Is This Weird?

[Crab_Coalition]

I woke up around 2:30 am and just happened to check on the crab tank. I have a light blue UV light I put on at night so it looks like moonlight over the terrain. I was just sweeping my eyes through the tank when I noticed something kind of strange. A hermit crab slowly emerged from a hole near the food bowl and used his legs to grab onto the edge pf the bowl to pull himself up. The more he pulled, the clearer I could see that he did not have a shell. he came up naked! It was so weird and funny at the same time. I always move slow as to not alarm them and I hid behind the light to mask myself but this crab caught on to the slightest of movement and backed up into that hole quicker than lightening! I never saw anything like that and wanted to know if anyone else had and what does it mean? The crab itself appeared healthy but didn't want to get seen naked I guess. LOL Really would love to hear from anyone on this. (-:

[soilentgringa]

Naked crabs are always treated as an emergency situation. It needs to reshell ASAP.
Rinse the crab and 1-2 appropriate size/shape shells in the bottom of a small bowl or cup. If it hasn't reshelled on it's own in 30 mins, you will have to manually reshell.
To do that you will need a slightly too large shell. Place the crabs abdomen in the shell carefully and stroke it behind the eyes with the tip of your finger so it will pull itself into the shell.
Crabs abandon their shells if they are either: A. Irritated by something in the shell, B. Close to death
(Some E's have been known to jump out of their shells when panicking)


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[CallaLily]

Soilentgringa covered the importance of reshelling but I wanted to add to also check your substrate consistency. Another possibility is the crab's cave/tunnel may have collapsed and he ditched his shell to make climbing out easier. So definitely double check that it's still moistened properly. You can carefully push a chop stick or straw down into it to check. After you get him reshelled I would isolate him for a while to make sure he's ok and stays shelled. Offer him high energy foods at this time too. Protein, calcium, sweet fruits, honey, peanut butter, bee pollen, etc.

[Crab_Coalition]

I woke up around 2:30 am and just happened to check on the crab tank. I have a light blue UV light I put on at night so it looks like moonlight over the terrain. I was just sweeping my eyes through the tank when I noticed something kind of strange. A hermit crab slowly emerged from a hole near the food bowl and used his legs to grab onto the edge pf the bowl to pull himself up. The more he pulled, the clearer I could see that he did not have a shell. he came up naked! It was so weird and funny at the same time. I always move slow as to not alarm them and I hid behind the light to mask myself but this crab caught on to the slightest of movement and backed up into that hole quicker than lightening! I never saw anything like that and wanted to know if anyone else had and what does it mean? The crab itself appeared healthy but didn't want to get seen naked I guess. LOL Really would love to hear from anyone on this. (-:

I appreciate the response but I think they are off beat so let me recap the details. The crab quickly disappeared into the dirt tunnel and was very fast. Did not look stressed or anything close to it and there is no overcrowding issue. The dirt is in perfect condition and they are also plenty of heels up top for it to choose from.

To be honest, if i have to dig for that crab then I have to pull up every other crab down there that is either molting, distressing, resting, etc because in just looking into the hole and sticking a finger inside, it runs pretty deep so the crab had no problem running back through that tunnel like Pablo. LOL

My general impression is that the crab is not in any immediate danger but appeared to play peek-a-boo in sneaking up top for some food but you both are saying I should treat it as an emergency?

If I do, what do you recommend because if i start digging I will likely need to pull up a bunch of crabs already beneath the surface. I also check everyday for insects and there are zero insects as we remove any fruits after an overnight period and keep the tank tightly sealed although I know tiny insects may still penetrate but have bot at this point. Tank is nice and warm since i purchased a heater pad from Bean Farm and remains between 80-85 degrees and 90 humidity.

[soilentgringa]

How many crabs do you have down and how large is the tank? If the crab's cave collapsed and it cannot reshell, it will die.


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[wodesorel]

Unfortunately a naked crab is always an emergency as it will not survive very long without one. Some crabs will act normal when shell-less, but their prognosis is grim - a few weeks at most unless they willingly re-shell. A buried un-shelled crab is in a dangerous position as both the substrate and the other crabs in the tank are potentially fatal. They simply are not built for life without a protective covering on their rear. (They're basically a water balloon back there, but with a skin that allows them to desiccate.)

It's ultimately your call if you have molters down on how you want to handle the situation since digging puts them at risk. It is not a fun position to be in, and it's a darned if you do, darned if you don't situation. If you can get the unshelled crab isolated until you can figure out why it's happening, he'll have a chance at making it through this. Maybe try to catch him in the middle of the night again?

And we ask questions about type and consistency of substrate, and about temp and humidity, because we know there is a lot of misinformation out there about hermit crabs both from pet shops and from the internet. When problems like shell-less crabs happen, it almost always tracks back to the advice that was given to the owners. We just want to make sure everything is correct for your hermits so you're enjoying them for the next few decades.

[Crab_Coalition]

Unfortunately a naked crab is always an emergency as it will not survive very long without one. Some crabs will act normal when shell-less, but their prognosis is grim - a few weeks at most unless they willingly re-shell. A buried un-shelled crab is in a dangerous position as both the substrate and the other crabs in the tank are potentially fatal. They simply are not built for life without a protective covering on their rear. (They're basically a water balloon back there, but with a skin that allows them to desiccate.)

