HELP. Streaking hermit crab?? Put some clothes on

[Freckles24]

Grab some popcorn or something and get comfortable, this is going to be a lengthy post.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
I use a mixture of EE and play sand (its like 5 bricks of EE and 50 lbs of sand) its about 8 inches deep all over with one corner being 10 inches
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?
I use 'accurite' brand digital gauges. They're in different places. Humidity varies between 85 and 93 ish. Temp during the day stays from 79-81 at night it is 75-78. I also use a fancy infrared temp gun to test different temps.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I use a heat mat on the back of the tank (above the soil, heating the air) I'm not sure what wattage it is ive had it for a while. The temp gun says the direct temp is in the high 80s
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)?
Both FW and SW. I use prime to dechlorinate both and Instant Ocean for the salt water. I follow the direction when mixing them.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
OH gosh. They eat salmon, dried shrimp, fresh grilled plain chicken, boiled eggs, strawberries, Kale, raw honey, organic peanut butter, almond leaves, pineapple, mango, bits of coconut. I could go on and on but they get a lot of variety. I replace the food every morning.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
He is a PP. I've had him since May 2017
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
I think he has molted 4 or 5 times since I have had him and they have always been perfect and each time he gets darker. He came up about 10-14 days ago from his last molt.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are kept in a 29 gallon tank with a plexiglass lid to help keep in humidity.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
There are 4 crabs in my crabitat. 2 are small, 2 are medium.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I keep about 25-30 shells in my tank at all times. They are tapestry turbos, green turbos, and a few shark eyes (one prefers them). They vary in sizes but each crab has several.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
TBH I've never cleaned my tank. I pick up the food and sift through the top 2" when my crabs are up but I've never replaced the sub.
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No sponges, I use craft mesh as a ramp.
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.)?
I rarely touch my crabs. I open the lid, mist, replace food, look to see if everyone is doing okay, and leave them alone.
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Alrighty.

I checked on my crabitat at about 5pm yesterday and immediately noticed Atlas did not have a shell. There were no shells near him and all of his limbs were intact. All of my crabs have very different shell preferences so I know it wasn't stolen (Aston is nickel sized and wears the exact shell I got him in over a year ago, Oliver only wears shark eyes, Laurel likes shells 3 sizes too big, and Atlas usually wears shells 1/2 size too small). Laurel and Atlas are the same size. Laurel wears shells that look empty when she is fully recoiled & for the last 4 months or so Atlas wears shells he can barely fit in. I rinsed him of with Dechlor. FW and tried to carefully reshell him but he literally fought me the entire time (no pinching though). Like literally I would carefully set him in the shell, then he would crawl out. This happened twice. He is not a shy crab by any means and he was acting like he had a shell on with out any cares. I gave up and put him in a tiny critter keeper with 6 viable shell options. I also put about 2cm of FW in the bottom of the critter keeper and put it in the tank. I fed him raw/organic honey on a q-tip and waited about 2 hours for him to chill out (this entire time he was trying to escape the iso tank- naked). After about 3 hours I offered him the yolk of a boiled egg which he took several chunks out of. Around 6 hours after iso I checked on him and he had a large shell on much bigger than what he usually wears (this was the shell I was trying to put him in because the bigger the shell the easier it is to set them in. I left him in the iso over night and when I woke up this morning, naked again. Very energetic and moving around the iso tank like " let me out." I have been at school all day and when I checked on him (at 12 ish) he was sitting on top of the shells with his antenna moving around. I wont be home until 4:30 but I'll update his condition when I get home. He really is not acting like any of my other crabs that went shell-less and lethargic and then passed. I really hope he makes it because he has the best personality of all my crabbie kids.

[Freckles24]

24 hours later...

I came home to him sitting on top of the shells and when I took the tank lid off he started moving a lot and I got these pictures. I’m about to feed him some honey on a q tip.




Not getting my hopes up because last night he put a shell on for an hour or so and then crawled out of it.

(The shell options are tapestry/Mexican turbos and a shark eye. He typically prefers tapestry’s over the green one I have in there. Tapestry’s are also lighter)

[piratetoothgir]

Sorry about these problems

I found nothing wrong with your template submission, everything seems very accurate, and nicely done.
My only guess is that he is weak from his molt, or is just having a small issue at this time. He doesn't look sickly, but you never know honestly. Make sure that he is always wearing a shell during this time.

I would supplement with honey or bee pollen, royal jelly works too
Let's just hope he gets back to normal.

[curlysister]

I have never had a naked crab, so don't know how much help I am. I agree with Stella that your conditions look to be really good, nothing glaring there. I do wonder in the iso, if you have a bit too much water in there. From what I have read, it should just be a scant amount to keep their belly moist - that might be why he was on top of the shells when you found him. Good that he's in a shell now. Hopefully he stays in there.

[Freckles24]

Came home today and my entire room smelt. He was sitting on top of the shells completely dried out. Very sad right now. I had 6 crabs starting out and now I have 3.

[alicrabs2003]

Came home today and my entire room smelt. He was sitting on top of the shells completely dried out. Very sad right now. I had 6 crabs starting out and now I have 3.

That sucks!! I'm very new to hermit crabs but I would hate to have one of them die, especially because from your description it seems like your doing everything right. Hopefully someone with more experience than me can help you, but all I can say is keep your head up and keep doing what you're doing.

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[Hermiesguardian]

Came home today and my entire room smelt. He was sitting on top of the shells completely dried out. Very sad right now. I had 6 crabs starting out and now I have 3.

I'm so sorry.

[wodesorel]

Dangit! I am so sorry! Everything seems perfect and you were doing e erything you could for him. I had hoped he was just being difficult. We just can't know what all goes wrong with them, but not wearing a shell seema to be a big red flag for severe weakness and/or internal organ involvement. Nothing you can do in that case, they don't show signs until it is too late.

[curlysister]

I am so sorry to read this.