Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Questions about unexpected problems.
Post Reply
R's Hermies
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 3
Joined: 30 Sep 2011, 09:24
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 22
Total tanks: 2

Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by R's Hermies »

Hi there,

I really need some assistance regarding our new hermit crabs, as I think they may have died. I'm hoping some experienced crab owners can help.

We bought two Australian land hermit crabs 2.5 weeks ago from a children's fair. They were initially housed in a plastic tank & fed with the supplied dried crab food; we were told to keep them in sunlight to keep them warm. We weren't told that chlorinated water was dangerous, so they had a chlorinated water bath & water bowl for a half day (not sure if either was used in that time).

One crab was very active, the other less so when we bought them. We bought them for our son who loves them dearly, and talks about them incessantly.

Day 1, I read some information about them & realised that our supplies were inadequate to their care, so we purchased an under tank heating pad the day we bought them. We've subsequently bought a large glass tank, small isolation glass tank, thermometer & hygrometer & have a thermostat & water conditioner on order. We've been using distilled water only for them, as I read Day 1 that chlorinated water is dangerous for them.

We have been using the supplied dried crab food for them, for the first 1.5 weeks (as this was what the hermit crab seller had been using) and started supplementing it with tiny pieces of fruit and steamed vegetables, that we replaced each morning, a week ago.

Their humidity would have not have been optimum, during their first week with us, until we installed a hygrometer after the first week, and increased the level of humidity in the tank with misting &, yesterday, natural New Zealand spaghnum moss (purchased from the vendor: Easy Orchids recommended on this site).

We initially had only one spare shell for them, but have since ordered a dozen more; and have three spare shells in the tank at present.

We handled the crabs for at least twice a day for the first few week, until I read that this is stressful, so discontinued it. One Day 1 the less active crab left its shell, in early evening, and changed into one of the spare shells we'd bought for them. That was amazing to watch.

On Day 3, this same crab left its shell entirely & remained on the surface of the coconut fibre substrate (we were still unaware that direct sunlight was not recommended & could overheat the tank - this was before we had the thermometer installed) so I moved the tank out of the sunlight, put a tiny bit of water in a plastic container, rinsed the crab's abandoned shell in distilled water & isolated the crab in the container, with a tea towel over it, for a few hours - based on what I'd read up about it on the web. The crab moved back into its shell within an hour.

They seem to have been quite active, at night, but both completely buried during the day, which appears normal based on what I've read. The less active crab had become more so; the very active crab less so, over the past week.

Our problem is that, two nights ago, we had a power outage sometime during the night (and were unaware of it until the next morning). The crabs would have been without heat for about 10 hours, from what we can estimate, during a very cold night (10-12 degrees Celcius / 50-53.6 degrees Farenheit).

Our electricity supply was restored the next morning but the crabs who, the night prior had been chittering, making noises & bathing in their salt bath (at least one of them had been, based on the coconut fibre dragged through their bath & water containers) are now not moving & are buried, seemingly both night and day. Their water, salt bath & food do not appear to have been touched since, though I have changed each water container daily.

I have kept the temperature constant since but they have not moved from their respective buried spots in two days & their food and water containers have not been disturbed. They have not moved closer to, or further from, the heat source. I have tried not to disturb them, to stress them further but, this morning, I did pick both up and bathed them in a warmed salt bath to see if they'd respond. They are tightly curled in their shell and made absolutely no movement at all, either from the bath or from me lightly blowing on them.

I feel very upset to think that they may have died, as we didn't buy the little creatures only to kill them. What is the best next course of action? The tank has smelled a little bit, in the last few week, but not overpoweringly fishy. I thought the smell was just from my increasing the moisture in the tank to achieve a higher humidity level, in the past week.

Should I pick each crab up and smell it or leave them alone to stop them being further stressed? Is there any other sign I should look for as to whether this cold night has killed them.

If, in your opinion, they are likely to have died - how long should I wait before deciding this for sure?

If there is any other information I need to provide, would you please let me know.

I've supplied our crab and habitat's details below.

