Depressed and Lonely

[colorcrab2000]

My crab Tommy (my survivor) is acting strange. i'm fairly new to the hermit crab community, and am not quite sure what to do: Tommy's best friend Kiwi died for an unknown reason last week, and Tommy instantly withdrew into his shell and has remained there for the past week! I can't persuade him to eat, drink, dig, move, or even come out of his shell. my other crabs are fine, though. I was originally planning to move all my crabs into a new, larger, nicer crabitat in a 10 gallon aquarium, but I don't know what I should do about Tommy. should I buy a new crab so he might find a new best friend? how might I get him to come out? should I move him if it will cause him more stress?

[Crabber85]

High colorcrab, I'm very sorry to hear that your having trouble with one of your hermitcrabs but I'm going to need to get some information from you so that I can help you so please copy and paste the answers from this link it will help me to better understand why your other hermitcrab passed and why this hermitcrab is acting sick.

[colorcrab2000]

1) How long have you had your crabs and how long have you been caring for this particular crab in distress?Tommy is my first crab and I have cared for crabs in general and him specifically for 3 1/2 years.2) What size is your tank and what kind of lid do you have? My tank is a "critter keeper" but it's very larger and has a larger ground area than a 10 gallon tank, just not the height. the lid is ventilated, unfortunately.3) What are you using for heat? Please be specific and include fixture type, watt or mat size and where the heat source is mounted.I don't currently have heat because I have only 3 crabs (I know that's no excuse). I have been waiting to get all the stuff ready to move them into my 10 gal and get the under tank heater then.4) What kind of substrate do you use in your tank and at what depth? Is it dry or damp and sand castle consistency?I use sand in mine. it's about 3-4 inches deep, and is mostly dry.5) Do you dechlorinate your fresh water and if so, with what product? Do you offer aquarium salt water in addition to fresh water? Again, what product?I dechlorinate my water with Tetra Water Conditioner (which makes water safe for tropical fish and bettas).I offer salt water usually once a week, using the hermit crab salt from the pet store.6) What do you normally feed your crabs?a mixture of hermit crab meal from the pet store, lettuce, carrots, apples, and honey nut cheerios.7) Do you bathe, mist or handle your crabs at all?a few times a week I take my crabs out and place them in my maze for exercise. I do not bathe them, but I do mist the cage daily8) What are the temperature and humidity readings? Please be specific and include high low fluctuations if you're aware of them.I have a bad humidity temperature gauge. The temperature of the room is maintained at seventy to seventy five degrees. The humidity I the cage seems pretty high... it feels like a tropical rainforest.I understand that I need some improvement in my hermit crab care routine. Due to the loss of Kiwi, I read up on crab care.

[Crabber85]

