mass death!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:59 pm

in a week, four hermit crabs died

scary/sad

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:36 pm

i'm sorry for your loses. could you fill out the emergency template, so we might be able to pinpoint a reason in your tank conditions?

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:08 pm

1. Substrate used? eco earth

2. Humidity % level in crabitat? 70-75

3. Temperature of substrate in crabitat? 71

4. Temperature of crabitat? 73

5. Location of gauges? near the middle of the tank

6. What is your heat source? i live in a hot area. none needed

7. Types of water available? salt and distilled

8. Dechlorinator used? i use distilled water from home depot

9. What do you feed? lettuce, cuttlebone, and fmr hermit crab food

10. How long have you had the crab in question? they died.

11. Do you know the species? 1 ruggy, 1 e, 1 straw, 1pp

12. Do you bath them, if so how often and with what? once every 3 months

13. What type of housing are they in? Tank? Plastic box? 50 gallon tank

14. What size is your tank? 50 gallons

15. How many crabs are in the tank? What size are they? ther are 3 currently

16. How deep is the substrate? 4 inches

17. If you take your hermies out daily to exercise, do you mist their gill area first? of course

18. Has there been any cleaners, paints, perfumes, air fresheners, candles, or smoking near the crabitat? no

19. How often do you clean/sterilize and how? every 2 months. i wash all of the objects. i replace the ecoearth

20. Any unusual odors? no

21. Do you use sponges? Are they rinsed daily with dechlor water? Are they exchanged every 2 days for a sterile one? yes for all the above

22. Do you feed fresh food? When do you remove it? i use it. 6 hours

23. Are your hands clean before handling? yes

24. Has there been anything new added to your crabitat recently? no

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:23 pm

the only thing I see thats wrong with your conditions is the fact that the temp needs to be higher, at least 75. This could definatly have caused a problem with the straw, because they are more delicate than other species and need stable temp at or around 80 and humidity around 80. I no longer have straws, partially because they are less hardy than other species, which is something you definatly need to consider.

I would advise a deep clean to root out any possible bacteria or funny stuff. Nothing I see in your conditions would cause that, but with a mass death I would try to at least get that possible factor out of the way.

to clarify: you have lost four crabs within the week (1 rug, 1 e, 1 PP, 1 straw) but still have three left, correct? were these deaths sudden or did they gradually get more and more lethargic? do any of your live crabs appear ill?

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:33 pm

to clarify: you have lost four crabs within the week (1 rug, 1 e, 1 PP, 1 straw) but still have three left, correct? were these deaths sudden or did they gradually get more and more lethargic? do any of your live crabs appear ill?

Caroline[/quote]

correct. the crabs that died got more lethargic. the remaining look fine.

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:37 pm

hmmm, puzzling. your tank conditions seem great except the temp is too low. you offer both waters, not in metal bowls, correct? (just checking, ruling out things).

you had these crabs for over a month, so theres no chance of PPS?

are you considering doing the deep clean to rule out bacteria?

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:40 pm

my food and water dishes are boiled sea shells. i have had these crabs for 2 years. i recently had a deep clean. 2 weeks ago.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:43 pm

Iâ€™m not sure if Iâ€™m right or not.. but I think I read somewhere that using distilled water wasnâ€™t good? Not that it was dangerous, but that it didnâ€™t have all the minerals and stuff like regular water. I really donâ€™t know where I read that, or if itâ€™s correct though.

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:45 pm

wow. i cannot fathom what would be doing this to your hermies. if it was four straws, i could put it down to low temps, but this is spread over four species. have you used any different ocean salt or water conditioners recently? changed the brand on your pellet food?

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:50 pm

i have been using the same companys for the past couple years. that is fmr food and instant ocean salt

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:53 pm

those are both good, reputable brands. i know this might seem like an extreme, but are you sure that the lettuce you offered was washed thoroughly to remove pesticides they put on it?

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:05 pm

i always boil the lettuce

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:09 pm

wow, you really are covering all the bases.

where do you allow them to exercise (I notice you said you misted them before exercise). Is it possible that this area could have been contaminated in the smallest way (carpet freshner, windex, other cleaner etc)?

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:16 pm

do you think that around the computer is contaminated? i usually play with them while on the computer.

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:20 pm

It could be, if you use any cleaners other than water to wipe it down. that said, I also play with my hermies at the computer and I don't think it has ever harmed them. but since youve ruled 95% of stuff out, it could be your computer area. especially if youve sprayed for bugs or have had the carpet cleaned or something.

Caroline