Running away naked?

[heathermortimer]

So I have a crab that is always on the mopani wood. Always. I'm not even sure if he eats. He just hangs onto the mopani wood. That however is not my concern, because I like the mopani wood too. I also like when it's not moldy. And while the salt prevents mold, every once in a while I have to clean it off. And every time that crab is hanging on for dear life. So I tug gently, pry his legs a bit, tug some more, pry some more. Of course I'm being really gentle and careful not to hurt him. But then all of a sudden he will just hop on out of his shell and take off. So I snatch the mopani wood, put the shell down and cover the tank so he has some privacy. Today he did this for the third time. Is this normal? Is it better for me to let him hang out on moldy wood or send him running off naked? I really don't think it's a shortage of shells. And there's plenty of other places to climb and hide in the tank. He just will not let me clean this one piece of mopani. And he gets right back in his shell like it's nothing. So what do I do?

[kuza]

if you stop getting the wood wet it'll stop getting mouldy. There's no reason to spray it. You can also prop it up out of the sand with shells so it doesn't rot.

[CrabbyMom33]

I had problems with my mopani initially. I finally soaked it in salt water for hours, then baked it until dry. It's been fine in my tank for a year and the ReptiFogger is right above it.

[DragonsFly]

I think what is happening is that he is reacting to your pulling on him as if you are another crab trying to take his shell (initiating a shell fight). Since you are a MUCH, MUUUUUUUCH larger "crab" than he is, he wisely LETS YOU HAVE THE SHELL if you want it so badly, and runs away so you won't hurt him (he doesn't know you aren't trying to hurt him). When the "giant, apparently foolish crab who wants the shell but then never actually uses it" puts the shell back, he of course puts it back on.

Kuza is right that the best thing to do (to avoid this in the future, and for your own health so you don't have to worry about the mold) is to keep the wood dry. Take it out one more time. Scrub it vigorously with some salt, then soak it in some marine salt water. Then let it dry THOROUGHLY--at least a full 24 hours; depending on the size, maybe a couple of days. (You can bake it in the oven to dry it, but you have to be careful about that!) Then, when you put it back in the tank, make sure it is propped OUT of the sand, as Kuza said, set it on shells or flat rocks or something so it doesn't make direct contact with the moist sand. (If your sand is initially moistened with some half-strength marine salt water instead of fresh water, that will help too--both helps inhibit mold AND helps keep humidity levels high--but after that, always use fresh water for any re-moistening, so salt levels don't get too high in the substrate.) Then, instead of spraying, do any re-moistening of sand with the "pour method." If you are having to spray a lot to keep humidity levels up, consider other ways to encourage humidity (initial substrate moistening with half- to 2/3-strength MSW, moss pits, air bubblers in the water pools, a humidifier). Wodesorel also swears by having a small fan in the tank to keep air circulating; she said once she did that she never had a mold problem again. So those are some ideas. . . good luck!

[heathermortimer]

I really don't spray my tank, ever. The humidity constantly sits at 80. When I open the tank to change out food or water it goes down to 60, then hops back up. Is this too high? Also, the mold isn't from the bottom, it's closer to the top.Thanks everyone!

[wodesorel]

Is the crab in question an E? They will ditch shells and launch themselves into space to get away if they feel threatened and you have hold of their shell. Naked flying Es are the reason I don't hold mine much anymore.

[DragonsFly]

80% relative humidity is not too high, but if it "jumps" right back up to 80% right after you close the tank back up, I wonder about your air exchange. Remember they need fresh, O2-bearing air moved in and the stale air (high in CO2, which tends to settle at the bottom of the tank) moved out on a regular basis, and again, air flow in the tank will discourage mold growth wherever it is growing.