@Colorcrab, please don't beat yourself up over this as it's not really your fault.The people who sell these hermitcrabs often times know little or nothing about them and then you the pet owner ends up paying the price.Your substrate should be sandcastle consistency meaning it should be damp enough so that you can make a sandcastle out of it without it being soupy, this is to allow the hermitcrabs the ability to tunnel and carve molt pockets which they otherwise could not.Your wasting money on the hermitcrab salt you have because your not getting a strong enough mix out of it by mixing to the bottles instructions.You actually need about 8 table spoons of the salt to one gallon of water or 4 table spoons to a half gallon to get the right strength to the salt water so your actually going to be using the whole bottle in one go if you were to mix it to the right ratio which makes it more expensive than purchasing something like Instant Ocean(IO) or Oceanic's marine salt which will last you months rather than a couple of days.You can get a box of IO that makes ten gallons for twelve dollars at Petco, Pet-smart or Pets-Plus and it will last you forever making it the cheaper alternative in the long run.All species of hermitcrabs need constant access to salt water which is why it is recommended that you have two dishes in the enclosure one for fresh water and the other for salt at all times.PP's or Purple Pinchers have developed the ability to carry some salt internally so that they can stay away from the beach for longer periods of time and they have the ability to get some of the salt they need from the foods they eat but they can't last long before having to return to the ocean to re-fill their shells and replenish their internal salt reserves.Salt water plays a critical role in how well the hermitcrab can molt and grow because the salt allows the hermitcrab to build up fluid in it's body to (hydrostatic pressure)that causes the outer layer of the exoskeleton to split thus allowing the hermitcrab to wiggle free of it.Have any of your hermitcrabs ever molted with you before?The hermitcrab in question may be suffering from PPS or post purchase stress which can effect the crab until it's first molt with us and even afterwards depending on how long the crab went without a suitable climate, diet and molting substrate.You may be seeing a pre-molt hermie meaning he is gearing up for a surface molt which will be a very dangerous time for it.Has the crab displayed any signs of sluggishness, confused or crossed antennas, ashy color to the exo?These are a just a few of the signs of an imminent molt. I hate to tell you this but the hermitcrab food from the pet store might have to be thrown out, please check the ingredients list for ethoxyquin(an industrial pesticide used as a preservative), copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate, bha and bht.All of these ingredients are heavily toxic to hermitcrabs and can imped molts by causing the crab to become tangled in it's own exo or even prevent the new layer of exo from hardening properly.All fruits should be organic especially apples which are among the highest pesticide risk fruits because the tree has the chemicals applied all throughout the apples life cycle which means the chemicals are being drawn into the apple and not just on it's skin.Cereals should really be avoided because they contain additives and color pigments that aren't necessarily hermitcrab safe.You need to cover the top of the Kritter Keeper with Saran Wrap or Glads Press and Seal to about ninety percent to help retain the humidity and if you can move the KK to a warmer room as anything below seventy five for prolonged periods of time can cause the hermitcrabs to shut down and got into hyper-sleep which basically where the crab goes immobile, stops eating or drinking and appears to be in a deep sleep.When hyper-sleep sets in it's often times a one way ticket, you typically see this in pet store, mall kiosk and board wall shop displays.If you can get some raw or organic honey and put some in a small bottle cap your hermitcrabs will appreciate you for this as it is an natural antibacterial agent and is an easy to digest high energy super food that will help you hermitcrabs out a great deal.Please don't take anything I've said as anything but constructive criticism as it's only meant that way.

[colorcrab2000]

Thank you so much.To answer your question, I have had three molts, one of which was Tommy's (the sick crab). Also, I've had Tommy for multiple years. I'm pretty sure the death of his best friend Kiwi causes this illness as he was ok with the conditions before that.This afternoon, I assembled a crabitat in an old ten gallon tank of mine instead of the critter keeper. It has a glass lid that keeps moisture in and for the most part it keeps bugs out, too.I have multiple water bowls and will make one salt all the time.Though I don't have time tonight, I plan to go to the pet store tomorrow and get:An under tank reptile heaterBetter saltA better hygrometerSome bigger driftwood for climbingA new friend or two for TommyIs there anything else you suggest?I will look at the label on the food- I've in general stayed away from food that look bad, but this crab food is from a brand I trust and they've eaten it before (they've been eating it for a couple of years now) and they haven't gotten sock from it in the past.Do you think it really was the loss of Kiwi that made him ill?

[Crabber85]

@Colorcrab, unless you have another tank to setup and use as an iso for any new hermitcrabs I wouldn't recommend getting anymore right now.Hermitcrabs though social creatures don't necessarily precieve the loss of a tank mate the way we do that of a loved one who has passed because hermitcrabs don't have that range of emotion unfortunately.If they did they wouldn't be prone to eating one another so no I don't think his lack of activity is due to depression over missing his tankmate I think that what took your other crab might also be making him sick.The toxins in the bottled hermitcrab food wont kill a hermitcrab overnight but rather slowly over time as they build up which is why after several years of feeding a commercial hermitcrab food that looked healthy you crabs can suddenly drop dead because the toxins were finally able to reach a lethal level so it's not safe to asume that the food isn't culprit until we know whats in it preservatives wise.So if you could please check the bottle you already have and list the ingredients here or give me the name of the brand your using and I'll let you know if it's safe. When your hermitcrabs molt do they burrow to do so or do they do it on the surface?When you get your uth(under tank heater)make sure to place it on the back side of the tank either far left or right as this will ensure that your hermitcrabs don't get burnt by burrowing down over it in the case of a bottom mounted pad or that the bottom pane dosen't expand to the point of cracking which is pretty common since uth pads were designed for use under reptile tanks where the substrate is very shallow and dry.For a ten gallon tank you'll need a uth pad rated for a thirty gallon to get the right heat output since back mounting is a much less efficient but safer method of using the pad.Your doing a good job getting the right info as most people in your position don't and end up having their crabs die on them in six months and go on thinking that the crabs lived to their maximum life span which is far from it as I'm sure you know. Let me know if you have any more questions as I'm more than happy to answer them for you...

