Shell-less crab

[Anna.seider]

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?

Coconut bark and fibers(and the water activated blocks) its about 5ish inches deep at the moment
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? [/in]

No! I know i need to get one

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

A 20inch pad heater on the mid side of the tank

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)?

Salt and dechlorinated. I use a pre bottled saltwater for hermit crabs and i dechlorinate my water with these blue drops

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

Fruits, meats, vegetables, and dry hermit crab food. Depending on what it is i will change it daily or every few days

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

About 2.5 years, it has purple legs
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

Yes, just came out of a molt two days ago

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

Large 60gal tank. Mesh lid with two towels over top to keep in moisture.

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

2, and about the size of a small golfball
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

10

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

No.

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

Eeeeek i dont i know i should dont get on me

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

No!

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

Nope

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 am hands off with them; they usually only come out when im sleeping or working lol

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

So two days ago my hermit crab was finally making noise. When i woke up i went straight to work and did not check them. When i got home late in the afternoon my mom said that he has been sitting in the surface all day with no shell. There are 10 shells with different variations of openings so i cant figure out why he wouldnt choose one. Since that afternoon when he surfaced after molting, he sat there. It has been two days now and he has not moved a bit and his eyeballs are sunken so i am assuming he passed. Im not sure what went wrong!! If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Also, he doesnt smell im pretty sure it’s because he just dried out but who knows how to dispose of them? I am horrified of touching these little guys without shells bexause frankly they creep me the heck out. Should i wait a few more days just to be sure?? What went wrong?
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[DragonsFly]

A shell-less crab is always an urgent matter. I suspect, from what you say, that he did die--I am very sorry.

Two crabs in a 60 gallon tank with cocofiber substrate should not really require cleaning, per se; just removal of any obviously molding material now and then, and making sure there is no excess water in the bottom. So don't feel bad about not cleaning. If you decide to continue crab-keeping, I would suggest buying a bag or two of playsand (probably at least two; it is amazing how much it takes) and mixing it in so you can deepen the substrate somewhat; 5 inches is getting too shallow for golfball-sized crabs. Playsand is by far the cheapest option to do this (usually just 2 to 4 dollars a bag at a hardware store--do make sure it is "playsand," not sand for construction purposes), and (IMO) it improves the texture of the substrate to have some sand as well as EE.

Because you do not have temperature and humidity gauges, that is the most likely problem. These two environmental factors are absolutely critical to hermit crab survival; having multiple gauges in various places around the tank is not a "nice option," it is essential to keeping them alive. As you are apparently in NY; I imagine that the heat has been on in the house for a while, drying the air considerably. We humans don't tend to notice this as much, but low humidity levels are life-threatening for hermit crabs. Compared to the really, REALLY dry air that is probably now in your house, it may still "feel muggy" in the tank to you if you stick your hand in there, but actually be lower humidity than is survivable for the crabs. That is why we really need to KNOW what the levels are in the tank, not just guess.

I use these:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/AcuRite-Digita ... 1000162483
They are not the cheapest things, but they last for years and are reliable; to me, it is worth $9.99 to make sure I have accurate information about these most essential factors for survival. I put several in different places around the tank, because temp and humidity can vary from place to place. You can get them at the hardware store when you pick up the playsand. You can get much cheaper ones at the petstore, but if you do, definitely calibrate them to make sure they are reading accurately.

Please get a gauge (or preferably more than one) as soon as possible for the sake of the remaining crab; once you do, the temperature needs to be between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit; humidity between 75 and 85 % (for PP's); if the ranges in your tank are out of whack, let us know, there are a variety of things you can do to help--covering all or most of your lid will probably be necessary (towels really do not work well to keep in humidity; it just evaporates out of the tank).

Best wishes, and again, I am sorry for your loss.

[CrabbyLover77]

I'll put my suggestions under your answers (just add on a bit what DF already mentioned). Hope this helps!

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?

Coconut bark and fibers(and the water activated blocks) its about 5ish inches deep at the moment

CL77- Is the 5" 3x as deep as your largest crab?

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? [/in]

No! I know i need to get one

CL77- Just to reiterate what DF said, gauges are essential. Crabs have modified lungs and need moisture in the air to breathe. Humidity should never fall below 70% and temp should be 75°-85°F.

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

A 20inch pad heater on the mid side of the tank

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)?

Salt and dechlorinated. I use a pre bottled saltwater for hermit crabs and i dechlorinate my water with these blue drops

CL77- Usually the premixed solutions aren't sufficient for hermits. You'll want to get a marine salt, like Instant Ocean, for your salt water. A good dechlorinator is Prime. It also detoxifies heavy metals.


