Possible Death

[Lilyco]

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?
5 inches of EcoEarth and sand mixture at shallowest in the main tank. 3 inches of EcoEarth and sand mix in the critter carrier that has a healing, or possibly dead, crab inside.

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?
70 degrees Fahrenheit and 75% humidity.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
A ZooMed heat pad I have on the side.

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)?
I currently only have fresh, distilled water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them vegetables, fruits, Fluker's dried crickets, and poached chicken.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Romulus is a PP, Remus is a specie I don't know the name of. I have had both for 2 years.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Romulus has not molted in over a year and Remus is freshly molted.

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 20 gallon glass tank. Romulus was separated from Remus in a critter carrier for a few months due to my family moving. Romulus recently had a health crisis and I had to put the critter carrier into the tank while waiting for him to recover.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 crabs, I don't know their sizes but a rough estimate would put Romulus at a medium sized crab and Remus as a large sized crab.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have extra shells but they buried all of them.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean twice a year, every 6 months, but due to Remus's molt and the weather in my area the tank has not been cleaned for over 6 months.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No sponges. I use the water bowl and moss to maintain the humidity.

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.)?
After about a week from when I moved the critter carrier into the tank Romulus began moving more and burying himself. After two weeks I considered trying to reunite them since he had improved his health but he still seemed a little limp where his head is and more timid than he used to be. The weather the past few days has also been unusually cold. Instead of the normal 40s and 50s it was in the 20s and 10s, occasionally even dropping to the singles digits, so I kept an extra blanket on the tank covering a side that is normally exposed.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Around Friday Romulus buried himself and didn't surface the next day. I didn't think much of it. I went to feed the crabs tonight and when I opened the tank the worst smell I could think of hit me. A fishy, putrid smell. To my knowledge this is the infamous "death smell" and is the worst thing to experience as a crab owner. I fear that Romulus may have unfortunately perished. I always clean up their food and have never fed them any seafood. What was even scarier was that I saw Remus ontop of the critter carrier but luckily he wasn't inside and I keep that thing firmly shut to ensure he doesn't get in. I am not sure if any stress could have been placed on him that could lead him to die, or maybe the temperature drop affected the tank and Romulus didn't make it. Maybe there could be another reason or a mixture of reasons. I want to go in and check to see if he is alive but he wasn't on the surface and if he is underground I don't want to risk harming him if he is.
I have also read from other posts that the molting smell is also quite foul smelling, and Romulus hasn't molted in a long time. I don't know what the molting smell is though since I never smelled it and I have 3 successful molts under my belt. Why would I never smell it then suddenly have it come up incredibly strong? I am not sure what it could be but it seems like he unfortunately passed away, but I want to hear the voices of more knowledgeable owners to try to figure out if he is alive and what happened.

.

[Lilyco]

Update: He just surfaced again hours after making this post. He was reacting to my movement but that leaves one question though: What was that smell? There is still a hint of it when opening the tank and I know that what I was smelling in that tank and nearby areas smelled strongly of fish.

[curlysister]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5 inches of EcoEarth and sand mixture at shallowest in the main tank. 3 inches of EcoEarth and sand mix in the critter carrier that has a healing, or possibly dead, crab inside.

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?
70 degrees Fahrenheit and 75% humidity.
Curly - That's a little cool for hermit crabs, if you could get the temp up to 75, it would give a bit more wiggle room in case it dips at all.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
A ZooMed heat pad I have on the side.
Curly - Zoo Med heat pads are notorious for not giving off enough heat. You may want to add another one, and even better if you could get on of the ones that can be insulated over top.

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)?
I currently only have fresh, distilled water.
Curly - It's recommended to use tap water (because it is ground water, it contains minerals from the ground), and treat it with a dechlorinator (Prime is a commonly used brand). Then you want to get a marine salt (Instant Ocean is a commonly used brand) to make a dish of salt water. Crabs carry a mix of the two in their shells, so it is important to have both for them.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed them vegetables, fruits, Fluker's dried crickets, and poached chicken.
Curly- Be sure you offer a source of calcium daily, along with your variety of proteins and veggies. Some fruits and leaves are good too. Have you checked out the nutrition care sheet yet?

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Romulus is a PP, Remus is a specie I don't know the name of. I have had both for 2 years.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
Romulus has not molted in over a year and Remus is freshly molted.

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 20 gallon glass tank. Romulus was separated from Remus in a critter carrier for a few months due to my family moving. Romulus recently had a health crisis and I had to put the critter carrier into the tank while waiting for him to recover.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 crabs, I don't know their sizes but a rough estimate would put Romulus at a medium sized crab and Remus as a large sized crab.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have extra shells but they buried all of them.
Curly - If they are both above ground, now's a good time to dig up those shells! LOL! HCA recommends 3 to 5 extra shells per crab; check out the 'shells' care sheet for appropriate types.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean twice a year, every 6 months, but due to Remus's molt and the weather in my area the tank has not been cleaned for over 6 months.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No sponges. I use the water bowl and moss to maintain the humidity.

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.)?
After about a week from when I moved the critter carrier into the tank Romulus began moving more and burying himself. After two weeks I considered trying to reunite them since he had improved his health but he still seemed a little limp where his head is and more timid than he used to be. The weather the past few days has also been unusually cold. Instead of the normal 40s and 50s it was in the 20s and 10s, occasionally even dropping to the singles digits, so I kept an extra blanket on the tank covering a side that is normally exposed.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
Around Friday Romulus buried himself and didn't surface the next day. I didn't think much of it. I went to feed the crabs tonight and when I opened the tank the worst smell I could think of hit me. A fishy, putrid smell. To my knowledge this is the infamous "death smell" and is the worst thing to experience as a crab owner. I fear that Romulus may have unfortunately perished. I always clean up their food and have never fed them any seafood. What was even scarier was that I saw Remus ontop of the critter carrier but luckily he wasn't inside and I keep that thing firmly shut to ensure he doesn't get in. I am not sure if any stress could have been placed on him that could lead him to die, or maybe the temperature drop affected the tank and Romulus didn't make it. Maybe there could be another reason or a mixture of reasons. I want to go in and check to see if he is alive but he wasn't on the surface and if he is underground I don't want to risk harming him if he is.
I have also read from other posts that the molting smell is also quite foul smelling, and Romulus hasn't molted in a long time. I don't know what the molting smell is though since I never smelled it and I have 3 successful molts under my belt. Why would I never smell it then suddenly have it come up incredibly strong? I am not sure what it could be but it seems like he unfortunately passed away, but I want to hear the voices of more knowledgeable owners to try to figure out if he is alive and what happened.
Curly - Is there a chance that they could have dragged off a piece of meat or chicken? That can get pretty rank pretty fast in the right conditions. I'm glad they are both alive and well!