WHY did they suddenly die ??!?

[Pinkypants]

I bought 3 new crabbies at Petco about 3 weeks ago & added them to my beautiful, perfect 25 gallon tank w/ 2 others that I've had for a couple years. I work at home so was able to keep an almost constant eye on them. 1 went down to molt a few days later, that's fine. Of the other 2, the smaller one was pretty nervous/shy, but got around to eat & drink. The other was nice & active, climbing on toys, making friends, etc.. A couple weeks later I saw the smaller one not sitting in the same spot all day. I checked him, he wiggled around so I put him back. This happened a few times in a couple days, then I was worried & sure enough on the 3rd day he was suddenly next to his shell, dead. Of course I put him in my 'urgent care' tank & waited for the smell before burying him. Now, about a week later, the same happened to the larger one. I just found him, in the little tank, next to his shell, dead. WHY ?? I, for the life of me, can't figure what went wrong !! I'm heartbroken. I have researched for years, even taught Petco employees how to care for them and to TELL CUSTOMERS the same. My older 2 are fine. I have perfect set ups so this is making me crazy. And what is PPS that I see on your posts ? So sad, I did my best but I want to know why it wasn't good enough, especially for the larger active one. Any explainations..please?

[Rawrgeous]

Pps stands for post purchase syndrome. It is not uncommon for newer crabs to have gone through such poor treatment that they are too weak to molt, or make it. Thank you for trying to help others learn about their care! Sometimes they just seemingly die for no reason. If you have time you could fill out the help template linked in the top of this thread, but I'm very sorry for your loss.
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92531 This thread gives more info about post purchase syndrome.

[piratetoothgir]

Hello! Welcome to the HCA!

I will agree with Rawrgeous, that can significantly be the reason why they are just dying, which is common.
These animals are hunted down on beaches all across the tropics and shoved into cages of distributors where they await a new home.
Often times those homes aren't ideal, and some are better than others. Here at the HCA we do our best to give every crab a good home with a responsible owner

Could you fill out this template?
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 27&t=46102
It will greatly help some of the members here help you, and we get to have a good inside look at your setup

[Pinkypants]

Awe, thank you guys for the quick replies. I know their travels are horrendous. I'd love for everyone to Boycott buying them but I see them & figure better me than someone who's oblivious and will throw them in the garbage during a molt. Poor things, sooo sad. I just thought this would be the place to discover something more I may not be aware of. THANK YOU & I will fill out that template now. ❤

[Pinkypants]

P.S. For the record, Pinkypants is what I call my oldest crabbie.. lol.

[Pinkypants]

Sorry, I'm more crab savvy than 'copy & paste' savvy. I hope this will work as to answering the template questions: I use Eco Earth compressed coconut fiber substrate mixed w/ calcium sand, aprox 4" deep. I have both gauges, in the middle of the back wall of my 25 gallon tank. They both usually read 75-80. I usually have 3 crabbies but would like to keep 5 in there together. I've always used a heat lamp but recently learned that a pad is better so I now have one stuck on one side of the tank. I buy pre-mixed salt & fresh waters, Hydrate or Imagitarium brands. Their dishes are always clean & full. They get a variety of foods; JurassiDiet mini crab pellets, All Living Things variety diet, coconut flakes, Zoo Med fruit salad (pineapple, banana, apple, etc.), Tetrafauna Hermit Crab Meal and the occassional carrot or brocolli bits from the fridge and Pinky's favorite, a Plain Cheerio now & then (I've actually seen them play tug of war with a Cheerio..too cute! Don't worry, I break them up & make sure they each have their own...lol). Their food is refreshed every 2 or 3 days, to be honest. I have no idea of the species of any that I've owned. I just try to pick healthy ones that are close to the others in size. That size is considered small, relatively speaking. The 2 that I've had for about 3 yrs have each molted twice as well as changed shells, of which I keep about 4 extra in the tank at all times. I actually have 1 new crabbie who is molting now, so far so good. I do have an extra 'molt' or 'sick' tank as I do know the pre-molt signs to look for. The past molts have taken anywhere from 10 to 25 days. They have 1 solid glass lid and 1 screen lid (for real hot days). I really only gut the whole tank for cleaning every few months. Never do they have contact with chemical sprays or fumes. They have a water sponge that they like to play with and even sometimes drink from. I don't really 'clean' them, I replace when they appear too 'used'. They have lots of toys to climb on that I rotate & boil them now & then. I've done LOTS of research, I think we're in pretty good shape, which is why the last 2 sudden deaths really upset me. THANK YOU all for being here !!

