Rescue advice needed

[jkmlad]

Hi. I have been helping someone move. Yesterday, I found one of those screen enclosures that kids get crabs in at the beach. There was a crab in there, but the 10 year old owner told me it's been ignored for the past two weeks. He had a sponge in there but it was totally dry. The gravel, and everything else in there had a layer of mold in it. I am not a crab person... I've never owned one,. I have visited your forum, and learned a lot there. My grandson about 5 hours away has a successful "crabitat". If I can save this guy, I intend to see if he'd like to adopt this crab. But I don't want to give an unhealthy/ dying crab to a 9 year old. So... 1) Is there any chance this crab will survive? He's been active. I took him out of his old cage, and put him in my kitchen sink while I tried to find a better habitat for him. He moved about, and even seemed a bit aggressive. But I don't know the difference between normal behavior and aggression. 2) The family he belonged to had a problem with fleas in their home. They have bombed, and had the place sprayed no less than 5 times in the past 3 weeks. Since they didn't even take care of him, I doubt that he was removed from the home for the treatments. Will that kill him? 3) What signs do I look for when trying to determine if he's healthy or very ill? 4) He is now in an iced cream bucket. Since I raise rabbits, I have plastic resting boards, which are slatted. I put that on top of the bucket. Is this a terrible thing to house him in long enough to determine if he's going to make it or not? Finally, if he's not going to make it, and seems miserable, is there a way to humanely euthanize a Hermit Crab? Thanks in advance for anyassistance.

[wodesorel]

At the very least he needs a fair amount of moist substrate and warmth in order to have a chance at survival. They repair damage by molting, and they dig underground to do so. A plastic storage container that can hold around 5 gallons (so long as he is smaller in size) of moistened playsand is a basic start and something I have done in the past for rescues. Temperature needs to be at least 75 degrees at all times, though closer to 80 would be better. My guess is that once he can eat and drink a bit he will head straight down to molt. That can take a month or two but if he makes it through that he should be okay long term. Certain individual crabs can be insanely hardy and survive things you would not expect so it is never too late for them until they actually pass away, I would not give up on him yet!

[Happyhermiehome]

I would suggest an inexpensive Rubbermaid type tub with a lid and a bag of playsand from Home Depot. The play Sand is only about $4 for 50lbs.

[jkmlad]

So if I use the Rubbermaid tote, will he have enough air flow/ oxygen even with the lid on? I have play sand because I use it to dry up the wet spots on the ground under my rabbit cages. Some other questions... are Hermit crabs nocturnal? He was moving last night, but hasn't moved out of his spot today. I just checked again, and he was moving his legs a bit. I was planning on baked fish tonight. The fish is from a fish market and hasn't been processed at all. I was planning on giving him a small piece of raw fish. I figured that would have lots of moisture in it, and lots of protein. How long should I leave it in with him before I remove it? I want to give him a chance to eat it, but don't want the house to smell like dead fish for 3-4 days. I can always put a small piece in plastic and give him a morsel per day for several days.

[Happyhermiehome]

U can drill some holes in the top for air flow. And when u open and close the lid for feeding etc. this will provide air exchange.this type of lid will actually help hold humidity in. Or u can check your local Craig's list or letgo cuz people give away 10gallon fish tanks for free or dirt cheap all the time! It doesn't have to hold water either so doesn't matter is it leaks lol. Yes! Raw fish is excellent! Just leave it in there over night and if it stinks next days swhich it out or offer him something els like a bit of banana or egg scrambled or hard boiled. They love eggs! Give him the shell too un rinsed and whole halves. Just drop in he will have a good time pinching pieces off and dragging it around. It a good source of calcium which he needs to molt. And yes they are nocturnal. He may well be very active in the wee hours when u are sleeping. Give him something to hide under like a plastic sour cream tub with a lil door hole cut into it so he can feel safe and he does need marine salt water as well as dechlorinated fresh water. not table salt though. It has to be the kind for salt water fish like instant ocean brand. And he will need a heat source as well. Although if this is a temporary situation u may be able to sit the tub near a space heater if your house is not cold. The inside temp of the tub needs to be like at least 75- 80. U might be able to rig up a clamp lamp and cut a hole in the top of the bin or use a bendy desk lamp. But if u plan to keep him long term he will need a UTH heat pad. And forgive me is someone already mentioned this must the sand needs to be kept moist like a sand castle consistency but not puddly wet. U will need to mist the tub a few times a day with a spray bottle to keep the air moist so he can breathe. More so if u use a lamp as it will dry the air inside quicker.

Oh and major props to you for saving this poor guy!

[jkmlad]

Y'all are great! Thanks for the responses! He doesn't seem to have eaten since I've had him. I diced up pieces of fish and apple without peels, but he doesn't seemed to have touched them. Since all he ever had to eat with his last owner was
"Hermit Crab Chow" I'm thinking maybe I should buy some and use it until he transitions to real food. He did move about a bit in the Rubbermaid tote last night. And this morning he is propped up in a corner, with his shell opening visible. I am hoping that means he feels safe. I've read conflicting stories about sponges. One person says they harbor disease and bacteria, another site says they are the preferred method of providing water. I've left it in for now, because again, that's what he's used to. But I've got his old water bowl in there, and put another container into the sand for him so he can get in and out easily. I'm going to the local pet place today and plan to buy a heater for him. We heat with wood, so our temps fluctuate. Again. I cannot thank y'all enough!!!. Got to be honest. Having a Hermit Crab in my life was not on my bucket list, but the little guy is growing on me! I really do hope he makes it.

