Surface Molt

[Lovelittlecrabs17]

1.What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? coconut fiber/sand mix Sloping 3-6.5 inches

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? Mid tank, 2 in. above sub- 74° & 75%

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? no

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)? big and small dish fresh water-API Tap Water Conditioner & small dish salt- home mixed Instant Ocean. Mixed as directed

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? daily- Chicken, Ground beef, egg shell, peanut butter, carrots, cucumber, apple, pineapple. Menu varies day to day

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? PP Jan 2018

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? This is 1st molt with me

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 50 gal glass tank, mesh lid mostly covered with plastic

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3 approx 1/2in claw to 1in claw

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 9

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? Lots of cleaning last week because I just moved but I put paper towels over the tank; and some Lycol yesterday that I tried to spray low- tank is on a bar height counter

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? Food shells and spot clean every other day. Re arrange and mix up sub...idk 6-8 weeks

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? Yes boiled then rinsed dechlorinated water

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? No

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.)? Crab had 1st bath yesterday, tiny bit of room temp water

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Crab surface molted. I found him this morning, shell laying upside down. Crab all pale pink, did not move when I turned him over. I haven't seen 2 of my PP since a week after I got them in January and I just moved over 800 miles to a new state. So i decided to dig a couple days ago. Found 1 eating his exo so carefully put things back and stopped. He came up and is normal and happy. My biggest 1 molted before we moved and he's always active and happy. Last little crabby still MIA so I dug and found him yest afternoon. Gave them all a bath and freshened the tank. Levels have maintained good and consistent for a while now. The MIA but now found PP doesn't fit all the way in his shell and he was not molting when I found him. He wasn't very active when found and crept back in a coco hut when I put everyone back. This morning he was upside down with his exo beside him. I set turned him over slightly propped on his exo & turned the opening of the hut to the wall and covered the outside there to make it dark. From what I've read, there's hope he'll be ok, but being upside down scared me. Any insight?

[piratetoothgir]

I wouldn't recommend keeping a constant temperature like that, I would advise you to get it raised to at least 78.
Humidity should always be at 80 or higher.

You must use a heat source unless you live where the house is already 80, then you'll need one.
Many of us recommend and use Prime for our de-chlorinator.

The menu sounds good, just be sure to always vary the menu like you are doing.
I'd be careful with Lysol around the tank, it can harm the crabs and cause problems with their health.

Since you have said that he's pink in color, that means that he is freshly molted, but how is he showing signs of illness?
Be sure to never handle them during the molt process or revival.

[wodesorel]

Your heat and humidity levels are fine for PPs. You may see more activity though if bumped up a little.

By digging him up you caught him during his molt cycle, it's why we encourage people to never dig, it only does more harm than good! Anytime you find a crab underground it should be isolated until it is clear that the crab is acting normal, they have a tendancy to look fine but then surface molt as they do not have the energy to dig down.

Make sure he is isolated from other crabs and has his exo underneath him. Keep him in the dark (cocohut, bowl) and in a week or two he should be done with his exo and ready to go.

[curlysister]

If your crabs had been down since January, that's only two months. Please be patient! That really isn't a long time when it comes to crabs, they can be down for twice that long. In 7+ years, the only time I dug up a crab was when there was a flood.