[Hermiesguardian]

I'll comment on what I can. Ecoearth can be mixed with playsand, mixed with dechlorinated water to sandcastle consistancy. Calcium sand isn't actually good for crabs. When it gets wet it can harden and kill the crabs if it gets in their shells. And the substrate has to be a minimum of 6" or at least 3 times the depth of your largest crab. The sub doesn't have to be changed out so often. Maybe once a year. Sponges carry alot of bacteria so most people don't use them. They do need a dechlorinated fresh water pool and a dechlorinated salt water pool, both deep enough for them to fully submerge. With a way that they can easily climb out. I'm sure others may add more.

[JoeHermits]

Hermit crab saltwater does not contain the right salts for hermit crabs (ironically). Marine grade salts like Instant Ocean work better and are often cheaper in the long run.

Don’t forget, both water bowls must be deep enough for full submersion! You can create ladders or ramps from plastic plants or canvas if needed.

Also note that many commercial foods contain compounds that hermit crabs cannot safely consume. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92555

A varied diet is the best diet. It can make feeding them much more interesting, as well. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92554

[JoeHermits]

Any reason for the sponges? They don’t have many practical uses and tend to grow a lot of bacteria. Crabbers who do use them recommend wringing them out, air drying, then microwaving for a few seconds to kill off microbes daily.

As has been said, calcium sand can behave like cement when it gets wet. Mixing it into the coconut fiber won’t change that. Many if us prefer a 5:1 ratio of playsand (silica-based) and coconut fiber. It gives the right consistency, holds tunnels well, helps maintain humidity, and grows beneficial bacteria to help break down fecal matter. It’s cheaper, too.

A heat lamp can be used, but they can easily lower humidity if you’re not careful. A reliable heat pad is better. Ultratherms are the most efficient pads and can be safely insulated. Brands such as ZooMed are seldom adequate and are often too weak.

Do you rotate your glass and screen lids? The screen won’t hold in the proper humidity. Beware: analog gauges found in pet stores can be inaccurate!

[Rawrgeous]

I can tell you really love these little guys, and while you did research it is possible that you stumbled upon some care info that is not quite up to date or is a bit misinformed. But so far you are heading in the right direction. The side-mounted heater is great! If you have purple pinchers your temp range is perfectly fine for them, but honestly, you shouldn't have to worry about too hot as long as the temp doesn't exceed 90 degrees. They are most active around 80 degrees. High humidity is just fine as well. There is no such thing as too much for them. Also, the glass lid is great. Hermits use modified gills, so a glass lid helps keeps it really humid in there for them. I will second the substrate and food mentioned above.They gave some great links to resources. A tip on feeding: It may seem expensive or difficult at first to feed them all fresh foods. But, in reality hermits are pretty open to what they can and cannot have. Many times a minuscule amount of what you will eat for dinner with suffice. This is the safe foods link: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557 Just make sure any meat you give them is unseasoned, and nothing pre-prepared has additives or salt. Wardley's hermit crab food is an exception to processed hermit crab foods because it is just plain dried shrimp and is found for I believe 1.20 at walmart. This is a link that gives an overall view of hermit's nutritional needs. viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554 This is an older guide, but still breaks the info down so it is readable, and gives a good starting place on knowing what to feed. I will end with a suggestion to not add any more crabs unless you plan to upgrade in the near future. Also, if you do, a difference in size is actually more preferable IMO than similar size because it creates less competition for shells of that size. Shell jacking is less prevalent when there are multiple shells of the crab's size to choose from. When they are all the same size, that creates more competition for that size opening. I also suggest holding off getting more crabbies, while it is tempting unless you plan on upgrading or getting a second tank. They grow quite quickly with adequate food supply, and while they may fit in that size tank, for now, you will quickly find the need to upgrade due to their molting needs, how much they dig, and the fact that once you will the tank halfway up with sand there won't be much room. Just food for thought. I hope this helps!

[Giner13]

Also don’t know if someone mentioned above, but remove & don’t use pellets. They really aren’t nutritious for the crabbies, even though they are “marketed” for them.
I echo everything else said above! And good luck!!


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[curlysister]

Just an FYI about Wardley's hermit crab food - in Canada it is sold as Wardley Turtle Delight. It's the same thing, 100% dried shrimp, just a different name.