Eyes Fused Together After Molt???

[Hokiekell]

I am new to owning hermies but in a few short months, I am officially obsessed!

All the crabs I brought home back in September have molted successfully except for one...he is alive but his eyes seem to be fused together. He doesn't dig to sleep anymore and barely moves. I feel so bad for him. Right after molting he was very active but he has gone downhill fast. He is still eating and drinking but not as much as he used to and his activity level is next to nothing. I bought a small tank to separate him from the rest because he is smaller and I didn't want the rest to attack him. I also bought two more hermies about the same size and put them all together so he wouldn't be alone but I'm still worried about him. One of the new crabs is in the beginning stage of molting (he is regrowing a missing claw!!) so I had to move this new molting friend into an ISO tank temporarily so he still has one of the new crabs as a buddy.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do with him?

[Liam]

Some pictures would be great.

[wodesorel]

Their eyes can get stuck together after baths, but it also happens when they are extremely weak. Did he have a normal molt? Could he still be recovering post-molt and that's why he's not moving around much? What are his tank conditions like?

[coxbrea151]

With the activity change, I've heard that sometimes hermit crabs personality changes after molting.

[Hokiekell]

I noticed his eyes right after he came up after a molt which was almost two months ago. He was the first crab to molt so I didn't really know what to expect. I moved him into another tank so the other crabs wouldn't bother him and when he came up, his eyes were stuck together. Also, his eyes are grey at the tips which I know can't be good. I tried to take a picture but I can't coax him out of his shell. I'm afraid to mess with him too much because I don't want to stress him out. I know he is moving because some nights I place him in or near the food dish so he doesn't have to go too far for a snack and in the morning, he will be under the log. I took a picture of his tank but can't figure out how to insert the image into this reply. Basically I have cypress mulch and sand, fake plants for climbing, half log for hiding, and two water dishes - one with salt water and one with regular water (both treated to remove chemicals). I monitor the temperature and humidity everyday to make sure it is suitable and give him a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, and throw in some meats and bread to keep them guessing. I have spent hours researching what to do to help him but I can't find anything about a crab who comes out of molt with his eyes stuck together. He was very active right after his molt so maybe he is storing energy to molt again to fix his eyes?

[Hokiekell]

I hope this works....

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumb ... =snapfish/

The pictures are of the mini-crabitat and a couple close up photos of my lil crabby.

[tnt4eva]

:/ It wouldn't let me view them without registering, which I did, but it keeps coming up with an error message.

If you upload the photo to Tinypic or Photobucket, copy the URL, then click the Img button here (beneath the subject line). When the code appears, paste the URL between the middle brackets [im g]paste URL here[/img]. The photo should show up when you click Submit.

As for the crab, it's possible its eyes were somehow injured, or something went wrong in the molt. They can often repair their eyes when they molt again, sometimes in stages.

[Hokiekell]

[Hokiekell]

Thank you so much tnt4eva!!

[tnt4eva]

How very strange. Poor little guy. They can look like that when they've just been in water, but all it takes is s blink and their eyes separate again. Something must have gone wrong when he molted, in which case he'll likely repair it next molt. Crabs can manage even when fully blind, so he should be OK in the mean time.

With your substrate, I'd be very inclined to get rid of the bark and replace it with sand. With a tank that size, you'll want all the tunneling and digging room you can provide for them, so sand would be better. I'd go about twice as deep as it is at the moment too. The general rule of thumb is 2-3 times as deep as your largest crab is high. So for example, if you've got a crab that's 1 inch high, you need a bare minimum of 2 inches of sand, preferably more. Adequate substrate can help cut down on molting problems.

Also, what sort of salt are you using?

[Hokiekell]

I will pick up some play sand after work today. Thank you so much . I really hope he molts again soon. Will the other crabs attack him because he is injured? I also have another crab that is missing a large claw so I have them together in the same tank. Both are small and I'm afraid the larger healthy crabs will take advantage of their injuries.

I am using the liquid salt solution that is sold at Petsmart.

[tnt4eva]

They should be OK, despite their injuries as long as you have plenty of spare shells and feed them plenty of protein.

You also need to get marine aquarium salt instead of the one you are using. Marine aquarium salt is the only kind that properly replicates seawater and it contains many trace elements besides just salt. They can survive long term without it. Plain aquarium salt, hermit crab salts etc won't do, you need marine aquarium salt. Popular brands include Instant Ocean, Oceanic and Red Sea.