A humane method for crab euthanasia :(

[Brooke]

I know this is a sad, awful topic, but I want to share this information with all of you for the benefit of your crabs, should it come to this.

Today, one of my oldest and most beloved crabs was horribly attacked by another crab when my back was turned. It was horrible and I didn't get there in time to save her. Her soft abdomen had been essentially torn apart, and there truly would have been no way to save her. Despite this, her legs were still moving, indicating that she was still alive and possibly in terrible pain. Since I couldn't save her, and since it would have been cruel to just let her suffer there until she passed, I made the decision to humanely euthanize her. I'm absolutely crushed by her death, but I felt that if I could ease her suffering then I should.

This is a method I learned while employed at a Zoo I used to work for - I was working in the invertebrate area caring for butterflies. One of my most important jobs in that area was watching butterflies emerge from their pupae, making sure their wings dried properly, and humanely euthanizing any that emerged deformed beyond repair (i.e. some would emerge with deformed wings that wouldn't open/dry, and would never be able to feed themselves).

The method we used at the zoo was gently inducing torpor. For anyone who doesn't know what this means, invertebrates - including hermit crabs - experience a state of suspended animation, or torpor, when temperatures drop. Some hermit crabs in the wild experience this in winter - they dig underground, stop growing, and emerge when temperarures rise. It's similar to hibernation. Anyway, by inducing this state of deep sleep or torpor, you're able to anaesthetize the animal and remove its pain before euthanizing it. We did this by placing invertebrates in the refrigerator for 24 hours, which gently induces torpor and puts them asleep, and then transferring them to the freezer for 24 hours, which humanely kills them WHILE they are asleep and can't feel it.

I made the decision to do this for Athena when her time tragically came yesterday. I do believe it was the most humane thing to do, and I'm sure she much preferred falling gently to sleep than dying slowly and painfully at room temperature. It's your decision if you want to use this information - and I sincerely hope you never have to - but if it does come down to it, this really could give your crabs a humane end-of-life experience.

[Happyhermiehome]

So so sorry for your loss
She is at peace now enjoying that big beach in the sky.

[Brooke]

Thank you for the kind words <3 It does help to think about it like that.

[Happyhermiehome]

I very recently experienced my first loss too also to aggression. I feel your pain

[Sillysheep]

Thank you for the kind words <3 It does help to think about it like that.

You helped me more than you know. I'm dealing with aggression in my tank. The aggressor backs down now, when face to face, but comes from behind when given the opportunity. I let her visit in the big tank every day, and every day, same thing.

I can't imagine how tough it was for you to make that decision. How horribly hard (no word could cover that) it must've been. I'm so very sorry. Thank you for posting what you did, I will always remember that.

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk

[Brooke]

Thank you for the kind words <3 It does help to think about it like that.

You helped me more than you know. I'm dealing with aggression in my tank. The aggressor backs down now, when face to face, but comes from behind when given the opportunity. I let her visit in the big tank every day, and every day, same thing.

I can't imagine how tough it was for you to make that decision. How horribly hard (no word could cover that) it must've been. I'm so very sorry. Thank you for posting what you did, I will always remember that.

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk

Thank you so much for your reply <3 ... it truly means a lot to me to know that this information is helping someone. Also, I'm really sorry to hear that you're having aggression issues with your tank... it's a very scary and nerve wracking thing to deal with. I'm sending you and your crabbies good vibes and hope everything will settle down for you soon.

[Brooke]

I very recently experienced my first loss too also to aggression. I feel your pain

Ah man, it's awful to hear that you went through this, too. I'm very sorry for your loss. *hug*