Naked crab with swollen abdomen- EDIT with pics

[Guest]

My medium PP Hermione has gone naked, and her abdomen looks bigger than it should be to me. She has big strange translucent sacs near the area where molt sacs would be, but I am pretty sure they're not molt sacs. I'll give more information soon. She was good and got into a shell for me with the cup method, but although it's a shell she has worn recently, her whole abdomen can barely fit into it, and she can't withdraw at all. Stay tuned for more info...

EDIT: Pictures, these were taken in a hurry, so not all clear... by the way, these contain a crab without a shell, in case anyone doesn't want to see that---

How I first found her, naked and looking at a shell she wouldn't have fit into even with a normally sized abdomen. In this second one I circled one of the sac things:
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/7074 ... 002bb7.jpg
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/9593 ... 003dk1.jpg

Moved her into a bowl, the only thing I had for the cup method at the moment, with a few shells. I've circled the thing again in a couple of these. Does her abdomen look extra big to any of you?:
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/4434/picture005nx7.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/3125 ... 007jf0.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1178 ... 008dn1.jpg
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/327/ ... 010mf6.jpg
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/5269 ... 011kp1.jpg
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/8742 ... 013nf4.jpg
http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/788/ ... 016wn2.jpg
The last picture is blurry but shows how little she can retract back into the shell that she chose. Just a few days ago she could pull all the way back into it.

She is now in ISO with shells galore, dechlor salt and fresh water, some of NaRNaR's food, and a hidey. She was in both the salt and fresh water a second ago, so I guess that's a good sign. My humidity went high in the main tank today- up to 85%, I thought that might have been the reason she went naked, but I don't know if it can explain the swelling. Humidity in the ISO tank is now 76%. I am going to post this first, then will fill out the emergency template.

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EDIT with template (this is for the main tank that she was in before I moved her to ISO)

What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
EcoEarth/Jungle Bed mix, four inches

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?
yes, located one inch from top of substrate. When I found her naked, they were 75 degrees temp and 81% humidity. It got up to 85% today, though, and I was making adjustments

Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
small UTH and a 25 watt dayglo bulb in a clamp lamp above tank. I have not used the light in a while though.

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)?
Dechorinated salt and fresh. I use Chlor-out dechlorinator and Oceanic sea salt mix

What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
fresh fruits and veggies, some of NaRNaR's foods recently, organic peanut butter, sundried baby shrimp, timothy hay, cuttlebone, etc. Replaced every day to two days, depending on what it is and the shape it's in.

How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I've had Hermione for a little over a year. She is a larger medium PP.

What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
She was in a glass 10 gallon. Screen mesh lid, but use damp towels when appropriate.

How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
There were only three crabs in it at the time: herself, a small E, and a teeny E.

How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
At least five of appropriate size and variety per crab.

Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No, not that I know of.

How often do you clean the tank and how?
I do surface cleans every few days and a deep clean every few months in which everything is replaced.

Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No.

Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No.

[Guest]

Sorry you are going through this, moonray!

Her abdomen doesn't look overly large to me. If she is preparing to molt, her abdomen may look a little larger than it normally would. (I have seen evidence of that before.)

It concerns me as to why she is running naked, though. If it was a shell fight, she would have chosen another shell in a heartbeat, so I haven't any clue as to what is going on with her.

[bksbuddha]

I'm so sorry that you're going through this. I agree w/Kathy, her abdomen doesn't really look distended to me either. Could that gel thing that you circled be a shell leg that she may have lost? If your tat is relatively stable every day, even w/gradual dips, she's plenty used to it after having her for a year. I doubt that it's something environmental. I'm sure you've offerred her larger shells, in various shapes. Has she gotten in one yet?

[Guest]

Thanks, Kathy and bkbuddha. I appreciate your support. [smilie=grouphug.gif] I thought shell fight at first, too, but then I realized that the only other two crabs I have in that tank are tiny compared to her, and they're still in their respective shells.

You're probably right about the abdomen not actually being swollen.. I'm just worried because she can't go back into her shell at ALL-- one that she could retreat fully into just a week ago. When she was choosing a shell again, she first tried to get her abdomen into a tiny tiny shell, and even when getting into a bigger one, it seemed like she had trouble maneuvering her abdomen into it... not on the mark like they usually are in changing shells.

Maybe she did lose a shell leg. I have lots of shells in there right now- she is still in the one she tried on first and is kind of hanging out. She's walking around and stuff, though, so maybe she is doing better.

[bksbuddha]

Just lost the stupid post...gotta do it again!
I'm so glad to hear she's still in her shell. That's an encouraging sign. Maybe that gel shell leg, if that's what it is, is making her uncomfortable. Give her a bit of honey for me & this is for you. [smilie=hug.gif] You're very welcome, hope it helped some. The whole idea of being here is to be here for each other, right?

[Guest]

She has both of her shell legs on that side. I did look, though, and the bubble-whatever it is-is pressing into the shell, which makes me understand why she went streaking and is reluctant to pull back farther into the shell.

I always thought molt sacs were dark colored, but I suppose it could be one if they are sometimes light.

EDIT:
Well, I feel like a jerk. I finally found a picture of a molt sac, and it is indeed light colored. I'm pretty sure this is a molt sac, just a HUGE one. I need to get her set up with deep enough substrate to molt in that ISO I prepared in a hurry today. Thanks for the help you all.

[bksbuddha]

Perfectly understandable. I don't think that any of us thinks clearly when we see our babies naked. Let us know how she does.

[Guest]

some of mine have the dark molt sacs, some have the light. i think it mostly just depends on the crab, cos i've seen the difference withing the same species. it might have something to do with if they stored up more on water than food or something. i have noticed some of mine seem to not be able to fit in their shells at all right before a molt, but i haven't had one streak, maybe she stored up a little too much hopefully she'll molt and everything will be fine, keep up posted.