Any assistance you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks & Regards,

Mum of my son, R's, Hermies

***********************************************
What is the volume of your main tank?
19 gallons

How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
2 crabs. Both measure approximately 3.5cm / 1.4 inches across in their shells

How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
2.5 weeks

What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
Coconut fibre ('Krabooz Super-Zand'). Varies across the tank from 2 - 3.5 inches. Have ordered ZooMed Eco-Earth compressed coconut fibre to replace this with.

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
"Krabooz K-Munchiez' dried crab food (first 1.5 weeks), seems to include a mix of pellets, sea food, etc. The crab food + fresh fruit & vegetables (last 1 week)

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
Only distilled water so far. API water conditioner on order.

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
API water conditioner on order (not sure of the rest, but purchased the one recommended on this site).

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
'Krabooz K-Salt" (aquarmarine salt).

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
Reptile One under tank heater. At one end of the tank.

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
Not sure how to calibrate them. Will read up on it.

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
21 degrees Celcius / 69.8 degrees Farenheit - 24 degrees C / 75.2 degrees F; humidity is fairly constant at around 85%

What is the highest temperature that the substrate near the heat source reaches?
About 28 degrees Celcius / 80.6 degrees Farenheit
R's Hermies
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 3
Joined: 30 Sep 2011, 09:24
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 22
Total tanks: 2

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by R's Hermies »

To clarify:
"We handled the crabs for at least twice a day for the first few week"....should read: first few days
"The tank has smelled a little bit, in the last few week"....should read: first few days
User avatar
Wai
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2892
Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 45
Total tanks: 1
Location: Victoria, Australia
Contact:

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by Wai »

Dead crabs will usually fall out of their shells, but there have been a few incidents where the crabs died in a position where they had to be tugged a little to fall out.

Prepare a warm water bath. It should feel neither cold nor hot when you touch it with your wrist. Gently rinse both crabs in the water to see if they respond. Normally I wouldn't bathe my hermit crabs, but since yours have been out of power for 10 hours, you do want to find out whether they are alive or not. Give them some time and hopefully they should peek out of their shells to see what is going on.

You might want to change the salt mix to something like Red Sea Salt, which is approved for salt water fish (who are even more fussy than our hermit crabs). There is no quality control on hermit crab salt products.

The electricity at my house has gone off a few times in the past few weeks due to storms. It is a good idea to have some heat packs with you to use when there is no power.
Wai
Image
R's Hermies
Zygote
Zygote
Posts: 3
Joined: 30 Sep 2011, 09:24
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 22
Total tanks: 2

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by R's Hermies »

Thanks for your help, Wai. I bathed both crabs yesterday morning in a warm water bath and there was no movement at all, but there is some good news.

Both crabs were still both tightly curled and not moving, again, last night so I gave them another warm water bath. I changed out all of the pre-packaged coconut fibre bedding, as it was a little smelly, and exchanged it for the new Zoo Med Eco-Earth coconut fibre, leaving just a little of their original bedding on top for familiarity. I received the dozen new shells I ordered, and the new crab hollow log hidey. So I rinsed & boiled the shells, and left them in the tank, along with the log.

I'm delighted to say that, after a second warm water bath, last night, the less active crab (Digger) moved, just a little. He burrowed slightly under the hollow log.

Even better the more active crab (Crawler) spent the next 2 hours roaming the food, water dish, salt bath, tried climbing the new plants and tried on each & every new shell in the tank for size! We watched him shell-shop for an hour.

We are still worried about Digger, as today is his third night, and fourth day, with little movement - he still does not appear to have touched the food or water dishes - and he's been the least active crab since we bought him, however we do hope he'll make it.

Thank you for the tip on the hermit crab salt. I'll try and replace it today. Can you please point me in the direction of the brand or type of heat packs you use (are these like the ones you use on injuries?) & I will buy, as we do have power outages, occasionally, where we live.