[colorcrab2000]

To answer your question, they bury themselves when the molt. Not very deep, but they do.I checked the label on my food, and it did have that preservative you mentioned! I threw it out, and instead put in coconut, yellow bell pepper, carrot, celery, and broccoli.I made the sand in my crabitat sand castle consistency, misted the tank, put in two water bowls one salt one fresh both with water conditioner, a better hygrometer I found, all my extra shells, half logs, and some other toys. I put Tommy in there and he instantly came put of his shell! As I speak, he is crawling around and climbing over everything he gets to enthusiastically.I plan to get the heater tomorrow.Thank you so much!!! He seems so happy!

[colorcrab2000]

Also, since I now have the old critter keeper they moved out of, I could easily make an isolation tank. I would use the plastic wrap to help keep in humidity. Do you think I should get more? If so, how many? Is ther anything I should check for when/if I buy new crabs? I may have been lucky in my previous crab purchases.

[Crabber85]

As far as how may to get that depends on the size of the crabs you want and how much space you have for them so for a ten gallon you could get two more smalls(quarter size) and you would be fine for about six to eight months because they are going to molt pretty frequently at that size about once every one to two weeks and they will grow pretty rapidly as a result.When purchasing a hermitcrab you'll want one who is active with antenna fluttering.Pick the crab up and feel the weight in your hand if the crab feels light then that is a sign that it has very little to no shell water and is unhealthy and should be avoided as hermitcrabs should feel heavy when picked up.Check the enclosure and make sure that there is both fresh and salt water present and dishes with sponges in them don't count as the hermitcrab can't physically drink from a sponge having no lips or tounge to be able to suck with instead they have to pick up the water droplets with their pinchers and pass them to the mouth where the water gets drawn in visa-vi capilary action.If there is no water or water dishes present with sponges consider not purchasing from that tank as the crabs are likely not healthy due to water deprivation.You'll aslo want to check the enclosure for mites or other pests as this is a sign of sickness or possible dead hermits in the enclosure also consider not purchasing from the tank as well.Healthy hermits will either be very active or will draw up tight into their shells so looks for these signs and if you can look for hermits that aren't missing legs as limb loss is associated with stress and means that the crab is unhealthy.If you find an active crab and it looks good other than some missing nail or leg tips you can buy it as leg and nail tips tend to be easily broken especailly during the rough handling they recieve from the harvesters when they are being collected from the beach and is not an indication of poor health.Look for enclosures with good temp and humidity levels between seventy-five and eighty as this will greatly improve the odds of getting healthy less stressed hermits.If you should notice a strong fishy smell coming from the enclosure then please seriously consider avoiding purchasing from it as the smell indicated dead hermitcrabs who have been in the enlcosure for some time and possible sick hermits as well.You might want to think about increasing your substrate depth to five or six inches as four is a little on the shallow side unless you have smaller specimens about the size of a quarter or smaller.

[colorcrab2000]

I've heard that the smaller crabs are more unstable with their chances of survival. Is this true? Also, Tommy is currently golf ball size. Will there be conflict between him and smaller crabs?

[colorcrab2000]

Also, how long should new crabs be in the ISO? I've heard that you should bathe new crabs to get rid of unfamiliar scent. Is there anything else to do for new crabs?

[Crabber85]

I have mulitple crabs of different sizes housed together and have had no problem from it as of yet.No smaller hermitcrabs are not less stable they are actually more stable having an easier time getting through molts as the molting period doesn't last as long for them as it does for large crabs and is less dificult as a result.It's really not a good idea to bathe hermitcrabs as it strips them of their natural body oils and messes with the isotopic balance of their shell water adding extra stress.Iso period is the same for all sizes and species and should be four weeks minimum.

[colorcrab2000]

Thanks!

[jasonmom]

How are things going?