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

Fruits, meats, vegetables, and dry hermit crab food. Depending on what it is i will change it daily or every few days

CL77- Do you offer a daily calcium source too?

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

About 2.5 years, it has purple legs

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

Yes, just came out of a molt two days ago

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

Large 60gal tank. Mesh lid with two towels over top to keep in moisture.

CL77- Towels are porous, so they will absorb moisture rather than keeping it in the tank. Wrap your entire lid in saran wrap instead.

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

2, and about the size of a small golfball

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

10

CL77- Are they the preferred type of shells for purple pinchers? They like shells with round openings, like Turbos.

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

No.

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

Eeeeek i dont i know i should dont get on me

CL77- No need to do a deep clean unless there is an emergency like a bacterial bloom or flood. I just grab stray moldy pieces of food from the substrate whenever I see them.

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

No!

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

Nope

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 am hands off with them; they usually only come out when im sleeping or working lol

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

So two days ago my hermit crab was finally making noise. When i woke up i went straight to work and did not check them. When i got home late in the afternoon my mom said that he has been sitting in the surface all day with no shell. There are 10 shells with different variations of openings so i cant figure out why he wouldnt choose one. Since that afternoon when he surfaced after molting, he sat there. It has been two days now and he has not moved a bit and his eyeballs are sunken so i am assuming he passed. Im not sure what went wrong!! If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Also, he doesnt smell im pretty sure it’s because he just dried out but who knows how to dispose of them? I am horrified of touching these little guys without shells bexause frankly they creep me the heck out. Should i wait a few more days just to be sure?? What went wrong?

CL77- A shell-less crab is always an emergency and should be re-shelled asap (there is a guide on here of how to do that). Unfortunately, it does sound like he passed, I'm sorry. I usually bury my crabs in a container in the yard, in a little "cemetery". However, I recently lost a crab and buried her in my favorite cactus's pot. I heard people to that on here and thought it would be a nice resting place for my little gal.

You'll want to implement the changes I suggested above asap (get a hygrometer, change your salt and dechlorinator, and add saran wrap to your mesh lid). It's possible the temp and humidity aren't in an optimal range and that caused your crab's passing. Also make sure to always have lots of calcium available for the remaining crab.
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[Anna.seider]

Thank you so much! I am ordering the instant ocean right now, and a humidity gauge. You are a genius i have nevee thought to saran wrap it. Thank you again, rest in peace to ur gal.

[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you so much! I am ordering the instant ocean right now, and a humidity gauge. You are a genius i have nevee thought to saran wrap it. Thank you again, rest in peace to ur gal.

You're very welcome! That's great you got that stuff ordered already.
Thank you very much for the nice words about my crabby. She also went shell-less first. I was able to re-shell her and return her to the main tank. However, she still passed a couple days later.

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[DragonsFly]

Thank you very much for the nice words about my crabby. She also went shell-less first. I was able to re-shell her and return her to the main tank. However, she still passed a couple days later.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

But yes, it is a sad but important thing to be aware of that a crab without a shell may well die, even with help to re-shell. Going without a shell is not the problem itself, it is a symptom that something is very, very wrong with the crab already. They have most likely dropped the shell because they are too weak to continue to carry it. In the wild, this would basically be an instant death sentence, because any passing bird or other predator would just snap them up and eat them. So it is a very fortunate circumstance whenever a crab-keeper is able to get their crab to re-shell and the crab still lives. It DOES happen, definitely, but the point is that a crab going without a shell is usually a sign that something is seriously wrong with the crab, not just that the crab "doesn't want that shell" or something. Without immediate intervention to fix any issues with conditions, the crab is very likely to die. Even with corrections to the conditions, it is likely the crab may still die, because by the time they get that stressed/weak, they are in very bad shape and may simply not be able to recover even if the conditions are corrected right away. I know that is a sad thing to think about, but that is why we always say that a crab going without a shell is always an emergency that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible if the crab is to have the best chance of surviving.

My very best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year to you both, and all your family/critters!

[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you DF! Happy New Year to you too!
My crabby tank follows all the guidelines on here, so I'm not sure why my gal got sick. I rescued her, along with 3 others in Oct 2020 from someone who couldn't care for them anymore.

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[DragonsFly]

Thank you DF! Happy New Year to you too!
My crabby tank follows all the guidelines on here, so I'm not sure why my gal got sick. I rescued her, along with 3 others in Oct 2020 from someone who couldn't care for them anymore.

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Yes, that is another important lesson to remember: sometimes they are so ill or injured from whatever they've gone through before, that they just can't survive it, no matter how great your conditions may be. Again, sad but true. Also, we are far from understanding what all really IS the "optimal" way to keep these animals in captivity, so it is a constant learning experience.