Did I kill my hermit crabs?

[ray_grl]

Hey all, sorry for the sad subject/title, but I am really worried about my crabs. I currently have 4 cute little crabs, but it seems that only one of them is active. He is probably the smallest of the bunch, and walks around almost every night, climbs all over everything etc. In adittion to this, there is one (the biggest) that just sits in the coconut hut. Like thats all. I thought he was dead or something, because he didn't move at all, so I flipped him over and he was perfectly fine, even came out for a bite after that. Of course, this only lasted for about 5 minutes and then he went back into his coconut hut.

The real concern I have is the other 2. I honestly have not seen them, and I am super worried. I thought they went down to molt or something but its been weeks and there is no sign of life. Probably been at least 2 months. Is this normal? I'm really scared I did something that caused their death. And is it normal for a crab to just sit in one place and not move for weeks? I filled out the emergency form just so maybe someone can give me some suggestions on things I can work on? Thank you


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play Sand/Coconut Fiber, somewhere between 7 and 9 inches depending on which side of the tank

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?
Humidity thing kept falling so I just put it sitting against the glass on the sand, reads at least 80%, sometimes drops down to 75% when I have to go to school and cant spray 2x a day, temperature is always above 80, usually 84-88.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I use a UTH on the side of the tank (above the sand)

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)?
I have 2 pools of tubberware that have salt and fresh water in them (they are deep enough where they are most definitely able to fully submerge) I use instant ocean for the salt water, whatever is listed on the box is the ratio I use. I use distilled water for the salt water, and have started to use natural spring water for the fresh water, which doesnt contain any added minerals or anything like that.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them fresh foods, which I pretty much all obtained from the bulk section at whole foods. I always try to give them some of everything, for example, one day I will give them mango, pistachios, amaranth, oats, coconut flour, bloodworms, and crushed oyster shell, and another day I will give them raisins, macadamia nuts, walnuts, chia seeds, dried mealworms, dried shrimp, candula buds and some blueberries. I try to replace this every other day, sometimes I get lazy though and replace it once every 3 days. If there is any fresh fruits though I usually put them in at night and take them out in the morning, just so the stuff doesnt mold.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 1/2 months I believe

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not sure, kinda the problem

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 kept in an aquarium which I believe is 30x12 and has a height of 24. It ends up being a gallon or two over 35. I have a glass lid on the top, and half of it folds up, so you can open the tank without taking the entire lid off. I just put a shell in between the lid and the tank so there is some air flow.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
4, ranging from pretty small to a large size (not jumbo, but pretty big) Sorry, probably not a very good description, not sure exactly which size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Lots of extra turbo shells, usually big, trying to get some smaller ones, but every time I order them they come in like micro size.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not to my knowledge, I dont use perfume or anything like that

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I haven't

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
N/A

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
N/A

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.)?
Not really..just that my crabs used to be pretty active and I just havent seen them in a while.

I would like to note that the Petco store that they came from really treated them badly..like 30% humidity, temp always low, 1 in substrate, tap water, over crowded. I'm sure they have been through so much stress

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I have 4 hermit crabs, but only see 2 of them. I have not seen them for at least 2 months, and I am really worries they might be dead. Out of the 2 that are on top, only one of them is active, and the other just sits all night in the coconut hut.

I can provide pictures/can go into more detail if needed. I really will take every piece of advice. Just want to make sure these little guys have the best possible home with me. Thank you so much!

[PTCrabs]

Hey all, sorry for the sad subject/title, but I am really worried about my crabs. I currently have 4 cute little crabs, but it seems that only one of them is active. He is probably the smallest of the bunch, and walks around almost every night, climbs all over everything etc. In adittion to this, there is one (the biggest) that just sits in the coconut hut. Like thats all. I thought he was dead or something, because he didn't move at all, so I flipped him over and he was perfectly fine, even came out for a bite after that. Of course, this only lasted for about 5 minutes and then he went back into his coconut hut.

