HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Yesterday I was checking on my iso tank and it reaked. I lost two of my molting straws. I can't say that I'm not a little heartbroken but I would like to learn from this experience, as I have one straw in late pre-molt now and another up and running.Cherry was large and fairly established. I had her in ISO as soon as she started to show pre-molt signs. I purchased her in May and she had been very active and had a healthy appetite. She had been molting for about three weeks.Louise was small and a new purchase. She showed pre-molt signs within a day of purchase. Into ISO she went...unfortunately I did not have another iso or KK available (being used) so I thought the best bet was to put her in with the non-aggressive molter. She was down for two weeks.Neither crab had touched their exo. They appeared to have been gone for *at least* three days... sorry to be gross but they had started to mold over. They appeared to have died within a day or so of eachother.The ISO they were in is a 5 gallon tank with about 6in of EE. Temp and humidity in the low 80's.If anyone has any insight as to what may have happened, i would greatly appreciate it. Also, for those of you who have had successful straw molts, I would also appreciate any advice. I have only had straws since may and have had no other problems until now. These were my first straw molts. Molts with my other species have tended to be pretty healthy, i have only lost a couple to bad molts.Thank you in advance for anything you can teach me!

I have had 2 successful Straw moults, but I can't take any credit because I just let them do their thing like every other hermie in the tank. One has a slightly shortened leg (that was fine before he moulted), but nothing like other moult deformities I've seen. I did lose one to what I think was a bad moult, but I'm not sure, due to the mysterious nature of the Strawberry hermit crab. I've had 9 Straws; 4 from hermitsdirect: 1 died fairly quickly of probable PPS; 1 was the possible bad moult; and the other 2 were the successful moults and are still doing great. 3 from PetCo, all died within a month, probably PPS. 2 again from PetCo, just bought them last week, they buried in iso immediately and I haven't seen them. But I didn't do anything special for the moulters, they just buried in the main tank and took care of it themselves.

I have had a few strawberry molts, and I have lost a few strawberry hermies as well. The two remaining strawberry crabs that I have have both molted with me, and both seem to be doing fine. I let my hermies molt in the main tank. I trust them to do their own thing where and when they need to. I have had all my hermies for at least 10 months though (some as long as 14 months) and I have never seen any aggression in my tank either. That would probably change things if I ever saw that. I do ISO new hermies for at least 4 weeks. I must say that with the delicate nature of strawberry crabs, I would have never put a newly purchased hermie in with a molting and established hermie. I would have been too paranoid about bacteria, fungus, disease, parasites, etc. Strawberry crabs are so very mysterious as Willow already mentioned. I really believe that there is something more to keeping these crabs than we know about. Aviate has posted about this before also. I think we are naive or credulous to think we know how to keep these hermies and help them thrive, when we really know so little about them. I do think that humidity and temp is extremely important. I know that my strawberry crabs are much more active when the humidity is higher, which tells me something. My humidity usually only goes up when the house gets warmer (like if it is really hot outside) so perhaps it is a combination of heat and humidity. CindyLuHoo, you described your temp and humidity in the low 80's though, so I don't know what to say. Mold isn't good of course, and it is certainly a delicate balance of temp and humidity and preventing mold. I think air circulation plays a big part, but that's just my opinion. I think that at this point, providing a nutritious and varied diet, salt water with a high enough salinity, and a minimal amount of stress during pre-molt times, in addition to proper temp and humidity and a clean environment, is all we really know to do.All I can think to ask is, have you checked your temp and humidity gauge(s) recently to make sure they are accurate. This is so important, in my opinion, since these gauges can fail us, or at least become less accurate, at any time whether they are digital or analog. I wish there was concrete, tried and true, scientifically proven, care knowledge to share about these hermies. Unfortunately, I haven't come across any. Maybe someday we will have this, and fewer hermies will die because we will know how to help them thrive.

I have 4 Straw's and have been through 8 Straw molts one of which has died. But the other 3 are molting like crazy and I can't take any credit for any of them. The ones that survived were all in thier own iso's and the one that died was in my Hubby's main tank so if you ask me isoing and deep sand/EE is the way to go with Straw's. I am so sorry that your Hermie's died but keep in mind that some times they just die and there is really nothing that could have changed that. Molting is the one thing that we can't help with... Again sorry for your lose. Sandra

If it helps, i just had my first 'berry molt last week and she did not finish up her exo but she sure did like the quarter sized lump of cuttlebone i gave her. i also have been starting to give them on an every other day feeding of a egg food supplement that i give my birds and they love it. it may have helped with Pie's speedy hardening because it is whole egg, wheat flour, honey and various minerals added.good luck and may she stay safe!

My smallish Straw Rocket just finished molting - my first Straw molt. (But there are three more buried, so keep your fingers crossed!) He molted in playsand, and took a rediculously long (for his size) seven weeks to complete it. It's possible he was de-stressing some of that time, since he buried two weeks after I got him. Let me tell ya, by week seven I was NOT feeling very hopeful! My iso stays at about 75 degrees and I tried to keep the humidity around 80 - 82. I'm sorry about your straws, Cindy. I imagine their cause of death was simply stress rather than anything you did or didn't do for them.