I Know my Hermit Crab is Going to Die...What Should I Do Now

[balletdancer101]

I have a little hermit that refused to change into over 10 shells. I'm not gonna bother trying to get more because I know he isn't going to change. He's never been a picky crab and I gave him LOTS of options. I have accepted that he isn't going to make it, but I'm not sure exactly what to do with my naked crabby to make his death as peaceful as possible. I had him in ISO but he seems to prefer being protected by a cup in the main crabitat at this point. I've let him try to walk around and explore for shells in his own but he isn't interested despite being able to walk around fine. Here's some details:

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play sand, 4 inches as my crabs are pretty small (quarter size).
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?
The gauges are located in the middle of my cage away from water or sponges. They usually read 74° and 80% humidity.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I live in a warm area so no heat source has ever been needed (however I would get one if the tank wasn't warming up like it should be).
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)?
I have pure freshwater and saltwater, mixed with ZooMed's sea salt. I use amount specified o the packet but at this point since my crabs are so small and because I've been doing this for so long I tend to just eyeball it. I believe the ratio is 1 tsp of salt for 1 cup of water.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed a mix of rice, orange bell pepper, carrots, celery, apples and peanuts. I change every other day when I can.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I've had this specific crabby for 7 months. He seems to be a PP.
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
He hasn't molted for me yet as far as I know. He has grown though so maybe he did and I didn't notice!
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
10 gallon glass tank with a mesh lid cover with plastic wrap to keep in the humidity.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
3 quarter sized crabs, 2 strawberries and 1 PP.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
I have about 15 in there right now.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not that I know of.
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I spot clean every other day and deep clean only when really needed (once so far).
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
I have a sponge but the crabs don't seem to like it, so it's been sitting at the corner of my tank unused (but still cleaned) for a while. I clean then and then microwave them.
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
Nope.
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.)?
I don't bathe unless I take them out. Overall however I have a very hands off approach. The hermit in question was always very active, healthy and easy for me, which is why this is such a surprise and difficult time for me.
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I said mostly everything above...I just want my favorite and most active/healthy crab to die a peaceful and hopefully least painful as possible death. What to you recommend?

[Cumba]

I know how hard this is for you. I am sorry that you have to go through this.

I suppose you could gently put him in a shell. If he does make a bit longer, hand feed him with your fingers. I would try to keep him alive.

What happened? How come he is naked? Is he trying to move around?

[balletdancer101]

I woke up one morning and he was chilling on a log with no shell. He is refusing to change even though I cleaned all his shells (boiled them to make sure nothing was lodged in there). He seemed a little small for his old shell but was just too darn picky this time around. I'll try to do everything I can. He is just walking around in the cup a bit, not touching his food or water. I've been misting him to keep his gills moist. It's only a matter of time now and I'll try to keep him as alive as possible.

[lmw142]

You need to try to get him into a well fitting shell. If he isn't doing it on his own you can gently pick him up and place his abdomen in a clean shell.

I'm going to go through what you've said about how you care for them and offer some improvements. This may or may not help with the current issue, but it should help keep your other two crabs healthy.

1. Substrate: Minimum substrate should be 6 inches, even for small crabs.

2. 74 degrees is still a little cooler than recommended, especially for straws. Recommended temps for straws are 78-90 degrees. For PPs the recommended temp is 75-85 degrees. Your humidity is good.

4. Water: You really need to use a dechlorinator if you aren't already. One that is highly recommended is Seachem Prime. ZooMed sea salt may not be sufficient for crabs, but I don't know. A lot of people, including myself, use Instant Ocean. It is a really good brand.

5. Food: Great job offering fresh foods to your crabs, but you need more variety. Something specific I see that is lacking is animal proteins, which are very important in a hermit crab diet. You can offer fresh shrimp, fish, chicken, etc, or you can buy freeze dried proteins from the petstore, like shrimp, mealworms, crickets, and bloodworms.

I hope your crab gets better!

