Sunshine the Mangled [4/23 Back in main tat, w/ bad photo]

[curlysister]

How upsetting this whole situation must be! The pics are great, she does look so cute in them! I will send positive thoughts and energy your way!

[CrabbyIrene]

Poor baby
She seems to be doing well, I recently had one that was disturbed while molting, got her shell stolen, went with my instinct and dug her up, she was naked and missing an eye. I reshelled her and put her in iso, she lost 2 legs and her bp. She just came up from a molt a few days ago, all limbs re-grown but still only 1 eye. I hope your little one pulls through, it's a good sign that she is eating and drinking, good luck and keep us posted.

[eloise13]

Hermit crabs are so strange. They are so fragile and can die for no discernible reason, but they'll survive things like this. She's amazing

[wodesorel]

Hermit crabs are so strange. They are so fragile and can die for no discernible reason, but they'll survive things like this.

That's where my brain is stuck. I've had molters and other crabs in the past that seemed fine and would up and die, and yet here she is and she's still fighting! She's at a wonderful weight for a crab though, so maybe it's because she still has reserves that's allowing her to make it through this. (Her abdomen was enormous, but in a healthy plump way rather than a sick swollen way.) I am very scared that she's going to make it halfway through and then go into shock or something - I don't think I could handle that.

She is going into a container tomorrow with a locking lid. She's not exactly mobile but she is moving around a lot and I don't want to risk her falling out of the shallow container I have her in. She is definitely using her mouth parts to not only move herself around, but to also move her little pincher since it won't move on it's own. It's really incredible - I didn't realize their mouth was that strong! She can get a fair distance out of her shell as well so I'm able to leave a good array of food near her. Her half-leg holds her body up and her bum pincher allows her to pivot around and hold her head up normally. She also uses it to steady whatever she wants to eat, but not in a grab and hold sort of way - she stands it instead.

I think she hates drink time. She pops her head out and just sort of glares at me the whole time she's in the water. But she is drinking, so I guess she can't be too mad. She also does not like my hubby. I must be okay because I bring her food, but if she hears him she won't come out!

I am worried she's going to be forced to drop the little pincher - it's badly damaged, completely limp from the first joint down, and has a black spot where it was partially eaten and I think is now infected. There's even sand embedded in the now hardened exo.

I could use some help in figuring out easy things to feed her. She has no way of eating except what she can pick up with her mouth alone. I think she's somehow eating her exo, but I'm not certain. So far she's had peanut butter, honey, and chicken baby food. Tonight I gave her comb honey and a piece of krill, but I'm not sure if she'll be able to eat that. Can anyone else think of good hermit foods that can be eaten without legs or pinchers? Things that are easy to get/buy or that I may have in the house. I'm considering going out and buying a few different types of fruit and veggie baby food as it's the right consistency for her and would be easiest for both of us.

[eloise13]

Try and give things that are high calcium, high water content, high energy and stuff that's easy to digest ( less energy wasted on digesting, more energy put into developing new limbs and getting ready to molt.) I'd say. I think a watermelon puree with some form of calcium would do well. Calcium to help with the upcoming molt, high energy/ easy digestible means more energy is put into recovering, high water content is important because I know you're letting her drink, but even with that, it's better to be safe then sorry.

[CrabbyIrene]

They certainly are amazing little creatures! So small and so strong willed
I would try the baby food fruits, veggies and meats. Try adding powdered cuttlebone to honey and mix it all up. If you have HCP minerals add a little water and make it into a paste, it may be easier for her to eat. Try grinding her exo into a powder and maybe she can eat it that way??? Basically mash & grind all her food and it will probably help her to eat more, mix different stuff together so it will be more appetizing, kind of like hiding the good foods in with the treats! Mommy's sometimes have to trick our babies into eating healthy stuff!!!

[zippity]

HCP has fruit flavoured treats that are meant to be mixed with water and hand-fed to the crabs-They have coconut milk and honey too, so would be a tasty, healthy medium for things like bee pollen, cyclop eeze, protein powder, etc...

If you're not already doing so, try grinding up some fresh coconut or liquifying it in the blender or food processor.

Thanks for the updates...I've been reading them every day, hoping she's doing okay.

[spotsy99]

Applesauce would be good for her and cuttlebone can be mixed in as well as the honey. I wish her well!

[wodesorel]

Have you tried to blend coconut before?? Grr.... I can't even mash it up with a mortar and pestle. But I squished some up and left it up there for her just to see what happens. I'm changing out the food morning and night so I'll see what else I can mush up for her dinner. Thanks for the ideas! I forgot I had the motor and pestle, so at least I can grind up dry and softer things for her.

She wasn't able to eat the krill. I mushed up some of their favorite Turtle Treat and stuck it on some honey for her to munch on though, and I'll do that with any of the dried foods. She did eat all of the honey and left the comb.

I found her flat on her back this morning. I think like any frustrated person or animal she's throwing fits. Somehow she managed to do a somersault so that's a great sign! But I moved her into a better container and have her braced with more sand since she wasn't able to reach the food for who knows how long last night.

It is definitely Sunshine - I have no doubts now that she's darkened up a little. I know those eyes anywhere.

This was the photo from the day I got her, April 10, 2010. You can see why I took her home!


After her first molt exactly one month to the day after I brought her home:


And another photo from March 18 of this year:

[SoulLonely]

Aw, it's good to hear she is eating well keep up the good work!

[wodesorel]

Okay, maybe a dumb question but.... she hasn't pooped yet. I know she was disturbed mid-molt and that normally they aren't eating during that and their system goes into hiatus, but she has been eating a lot since I found her. I'm a little concerned that perhaps she can't remove her waste from her shell because she was injured? Any thoughts?

(By the way, dinner tonight was Bug on Honey Lolipop and mashed Red Pear with Cuttlebone.)

[wodesorel]

Well, two weeks in and I think she's either preparing to molt or is dying... She hasn't eaten in two and a half days, and she may be trying to dig a hole. She still had an enormous molt sac on her when I found her naked, so maybe she still had enough nutrients stores up that she only needed that extra boost of a few weeks of food. She had been eating like crazy (feedings three times a day because she was eating everything in sight) and had barely pooped anything, so maybe she was storing everything up rather than passing it.

Please cross your fingers everyone! I don't know what going on and I just hope she'll be okay.

[eloise13]

Well, two weeks in and I think she's either preparing to molt or is dying... She hasn't eaten in two and a half days, and she may be trying to dig a hole. She still had an enormous molt sac on her when I found her naked, so maybe she still had enough nutrients stores up that she only needed that extra boost of a few weeks of food. She had been eating like crazy (feedings three times a day because she was eating everything in sight) and had barely pooped anything, so maybe she was storing everything up rather than passing it.

Please cross your fingers everyone! I don't know what going on and I just hope she'll be okay.

Sounds like a good sign to me! I really hope she pulls through. I've kinda got attached to her!

[zippity]

I hope it's a moult too. Thanks for the update.

[spotsy99]

I'll be watching for an update. Cheering her on!