A poll for Straw owners....

[Guest]

After discovering my only large straw, Sangria, dead from a molting issue this morning, I really have to ask, has anyone ever had a large or jumbo straw molt successfully???

I know that many members have complained that the larger straws can't seem to molt in captivity. Sangria was a healthy & happy straw, until she went down to molt. I noticed, via her window, that there was no movement for the past week, so I started digging.....already knowing that I would find her dead.

Well, at first, the straw I saw hanging out of the shell didn't look quiet right, so I gently pulled, and realized that I was looking at exo. Sangria herself was back in the shell, freshly molted and dead. She looked perfectly molted, with little black toes, and as far as I could tell, there was no problem shedding the exo, but that she died soon afterward.

This is the first of my larges to molt. My mediums, smalls & teenie straws seem to not have problems. Just curious as to what everyone else is finding with their straws.

[wickedannabella]

Sebastian seemed to do the same thing. I found his exo (it was brittle and hollow) so he DID molt, but I didn't find anything else, until I looked in the shell *gag*

He did the same thing. Pulled back into his shell and died I guess.

I think Elmo would have been fine if she wasn't attacked and Freckles came through just fine...

Poor Sangria.

I'm so sorry!

(now I'm concerned about my two newbies.)


I wonder what we need to do for them???

[Willow]

I am actually very pleased with myself right now, because 2 of my Straws (the usual large/jumbo size they sell at PetCo) just came up from moulting, and they are BEAUTIFUL!!! One just came up to eat and then buried again, but at least I got to take a look at him first, and the other is hanging around topside, so I have had the chance to get a really good look at him. Their coloring is really good, and there are no blemishes on their claws or legs.

I got a group of 5 Straws at PetCo a while ago (I can't remember exactly when, November maybe). I soaked them in Catalina Real Ocean water (warmed just a bit) for 20 minutes when I first got them home, under the expectation that they had been deprived of salt water before I got them, and, since it became evident that they had mites, I soaked all of them that were above ground every other day for a couple weeks, always for 20-30 minutes at a time. Normally, I wouldn't keep them under that long, but they liked it! I only left them in until they started to try to climb out, and it really did take that long every time. If one was buried, I didn't dig it up for the soaks. After a month, during which time none of them moulted, I soaked them all for another 20-30 minutes and put them in the main tank (75g, 8 inches of sand/EE mixed). 4 of them buried right away, and now 2 have come up. I haven't seen the other 2 since. The 1 that didn't bury is still moping around topside, hopefully he doesn't pull a topside moult---I hate that!

I am always giving them Catalina's Real Ocean water (at PetCo, $10.99 for 5 gallons), although I intended to switch off with Red Sea mix to save money, but I've had such good success with the Real Ocean that I'm afraid to try anything else, I don't want to lose the Straws (I've had 7 other Straws before, and they all died). They eat an all-fresh-food diet (plus NarNar's and Addiction store kibbles) with a lot of greens. I have a Repti-Glo 8.0 UVB light, plus a heat lamp and a UTH (it doesn't do much for the heat, but it boosts the humidity). Actually my humidity is a bit low right now, but it hasn't caused any evident problems so far. I have a lot of silk plants for them to hide in, plus some half-buried flower pots for caves. My water dishes are not deep enough for them to submerge fully, but they are about 2 1/2 inches deep, which is plenty for them to fill their shells. I change the water about twice a week, but sometimes I only get to it once a week. I leave the food in for at least 2 days always, longer if it looks OK. They like it better the second day.

[HERMEZ]

Im sorry for your loss Kathy

[hermiegirl]

I had to mark no, but only cuz I've never had a straw molt. My first 2 straws were medium, maybe a small large, and they both died unexplainably. Hubby and I think they were both due for a molt, but just couldn't for some reason.

[wickedannabella]

I've heard alot of stories about straws that DESPERATELY need to molt but don't. Weird. Sebastian was the same.

The salt water thing really sounds like a clue, although none of my straws ever wanted to soak. That is until Scarlet. She LOVES the salt pool and goes in and out and she scoops up water into her shell and all but PLAYS in it. I've never seen this before! She's so funny!

Maybe, in their case, they need weekly salt bath soaks???

[Guest]

aw Kathy, I'm so sorry your baby passed. I hate waking up to seeing a hermie die and not knowing why it happened.

I have yet to have a molt problem with the straws (crosses fingers). All but two are smalls, the rest are larger mediums and larger larges, all have molted one time each, except for the new large that is still in ISO.

However, I have had now a total of 4 straws die (my small that I have had the longest died just this past weekend, BUT had a successful molt a few months back, she just lost some color in her BP) They have all passed in or right next to the salt water dish. Since they died near the salt water, I was assuming that has been the problem, so I bought a deeper (4" deep!) and larger water dishes, and I make sure that the salt mixture is perfect, even added a second bubbler to keep it stired up and fresh! Everything seemed fine, until our baby was found lying next to it yet again on Saturday.

So now I am not sure what the problem with keeping straws is. The temp/humidity has and is absolutely perfect in their tank. They have access to a plethora of fresh and healthy hermie food all the time and even have larger than normal water bowls that get changed bi-weekly. Mine even have night and day lights set on a timer, so daylight and moonlight times are perfect with ours. The other tanks don't even get that!!

The 3 oldest straws I have, I have only had for approx 6 months and after reading all the posts on straw problems, I honestly wonder just how much longer it will be until they too will pass on. Maybe straws just aren't made to be in captivity, even if the conditions are optimal?

I really don't know....

[hulk]

I didn't vote becaue I haven't had my straws molting yet. I have two larges...and I think Hellboy is under right now trying to go for a molt. he is the largest I have. I am crossing my fingers. Both of them were very active and healthy, but Elektra was the one always up eating or dipping her claw in the salt water every morning..she has been diggin alot so hoepfully she is going to molt soon too. I hope mine do well. These are my first straws, so I am really nervous. They have not been very active lately..maybe the colder weather (from a mild winter this year) it is frezzing all of a sudden! so maybe they are dug under keeping warm...my tank is usally rally warm now it is 74 cool and 78 warm...when it is usaly 78 cool and 82 warm. I have lots of areas for them to keep warm fro the basking light and two uth's...so I am hopefull for these guys.

I didn't realize straws were so hard to survive a molt until reading this, which makes me even more nervous. I think Batman my rug is molting too...so I don't have much activity right now at all. I have been feeding them alittle of everything...like staples and bug n nuts, and PB J toast..and fall harvest with honey..pre molt...fresh vergies and fruit..and freeze dride brine shrimp~all in there now...I know someone is wandering at night with the foot prints =) so no evidenc of miising food, but I do see toe marks around the dishes.

[Guest]

Well, I am going to make another attempt at the big guys. I brought home Valentino, a large male straw, last night:


It appears that he has recently molted, and still has black toes. On a crab that size, I would say that it is a very good possiblity.

Hopefully, by the time he is ready to molt again, he will be well adjusted enough to pull through for me. I imagine larges molt only about every 6 months.....is that about right?