I'm a novice hermit crab owner. I thought I was doing everything right, though. I came here and got some tips on setting things up (thanks again!) and I really thought things were going great. In fact, I became so fascinated with the two little guys that I went out and got two more.
Well, one of them I noticed seemed a little bit too big for his shell. I got some extra (bigger) shells for him for when he was ready, but I really didn't know what to expect. All four of my hermit crabs are small, but he is my biggest and he's also been my most active. I've only had him since Saturday! (The first two I've had for a couple of weeks)
So I just looked at him and he looks sick. Earlier today he was fine. I gave them all a bath today and they were fine and active and I've seen him out walking around plenty today. I had him out holding him and he looked fine, his color was fine, everything was just normal, and I put him up and did some things and when I walked back by, he looked HORRIBLE.
He's almost all the way out of his shell. If you left the shell, he goes with it, but he's practically out and he just lays there. I can tell he's alive though. I don't know what to do. I isolated him to a small carrier thing and gave him food, water, and the extra shells. He just looks like he's almost dead.
What could have happened? What could I have done wrong? Or could it be that he just wants to swap shells or molt or something? I wouldn't have a clue what that looked like, I just know he looks almost dead and I don't understand why.
Please advise! (I can post or email a picture of him if it would help)
my poor hermit crab!
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amanda9989
- Zygote
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 17 Feb 2005, 06:23
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Wai
- Administrator
- Posts: 2910
- Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 6
- Total gallons: 45
- Total tanks: 1
- Location: Victoria, Australia
- Contact:
Aww... I'm so sorry to hear that 
. My jumbo once did that, hanging out of his shell like that. But then the next day, I found that he had molted. It was tough, but he didn't make it 
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Whenever possible, please post a photo of your hermit crab that needs help. It helps a lot, especially in situations where you are not sure if your hermit crab is dead or molted.
. My jumbo once did that, hanging out of his shell like that. But then the next day, I found that he had molted. It was tough, but he didn't make it .Whenever possible, please post a photo of your hermit crab that needs help. It helps a lot, especially in situations where you are not sure if your hermit crab is dead or molted.
Wai
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amanda9989
- Zygote
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 17 Feb 2005, 06:23
Thanks. I'm pretty bummed. I'm leaving him alone in the best environment I can just in case it's a molt or something, but I really know he's dead.
Now my big worry is that last night, right after this happened with Ty, my other three crabs buried themselves completely underneath the sand.
I know hermit crabs will do that, but none of mine had ever done it before and now they all did it in one night? The same night that Ty died or whatever he's doing? I dunno, it doesn't seem right.
Also, I found a leg in the aquarium today. I assume it's Ty's but of course I can't be certain. I don't know if I should dig the other three up and check on them or leave them be.
I'm really beside myself with worry.
Now my big worry is that last night, right after this happened with Ty, my other three crabs buried themselves completely underneath the sand.
I know hermit crabs will do that, but none of mine had ever done it before and now they all did it in one night? The same night that Ty died or whatever he's doing? I dunno, it doesn't seem right.
Also, I found a leg in the aquarium today. I assume it's Ty's but of course I can't be certain. I don't know if I should dig the other three up and check on them or leave them be.
I'm really beside myself with worry.
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ayianna
- Zoea I
- Posts: 87
- Joined: 05 Nov 2004, 18:09
- Location: Irving, TX
- Contact:
Future reference
I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to you in time. What happened, from what I can tell, is that your crab got really stressed out. Crabs are strange creatures in that they die from stress if it's too great for them to bear. I had one for 6 months and when we got 2 new crabs, it died without reason. Stress was the most likely cause.
When you have a crab stressing out, dropping legs, or appearing sick, here's what you do. Remove the crab from the rest of the population. Take that crab and put it in a /small/ iso container. This crab should not get far from water, food, and a cocohut or other structure. Put the entire thing in a dark area...a closet, cabinet, or other things. Leave it there for most of the time, save about 5 minutes to check up on it once a day...and only once a day. This will help it destress and get /better/!
When you have a crab stressing out, dropping legs, or appearing sick, here's what you do. Remove the crab from the rest of the population. Take that crab and put it in a /small/ iso container. This crab should not get far from water, food, and a cocohut or other structure. Put the entire thing in a dark area...a closet, cabinet, or other things. Leave it there for most of the time, save about 5 minutes to check up on it once a day...and only once a day. This will help it destress and get /better/!