Crab went through the washing machine!

Meznuraie · Post by **Meznuraie** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:19 am

I'm not sure yet if this is an "emergency", and it doesn't really have to do with the living conditions.

I had a crab in a solitary "moulting tank" as my new very large "Trogdor The Hermanator" was determined to unbury every crab possible.

I thought it had gone down to moult - no activity on the surface, it was extremely pale with the dark patches on it's body when I put it in, so I assumed all was hunky dory.

I came home today to my landlord saying "i found a pretty shell in your washing when i hung it out, and when i picked it up, a crab came out and tried to escape!"

So i definitely know it went through a short wash in the machine.

It's very active, drinking and eating, so i don't know if it's had any adverse effects? I gave it a wash in a large bowl of fresh water then salt water, sndnow it's walking around the tank.

Is there anything else i should do?

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Motörcrab · Post by **Motörcrab** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 8:12 am

I'm not exactly sure what the best method of care would be for this one.

I believe you did the right thing with rinsing Trogdor in fresh water to remove any soap, bleach, or other chemicals. I would probably soak him another time or two in the fresh water just try and remove any more residue he may have.

It is really hard to say if any damage has been done to him, especially his gills and eyes. Generally hermit crabs seem to be ok until they try to molt. So you may not know for sure for several months.

"Trogdor was a crab
I mean, he was a hermit crab
Or maybe he was just a hermit
But he was still Trogdor!
Trogdor!"

Meznuraie · Post by **Meznuraie** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 8:25 am

This one isn't Trogdor, it's one that Trogdor kept digging up. I haven't named any of the others, because they haven't really told me what their name should be yet.

I'll wash the crabby again when I get home from work. It seems to be alright... though earlier I had a guilty giggle session imagining the crab in the spin cycle....

Yup, I'm going to hel l

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crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 10:05 am

That’s crazy! Any idea how he ended up in there?! Lol. Glad to hear he seems ok though!

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RiNiKy506 · Post by **RiNiKy506** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:10 pm

When they escape they usually do try to find the most humid places, usually bathrooms. Not rly trying to be funny but I guess he found the best humid spot. Hope the little guy makes a full recovery.

Edit to add: try to increase the proteins you give them such as dried one ingredient dog treats like beef liver, dried chicken, or in the fish foods, dried red shrimp, bloodworms, krill... Also how deep is your substrate? Just trying to go through some things that could maybe help you.

Meznuraie · Post by **Meznuraie** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 6:26 pm

RiNiKy506 wrote:When they escape they usually do try to find the most humid places, usually bathrooms. Not rly trying to be funny but I guess he found the best humid spot. Hope the little guy makes a full recovery.

Edit to add: try to increase the proteins you give them such as dried one ingredient dog treats like beef liver, dried chicken, or in the fish foods, dried red shrimp, bloodworms, krill... Also how deep is your substrate? Just trying to go through some things that could maybe help you.

It was probably on the floor in the clothes I'd dropped the night before to put in the wash in the morning. I just grabbed the 4 things and chucked them in the machine.

The main tank has 6 - 8 inches of sand/ee mix, and the moulting tank has 6 inches.

Their food has dried shrimp in it.

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FJrocks003 · Post by **FJrocks003** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 6:30 pm

Meznuraie wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 23, 2021 8:25 am
I'll wash the crabby again when I get home from work.
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I wouldn't recommend washing him again!

RiNiKy506 · Post by **RiNiKy506** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 8:41 pm

Meznuraie wrote: It was probably on the floor in the clothes I'd dropped the night before to put in the wash in the morning. I just grabbed the 4 things and chucked them in the machine.

The main tank has 6 - 8 inches of sand/ee mix, and the moulting tank has 6 inches.

Their food has dried shrimp in it.

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Sounds good.

I didn’t want to get into too much detail incase you did know. Sometimes people already know and sometimes they don’t. I hope crabby is still doing well.

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Enson · Post by **Enson** » Wed Jan 27, 2021 6:49 am

Meznuraie wrote:This one isn't Trogdor, it's one that Trogdor kept digging up. I haven't named any of the others, because they haven't really told me what their name should be yet.

I'll wash the crabby again when I get home from work. It seems to be alright... though earlier I had a guilty giggle session imagining the crab in the spin cycle....

Yup, I'm going to hel l

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Lollll sorry I do feel bad for the crab but I also laughed out loud at that image you painted in my head...

Hopefully he just tucked in and is ok

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Meznuraie · Post by **Meznuraie** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:44 am

Whirlpool (now named after the washing machine brand... lol... ) is still going well. Running around like a mad thing, no sign of damage.

Guess it's a tough little bugger.

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crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:23 am

Whirlpool, lol. Happy to hear he’s doin good! Lil Whirly

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HappyHermit0916 · Post by **HappyHermit0916** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 10:54 am

I love his name, it's super cute and creative!!!!

Sir_Balderdash · Post by **Sir_Balderdash** » Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:05 pm

I would also recommend checking Whirlpool's current shell for any cracks as this would give you some sense of how knocked around he was.

HCA: Hermit Crab Association