Please help

[raginggnome]

I care for a smaller crab we call Rizzo, he was one of the first two that my girlfriend and I innitially bought, the other has sadly passed. Rizzo is a pretty tan color and very cute, with sparkly little eyes and no hairiness or bumpiness. The other, the late Sonic, was much the same, but with a georgious orangish coloring on his legs.

I have done a litte research into Crab species', but never could figure out what species Rizzo and Sonic are. Rizzo has never changed shells, neither did Sonic, so my concern is wether or not they are of the species that stays in the same shell as long as possible. I am a little scared, because I've heard that pet shops will sometimes glue crabs into shells, but I think that's mostly with painted shells. Also I am a concerned because I know how crabs form bonds, and losing his friend Sonic may have upset Riz, and last time I got a good look at him (he's a bit reclusive) one of his legs was a bit discolored, which made my heart skip a beat since Sonic lost one just before passing away. I have included a picture of the little guy below. Any help or advice would mean the world to me, thank you so much!

[Juan576]

Perhaps ruggies....not shure though.

[ladybug15057]

To try to help ID your hermie more pictures are needed. A close up of the eyes, a side view of the eye stalks, close up view of the large pincher, as well as the left rear walking leg. With only the picture above, and no other pictures it would be guess work. BTW, what country are you from?
As for your other passing, what is the temp of your substrate on both ends, the air temp and your humidity level? What do you use as a dechlorinator if you use tap water, and what brand of ocean/sea mix do you use?

[raginggnome]

Thanks for the info, I will try to get more pictures.

I live in Minnesota, U.S.A.

Temp and Humidity levels are good, with heat source on one end of the crabitat, and non-chlor salt bath and non-chlor drinking water with sponge on the other end. Plenty of open and enclosed hiding places. Many high-quality non-painted shells available. Plenty to climb on.

Not sure what you mean by ocean/sea mix

[raginggnome]

If what you mean by ocean/sea mix is salt for bathing, I use HBH Hermit Crab Salt.

[ladybug15057]

It is the brand name that you offered in your last post I was asking for. Hermies need the ocean/sea mix that is sold specifically for salt water fish tanks. They need the minerals/elements within it to remain healthy. Please attempt to get one of these ocean/sea mixes as soon as you can, and please also read towards the end about the other mixes:

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=20

A dechlorinator is just as important... would you happen to be using a dechlor also geered towards hermies?
Did you calibrate/test your humidity gauge to see how accurately it is reading? Majority of the time when we buy them they are off and can be up to 20% sometimes.

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=54

[raginggnome]

Thanks for the links, I will read them right away. As for the water, I don't live in a town, and our water does not have chlorine in it to begin with.

[raginggnome]

Very good info! I can't thank you enough!

[ladybug15057]

But regardless, if you have pipes that your water comes through from a public water company, (or even a well) small amounts of copper does leech into the water. (the older the pipes the more that is leeched) And please be aware, that the main public water line that carries the water to your home is not copper... If you're one of those areas here in the U.S. that has stopped using chlorine in their public water, then you have chloramine.... as well as fluoride in your water. (but no dechlorinator/tap water conditioner on the market removes fluoride from tap water.

Another link for you to read... a long posting but well worth the read:

http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... hlorinator

[raginggnome]

would you recommend distilled water for the drinking water, and the same distilled with the oceanic natural mix for their baths?

sorry for so many questions, this forum is amazing, I thought I knew all there was to know until I stumbled upon it today. It makes me so sad to think of all the mistreated crabs in the world.