my naked crab molted

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fludderkiddie
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my naked crab molted

Post by fludderkiddie »

I woke up to my crab spaz running around naked. I have had him for over 3 years with no problem. When I came home from work, I saw that he had not gone back into his shell, AND he had molted.....what do I do. I'm keeping him isolated, warm and moist, but I feel really helpless. He was always my tough crab, the one I never had to worry about, but now he's just laying on his side, naked and molted. Has anyone had this problem? Is there anything else I should do??? HELP!
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kennedy_family_mom
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by kennedy_family_mom »

Cover him with a coco hut or some other structure to give him dark and quiet. Put a couple shells next to him, he'll likely crawl into one of them. Has he eaten his exo? If not, and you still have it, place that next to him, along with a little organic honey--pop bottle lids are great for putting honey into. If you don't have it, and he didn't eat it, be sure to give him a good calcium source. Shaved cuttle bone, cooked chicken bone, crushed oyster shell, or egg shell.
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raginggnome
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by raginggnome »

How did things turn out?

I just got home from work to discover the same thing.

I've never had a streaker before, and I've had several successful moults.
- Dr. Zoidberg has been taking it very easy for about a week now. Today I come get home to discover that her inhabited shell is over by where Mr. Krabs likes to hang out. Mr. Krabs shell is empty. There is a naked, soft pink hermit crab sitting in the water dish. I'm so nervous.

I've surrounded her (could be him - Mr. Krabs - but that seems unlikely) with her size shells, and placed some honey next to her. I'm afraid that Krabs has jacked her shell, and she doesn't want to go into another. She's been a healthy, active, and and large crab since we (my girlfriend and I) have had her - roughly a year, that's an extremely rough guess. Anyway, she's very dear to me and I'm so nervous for her. Any additional advice? Thanks.
~Dr. Zoidberg~Mr. Krabs~Cloyster~Slurm~Barbados Slim~Citizen Snips
~Sonic and Rizzo, the Ecuadorian Brothers, will always be missed. So went Scuttle into the great Crabitat in the sky.
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emmac350
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by emmac350 »

Keep the room quiet and don't move around in it too much. It will help avoid stressing her. Has anything in your room or in the tank changed recently? Just do a thorough cleaning in your room, or offer a new food or anything like that?
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Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09

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CrabbyJo
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by CrabbyJo »

raginggnome, remember to cover your crab with a hidey, that will help the crab a lot with stressors. All you can do is wait it out. You've given him water and food within easy reach, and shells nearby, now he needs to just be left alone (just keep the tank parameters good) and keep your fingers crossed! Find a way to keep the other crab away from him.
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
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raginggnome
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by raginggnome »

Before going to sleep last night I seperated her from the others with a Wall O' Cardboard. i was fortunate that both the other crabs were way over in a corner. While I was doing this, Zoidberg got nervous and crawled into a very large African snail shell that was close nearby, she's been there ever since. The Barrier is still up and the room has been as dark and quiet as possible.

I feel a lot better now that she's in a shell, I'm just hoping she finishes her moult soon and finds a new home (I just ordered a few more shells from the Crabbage Patch, and she's surrouned by plenty to begin with). Does anyone have a good estimate as to how long it takes for the new exo to harden?

As per Emmac's question, there have been recent major improvements in their living conditions, but it seems to me she didn't start behaving very lethargically until (and this is for the most part, an estimation) she fell from a pleasant afternoon romp on their screen ceiling and into the ceramic water dish. There was just the slightest indication of a chip in the shell, essentially no damage whatsoever, she just started taking it easy. I assumed she was taking time to heal an injury that must have been incurred by the fall.
~Dr. Zoidberg~Mr. Krabs~Cloyster~Slurm~Barbados Slim~Citizen Snips
~Sonic and Rizzo, the Ecuadorian Brothers, will always be missed. So went Scuttle into the great Crabitat in the sky.
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emmac350
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by emmac350 »

She may be healing, we'll see, I guess. I recommend you get something other than cardboard to separate the crabs with - cardboard will rot fairly easily and besides - it's treated pesticides so cockroaches won't eat it and live in it. Not good for crabs. Do you have any extra plexiglass you could use? That'd be much better as a more permanent solution.
Follow the daily lives of my crabs at thedailyhermit.tumblr.com

Mommy to:
Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09

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raginggnome
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by raginggnome »

I suppose I could look, but I'm assuming I don't. I've been thinking that it might be worth taking the cardboard out entirely, it seems unfair to the others to keep them sealed off in a corner for however long it takes for her new exo to harden - but she's in a bit of a precarious position to allow the others to hang around her. I don't feel it would be wise to pick her up and move her under a hidey I've got available in the corner, does anyone disagree?

I've got another tank but no more sand or supplies and I'm not going to go buy a bunch just for the week. I'd also be willing to use the old plastic pop bottle wall trick, but that would seperate her from other available shells (I know she'll want to move as soon as she feels comfortable with coming out of the shell she's in now).
~Dr. Zoidberg~Mr. Krabs~Cloyster~Slurm~Barbados Slim~Citizen Snips
~Sonic and Rizzo, the Ecuadorian Brothers, will always be missed. So went Scuttle into the great Crabitat in the sky.
CrabbyJo
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by CrabbyJo »

How about a CD case? Would that give her enough room? And can you pick up a plastic hidey and place it over her, instead of moving her? Just some ideas. :)
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.
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ladybug15057
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Re: my naked crab molted

Post by ladybug15057 »

Glass off of a picture frame?
Marie (aka ladybug15057)

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