sad post

[hayhay528]

i expieienced my first death in the crabitat two days ago...

ive still been only crabbing in my adult life for under a year so
i tried to look thru some old posts but couldnt find much in similarity to mine so if anyone knows anything im just looking for information....

i found one of our crabs deshelled and dead in the fresh water bowl early in the morning two days ago. originally i ran to grab a mug to put him in iso and attempt to resehll him but upon removing him from the water it was clear he was dead.. we said some words and buried him in the back yard garden and cleaned out the water dish.

i try to add new stuff to the tank as much as possible but with the holidays and me working in retail the last two months has been pretty normal for our crabs. with the exception that they did get to try oysters two weeks ago- the rest of them seem fine so far so i dont think this had anything to do with the death
he was basically floating right on our craft mesh ramp that is used as an entry and exit for the crabs to the water dish so i dont feel like he was stuck
i had seen some posts about crabs going into the water dishes when they are sick or about to die but thats about all i know...

should i be watching my other crabs more closely? should i do a deep clean of the tank? or should i continue as we were and assume the death was unrelated to the care i provide?
is there any known reasons why this could happen? all of my crabs have molted since i bought them so i assumed we were past that stage where they die after bringing them home..

[LadyJinglyJones]

I'm so sorry for your loss! It can be hard to lose a pet suddenly, and crabs can be especially tough because we so rarely fully understand what's going on with them.

To answer your question, I wouldn't deep clean unless at least two crabs fell ill/died in the tank.

As to what happened, there are many possibilities. Going to the water is what they often do, it may have to do with feeling dehydrated, and seems instinctual. Hermits can suffer from parasites we can't see (gill parasites are a good example - we can't see them & they could conceivably reach numbers that adversely affect a crab), but infection could also be the cause. An ailment can wear them down over time.

Likewise, shell fights can lead to injury to their delicate abdomens.

If you want to fill out an emergency template we can see if there is any area of the tank that could be improved (viewtopic.php?t=46102), otherwise there isn't much we can know for sure - we do our best for our crabs, but there's a lot we don't know.

[Giner13]

I’m so sorry for your loss!!!


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[GotButterflies]

So sorry for your loss! Where was your crab’s shell? If it was in the water bowl then I would be concerned about drowning. I know you have craft mesh, but if a crab is panicked, and if it is night, perhaps they might not have seen it? I try to offer a few ways out of my water dishes, but that is me.

I also recommend filling out the emergency template so we can help you.


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[hayhay528]

the shell was in the water with him i thought about that too. but i have rocks on top of the craft mesh to hold it down and its a very shallow pool, on the other side their is a fake plant that hangs into the pool which ive also seen the crabs using. i didnt think any of them could drown in it but when i found him that was one of my thoughts i hate to think it was something i did that caused it, and i also hate to think if i wouldve checked the tank more i might have been able to save him.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

5:1 sand to eco fiber, a little extra eco fiber on one side to make it more "jungley"

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! i have an acurite gauge which i reccently replaced(and tested the humidity with salt first)
my temperature usually reads 85 but the gauge is right next to the heat pad so there are cooler parts of the tank too, most of the crabs prefer the warm side. the humidity ranges between 70-99, depending on where i move the gauge to, 70 when it is furthest from the sub and the pools and 99 on the sub. the glass tank always has condensation on it

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

yes i have a uth from the bean farm that covers the entire back side of the tank above the sub

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 use deionized water (the purest form of water, no contaminents or minerals) which i use as their fresh water and use instant ocean added to it for their salt water. i believe the instructions say 1 gallon to 1/4 cup or half cup, (not sure right now because im at work but i always check when preparing it)

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

every night they get new food and sometimes i sneak new snacks in during the day. they eat fresh fruit, veggies, rice, qunioa, nuts seeds, fish, chicken, etc- i have done a lot of research on this site and work at whole foods market so i try to really spoil them.
i make sure they have daily at least 1 form of animal protein, 1 plant protein(nut or bean), some kind of calcium(egg shell, cuttle bone always in their tank), one fruit, one veggie, and something from the sea (fish, seaweed, or spirulina)
after that i add in anything fun they havent had in the past few days to add variety

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
ive had them since june ish? i believe, i would have to go see when i joined this forum. i had 6, now have 5, one ecudorian and 5 PPs (now 4 pp's)

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

yes they all have taken turns, i have 2 down right now. the hard part is they have been growing and changing shells so much lately that i only can tell apart my ecudorian, my biggest PP, and my smallest PP.
i believe the one i lost had reccently molted or was just digging, and if my suspicions are correct it was my crab Ruby who just reccently changed from her toxic painted shell(i cant lbelieve how long she took!!! all the others left their toxic shells 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 currenty in a 29 gallon tank. in the upcoming weeks they are moving into their new 55 gal and going to use the 29 g as a topper. we have a plexi glass lid

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
5, now, 6 then. the largest is just barley in the medium category, all the others smalls. the crab that passed away was a smaller one

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
probably 30

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i had to do a deep clean due to flood a few months ago, since then(i had replaced everything after) i have just skimmed the surface for food and poop weekly with a spoon

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

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

the only thing being that i spoiled them with an oyster and oyster shell on new years eve. human food grade from whole foods market

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.)?

nothing i think to add other than that. i havent handled the crabs since i became a member on here so like a week after purchasing them, i try to leave them alone as much as possible besides sneaking up on them beacuse they seem to like privacy

[kun2943]

This breaks my heart to the core. I am so sorry for this, I dont feel good after listening this Sad DP