm the one that goes on vacation and gets what I can house at the time. A couple of my children have grown to love them as well.
I adopted 6 this time; 3 medium, 3 small. Except one of the smaller ones was just precious and so friendly. She was in a painted shell :( Two of my new ones were also but as soon as we got home and set up the crabitat, they were so happy! They immediately got rid of the painted shells and I removed them. Well, my smallest "Dora" wouldn't change. I gave her more time.
Everyone was thriving except my sweet Dora. Her limbs began to fall off in a matter of weeks. Their humidity was stable, no mites, etc. I couldn't figure it out! I immediately separated her into another crabitat.
I knew she was dying. I gently gave her some water and had everyone let her be. She passed the day before yesterday. I only had her for 3 weeks but I cried like a baby.

My question; was she sick before? Was it the shell? The others immediately changed theirs and thrived. I feel so lost and guilty that I didn't or couldn't save her. :(

Sorry for the sad intro, but I attach to all of my animals; big and small.Also, I have a lot to learn. I want info to adopt instead of buying them from a beach or pet shop. I'm a SUCKER for feeling sorry for them. I know that gives them revenue but I have much to learn. I have gotten all of my fish and crabs this way. :crabbigsmile:
Last edited by Artistmom81 on Sun Jul 09, 2017 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mom to 2 girls, 2 boys, 1 chihuahua (Zoey), 1 cat (Sid), 2 bettas (Blu & Stitch), and 5 hermies (4 PP and an Eccie); Big Boy/Grumps (or whatever his mood is) Ralph, Faith, Munchkin & Spidey.
Little Dora(PP hermie) passed on 7/7/2017

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Artistmom81
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Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by Artistmom81 » Sun Jul 09, 2017 9:40 am

Also, I made her a shell "coffin" out of her water and food dishes in her isolation tank. I treated their water, changed their food. Treated the water I expanded their Eco earth in.
Mom to 2 girls, 2 boys, 1 chihuahua (Zoey), 1 cat (Sid), 2 bettas (Blu & Stitch), and 5 hermies (4 PP and an Eccie); Big Boy/Grumps (or whatever his mood is) Ralph, Faith, Munchkin & Spidey.
Little Dora(PP hermie) passed on 7/7/2017

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LadyJinglyJones
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Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by LadyJinglyJones » Mon Jul 10, 2017 2:50 am

Hello... I'm so sorry for your loss!
It is always hard to lose a pet! :(

It seems likely that your crab suffered what we call post purchase syndrome (PPS).

It isn't uncommon for new crabs to pass prior to completion of their first captive moult. Being that they are wild caught, then shunted from distributors to your petstore & finally to your home, it isn't surprising that adapting is difficult for them. On top of that, the stresses of inadequate food, water, humidity, temperature, and space all contribute to seriously stress them, & tax their energetic reserves.

Finally, large numbers of crabs from different regions are thrust together, having a variety of parasites & regionsl diseases & immunities. It's a perfect storm, really, and some crabs make it as far as your tank, only to succumb to any number of causes - we frequently can't pinpoint one, ore even a particular combination of causes.

Luckily, adopted crabs are often animals that have had some success already in transitioning, and they tend to be a bit hardier. We have adoptions pages on the site!

Good care will also help them beat the odds. Providing the best conditions we can helps them transition to captivity.

Here is a link to the general care page, if you haven't seen it yet:

http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 51&t=92457

And this links to a variety of subjects accessible through the FAQ page (there is s page about PPS):

http://hermitcrabassociation.com/pages/

Welcome to the HCA! Please ask any questions you have!
"Gaze upon the rolling deep..."
Quince the fat tailed gecko; Amazonian minnows; and now Harry & Luis, Bede & Aster, Chandra & Jace, Pax, & Piccolo, my adopted PPs.
RIP Vegita :(

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Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by GotButterflies » Mon Jul 10, 2017 8:23 pm

Welcome to the HCA! :butterfly::

I'm very sorry for your loss! You are among a wonderful group of people willing to help you ;)
Truly blessed to have incredible creatures, wonderful friends and my amazing family in my life!! I'm very thankful & grateful for all of them! www.thehealthyhermit.com

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Artistmom81
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Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by Artistmom81 » Mon Jul 10, 2017 8:46 pm

Thanks you guys! It's been quite some time since I've cried so hard.
I will be doing adoptions next time. I've been reminded over and over that I can't save them all.
I'm working on an online album so I can attach a photo of Grump. I swear he's a mess!
Mom to 2 girls, 2 boys, 1 chihuahua (Zoey), 1 cat (Sid), 2 bettas (Blu & Stitch), and 5 hermies (4 PP and an Eccie); Big Boy/Grumps (or whatever his mood is) Ralph, Faith, Munchkin & Spidey.
Little Dora(PP hermie) passed on 7/7/2017

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daws409
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Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by daws409 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:03 am

Hi! Welcome to HCA!

I'm sorry for your loss!! Definitely sounds like PPS to me as well. You gave him the best possible care during his last few weeks of life. ;)

Sent from my HTC6515LVW using Tapatalk
Crabbing since Dec. 2010!
35 Crabbies - 28 PP's, 2 E's, 2 Straw's, 1 Viola, & 2 Indo's

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Artistmom81
Posts: 55
Joined: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:19 pm
Location: Alabama

Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by Artistmom81 » Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:54 pm

daws409 wrote:Hi! Welcome to HCA!

I'm sorry for your loss!! Definitely sounds like PPS to me as well. You gave him the best possible care during his last few weeks of life. ;)

Sent from my HTC6515LVW using Tapatalk
Thank you so much.

Wow at the crabbies in your signature! How AWESOME! Do they are let you hold them or do you not take them out? I have seen here and there that some people don't and some do. I bet you have a miniature aquarium going on!
Mom to 2 girls, 2 boys, 1 chihuahua (Zoey), 1 cat (Sid), 2 bettas (Blu & Stitch), and 5 hermies (4 PP and an Eccie); Big Boy/Grumps (or whatever his mood is) Ralph, Faith, Munchkin & Spidey.
Little Dora(PP hermie) passed on 7/7/2017

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daws409
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Re: New to forum; and grieving

Post by daws409 » Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:39 pm

Lol! Most of mine have come from adoptions (other crabbers). They're split between two tanks. I have a 125G with a 40B topper and a 120G bamboo tank with extra 60-75G top/hood space. My dream tank is to build a tank that I can walk in and be at least 750 gallons.... I'm hands off with mine. I believe handling them stresses them out. I have a few that stay out when I enter the tank. And I have some that can't get away fast enough. They all have different personalities!!

Here's links to my tanks:
Bamboo tank - http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 4#p1027674
90G (taken down when upgraded to topper tank) - http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 0#p1019560
Topper tank - http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 1#p1034651

A few photos of my babies - http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 4#p1031214

Sent from my HTC6515LVW using Tapatalk
Crabbing since Dec. 2010!
35 Crabbies - 28 PP's, 2 E's, 2 Straw's, 1 Viola, & 2 Indo's

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