Two crabs bubbled, lethargic - 24 hour situation

[Geena]

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?
Exo earth and playsand mixed. Approx. 10-12 inches.

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?
Two gauges on the substrate on opposite sides of the tank. 79 degrees Fahrenheit, 87% humidity.


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Ultratherm heater attached to the back of tank, above substrate line.


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 salt. Instant Ocean for the salt. Drop of Seachem in each pool. Fresh water holds 6 cups of water, salt water holds 4 cups. Bubblers in both pools.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Wide variety of dried foods and mixes, mostly from Two Old Crabs. Worm castings, variety of leaf litter/scavenging items, occasionally fresh fruit or veg. Replaced every 2 days. Always at least 2 protein sources available.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Both are purple pinchers. Have had since early 2019.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
They've molted several times in my care. Recently upgraded tank in April and they have not dug down since the upgrade.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
75 gallon glass aquarium. Glass lid with hinge.


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
5 crabs total. 2 large (the ones with the issue) and 3 tiny (haven't seen them in the past day, unsure if they are effected)

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Plenty. 15-20 for the big crabs. About 12 for the small ones.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not that I'm aware of.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Just surface clean about once per month.

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?
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.)?
No.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

Yesterday around 4 PM I noted where my two large crabs were sitting in the tank. Both were just sitting out in the open (in two separate spots in the tank), which isn't unusual for them. They are both typically very active during the day and night. Later that night I saw they were both still in their respective spots. Around 10 PM my husband said one of the crabs looked weird. I checked and they both had a small amount of bubbles on them. One had the bubbles along its side, the other right near its eyes. The bubbles disappeared very quickly. I got up around 3 AM and both are still unmoved. All of today has passed and neither has moved. One crab seems to want to move, I've seen him several times kind of push up with his legs but go nowhere. They don't respond to me coming near the tank, they just continue to sit in the same position. I tried spraying them lightly in case there was somehow something on them that was causing this. There was slight movement from both, but they didn't even retract into their shells.

Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this? Or any ideas what to do to help them? I'm an experienced crab keeper and am devastated as it feels I am just watching them slowly die in front of me. Thanks in advance.
.

[curlysister]

Everything looks good from your answers.
It's hard because we can't run any diagnostics on our crabs to find out what's wrong with them.
Can you post a photo of them (you will need to use a file sharing site, or the TapaTalk app)?

[Geena]

https://imgur.com/a/h9LtGqg

[Geena]

It's been over 30 hours. The other one is behind a leaf so I can't get a photo. I just can't imagine they both surface molting at the same time.

[Geena]

Still no movement. Would dipping them in water be okay?

[wodesorel]

Bubbling is a troubling sign of envrionmental stress - anything from temperature extremes to chemical exposure so while it's a red flag it doesn't narrow it down by much. Is there anything different that they could have been exposed to? Seasonal weather changes?

I would do a bath if it were mine, just in case.

[Geena]

https://imgur.com/a/WJKqM8b here's the other crab. Other than some antenna movent and small twitches they haven't moved in 48 hours.

[Geena]

Bubbling is a troubling sign of envrionmental stress - anything from temperature extremes to chemical exposure so while it's a red flag it doesn't narrow it down by much. Is there anything different that they could have been exposed to? Seasonal weather changes?

I would do a bath if it were mine, just in case.

There's nothing I could think that they've been exposed to. I live in a townhouse with an HOA that does all the yard work, so I don't know if maybe they sprayed something outside? But even if so, I only have the screen door open for maybe 15-30 min a day & the lid to the crab tank would still be closed. I saw one of the small crabs out tonight and it seems normal/unaffected.

We will try a short bath in declorinated fresh water. Thank you for your thoughts.

[Geena]

Update: We tried the freshwater bath for both crabs three days ago. Both moved somewhat during the bath, but not like how crabs normally would when submerged in water out of nowhere. We placed them back in the tank in the spots they had been. One crab moved to a different location yesterday and this morning I saw the other one moving as well. The crab who moved yesterday is now seeming to be moving about normally. The one who just started moving this morning still seems weak/lethargic, but I am hopeful that they are on the mend now. Still puzzled and worried, but things seem to be on the up & up.