We got our crab back in a shell, but now what??

[M.gaddis18]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


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

We use sand and it is about 4 inch deep in the front and closer to 6 in the back just due to the tank doors in front.


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?

We have a temp gauge that regulates the temp to stay around 78-80. Our humidity gauge broke but we consistently mist our tank throughout the day. So I don't think this is an issue, but of course I do need to get a new gauge that is reliable.


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

We have 2-12x8 zoo med heat pads, one on each side of the tank. They are stuck to the outside of the glass above the substrate line. And like mentioned above we have them connected to a regulator.

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)?

We buy salt water from the pet store and use bottled spring water.

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

Our general feed is a mix of dried fruits, veggies, shrimp, and some cuttlebone pieces occasionally. We will sometimes give fresh apple pieces or broccoli, normal fruits and veggies we are prepping for ourselves we will throw in small bits for them too


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

I have two and have had them for about 2 years I think I don't know what species they are...


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

I think they both have recently but I generally leave them alone so I don't know when exactly.


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

They are in an exo-terra 24x18x12. I have the normal mesh lid on top covered with some plastic wrap to help with the humidity. The tank isn't air tight by any means so there is still air flow and with us misting and such.

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

I only have the 2. They are pretty close in size. I think they are in shells with about 1 inch openings..

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

Like 8. Though all the shells had been buried with them roaming around and needed to be cleaned so I don't think he felt like he had options . I have since cleaned about 9 new shells and placed them in there

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

No i wouldn't think so. Nothings changed from our norm.

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

Not often. We clean the food/water dishes the most but otherwise just let them be. We rinse them about once a week and then deep clean them occasionally if they get too gross. And we scoop out any overflown foods around the dish as we see them as well.

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

No

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.)?

We try not to handle our crabs at all. We don't pick them up or anything. We brought the crabs into the same tank kind of recently. Like a couple months at this point but before we had them separate. They seem to be fine with each other. We haven't seen them fighting or anything. The other crab is off doing his own thing and I think he's fine. I havent seen him in the last couple days. There is a lot of hiding spots so this is normal. We aren't always looking at the tank, we just take a peek a couple times a day to see if anything is out of the ordinary.

They are both normally very strong and active. Switching shells occasionally and molting. Just normal behavior. We haven't had any problems or worries about these crabs so this is the first time something is up with one of them.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

One of my crabs has been kind of sitting half out of his shell and just around the same spot for the last day. And he was completely out of his shell this morning. He was actively trying to get away from us without his shell on so hes still got some energy but obviously we don't want him naked. We did the normal iso procedure and he ended up getting back into a shell. Now he is back in the tank and he's moved around a little but he still seems weaker than normal and I'm worried he's gonna do it again in the night... I have set up the spare tank in case he does it again after we can put him in a separate tank and see if he does better there. Should I isolate him now? Or just wait and see what happens? What do I do to make sure he recovers and stays in his shell?

.

[M.gaddis18]

He's just not staying in any shell... He's traveling without one, getting back into a different one and just not staying on one... What do I dooo??

[M.gaddis18]

We ended up putting him in a larger Tupperware lined with water and more shells and some food. He insists on traveling without a shell so I felt like this was the only way to keep him safer. He's still very active without his shell and resisted getting picked up. I think something must be stopping him from being able to carry a shell but his front legs are still strong. What can I do?? Is there anyway to help him???

[KyMart]

We ended up putting him in a larger Tupperware lined with water and more shells and some food. He insists on traveling without a shell so I felt like this was the only way to keep him safer. He's still very active without his shell and resisted getting picked up. I think something must be stopping him from being able to carry a shell but his front legs are still strong. What can I do?? Is there anyway to help him???

He could be too weak to hold a shell, give him lots of good foods, make sure he eats, and reshell him until he takes, he will die without a shell.

[KyMart]

IMO you should isolate him now to protect him from the others. Try reshelling him with lighter shells, maybe he's weak and they are too heavy for him. I keep tuns on hand (a much lighter shell then turbos, but they never choose them). If my crabs become to weak to hold up a turbo shell, they can switch to whatever size tun they need (there's like 8 of them in the tank, all different sizes), they are SO MUCH LIGHTER! I know that if they streak and won't go back into a turbo, I'm going to try a tun, they are lighter, and hopefully the crabs will take!

[M.gaddis18]

Okay I have done all that but now what? Is there anything else I can do or give him? He's still just kind of sitting in the opening of a shell. Not fully in the shell. Just sitting kind of backwards in it. Hes turning around occasionally but he isn't moving towards any of the new lights shells I just put in. I have basic foods, cuttlebone, and a bit of honey in there but I don't think he's been interested in those...

[KyMart]

Okay I have done all that but now what? Is there anything else I can do or give him? He's still just kind of sitting in the opening of a shell. Not fully in the shell. Just sitting kind of backwards in it. Hes turning around occasionally but he isn't moving towards any of the new lights shells I just put in. I have basic foods, cuttlebone, and a bit of honey in there but I don't think he's been interested in those...

I think the best thing you can do for him right now is dip him in some freshwater (his abdomen), then carefully uncurl it gently and put him into a shell, if he doesn't take, repeat the process with different shells, and hope he stays in one. His abdomen needs to be dipped in freshwater so it doesn't have substate on it (which could irritate it and make shells less comfortable) and so that way he has some moisture on it so it doesn't dry out. If that doesn't work, put him a shallow dish of freshwater with the extra shells and hope that he re shells himself. I'm rooting for the little guy, and I hope he takes a shell eventually, and makes it through this!

[curlysister]

I agree with keeping him isolated. High energy foods like honey and peanut butter can be offered (you can use something like a bottle cap as a dish if there isn't a lot of space in the isolation container).
It's unfortunate that we can't do any diagnositcs on crabs, so it's often not known why they become weak all of a sudden.