Limp Jumbo Hermit Crab

[hayleyg10]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

I use eco earth coconut fiber in my tank, 6 inches deep at its deepest point, tapers off on the other end of the tank.


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, I use an electronic humidity/temperature gauge which is located in the middle of my tank near the ground. The temperature usually reads 75-80 degree, and the humidity usually read 80-85%.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

I use a heating pad on the back, left side of the tank, as well as a heat lamp with a night time bulb for short periods of time just to raise the temperature when needed.

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)?

Fresh and saltwater are provided. I use Prime Dechlorinator and I use Instant Ocean to make my salt water according to the box directions.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

I feed my crabs a variety of foods including spinach, cucumbers, carrots, celery, strawberries, eggshells, pellets, dried fruits and nuts, and grapes. It’s replaced nightly.

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

The hermit crab I am concerned about I have had for 2 weeks now. It’s a jumbo crab I believe it’s a PP but I’m still not 100% sure.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

Since it’s been in my care, I haven’t noticed it molting. It’s been buried (not completely) in the corner for maybe a week now which I believed it was molting at the time, however now I’m not sure.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

The crabs are kept in a 20 gallon glass tank (3 crabs in tank). I use a screen lid but it’s covered with a blanket to keep in heat and humidity.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

There are 3 crabs in the tank, 2 jumbos a tad smaller than palm sized, and then a smaller crab about an inch long.

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

I usually keep 15 shells in the tank scattered around of varying sizes.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

The plan has been to do a thorough cleaning once a year, but I clean it weekly where I remove any food bits laying around, mix up the substrate, and change their water.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

No sponges.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

I added new shells two days ago for the jumbos, but I boiled them and cleaned them thoroughly before adding them.

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 bought the 2 jumbos about 2 weeks ago to keep my other hermit crab company since he was alone. Before this I had tried adopting a hermit crab from Petco which didn’t work out as he passed within a week. Before going back up to college, I bought 2 more healthy looking crabs from a more reliable pet store. They did wonderfully, climbing and exploring daily, eating the fruits and veggies I gave them. They even transported well to college during the 5 hour car ride. Since I’ve been at school they’ve been active and eating, but this one has been hiding in the corner buried for about a week, which I had assumed to be molting.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

One of my jumbo crabs has recently come up from being partially buried. He walked to the salt water bowl and was submerging in the water for only a few minutes. He then crawled out and sat next to the bowl, and nothing seemed off about it, I just figured he finally felt comfortable coming up and was exploring. He was responsive (aka he tucked into his shell when he saw me). I left him be while I went out and when I came back 2 hours later he was in the same spot except this time he was droopy looking. His eyestalks and feelers were pointed down sort of tucked between his front legs. I picked him up and he felt super limp, not completely falling out of his shell, but limp. He moved his claws just a bit but otherwise did not react to me at all. I moved him to a quiet corner, but I’m not sure what’s going on? I read that he could be molting, but why did he unbury himself? I don’t smell the typical death scent, but he’s not moving at all. I feel like it’s my fault in some way, but I know that my setup is pretty good. I don’t know if I should give him time? Is there anything I can do to help him?

.

[Crabby7Crabber]

I'm no expert, but it sounds as if the crab might be stressed, or sick. Was he active when you first got him, or has he always appeared inactive? I suggest letting him be for now, and keep an eye on him. But like I said, I'm not an expert, just a geeky teen. I hope he gets better regardless<3

[Hermiesguardian]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

I use eco earth coconut fiber in my tank, 6 inches deep at its deepest point, tapers off on the other end of the tank.

HG- substrate needs to be minimum 6 inches across the whole tank, or 3 times the height of your largest crab, whichever is deeper wins. Then if you want to make a slope, you can add more substrate to one side.

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, I use an electronic humidity/temperature gauge which is located in the middle of my tank near the ground. The temperature usually reads 75-80 degree, and the humidity usually read 80-85%.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

I use a heating pad on the back, left side of the tank, as well as a heat lamp with a night time bulb for short periods of time just to raise the temperature when needed.

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)?

Fresh and saltwater are provided. I use Prime Dechlorinator and I use Instant Ocean to make my salt water according to the box directions.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

I feed my crabs a variety of foods including spinach, cucumbers, carrots, celery, strawberries, eggshells, pellets, dried fruits and nuts, and grapes. It’s replaced nightly.

HG - most items marketed for crabs isn't good for them. Check the ingredients of the pellets. If there are any preservatives, throw it out. They do need calcium and protein daily.

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

The hermit crab I am concerned about I have had for 2 weeks now. It’s a jumbo crab I believe it’s a PP but I’m still not 100% sure.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

Since it’s been in my care, I haven’t noticed it molting. It’s been buried (not completely) in the corner for maybe a week now which I believed it was molting at the time, however now I’m not sure.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

The crabs are kept in a 20 gallon glass tank (3 crabs in tank). I use a screen lid but it’s covered with a blanket to keep in heat and humidity.