[balletdancer101]

Update: He dropped his pincher and can't walk much now. I've slipped him a huge shell where he can hopefully feel safe when he passes. I've been letting him out to eat, drink and dip the water. I've turned the lights off as well so he can feel at home. His little crabby friends are almost as concerned for him as I am. They keep looking for him in his favorite hiding spot and have been bringing food over to his cup (it's see through). They even have been trying to communicate with him! So bittersweet.
Also, when I said pure water I meant dechlorinated, so you don't have to worry about chlorine in his water. He is too fragile now for me to stress him out any further by putting him in a more snug shell, so I hope he'll stay in the one I put him in. Trust me, I tried for hours yesterday to slip him in a well fitting shell and he just wasn't having it.

[soilentgringa]

Lmw142 touched on the main areas of concern, so I won't add too much, however the Zoo Med salt water conditioner does not add over 70 of the necessary elements they would get from ocean water. They need a marine grade salt water mix. Instant Ocean is what most of us use because it is very easy to identify and mix. It comes in a purple box and can be found in most pet stores.
Straws need a minimum tank size of 40 gallons. They dig and swim a lot and need sub at least 12" deep. Do you have pictures?
You can try hand feeding your crab bits of all natural peanut butter with raw honey and crushed eggshells and even crushed insects mixed to boost energy. We had a member a few months ago nurse a crab back to health that lost most of his limbs. If your crab isn't gone yet, it is still possible, although very difficult. You will want to keep it in ISO in good conditions and offer properly conditioned waters and high energy food. You can put the food mixture on the tip of a Qtip and very gently hand feed or stick it down into the sub close to the crabs face.
When they can't or won't stay shelled it usually means they don't have the energy to carry it any longer. (Unless something is just irritating it's abdomen).

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[balletdancer101]

I will definitely look into getting my 2 straws a bigger crabitat (though I should note that I'm not 100% sure they are straws, they rarely come out often enough for me to see and don't match a lot of the behaviors straws usually have). I've shelled him in a comfy shell and he has stayed there for 30 min (a record!). I will continue to try to hand feed him and I'll get some instantocean ASAP as well. Thank you everyone for your help. Regardless on how it turns out it is so comforting to know I'm trying my best to help him out. I've checked for mites and irritants, so I think he just doesn't have the energy (though I should note he has yet to try to walk around in a shell, he just sits in there and then climbs out). Hopefully all turns out well!

[balletdancer101]

He out of that shell again but I put him back in. He just sits in there, not even attempting to eat or drink. I made him a mix of all natural peanut butter, honey and eggshells but he won't eat in his shell. He seems to be getting use to the shell so I don't want to pull him out to eat. Should j just wait and see? I got the temperature up and added some sand in the meantime.

[soilentgringa]

Is he in ISO or the main tank? I would cover him with a cocohut or empty butter tub or something with an entry cut out, just make it dark and let him be.

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[balletdancer101]

He's in the ISO, covered by a cocohut. He has stayed in the shell for 2 hours now and seems to be pretty comfortable. I slipped him in a little more comfortably this time. He has protein rich food, instant ocean treated water, dechlorinated fresh water and a little climbing log just in case he wants to try to get on his feet. Hoping for the best when I come back home tonight! So proud he's made it 2 days so far and seems to be getting better! He ate a bit by licking PB/Honey/Eggshell mix off his legs. We wouldn't have got this far without all you helpful people, thank you so much! He seems to be comfortable and less stressed.

[balletdancer101]

Update: He left his shell but is moving around, drinking, etc. I'm gonna get him a larger ISO tomorrow (it's very makeshift rn) as long as he can pull through the night! When I opened the top of the cage he put his abodomen in his shell slightly, so I think he is finally getting the idea that he needs to stay in a shell. Is there any way I can increase his chances of keeping him alive overnight? He seems a lot better now but I don't know when that could change. Thanks!

[soilentgringa]

Just leave him covered in the dark. The best thing you can do now is leave him alone as long as he is in the shell and eating/drinking.

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[Nia]

Hope that your little guy is doing better. Best wishes sent your way!!! Cheering him on

[balletdancer101]

I woke up this morning and my little guy, while not in a shell, is still alive! I'm going to reboil all my shells because they're filled with sand (which means that he tried them out, yay!) and I'm getting my new ISO later today. He is doing well and is gaining strength. I'll buy a few more shells and hopefully he'll gain enough strength to get into a shell and walk around. Thanks for all your well wishes!

[Cumba]

Yes! Yes! Yeeeeeesssss! I feel so happy for you!