Crab moulting, another crab stole it's shell

[Squish]

I picked up my biggest crab today (Sgt Squish), and noticed he pulled himself waaaaaaaay further back than I thought he could.
Then it dawned on me, that wasn't Squish!

So, frantically, I looked around the tank trying to find and count the crabs. (I only have three... )

I found the other small one, but couldn't find Squish anywhere.
So I looked underneath and saw moult pieces, but they were completely covered by dirt, so I freaked out a bit.

...I found him. He's alive, pink and shell-less. What should I do? I'm not sure if he'll accept the other shells that I deem to be his size, and one of the smaller crabs seems to have stolen "his" shell.
AND I've interrupted his moulting hidey spot (He was completely submerged, no hole... it was weird.

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What is the volume of your main tank?
I... don't remember off the top of my head. 10, I think.

How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
Three (3), 1 medium sized one, the other 2 are small.

How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
Squish has been with use about 8 months. He has molted successfully before.

What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
Primarily coconut fiber dirt... It varies depending on where the crabs have dug.
2-4 inches?

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
Crackers, boiled egg, lettuce, apple, banana, "hermit food", dried fruit... various things of a vegetable/fruit-type nature.

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
Bottled/Tap

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
Zoo med - The bottle doesn't say.

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
HBH Hermit Crab Salt

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
Zoo Med heating pad, underneath the dirt on the right side of the tank.

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
I hope so.

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
I keep the humidity close to max as best I can, but temperature fluctuates a bit over the course of the year. (ambient outside temperature)

What is the highest temperature that the substrate near the heat source reaches?
TYPE HERE

Do you have any photos of your tank or hermit crab(s) of concern? If yes, please attach them to your post.
TYPE HERE

[ladybug15057]

...I found him. He's alive, pink and shell-less. What should I do?

Do you have a 2 liter soda bottle you can cut to slide down where he is located to protect him from the others? Put small water sources within the soda section (soda caps, water bottle caps will work due to the tight space) and push this all the way to the tanks floor. Remove any items the others can climb to gain access to him by.

What is the volume of your main tank?
I... don't remember off the top of my head. 10, I think.

What are the measurements of your tank? Length, width and height?

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
Crackers, boiled egg, lettuce, apple, banana, "hermit food", dried fruit... various things of a vegetable/fruit-type nature.

It appears your hermies are lacking a little in their diet. (chitin is a major one and other protein foods. Some chitin foods are considered protein, but not all protein foods contain chitin.
http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/

Sue’s post here:
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... p?faqid=91

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
Bottled/Tap

Which bottled water do you use when you use it?

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
Zoo med - The bottle doesn't say.

ZooMed part 1 does not remove heavy metals from tap water. You will need one that removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals.

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
HBH Hermit Crab Salt

This salt is not a good one and serves no purpose to keep a hermie healthy. Please choose one from:

http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... eslist.php

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
Zoo Med heating pad, underneath the dirt on the right side of the tank.

The UTH needs to be positioned outside of the tank on the tanks floor not in the tank.

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
I hope so.

?? You did test the humidity gauge? Or hope it is accurate?

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
I keep the humidity close to max as best I can, but temperature fluctuates a bit over the course of the year. (ambient outside temperature)

Do you have a thermometer on the inside of the tank, and if so what does it read?

What is the highest temperature that the substrate near the heat source reaches?
TYPE HERE

Possibly an oversight that the question was missed? Do you know the substrate temp of your tank? (cool and warm side?)


Edited to add:
If the other vacates the shell, rinse it and put it within the cut soda bottle with the shell less molter. If not, place another shell that size in the soda iso with him.

[Squish]

I did place a coconut shell-house over his spot for darkness (and he deburied himself).

Do you have a 2 liter soda bottle you can cut to slide down where he is located to protect him from the others? Put small water sources within the soda section (soda caps, water bottle caps will work due to the tight space) and push this all the way to the tanks floor. Remove any items the others can climb to gain access to him by.

I panicked and placed some cardboard in the tank to divide the other two from him for now.
I will see what I can do about the 2 liter. (Thank you so much for the idea)

What are the measurements of your tank? Length, width and height?

L: ~20in H: ~12in W: ~10in
So about 10 gallons.

It appears your hermies are lacking a little in their diet. (chitin is a major one and other protein foods. Some chitin foods are considered protein, but not all protein foods contain chitin.
http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/

Sue’s post here:
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... p?faqid=91

I have a cuttlebone in the tank with them, and I leave egg shells in there, as well as sea shells and other crab shells... I thought that was suppose to help provide for chiting.

Which bottled water do you use when you use it?

To be honest, what ever is on sale at the time. xD

ZooMed part 1 does not remove heavy metals from tap water. You will need one that removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals.

Do you have a recommendation? All 3 crabs have moulted several times, and 1 of them has been with me for over a year. This one and the smallest one have been with me about 8 months.

This salt is not a good one and serves no purpose to keep a hermie healthy. Please choose one from:

http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... eslist.php

Will do, thanks. This salt is new, I was using zoo-med part 2 before.

The UTH needs to be positioned outside of the tank on the tanks floor not in the tank.

The UTH is outside of the tank, attached to the underside.
I have a smaller one attached to a side from some bad advice I received early on. Heating was a very confusing subject.

?? You did test the humidity gauge? Or hope it is accurate?

I didn't put it through rigorous tests, but I watched it pretty closely after buying it initially, and adjusted my tank accordingly.

Do you have a thermometer on the inside of the tank, and if so what does it read?

The thermometer actually reads mid to high 80s at the moment, since it's summer time, it's warm in the kitchen area. (It's where there's no AC)

Possibly an oversight that the question was missed? Do you know the substrate temp of your tank? (cool and warm side?)

Unfortunately I don't have an exact read on the substrate temp. =/ Setting all this up was initially frustrating because of all the information I ended up needing to sift through as well as all the unexpected costs. (It started as a small project for our son, but I didn't want to be one of those people that is uninformed about their pet... low and behold $100+ later... xD )
Therefore I bought one of those adjustable heater dials from... zoo-med (again) ... I think. It only has a knob with a sticker ranging green to red. =/ So during winter I set it higher, summer I lower it a bit. The crabs have seemed to find their comfort zones.

Edited to add:
If the other vacates the shell, rinse it and put it within the cut soda bottle with the shell less molter. If not, place another shell that size in the soda iso with him.

Frustratingly, we don't have another shell that exact size.
Well, we do... sort of, but they're different shapes.
The other shells are smaller and bigger. I've stacked several near him for the time being, hoping he'll find one he likes.

I can't believe that shell thieving occurred though, it's never happened before, and that other crab is MUCH smaller. He practically disappears into the shell when i pick him up.