It's ultimately your call if you have molters down on how you want to handle the situation since digging puts them at risk. It is not a fun position to be in, and it's a **** if you do, **** if you don't situation. If you can get the unshelled crab isolated until you can figure out why it's happening, he'll have a chance at making it through this. Maybe try to catch him in the middle of the night again?

And we ask questions about type and consistency of substrate, and about temp and humidity, because we know there is a lot of misinformation out there about hermit crabs both from pet shops and from the internet. When problems like shell-less crabs happen, it almost always tracks back to the advice that was given to the owners. We just want to make sure everything is correct for your hermits so you're enjoying them for the next few decades.

Hi, your message just came in and sounds like a candid buffet of choices. Yes, that is how I feel and that is the frustration rather to go after the one crab and risk the many or hope it resells and everybody else is ok. I have had to dig up crabs before and there were no fatalities. I will attempt a slightly deeper probe while being careful but don't know if I will take the chance to search deeper unless i am willing to dig them all up.

So a crab does not feel comfortable and safe enough to maybe hang outside their shells for awhile? Every case is an emergency?

[Crab_Coalition]

Unfortunately a naked crab is always an emergency as it will not survive very long without one. Some crabs will act normal when shell-less, but their prognosis is grim - a few weeks at most unless they willingly re-shell. A buried un-shelled crab is in a dangerous position as both the substrate and the other crabs in the tank are potentially fatal. They simply are not built for life without a protective covering on their rear. (They're basically a water balloon back there, but with a skin that allows them to desiccate.)

It's ultimately your call if you have molters down on how you want to handle the situation since digging puts them at risk. It is not a fun position to be in, and it's a **** if you do, **** if you don't situation. If you can get the unshelled crab isolated until you can figure out why it's happening, he'll have a chance at making it through this. Maybe try to catch him in the middle of the night again?

And we ask questions about type and consistency of substrate, and about temp and humidity, because we know there is a lot of misinformation out there about hermit crabs both from pet shops and from the internet. When problems like shell-less crabs happen, it almost always tracks back to the advice that was given to the owners. We just want to make sure everything is correct for your hermits so you're enjoying them for the next few decades.

To be honest I think i was very lucky to catch that crab the first time. LOL I thought it was very special and maybe the crab felt comfortable enough to do that but maybe now. The only problem I have is why did the crab retreat back into the hole if there was some type of distress in that hole? That seems very contradictory to its instinctive nature.

[CallaLily]

So a crab does not feel comfortable and safe enough to maybe hang outside their shells for awhile? Every case is an emergency?

No. Every case is an emergency. A crab will not ditch it's shell unless something is wrong or it is forced to by another crab. They literally can not survive without their shells for very long.

[Crab_Coalition]

No. Every case is an emergency. A crab will not ditch it's shell unless something is wrong or it is forced to by another crab. They literally can not survive without their shells for very long.

Do you suggest I dig up all the crabs? Because I cannot find it in the immediate area so will likely need to dig up half the tank which means I will collapse the tunnels in the other half so will need to dig up all of them. A majority of them went down at the same time and were due to come up in late October. Some have started appearing but with 5 weeks left before a majority should be up, I fear it will be too late for that crab but the others should be strong enough to survive the dig up. I didit twice before and haven't lost a single crab yet but I know its's rolling the dice big time. (-:

[Acceb_becca]

What I have Sadler had to do before is start digging and when u find a molted scoop them their Exo and some dirt around them and let them stay in a plastic cup... If u do this be sure to cover the top of the cup


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[Crab_Coalition]

What I have Sadler had to do before is start digging and when u find a molted scoop them their Exo and some dirt around them and let them stay in a plastic cup... If u do this be sure to cover the top of the cup


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Ok so basically if I dig I will need to iso those crabs. Well I have 12 of them underground so they will need to be scooped up and rescued. I appreciate all the assistance on this. I hope no one took my responses as being stubborn or harsh but I question in order to get an consistent assessment on what to do because I care about them and don't want to do anything to harm them. I am only a novice and I do not have the wealth of experience that you people have so I really appreciate everything said here and always will. You all have helped me to establish a tank that the crabs love and have great comfort in and their diet and warmth and clean water have all come from this group. Since I joined and started taking advice, the crab colors have been vibrant and they are more energetic and i am striving to learn much more so thank you.

[soilentgringa]

How many crabs do you have and how large is the tank?

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[Crab_Coalition]

How many crabs do you have and how large is the tank?

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I thought I answered that earlier in the thread but if not I apologize. I have a 40 gallon tank with 19 hermit crabs, mostly small with a few medium size crabs. 7 are up and 12 are down for extended periods of time presumably molting and are due up at the end of October approximately. My substrate is 10 inches deep and moist and firm at each level...insect-free encased join a glass tank with a compatible-size heat pad on the backside.

[Crab_Coalition]

How many crabs do you have and how large is the tank?

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Been waiting for a response to the info I provided at your request. (-: