new crab ownerREALLY NEED HELP!!!!

[sunshine172]

So, I bought this crab thinking it would be the easiest companion I could get. I am a very forgetful person and it was the easiest thing , and I thought they were cool.
Anyways, he's been super shy, he never comes out, but he got braver and started to come out when he thought we weren't looking, and would look at us for a bit, but as soon as we put eye contact on him he hides again. very cute actually- we let him walk around freely at night.
I had him for about 2 weeks, and we stopped letting him roam the house because he was hiding lol. so we made him a " playbox" because my cage is SO small, so so so so smaaaall!!
and we left him in his playbox for the night. and my S/O woke me up and said " uhm.. i think your crab is dead" I was so upset, he said he thought maybe he was just cold or something because theres no heat so he moved him back into the cage and turned up the heat a little( i have no heating pad or anything i didn't think i needed anything, they were just in a cage in the mall...
the guy just said make sure his sponge is wet everyday. thats it. I give him normal tap water for the past 3 weeks, i know big mistake after i googled " is my hermit crab dead"
now I odn't know if hes molting or dead, hes been in there a couple days, his shell is super dark, not moving still, looks dead, my SO said he saw his leg twitching the other day, i havn't personally witnessed anything, hes in the bathroom were its dark, hot, and humid.
but not my SO is saying his shell is cracked around the opening, and he doesn't stink like rotten fish, so i'm thinking.. molt? but hes not that big either..
his eyes are still in his "exoskeleton" like owuldn't he bring those inside his shell? i'm confused, i didn't even know what molting was, i'm so inexpeirenced, and i don't want him to die !!

[sunshine172]

really?
nobody?

[ladybug15057]

First I would like to suggest to read the Crab Care section carefully and get what your hermie (if he is still alive or others if you decide to get any) needs to survive. Sadly, it sounds like your hermie may of passed but I or anybody else over the internet can say for sure. This is best determined by one actually seeing the hermie. Not always will they give off an odor, and not always due to a rotten fish smell does this mean they are dead either.
Hermies shed everything from their soft abdomen-up. Look at his eyes closely and see if they are 'hollow' looking like the ones in my Donkey Kong's picture:

http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x276 ... e-Eyes.jpg

If not, he has not molted yet.

[sunshine172]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/sk ... rabbie.jpg



i don't know mine is very small...

[sunshine172]

I wasn't told they needed to be warm, or bathed, or fed calcium, or anything, i didn't know they needed sand, or friends or anything, he is alone, in that little itty bitty cage, i've been planning on going to get a bigger tank, heating light, and such , but i don't know what to do for him and dont wanna do it if hes just dead..

[ladybug15057]

Please also read:
viewtopic.php?f=45&t=4

And it does mention:

1. Consult our Crab Care section first. Although it may seem bulky to some people, reading through it will take less time than waiting for a reply from someone on the forums.

2. If the Crab Care section does not answer your questions, then use the search function. The Crab Crew rarely come across questions that have not been answered many times in the past. If Google is your friend, then the search function of this forum will also be your friend.

9. Do not hassle other people to answer your questions until 24 hours has passed. No-one monitors this forum 24 hours day for all seven days of the week. The Crab Crew will try their best to answer your questions as soon as possible. If your questions are urgent, please use the search function as you may find instant answers to your questions. On the other hand, it could take hours until someone replies to your posts.

You submitted your post twice:
by sunshine172 on November 14th, 2010, 12:52 pm

by sunshine172 on November 14th, 2010, 12:53 pm

About 13 minutes elapse and you post:

by sunshine172 on November 14th, 2010, 1:06 pm
really?
nobody?

[ladybug15057]

by sunshine172 on November 14th, 2010, 1:14 pm
I wasn't told they needed to be warm, or bathed, or fed calcium, or anything, i didn't know they needed sand, or friends or anything, he is alone, in that little itty bitty cage, i've been planning on going to get a bigger tank, heating light, and such , but i don't know what to do for him and dont wanna do it if hes just dead..

Many of us have learned that it is best to research the care any creature needs prior to adopting or buying them. Rarely will pet stores or such ever say what is needed due to the $$$$

[ladybug15057]

I'm sorry, but as opposed to the wire cage, it would be best at this point to even put him in a margarine dish that would be able to maintain a humidity level for him to breath. Please do read the crab care section.

[sunshine172]

i think hes dead.... i'm reading but its too late now most likely.

[sunshine172]

he fell out hes dead........