Patchie the hermie

[HermieLove19]

While I was at work Monday I walked passed the hermie tank as usual and saw a little pale hermie. She was whiter than all the other hermies and she was staring out of the glass like she wanted to go home. I bent down to get a closer look at her and I saw she only had one eye stalk. I asked if I could adopt her and they said sure and I took her home.

I gave her a bath and let her climb around and she was slow but very curious. I examined her further and saw part of her antennae was also missing. This to me meant she was in a fight of some sort.

I put her in ISO and left her near the food. She darted straight passed the food and hopped into a new shell but her old one was still on. She rolled around for a little while with a brown turbo and got right in. She never went back to her old one with an eye painted on it.

I gave her some krill sprinkled with cuttle bone in a small shell and some boost powder, blue cornmeal, and cuttlefish in another. She went for the powder so everything I've been feeding her has been powder or mush. I think it's easier for her to eat. I tried giving her honey off my finger but she would rather have me hold her in my hand instead of holding her by her shell to feed her. It's like she's afraid of heights.

So far she's doing very well. I'm doing everything I can to make her strong and colorful again. I'm staying on top of giving her high levels of zeaxanthin and good protein everyday. I want her to get well as soon as she can and I'm 100% ready for her to molt. I haven't had an unsuccessful molt yet so my hopes are high. I've heard the eye stalks do bubble and grow back. Does anyone know if she will have full use of her eye or will it just be there? I don't think she's in really bad shape like I thought she was. I hope she will be another Eugene and get her color and energy back soon.

[emmac350]

I think that eyestalks take much longer to grow back than other limbs, like legs or claws. However, Carol from Crabworks (don't remember where exactly I read this but it was on one of the hermie sites I frequent) said that Jon had nipped off part of one of Kate's eyestalks and after a few molts it was back mostly to where it was before the injury, so just be patient with your new crab, and congrats!

Did they make you pay for her since she was injured like that?

[CrabbyJo]

Kerri, that's awesome you are taking care of her like that. She's very lucky to have you.

[Foxydiva3]

I Also Have A crab With one Eye, His Name is One eye LOL, I also have bought multiple crabs missing Big pinchers and assorted limbs. Those have since Bubbled and formed new limbs since molts. But Not One Eyeds Eye He still only has one since his molts. I Don't care though He still is a happy crabby who loves life. I Think He was messed up by another crab in his tank before I bought him. Despite this He has not been shy and is very active. Congrats On your New Gal!
C

[HermieLove19]

Yes, they let me adopt her. If they didn't it would have been worth the three dollars and change to have her anyway. She looked so sad and she wasn't hiding from anyone she was just sitting there lonely and miserable. She's going to be isolated until she fully recovers from her first molt. She has her own hidey and water bowls and food dishes and plants. She's in a routine. She has exercise then she eats and then she sleeps in her log. She's very adorable.

[ladybug15057]

When I bought Foxy Lady I did not notice until I got her home that she only had one eye. (I would of bought her anyway, we took all the hermies home that day)
Her eye certainly had taken its good ole time growing back as well, unlike the limbs or pinchers. CrabWorks had her doubts that Kate would grow her eye back. It was always said that was part of the hermies anatomy that they could not regenerate. I sent Carol pictures of my Foxy Lady... (but I didn't have a digital camera when I first got her... but when I did I took a couple progress pictures.)

This was after a couple molts, her first molt with me it was only a spec of an eye, but look at her left eye:



couple molts later:


Her eye in 2007 when I sent a current one to CrabWorks:



and a close up of it:



When she first molted here, no I did not see any form of 'gel' where the eye was missing, nor with any future molts either. But if you look closely at the closeup picture you can see she has even grown her eyelashes back. As for her site... as far as I can tell she can see out of it, if another hermie approaches her from the left she is quite aware of it.

[CrabbyJo]

That's pretty amazing Marie, I'm glad you shared it.

[HermieLove19]

Poor Kate . I didn't even realize hermies had eyelashes! Those pictures are pretty neat. Patchie can't tell when I'm on her right side so I can watch her change shells and eat and go in her water pools. She's so pale and weak just like Eugene was. Now he's found his favorite spot on the second level of the crabitat and comes down every night for food and water. I hope Patchie will get more colorful after her first molt. I thought she was going to but she just sleeps alllllll day. I covered the ISO in case she doesn't want to do it under the EE and wants to do it in her hidey log. But she's not showing any warning signs. I just have to be patient. the waiting is so hard!

[Hermie's rule]

Congrats on the adoption. I've never ever had a hermie lose an eye before, but now I have a special ed. hermie who's lost a leg during a molt, and had a large chunk of antenna nipped off in what I'm guessing was a fight. Poor little boy.

[Foxydiva3]

Wow Ladybug those pics were great thanks for sharing! Maybe One eye will grow his back, or maybe not, maybe it depends on the seriousness of the injury. he's has a couple of molts already with no eye. We shall see, those were excellent thanx!
C