Crab Down 6 Weeks and Countin

 

 

  

 

   

 

 

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[strawberryskittle]

It has now been two months, and I am getting to a point where I am pretty sure this guy's KOed.

I compromised last night, I took one of those store bought plastic huts (ew, i know) and put it in the tank, sort of a temporary measure. They never liked it before, would never use it. I soaked up some EE, and I covered the outside of it with EE so it was "underground" and my other crab on the surface went right in. I think the semi transparent plastic on the hut really turned them off, so with the EE covering it, it seems dark enough.

I am debating cleaning this weekend or next weekend. emmac, if, like you, its not something I can smell with the crab buried, I guess it gives me more reason to just go in there and clean it. I don't have very deep substrate there, about 3 inches. How deep was yours in?

[scoobdoo]

 I very carefully started taking small layers of sand off till I found my crab, I only did this cause I wanted to get rid of most of the sand and do EE, when I found him he moved a little so I turned one of my flukers water bowls upside down over him so he would have the air pocket and then put the EE in but I didn't totally cover the fluker. It had a smell, but I heard when they molt they do smell a little, I waited a few days and lifted the fluker again is was still alive & thats when the other crab started to dig beside him and he came up so I hurried and covered him w a hut and when I came home 10 hours later he hadn't dug back down or anything so I gave him his bath and he is fine that has been 5 days ago I think. I mentioned the bleach because of the dead fish I would only use like a cap full in the whole tank and rinse really well, you have to rise really well to when using vinegar to. I have used both, the bleach when I first brought my yard sale tank, it had a lizard that had died in it i wanted to make sure all the germs were dead! I used vinegar when I took everything out for a general clean.

[emmac350]

My substrate at the time was 8-12 inches deep. With shallower substrate, you might be able to smell it, because I smelled it when I got within 1-2 inches of his depth.

[trixie]

Un cover it very carefully!!! scoot your fingers along the top untill your little one is found. Put it in the iso.  You need to have an emergency tank or iso. Something to cover it like a hermie hut or plastic bowl. Complete your deep clean. Then check to see if the little one is alive. Use caution.
Just an update..All of my crabs are still in the hibernating stage. Like your crab. Not eating or drinking and staying in one spot. I do pick them up to check on them and they all are alive and kicking and then I put them down right away. In the same spot.
One more thing... When I moved my tank from one side of the room to the other a couple of them freaked out so they dug down And and I think they were getting ready to go into premolt so they just stayed down there untill they had finished. I was worried about them . They were down for so long 3 1/2 mo. and are med. size. You do need to have at least twice the substrate you have. 6in. or more.

[strawberryskittle]

The only thing I have that I'm really up for setting up is the critter box they came in. But I think that's reasonable for a non-moving crab. I just need to find the best way to pick it up, preferably without moving it out of the sand, so in one big chunk, put it in the carrier, "cover" it up and fill it with EE and some food and water, and just cover the thing in a towel.

I'm just still uhming and ahing about whether to dig.... I really hate digging it up alive, but I think I'd hate even more digging after a corpse...  

[emmac350]

For the guy on the surface, get a bit spoon used for cooking. You should be able to get some of the surrounding substrate and the crab without too much trouble.

[strawberryskittle]

  Well, he was dead. Got him out now, but my other crab is still miserable, not eating, etc. etc.

Will be going to get another soon, but will need to go through the entire iso phase....

  sigh

[trixie]

Im so sorry to hear that. I have been waiting to hear back from you. I know that what I'm about to say doesnt help much but I just lost my beloved Betta fish named little girl. She was only 2 and am beating myself up trying to figure out what I did wrong. There are so many conflicting care sheets on betta's I dont know what I did wrong. I cried for a day and took her down to the river. The circle of life. Then I went right back to petsmart and got another one and am feeling better. I'm will give it another shot with her and more if I have too cause I love female betta's.
I do love my hermit crabs too.

[strawberryskittle]

Aww 

It sucks to lose pets! Somehow, having hermit crabs die while dug under feels worse to me than say a dead hamster or something. Maybe its the whole ordeal of digging it up ><

I just need to find a good place to get a crab from now around Maryland. I went to petsmart, and the tank was like a warzone... leg here...leg there... ugh...

[trixie]

I did have 2 hermies die while they were buried. They were killed for their shells. When I found them they were naked with no shell in sight smashed by the weight of the substrate. Even though they have many shells to choose from.

[Jellybean]

   Aw gee strawberryskittle....I'm so sad to hear about your hermie.  

   This is Wasabi. He is a PP, (Purple Pincher) and sadly, he has passed on. He was the biggest out of all the crabs I have owned so far, and out of them all, he lived the longest. He lived about 6-7 months.

~Hermies4Ever~

Land hermit crabs store a small amount of water in their shells just to keep their gills wet, thus allowing them to breath.