Naked, missing claw, can't seem to reshell himself

[Jojobeansy]

I will copy paste the emergency form in a moment, difficult to do from my phone.

I was just rewetting the sub as it had gotten too dry and as I was mixing (just the top inch or so) I bumped into Mr Crab, who was naked, pretty freshly molted, and missing his big claw!!! I panicked, scooped him up with surrounding sub, and placed him in ISO. Found his old shell, which was packed with sub. Put his old shell and 4 others, about the same size or slightly larger in with him. He seems like he is trying to get back into his shell but his body is too big and he is struggling to stuff himself in there! He won't even look at the other shells. He is almost in, (the soft part of his abdomen is in the shell) but half hanging out of his shell (he can't get his head into his shell no matter how hard he tries), and I don't know what to do. I'm not sure if he was hanging out naked because his shell is too small and he didn't like any of the 10 others in the tank, or maybe he left it behind because it was too heavy to carry right after molting and then couldn't find it, or if he's super sick or what!! I'm sure I just stressed the poor little guy out a million times more moving him into ISO, too . What can I do??

[Jojobeansy]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? 60/40 sand and eco earth, approx 5" deep

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, upper back corner of tank, 83°F 90%

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? yes heating pad across the back long side

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)?
one fresh (treated with betta safe) and one salt, using hermit crab salt (I want to get io but can't find a small amount and the large containers are too expensive)
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? freeze dried shrimp, pellets, fresh fruits, freeze dried strawberries, cuttlebone, change/add when empty or looking spoiled. Usually a day or two.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? about six months, PP

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? yes, not sure exactly, but fairly recently, still pinkish but old exo is gone and new exo is hard enough to make clinking noises against the sides of the ISO tank

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10gal aquarium, vented lid 90% wrapped in saran wrap

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 5- 2 small 3 medium

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

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? haven't truly cleaned it yet, just rewet sub and remix when needed

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? no

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.)? Mr Crab is almost always buried, I never see him!

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. posted details in OP above, crab was found buried naked missing a claw and not seeming able to fit in his shell

[mlakers]

Were you able to rinse out his old shell before you gave it back to him? It's possible there may be substrate deep inside that is keeping him from fitting. Crabs do expand their abdomen prior to molting--taking in extra saltwater (I believe I have that right) to use to crack their exoskeleton and get it off. If you don't have the correct saltwater, it seems like this could be in part what is causing this issue, but I will let more experienced crabbers weigh in. I just wanted to give you an early response and sympathy. It's so scary when they get sick and we don't know what's wrong or what to do. So far, I think you've done everything I would have as a quick first response. I hope your crabby takes a shell soon.

[Cumba]

I am not very experienced with situations like this, but just thought I would add my two cents.

Like what mlakers said, make sure the shell is cleaned out. I know some crabbers may recommend boiling the shell in water. I've done that, and it releases all sorts of dirt I did not know about .

I hope he gets better. It stinks to have a sick pet.

P.S. If you do choose to boil the shell, make absolutely sure there is no crab inside!!!

[kieagcarm]

That's a lot of crabs for a ten gallon tank. It possibly could have been shell aggression, they recommend 4 extra shells per crab, sized accordingly. When a tank is overcrowded it can cause aggression and cannibalism. Also substrate needs to be three times deeper than your largest crab is tall. Stay away from things made for hermit crabs, they are actually bad for hermits(you would think companies would get it right) definitely need some marine grade sea salt. I can't remember what else you answered, I hope this helps some

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[Kermie16]

First thing to do would be to rinse out his old shell in dechlorinated water, and immediately try to re-shell him. U did the right thing of ISO-ing him and offering other shells as well. In the ISO I would put in a dish of FW and a dish of organic raw honey and peanut butter.
Had he molted with you prior to this current molt?
I am also questioning the hermit crab salt? I'm just not familiar with it. Sounds like all foods are good. I might toss the pellets - my guys never touched the pellets. Take a look at the safe foods list - the hermies can eat practically anything we eat as long as they are pesticide free. I just stick to organic, makes it easier since that is primarily what we eat at home. During food prep I just put aside a small dish for the hermies Also good sources of animal protein is recommended. Again, the safe food list stickies in this forum is highly recommended.
5 hermies in a 10 g is pretty cramped. Usually want about 5 g/crab. Less room for molting and increased possible aggressive behaviors.
For shells- want to make sure u have the right shells for ur guy and the correct size. For the most part PP's prefer turbos, but there are some PP's out there that like to be a bit different and try other shells so a good variety is always nice to offer. Also there should be a minimal of 5-6 shells/crab.
Good luck and hoping a more experienced crabber can chime in to help you further!



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[LadyJinglyJones]

I haven't any advice beyond what's been said about crabs per gallon... but wanted to offer support & sympathy.

