i'm the worst crab owner ever

amanda9989 · Post by **amanda9989** » 17 Mar 2005, 16:08

i really screwed up today in a major way.

i'm a new crab owner and i have five of the little sweeties. but i never see them. they stay buried constantly, i never see them eat or drink or come out at all. but i've had them for several weeks and surely they do come out and do those things or they'd be dead, right?

but anyway, on to my huge mistake. today i was going to clean out the tank, replace all the sand, etc. when i was digging out the hermies i came across body parts. legs and whatnot. i began freaking out and acting very infantile because i don't handle death and dying well at all (i'm 31!) but i was horribly upset and i just left the room and made my husband go dig out the hermies. i told him to put the live ones in this box, and that when he found which one was dead, to just put it in a closed box and i'd go bury it.

he found 4 perfectly normal ones, but one with some dried up skin and whatnot in it and thank goodness he took a close look, because it was a molted crab!! he's tiny and way back in the shell, but definately alive.

i was SO EXCITED so i got the aquarium all set back up and i sectioned off some of it so he could be in isolation. made sure they all had clean food, water, salt water, and treats. i was on top of the world.

then i started getting worried about the little guy because he hasn't budged and it's been hours. he's alive though, i can feel him moving when i pick him up.

i also (here's the big mistake part coming right up, FINALLY) threw out the legs and whatnot with the sand. totally forgot he needed to eat it!! i'm sorry, i feel horrible, but i've only owned hermit crabs for a couple of months and this was the first molt and just so emotional with thinking he died, i just forgot.

so what do i do now? i have this special crab sand that says it's calcium and good to eat. i put some of that in there.

is there any chance he can survive without eating that exo? and also, is it normal for them not to budge at all after a molt? when should i get really worried?

sorry this is so long, but it's been a big day and i just am trying to learn all i can and knew basically nothing when i got the little guys.

thanks so much for any help...

amanda9989 · Post by **amanda9989** » 17 Mar 2005, 16:19

crap. i just read that you're not supposed to dig crabs up. i'm so mad at myself.

so if all five of mine have been under the sand for days and days and i never see them (i thought that was normal) does that mean maybe they are all about to molt? and i shouldn't dig them up (i did today) to clean their aquarium? and if not, then how do i clean it?

i really need a lesson on hermit crabs apparently. i've read a lot online but every day i learn something new.

Post by **Wai** » 17 Mar 2005, 17:28

NEVER DIG UP A CRAB! No matter what you think is going on, whether you think they're dead or not, NEVER dig them up. I have learnt a big lesson from this. One time I was so curious I dug up a crab who had molted, but I accidently killed him. Whereas I left Neptune alone, and he molted successfully.

Remember, they are different to people. It's quite normal for a crab to be under the sand for weeks or even months. But if you notice the dead smell, that's when you should dig them up.

amanda9989 wrote:then i started getting worried about the little guy because he hasn't budged and it's been hours. he's alive though, i can feel him moving when i pick him up.

Big mistake: NEVER PICK UP MOLTERS! He is under severe stress after a molt, and by picking him up will make the situation worse. Leave him alone in a dark, humid place.

You can give him egg shells if you've thrown out his exo. Don't do that again.

amanda9989 · Post by **amanda9989** » 17 Mar 2005, 18:08

yeah i said i just read that. what would have been helpful would to be told things i could do now that i already made the mistake. thanks for the help though. i guess.

lilhermitgirl17 · Post by **lilhermitgirl17** » 18 Mar 2005, 08:44

I made the same mistake with one of my hermit crabs that had molted, throwing out his exo, cause he didn't give any warning, and didn't burry himself, he just did it... and I thought that he was dead. What I did was get a cuttle bone, like you would buy for a bird, and break a little bit off, and powder it, and keep it in the tank in a food dish or something. My hermies seem to like it. so now I keep it there all the time.

bennynlewie · Post by **bennynlewie** » 18 Mar 2005, 09:32

ya i once threw out an exo because i thought it was my crab there all dead but my mom saved the big pincher so he ate that and he turned out fine and always when i have egg shells i put some in there even if no one is molting

amanda9989 · Post by **amanda9989** » 22 Mar 2005, 07:29

well i don't know what the long term result will be, but wanda is still alive. i suspected so because no strange smells, but today it's confirmed because she moved up underneath the hermie hut.

another question, when you have one buried under the sand, do you assume it's molting? and if so, do you just stop cleaning out the tank? that seems kind of gross and with several of them, it seems like one or the other of them is always buried.

thanks

bennynlewie · Post by **bennynlewie** » 22 Mar 2005, 13:33

well ive heard everywhere that u never ever dig one up like one of mine hasnt been up for days so i think he might be so i dont dig him up or clean the tank i think you should just wait and if u dont see him for weeks then maybe you should dig around him but dont touch him

Post by **Wai** » 22 Mar 2005, 16:51

Most of the time hermit crabs just dig for fun, but if they have been down for three or more weeks, they may be molting. You can try moving all the crabs that are above the surface, making sure the molter is safe.

bennynlewie · Post by **bennynlewie** » 23 Mar 2005, 04:32

ya i would do what wai says