Thanks & Regards,

Mum of my son, R's, Hermies
User avatar
ladybug15057
Coenobita
Coenobita
Posts: 3098
Joined: 03 Mar 2008, 04:12
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 82
Total gallons: 305
Total tanks: 7
Location: Southwestern Pa., U.S.

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by ladybug15057 »

Some hermies take a little longer than others to de-stress. (like humans all have different tolerant levels)
There is another thread that has ideas too for when the power goes out:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3371&p=33968&hilit ... age#p33968

Through trying to keep them warm though, please remember they should also have a cooler side due to being cold blooded creatures.
Marie (aka ladybug15057)

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.
User avatar
Wai
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2892
Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 45
Total tanks: 1
Location: Victoria, Australia
Contact:

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by Wai »

I actually don't have any heat packs (naughty me), but I plan to get some soon. I'm not sure what ones to get, but avoid the ones that can be torn apart easily (hermit crabs can chip away their own shells, let alone a plastic bag).
Wai
Image
CrabbyJo
Coenobita
Coenobita
Posts: 1849
Joined: 21 Jan 2009, 13:31
Gender: Female
Hermit crabs: 7
Total gallons: 85
Total tanks: 4
Location: Alaska

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by CrabbyJo »

Wai, what kind of heat packs are you talking about? Here in the US we have "Hot Hands" hand warmers. Is this what you mean, and you actually put those INTO the tank?
http://www.amazon.com/HeatMax-Hot-Hands ... B0007ZF4OA

These are what I use when my power goes out in the winter here in Alaska, and I place them under and around the tank with a big quilt over the tank. I also fill 2liter soda bottles with hot water and place all around the tank under the blanket. It usually works well. Except when the power was out for 32 hrs and the temp dropped down to about 52*F in the house!
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.
User avatar
Wai
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 2892
Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 2
Total gallons: 45
Total tanks: 1
Location: Victoria, Australia
Contact:

Re: Power outage/New owner/Hermies dead?

Post by Wai »

I was actually thinking of heat packs for muscle aches (since I work on a pharmacy), but I am a bit concerned they may emit too much heat.
Wai
Image
Purple pinchers
Zoea II
Zoea II
Posts: 178
Joined: 15 May 2011, 08:05
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 3
Total gallons: 20
Total tanks: 1

What to do in a power out

Post by Purple pinchers »

Power outages can be very dangerous fro crabs if it’s in the winter. Because crabs are not warm blooded, they can’t raise or lower there body temp. So they can freeze and die very quickly if the temp gets to cold. But there is a way to help get the crabs through this tough time.

Step 1: Get a small plastic pet tank, I personal like the http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=23484

Step 2: Put a little bit of substrate in the tank, but you don’t want them to be able to burry themselves. Then Add a small food and water dish.

Step 3: Because heat rises you are going to want to put the tank up on a tall shelf in the warmest room. This should keep the tank a bit warmer.

Step 4: Take a smaller container, something like this. Image
Then stab a bunch of holes all over the container. (Make sure that the holes are not big enough for the smallest crab to stick his legs through)

Step 5: Take a heat pack, you can get these at most outdoor stores or gas stations.
Tape a heat pack inside the middle of the container. (Again make sure none of the crabs can reach the heat pack)
Image
Step 6: Put the container in the tank with the lid on. This should act like a little heater that will last for 8+ hours. Wrap the tank with towels or blankets to help keep the heat in. Cover up some of the top but make sure some air can still get in.

I have not yet tried this because the power hasn’t gone out for awhile but I plan on using it when the time comes (and trust me the time will come). If you’re main tank is not very big like let’s say 10gallons then I would skip steps 1, 2, and 3. But if you have a large tank then I would move them to a smaller tank until the power comes back on.
Image
*Pack Rat*
Purple pinchers
Zoea II
Zoea II
Posts: 178
Joined: 15 May 2011, 08:05
Gender: Male
Hermit crabs: 3
Total gallons: 20
Total tanks: 1

Re: What to do in a power out

Post by Purple pinchers »

Tell me how you like it and if i left anything out. :)
Also move this if its in the wrong place.
Image
*Pack Rat*
Post Reply