Crab is being very strange

[HermieLove19]

Recently my PP Eugene has been sitting on the sand side of the tank and has just been sitting there doing nothing. I know he isn't going to moult. He pushes other crabs away when they come near him. It's almost like he wants to just sleep there and wants no one to bother him. He kind of just plops down in the sand and just sits there. The temp and humidity is fine. They eat something different every night. There are plenty of shells in the tank. No bugs are on him. He moves when i go near him but he just sits there for long periods of time. I don't know what to do.

[Wai]

Interesting... if he has the strength to push others away, he doesn't seem ill to me. This could be a pre-moult symptom; either isolate him with a barrier or put him in ISO. What does everyone else think?

[Grammarcia]

Eugene seems to be in an unusual mood, but it doesn't seem like he's doing any damage. If he keeps acting like this you might want to keep an extra eye on him, but I have a few crabs that stay in the same place day after day.

[krabby_katie]

Good idea Wai. I think that you should do that. He might be getting ready to molt. Try to feed him some calcium rich things.

[HermieLove19]

I haven't seen him near any of the water shells or the food shell. When i pick him up he's very slow as though he has no energy. He can pull himself up but not as fast or as quickly as some of my other crabs. It's like he's a senior citizen crab. He's in the cholla wood right now. But last night i caught him doing it again. It's like he's stuck in a trance. I can move my hand any place I want and he doesn't move anything. Maybe he's sick? I don't know how to tell.

[Wai]

Isolate Eugene. I've had hermit crabs where I think they're dying, but were just pre-moult. Isolating him wouldn't hurt.

[HermieLove19]

I'l isolate him and probably give him a bath first. They have enough room to bathe in the water i have in there but i haven't seen him in them in a long time. He's in a plant right now sitting on a branch. I can't grab him off unless his little legs stop gripping on so hard. he doesn't have a reserve of water though...don't they need that to molt?

[krabby_katie]

Good call Wai. Hope Eugene is fine, and is just preparing to molt.

[iluvhermies]

Try to give him a little honey in his food.

[HermieLove19]

I actually just ordered honey for them and it should be here any day now. i should try and hold him and feed it to him since he's being slow lately. he's like a different crab