The real concern I have is the other 2. I honestly have not seen them, and I am super worried. I thought they went down to molt or something but its been weeks and there is no sign of life. Probably been at least 2 months. Is this normal? I'm really scared I did something that caused their death. And is it normal for a crab to just sit in one place and not move for weeks? I filled out the emergency form just so maybe someone can give me some suggestions on things I can work on? Thank you


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play Sand/Coconut Fiber, somewhere between 7 and 9 inches depending on which side of the tank

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?
Humidity thing kept falling so I just put it sitting against the glass on the sand, reads at least 80%, sometimes drops down to 75% when I have to go to school and cant spray 2x a day, temperature is always above 80, usually 84-88.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I use a UTH on the side of the tank (above the sand)

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)?
I have 2 pools of tubberware that have salt and fresh water in them (they are deep enough where they are most definitely able to fully submerge) I use instant ocean for the salt water, whatever is listed on the box is the ratio I use. I use distilled water for the salt water, and have started to use natural spring water for the fresh water, which doesnt contain any added minerals or anything like that.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them fresh foods, which I pretty much all obtained from the bulk section at whole foods. I always try to give them some of everything, for example, one day I will give them mango, pistachios, amaranth, oats, coconut flour, bloodworms, and crushed oyster shell, and another day I will give them raisins, macadamia nuts, walnuts, chia seeds, dried mealworms, dried shrimp, candula buds and some blueberries. I try to replace this every other day, sometimes I get lazy though and replace it once every 3 days. If there is any fresh fruits though I usually put them in at night and take them out in the morning, just so the stuff doesnt mold.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 1/2 months I believe

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not sure, kinda the problem

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 kept in an aquarium which I believe is 30x12 and has a height of 24. It ends up being a gallon or two over 35. I have a glass lid on the top, and half of it folds up, so you can open the tank without taking the entire lid off. I just put a shell in between the lid and the tank so there is some air flow.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
4, ranging from pretty small to a large size (not jumbo, but pretty big) Sorry, probably not a very good description, not sure exactly which size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Lots of extra turbo shells, usually big, trying to get some smaller ones, but every time I order them they come in like micro size.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not to my knowledge, I dont use perfume or anything like that

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I haven't

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
N/A

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
N/A

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.)?
Not really..just that my crabs used to be pretty active and I just havent seen them in a while.

I would like to note that the Petco store that they came from really treated them badly..like 30% humidity, temp always low, 1 in substrate, tap water, over crowded. I'm sure they have been through so much stress

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I have 4 hermit crabs, but only see 2 of them. I have not seen them for at least 2 months, and I am really worries they might be dead. Out of the 2 that are on top, only one of them is active, and the other just sits all night in the coconut hut.

I can provide pictures/can go into more detail if needed. I really will take every piece of advice. Just want to make sure these little guys have the best possible home with me. Thank you so much!

Sounds like all is well...probably distressing and/or molting. If they were dead I would think no matter where they were in the tank/sub you would smell a horrible fishy smell.


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[EadvEnturEs]

Your conditions sound fine. Unfortunately, it's unlikely you'd be able to smell a dead crab beneath the substrate. It usually doesn't get past it. Some crabs are just chill and sit around a lot. With your conditions and the active crab, I'd say your cocohut guy is just a personality thing. For the buried crabs, I wouldn't worry. With the sizes you mentioned, it can take months to molt. Sounds like you pretty much know what you're doing. I'm sure they're fine.


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[Kermie16]

A few things. Overall ur set up sounds good. I would try to keep the humidity to a minimum of 80. 75 degrees is a bare minimum but not to where the crabs would thrive. Other than that, I would say that ur crabs that are beneath the sub are most likely molting and destressing- the length of time this happens is variable. Especially since this most likely will be their first molt with u. First molts are always the most worrisome because ur not sure how their health was when u first got them - unless u adopted them from another loving crabber;) Also, because it's Winter, some crabs will just typically slow down their activity to conserve energy. So, keep doing what ur doing and be as hands off as possible with the crabs so they can continue to grow and thrive


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[GotButterflies]

Hey all, sorry for the sad subject/title, but I am really worried about my crabs. I currently have 4 cute little crabs, but it seems that only one of them is active. He is probably the smallest of the bunch, and walks around almost every night, climbs all over everything etc. In adittion to this, there is one (the biggest) that just sits in the coconut hut. Like thats all. I thought he was dead or something, because he didn't move at all, so I flipped him over and he was perfectly fine, even came out for a bite after that. Of course, this only lasted for about 5 minutes and then he went back into his coconut hut.

GB: Hermits are prey animals - it is natural for them to hide.

The real concern I have is the other 2. I honestly have not seen them, and I am super worried. I thought they went down to molt or something but its been weeks and there is no sign of life. Probably been at least 2 months. Is this normal? I'm really scared I did something that caused their death. And is it normal for a crab to just sit in one place and not move for weeks? I filled out the emergency form just so maybe someone can give me some suggestions on things I can work on? Thank you

GB: Hermits can suffer from PPS, and or they can go down to molt which can take varied amounts of time. If no disgusting lingering smell of death for more than 4-5 days, leave them alone.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play Sand/Coconut Fiber, somewhere between 7 and 9 inches depending on which side of the tank

GB: Make sure sub is three times deeper than your largest crab the whole length of the tanks.