HG - a blanket won't keep in humidity. Seal and tape the lid with plastic wrap.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

There are 3 crabs in the tank, 2 jumbos a tad smaller than palm sized, and then a smaller crab about an inch long.

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

I usually keep 15 shells in the tank scattered around of varying sizes.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

The plan has been to do a thorough cleaning once a year, but I clean it weekly where I remove any food bits laying around, mix up the substrate, and change their water.

HG - there's no need to do a complete substrate cleaning unless there's a flood or bacterial bloom.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

No sponges.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

I added new shells two days ago for the jumbos, but I boiled them and cleaned them thoroughly before adding them.

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 bought the 2 jumbos about 2 weeks ago to keep my other hermit crab company since he was alone. Before this I had tried adopting a hermit crab from Petco which didn’t work out as he passed within a week. Before going back up to college, I bought 2 more healthy looking crabs from a more reliable pet store. They did wonderfully, climbing and exploring daily, eating the fruits and veggies I gave them. They even transported well to college during the 5 hour car ride. Since I’ve been at school they’ve been active and eating, but this one has been hiding in the corner buried for about a week, which I had assumed to be molting.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

One of my jumbo crabs has recently come up from being partially buried. He walked to the salt water bowl and was submerging in the water for only a few minutes. He then crawled out and sat next to the bowl, and nothing seemed off about it, I just figured he finally felt comfortable coming up and was exploring. He was responsive (aka he tucked into his shell when he saw me). I left him be while I went out and when I came back 2 hours later he was in the same spot except this time he was droopy looking. His eyestalks and feelers were pointed down sort of tucked between his front legs. I picked him up and he felt super limp, not completely falling out of his shell, but limp. He moved his claws just a bit but otherwise did not react to me at all. I moved him to a quiet corner, but I’m not sure what’s going on? I read that he could be molting, but why did he unbury himself? I don’t smell the typical death scent, but he’s not moving at all. I feel like it’s my fault in some way, but I know that my setup is pretty good. I don’t know if I should give him time? Is there anything I can do to help him?

.HG - it's possible the substrate wasn't deep enough for him to molt, if he was actually molting. Give him some honey for healing and energy. I'm sure someone with more experience can give more advice.

[hayleyg10]

I'm no expert, but it sounds as if the crab might be stressed, or sick. Was he active when you first got him, or has he always appeared inactive? I suggest letting him be for now, and keep an eye on him. But like I said, I'm not an expert, just a geeky teen. I hope he gets better regardless<3

He was very active when I first got him, climbing things, etc. Then about a week ago he buried in a corner but not completely. He definitely could have gone deeper, but perhaps I could make it deeper just for the future. Thanks for the advice! I put half a soda bottle over him with the top cut off so that the others don’t disturb him. He hasn’t moved at all but I still don’t smell anything.

[Crabby7Crabber]

He was very active when I first got him, climbing things, etc. Then about a week ago he buried in a corner but not completely. He definitely could have gone deeper, but perhaps I could make it deeper just for the future. Thanks for the advice! I put half a soda bottle over him with the top cut off so that the others don’t disturb him. He hasn’t moved at all but I still don’t smell anything.

You're welcome, and good idea! It sounds like he's stressed for some reason or sick. Watch him for any body parts falling off; that's definitely going to be a sign of stress or sickness! I hope he gets better <3!

[wodesorel]

It really sounds like post-purchase syndrome, with them being so new. If you're talking a true jumbo crab - the size of a baseball or bigger - it's already decades old and they do not adapt well to captivity, if they can adapt at all. I have never had one survive longer than a couple of years, and the majority all passed away within the first month. It's heartbreaking, it's like they waste away from home sickness.

[Crabby7Crabber]

It really sounds like post-purchase syndrome, with them being so new. If you're talking a true jumbo crab - the size of a baseball or bigger - it's already decades old and they do not adapt well to captivity, if they can adapt at all. I have never had one survive longer than a couple of years, and the majority all passed away within the first month. It's heartbreaking, it's like they waste away from home sickness.

Aw, that's so sad. My heart goes out to you, wodesorel!

[BlazeTheWeirdo]

I have a fairly big girl myself that came from a very neglectful pet store. One of the things I would try is feeding him more protein rich foods. Protein is very important in their diet. Maybe some dried krill, mealworms, bloodworms, a boiled egg, or something like that. Plant proteins are pretty good too like peanuts, chia seeds, pecans, and millet. Also try to feed raw honey maybe 2 nights a week.

Also keep the humidity above 80%. One of the things I found out about mine was that she had gill damage from the poor conditions. She's fine as long as the humidity is above 80% She has a day or two of activity and then 3 days of rest, but it's consistent for her. I hope this helps.