lost leg not sure if he can eat

Questions about unexpected problems.
cometstream
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by cometstream »

he is limp now but I keep him in my old tank just to make sure I haven't seen any movement
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by cometstream »

He is limp now smells kinda bad but right now he is in my old tank
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Do not know if crab is dead or molting

Post by cometstream »

I have a suspected to be dead crab and when I checked him today it was hard to move his legs. when I thought he was dead put him in my old tank. The next day I could move his legs and he was limp. A few days later I check on him and this happens. What do you think my crab is doing.
(he is missing a leg and I don't know if that will help) Another thing to is I had sand in there(no not calci sand)and the woo that it touched got moldy he stayed in his coconut hut on the EE side. (?) (?) (?) (?) (?) (?)
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Wai
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Re: Do not know if crab is dead or molting

Post by Wai »

Is the body hollow or does it have an abdomen attached?
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ladybug15057
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by ladybug15057 »

(merged posts so it is easier to follow events)
I am sorry, but reading back to the first page it does not sound good.
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by cometstream »

I have no idea. I try pulling on him but he still is in there good.
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ladybug15057
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by ladybug15057 »

If in doubt the best thing to do is leave the hermie alone. If he is alive he will let himself be pulled apart as opposed to give up his shell and this certainly stresses him even more so than he already is. By pulling on him if he is alive you could kill him.
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If you are contacted privately (via pm or e-mail) and enticed to join another forum, please contact a Crab Crew member. This is an unethical practice.
cometstream
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Total gallons: 55
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by cometstream »

I only pulled on him once :o
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by cometstream »

But what should i do?
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Re: lost leg not sure if he can eat

Post by CrabbyJo »

It sounds as though your crab may have passed. If the smell is pretty strong and he's still not moving, you can conclude he has passed.
You do need to look at your tank and the conditions and setup to make sure you have everything set up the way it needs to be for healthy crabs.
Also make sure you aren't feeding commercial foods, but are giving a good variety that includes seaweed, protein (meats), mealworms, and organic earthworm castings are a great nutritional food as well. Many people make the mistake of feeding mostly fruits and veggies, when these crabs need meats as much as the fruits and veggies.

Read the crab care section which has a ton of great info to help you.
You didn't say how long you've had the crab, or what the tank conditions are like, so we can't tell you why he may have died. If you can give us more details we can perhaps help you figure it out and fix what might have caused the problem. If he's a pretty "new" crab, as in the past month or two, it could even have just been PPS. Do read the crab care section. :)
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
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