[Happyhermiehome]

I wouldn't be overly concerned that he's not eating. They can go for months while they are under ground molting without eating and their appetites kind of wax and wane depending on where they are in their molt cycle. May also bee that he's still a bit stressed. Some crabs also prefer dry foods to fresh. I wouldn't recommend the crab chow cus it likely contains some funky preservatives. Instead you could try some freezes dried krill/shrimp or meal worms they sell them at Walmart for a few bucks a bottle in the pet section my crabs love these and they are cheap. Also some dried fruits and nuts might interest him. Try to stick with organic if you can.

Sponges are an old school practice. It was once thought that a crab could not drink water unless he could suck it from a sponge but this is simply not true. They are unnecessary and can get really funky. Keep in mind also that his water dishes must be deep eneough that he can completely submerge shell n all under the water.

I never planned on crabs either but crabs happened lol
I got my first crab from a family member who other crabs died cuz the kids stopped giving them food and water! I wasn't sure about having a crab but I'm a sucker for an animal in need so I took him home and he quickly skittered his way into my heart lol. Now I have 6!
Keep up the good work! The universe shall reward u for your good deeds

[jkmlad]

I picked up this guy on Friday. He hasn't been out of his shell for the past two days. I'm about to re-configure his environment. I got a $30 heater thinking this would be big enough to heat up the tote I put him in. I read the small print when I got home, and it turns out that you should never use this kind of heater in a plastic tank. I also bought play sand at the local Home Depot. It's "High Desert Sand". Says nothing about silica. I guess I should take it back too. Having raised chickens, I have a heat lamp I am now hanging over his tote. I don't think, at this point in time, that I'm in any danger of him escaping. So I'm going to continue to use the heat lamp. Yesterday, since someone said something about egg shells, I threw one in from some baking I did. Before I did, I put it in the oven for about ten minutes to cook any raw egg clinging to the shell (we do that with chickens to keep them from canibalizing their own eggs). I thought that might keep flies and odor away. I bought some cheap tossable refrigerator storage type containers. There were four in the pack. I have sunken two into the sand permanently. That way I can put the other ones inside of them and pull them out to clean daily. I just hope he soon comes out of his shell and starts using this stuff.

[Happyhermiehome]

I think the Pavestone brand high desert sand is still silica play sand. I think it's just a finer grain lighter colored grade than the quikcrete play sand.

[S.C.]

He doesn't seem to have eaten since I've had him. I diced up pieces of fish and apple without peels, but he doesn't seemed to have touched them.

Also he might be eating and you don't notice. It was like that with my first guy when he was alone. I thought he wasn't eating until one time I actually saw him sitting on the shell eating. Now that I have 3 the missing food is more noticeable and they're also messier.

Good for you for taking the little guy in!

[jkmlad]

The plot thickens! The tote I am using for this guy is a clear sided tote with the a fold in lid that hinges on both side. Since I started using the heat lamp to keep him warm I can't close the lid. I pick him up every day and check to make sure he's still moving, he was alive last night. This morning, first thing, I glanced in his tote, and he's missing! Gone! I have torn apart my family room but I can't find him! My family room has never been cleaner, b/c I have pulled out every piece of furniture. Tomorrow, when I get home, I'm going to have the hubs help me move the fridge to see if he's under there. One of my friends suggested that he burrowed underground, shell and all. Is that possible?

[Happyhermiehome]

The plot thickens! The tote I am using for this guy is a clear sided tote with the a fold in lid that hinges on both side. Since I started using the heat lamp to keep him warm I can't close the lid. I pick him up every day and check to make sure he's still moving, he was alive last night. This morning, first thing, I glanced in his tote, and he's missing! Gone! I have torn apart my family room but I can't find him! My family room has never been cleaner, b/c I have pulled out every piece of furniture. Tomorrow, when I get home, I'm going to have the hubs help me move the fridge to see if he's under there. One of my friends suggested that he burrowed underground, shell and all. Is that possible?

If you've added the appropriate amount of sand he probably dug down for a molt. They backfill their tunnels so it might not be evident if he did. And yes they do go down shell and all

[jclee]

Yes, he might be down for a while, depending on how big he is. Give it some time, and read up on molting on the forum.

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[ROSIEonFIRE]

Question: is your sand moist enough to hold a tunnel? If the sand is totally dry I don't see how he could be down there but if you added water to the sand so that it is something approaching 'sand castle' consistency, he's probably molting.

The frustrating thing IMO is that it can be pretty much impossible to know bc they backfill and if he did go down to molt he could be down there for a month or more, depending on his size. Just hang tight and he'll show up again eventually one way or another!

[jkmlad]

Just signing in to give y'all an update. Nothing is happening! LOL. I continue to change fresh water daily. I spritz the indoor of the tote and the sand daily. I keep the warming lamp on 24/7. But I haven't seen hide nor hair of the little guy for two weeks. I still don't see any sign of an air hole in the sand, but remain hopeful that he's still alive. There's no sign of him elsewhere in my house either... and there haven't been any odd smells about. Thanks again for all of the help. I remain optomistic. If anything changes I'll update you.