Also, just a thought, but hopefully he was just alarmed & that's why he went strait for the old shell that was too small... I've noticed that mine really have no idea how big they are, an have to try different shells to figure out what works... with luck, he'll notice his old shell doesn't fit if you give him a quiet, dark-ish sort of place.

[Jojobeansy]

Thanks all! He did end up moving to a larger shell in ISO. It is far too big lol but he can at least fully retract in this one! I hope he pulls through, I've read the big claw is the worst limb to lose! I suppose it will be a long while before he can go back into the main tank? I have read that 10g can be OK if there are levels.. I have "floating" moss pit and plenty of hiding areas. I used this article on this very site to set up my crabitat and determine how many I could have in my tank. http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 51#p836451

[kieagcarm]

Thanks all! He did end up moving to a larger shell in ISO. It is far too big lol but he can at least fully retract in this one! I hope he pulls through, I've read the big claw is the worst limb to lose! I suppose it will be a long while before he can go back into the main tank? I have read that 10g can be OK if there are levels.. I have "floating" moss pit and plenty of hiding areas. I used this article on this very site to set up my crabitat and determine how many I could have in my tank. http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 51#p836451

Keep in mind that the post is five years old, and things have changed on how to care properly for hermit crabs.for instance, It used to be the norm for the temps to be arid 75 for perfect habitat conditions, now I believe it's been proven that 75 degrees is only striving, not thriving?(someone who has been here longer please correct that if I worded it wrong) also it's now recommended each crab has 5g of space to himself, there is a stickie that actually breaks down the size of the crab per gallon, I use tapatalk and done know how to post links but it's under crab care, crabitat conditions I believe

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[Kermie16]

Jojobeansy, so glad he picked a shell! I would give him a few days in ISO to make sure he is staying in his shell, moving around and eating normally (offer plenty of fresh foods, organic peanut butter and organic raw honey along with good sources of calcium to help with healing). Once all of that looks good, u can give him a dip in the FW pool and put him back in the main tank. Even without the BP, these guys learn to adapt and can still climb well and eat Our Clare came up once without a BP and she did everything like nothing was different. Then went down to molt and came back with all her legs:) A concern for me with the size of the tank and number of hermies even though u have some second levels, which is helpful, is why ur hermie lost a BP - a possibility that he was attacked during his molt . Something to strongly consider . So glad Mr. Crab is doing better today!!


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[Jojobeansy]

Ah, that makes sense! He seems to be doing OK for the moment. I moved him to a more permanent ISO, a little 5 gallon critter keeper, so that he can move and climb a bit more. I was caught off guard so he was in an old Tupperware yesterday! Lol! I bought several more turbos today, as I realized the shells I had were mostly sharkeyes and some Babylon areolas. I only had one turbo and maybe he just didn't like that one! So now he has 4 brand new turbos along with some murex and a cute little conch looking shell to choose from. I hope he finds one he likes . I guess I will look into upgrading the main tank soon, or maybe just getting a second and separating the larger two from the smaller three. Looking at the sticky referred to, I'm not even sure my bigger guys are actually medium, they might actually be small! I knew they would eventually need a bigger tank as they grow but 10g really seemed like plenty of space, there seems to be plenty of area for each crab to have it's own spot both above and below surface. But a 20long isn't too pricey if I can find one on sale I should be able to upgrade in the next couple paychecks or so . I suppose that's still technically a wee bit small but I think especially if I can set up a large second level it will be OK for a while, no?

[Kermie16]

Great job on the turbo and murex finds ! It's good to look into a pair of calipers to measure how big the opening of their shells are now and then u can get better ideas of next sizes up - that's in case u don't already have one. I got mine off of the hermit crab patch. I know several who have bought a digital one off of Amazon - all less than $10. With the 5 hermies and as u said are probably smalls or tiny then they actually may be ok in the 10 g for a bit:) U could consider holding off on the 20g upgrade and maybe wait for the dollar /gallon sales at petco's and look into maybe something a bit larger so they will have room to grow and u won't end up with multiple tanks (like me! lol!). Also good places to check would be craigslist:) Hope Mr. Crab is doing well!!


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[daws409]

Dollar per gallon sale is going on at petco til Jan 28... Try to get the biggest you can afford. I have a 90 gal as main tank and still want bigger

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[Jojobeansy]

Oh wow good to know!! Will have to make a trip to Petco soon! Thanks

[Jojobeansy]

OH! And wanted to quickly update that Mr Crab has switched shells again, this time into one of the new turbos, a much better fit than the too-big one! He seems to be going about his business as usual, only hasn't buried into the sub yet, which is weird for him- he tends to like to stay buried a lot. Or maybe he was just molting back-to-back, if they do that? He's the smallest of the crabs, I've read the smaller ones molt more frequently. Anyway, I'm hoping the switching around is a good sign, and also hoping the fact that he hasn't buried means he isn't too stressed out over the whole ordeal. Thanks again all for all the input!