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?
Humidity thing kept falling so I just put it sitting against the glass on the sand, reads at least 80%, sometimes drops down to 75% when I have to go to school and cant spray 2x a day, temperature is always above 80, usually 84-88.

GB: Do not allow your humidity to drop below 80. Hermits have modified gills and need the humidity to breathe. Look at it this way. Do you want them to survive or thrive? You need to figure out something else besides spraying the tank. Moss pit, remove the shell from your glass lid so it closes and keeps the humidity in!, air bubblers in the tank, more ecoearth for substate. If you only have pp, I would keep temp at 84-86.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I use a UTH on the side of the tank (above the sand)

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)?
I have 2 pools of tubberware that have salt and fresh water in them (they are deep enough where they are most definitely able to fully submerge) I use instant ocean for the salt water, whatever is listed on the box is the ratio I use. I use distilled water for the salt water, and have started to use natural spring water for the fresh water, which doesnt contain any added minerals or anything like that.

GB: You need to use a dechlorinater. Distilled can still have chlorine and other harmful chemicals in it according to the internet. I recommend Prime.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them fresh foods, which I pretty much all obtained from the bulk section at whole foods. I always try to give them some of everything, for example, one day I will give them mango, pistachios, amaranth, oats, coconut flour, bloodworms, and crushed oyster shell, and another day I will give them raisins, macadamia nuts, walnuts, chia seeds, dried mealworms, dried shrimp, candula buds and some blueberries. I try to replace this every other day, sometimes I get lazy though and replace it once every 3 days. If there is any fresh fruits though I usually put them in at night and take them out in the morning, just so the stuff doesnt mold.

GB: Just make sure you provide a lot of protein & calcium sources. Do the food pyramid correctly

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 1/2 months I believe

GB: Species? Purple Pinchers?

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Not sure, kinda the problem

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 kept in an aquarium which I believe is 30x12 and has a height of 24. It ends up being a gallon or two over 35. I have a glass lid on the top, and half of it folds up, so you can open the tank without taking the entire lid off. I just put a shell in between the lid and the tank so there is some air flow.

GB: Close that glass lid! It will help the hermits. You changing the food once a day is enough air exchange.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
4, ranging from pretty small to a large size (not jumbo, but pretty big) Sorry, probably not a very good description, not sure exactly which size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Lots of extra turbo shells, usually big, trying to get some smaller ones, but every time I order them they come in like micro size.

GB: HCA recommends 3-4 shells PER crab. I recommend more to prevent problems. Crabs do like more than just turbos Here is a shell link : http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 24&t=92552

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not to my knowledge, I dont use perfume or anything like that

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I haven't

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
N/A

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
N/A

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.)?
Not really..just that my crabs used to be pretty active and I just havent seen them in a while.

I would like to note that the Petco store that they came from really treated them badly..like 30% humidity, temp always low, 1 in substrate, tap water, over crowded. I'm sure they have been through so much stress

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I have 4 hermit crabs, but only see 2 of them. I have not seen them for at least 2 months, and I am really worries they might be dead. Out of the 2 that are on top, only one of them is active, and the other just sits all night in the coconut hut.

I can provide pictures/can go into more detail if needed. I really will take every piece of advice. Just want to make sure these little guys have the best possible home with me. Thank you so much!

Edit: I answered everything like this GB: for GotButterflies

[ray_grl]

Thank you for all of the advice, ill try to hold on a bit more on the worrying hehe. For GotButterflies, they are purple pinchers, and I have a few shells that arent turbos (the one in the coconut hut has one of them on) but ill try to get some more!

I will close the lid, which should help with the hunidity since my room is pretty dry. I already have a moss pit, which creates half of my second level, but it keeps drying up since the lid is open I guess. Also, Ill look for that dechlorinator! Thanks all once again

[GotButterflies]

Yw Good luck! Keep us updated

[ray_grl]

I am very pleased to say that one of the crabs came up from the molt today!! Very hairy too I might add hehe. Just hoping for that last one to pull through now!

[GotButterflies]

Yay!

[daws409]

Congrats!

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[PTCrabs]

Awesome news!


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[KayedeeLove<3]

Yay

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