ANOTHER surface molter?

[Animalperson]

Soon after Bandit finished molting, my other crab Pat did a surface molt. All is well, he's hardened up and back in the main tank, but I am really confused on why my crabs won't dig down. Anyone have any ideas? I posted something similar when Bandit first molted.

[Animalperson]

Here's the post I made when Bandit first molted: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=102974&p=946119#p946119

[CallaLily]

If you can answer these questions with as much detail as possible we can help you try to figure this out.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

2. 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?

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

4. 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)?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?

[Animalperson]

1. Quikrete playsand. It is a little over 6 inches deep.

2. No. (I know, I know. Shame on me) I used to before they broke (they were REALLY cheap and didn't want to stick to the tank with all the humidity.) When I did have them it was 75-95% humidity depending on how long ago I refilled water bowls/misted the tan, and the warm side of the tank was about 74-78°F. I know this is a bit chilly but thats all the UTH wants to give and we cant afford to make the house any warmer. I want to get new gauges next time we go to the pet store.

3. Reptitherm UTH for 10-20 gallons (I have a ten gallon tank)

4. Both fresh and salt. The fresh is treated with ZooMed freshwater conditioner (more for the added minerals because my wayer is chlorine free) and the salt with ZooMed saltwater conditioner.

5. Most of the time my crabs just get table scraps. That includes tomato/strawberry tops, bits of bell pepper, lettuce, basil, avacado, mango, banana peel, cucumber, ect. Sometimes I put some hay from my guinea pig in there too. As a treat I'll ocassionally put some honey or 100% natural peanut butter (just peanuts and an insignificant amount of salt) on their fruit/veggies. If there are no fruit or veggie scraps I have both FMR and ZooMed comercial food. The commericial food is removed as soon as fresh food is put in and the fresh as soon as it looks "gross," about every 1-2 days for both.

6. I've had them since late december/early january, so only a few months. They are all PPs.

7. Bandit molted about a month after I got them, Pat just finished and Ryan has yet to. Who knows how long its been for him.

8. A ten gallon tank with a screen lid (mostly) covered in olastic wrap to keep the humidity up.

9. 3. Two are about the size of a ping ping ball and Ryan is about double that.

10. Yes. Right now there are 6, but I have 9 total and switch them out to keep it interesting. I want to order more sometime.

11. Not that I know of

12. I just remove leftover food and mold growth by scoooing it out and throwing it away. I do this as soon as I see it. I have yet to find poop...

13. In the freshwater dish there is one as its a little deep. I've yet to clean it.

14. Unless you count swaping shells, I don't think so.

15. I probally handle my crabs more often than I should (1-4 times a week for a few minutes). The crabitiat also doesn't get a ton of light because it's in the corner of my room.

[CallaLily]

Is your substrate sand castle consistency? It's really important to keep track of the actual temperature and humidity. Guessing is not a good idea so you really should pick up gauges as soon as you can. A lot of crabber really like the AcuRite digital thermometer/hygrometer found at Walmart for around $9. Once you have gauges, try insulating your UTH to bump up those temps. The zoomed salt water conditioner isn't adequate - these brands sold for hermit crabs or freshwater fish are lacking many elements found in seawater. The type of salt mix you're looking for are the brands sold for saltwater aquariums, like Instant Ocean. These mimic ocean water the best. Do you provide any other protein sources besides occasional peanut butter? Calcium? Be wary of commercial foods. Most contain harmful ingredients. There's a thread in the caresheet section that explains what you're looking to avoid. I know FMR for sure is one brand that is not recommended. With the size of your crabs, you're really probably needing to upgrade your tank. More extra shells are recommended so it's good to hear you're planning to order more. Sponges tend to harbor bad bacteria and aren't really recommended. If you do use them they'll need to be sanitized often. It's easier to just switch to smooth river pebbles, plastic plants, shells, or plastic needle point canvas to help crabs out of water dishes. Have the crabs been dug up at all by another crab, yourself, or a family member?

Sorry to drop so much info on you at once. I know it can be overwhelming. I hope we can get to the bottom of what's going on. Here's a link to the caresheet section where there's even more info on everything I've mentioned. http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... m.php?f=51. It's really worth taking the time to read through it all.

[Animalperson]

Thanks for all the info! I'll be getting to the petstore to get some gauges and better saltwater conditioner. I'll also try to add more protein and calcium to their diet and feed less comerical food. I'll also replace the sponge with a shell have that's way too big for my crabs.

No one but me ever interects with the crabs. I know I've never dug any up, but it's possible I've disturbed them while they were trying to dig.

I've noticed that my crabs are really slow diggers. In a few days, they've never gone deeper than an inch or two. My sand is at sandcaste consistancy, so why does it take them so long? I've heard that they can dig to the bottom in just a few minutes... either my crabs have never tried or theres something wrong. Before I got them they werw living on gravel, do you think they've had to surface molt so many times because of their poor former living conditions they continue to do so now?

[YYWW]

The UTH gallon sizing doesn't exactly apply because the UTH is not being used under the tank. You should really be using any UTH that fits all the space above the line of substrate. This is another of the many reasons that i love buying Ultratherm brand UTHs: they sell them by L x W size.


Crabbers unite!!!