This is NOT normal! ***UPDATE***

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:44 am

Ok so I've had bulldozer for quite a few weeks now. She dug down on day one to molt and has not come up. For her size, she should be up by now. Well she doesn't have a little window so I can't see how she's doing. Then DING!!! I realized I can lift up the Kritter Keeper and look at her.

So this is what I found. Let's just say, ew

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/ ... 1_0360.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/ ... 1_0359.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/ ... 1_0358.jpg

Is this normal or should I start digging? Is she done and can't get up? What the heck is that mushy white stuff? You can see a solid red leg in there, but it looks like she vomited all over the place. Please let me know ASAP guys!!! Thanks!!

Quick edit: There's no smell what-so-ever. Iodine smell a few weeks ago, but not that much anymore.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 2:56 am

I would leave her be. It looks like she has shed her exo, but hasn't finished eating it yet. If it's any consolation, I'll find Bruce's molt window and post it for you, it looks very similar and it should relieve your worries.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:00 am

This is Bruce's molt window about 5 days after he shed his exo during his first molt with me:
LINK
He's a medium and was down for three and a half months on his first molt with me. His second molt only took six weeks. I notice all my crabs take a really long time to molt their first time in captivity for some reason. Maybe they are just destressing underground as well?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:04 am

Ooohhh Star you're my favorite. I feel MUCH better right now. I'll go ahead and leave her alone.

Three and a half months!!! I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG!!! [smilie=banghead.gif]

These crabbies are going to give me an ulcer

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:43 am

PiratesArrrMine wrote:Ooohhh Star you're my favorite. I feel MUCH better right now. I'll go ahead and leave her alone.

Three and a half months!!! I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG!!! [smilie=banghead.gif]

These crabbies are going to give me an ulcer

Glad I could be of help!

As far as long molts go, Tiny is currently holds the record at 15 and a half weeks, just 2 or 3 days shy of 4 months, but he's a jumbo.

troppo · Post by **troppo** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:25 pm

The gooey stuff in your photos Pirates looks abit like the goop I've noticed on some of my (not many) surface molters.
Ages ago I picked up one of my surface molters by accident believing it was dead,and the exo started to fall away from the shell,and I noticed a fair amount of goop right in the shells entrance. I guess the goop is like a lubricant to help the crabs shed their exo,that's the only way I can explain it.
Maybe also some varieties of crabs produce more goop than others?

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:09 pm

to share some info about what this "goop" is, i was given the following information by a very experienced crabber (troppo knows her as well, it is marie from CSJ). this is in an email to me addressing why a dead molter seems to be 'stuck' in the shell:

Sorry I forgot to address about him seeming to be stuck in the shell. Due to seeing his exo split on his one leg, and the very high chance he was about to molt, it could be the 'molting fluid' (there is a 'scientific name for it, but...) that is holding him within the shell. It is said that this fluid does not take long to begin to dry. When it does begin to dry it becomes hard as glue. Almost immediately after the hermie sheds his exo he begins to eat/drink this fluid. It is the beginning of the hardening process and why many hermies do not begin to munch on their exo's right away after molting.

so this "goop" is very normal, and should be eaten even before the exo.

Caroline

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:49 am

*******UPDATE*******

Ok so it is now 15 days later (at least) and she is in the same spot exactly like those pics. Same amount of exo, and same exact positioning.

Now what should I do? Still sit and wait? What if that goo stuff hardened and she's stuck? What if she's passed and I don't even know it?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:43 am

15 days? She's probably still fine. It takes different crabs different periods of time before they even start eating their exoskeleton. That stuff looks gross. I've never seen it before, but if others have, I think I might be grossed out when I finally see one of my crabs creating some of that stuff. Ew, it looks like oatmeal. No wonder she hasn't eaten her exo yet.

PiratesArrrMine's emoticon is also disgusting [smilie=covereyes.gif] . It's coming out his nose.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:51 am

I think I would start to worry now. If she hasn't started to eat that exo, and it has been 15 days, that is not a good sign.

Sorry to sound negative, but she may well have passed durring the molting process. I am sorry.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:26 pm

I dug

BullDozer passed

I didn't even get a chance to really know her. She dug down literally three minutes after I bought her.

I named her BullDozer because she would tear up the ground as she walked like she was walking with a purpose. She was adorable and it really broke my heart to dig her up today.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/ ... 1_0160.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b203/ ... 1_0161.jpg

Thank you everyone. I'm glad you were honest with me, Kathy and Star, and let me know what was really going on.

Now I'm really bummin....

HCA: Hermit Crab Association

This is NOT normal! UPDATE

This is NOT normal! UPDATE