Bad molt- advice?

[crabbiekarma3]

I'm not new to crabbing or their molting behaviors, but one of my dudes has got me puzzled (and worried)! He dug under one day, and I knew he was ready to molt. After a few weeks he came up with a deformed claw. I watched him close, and found he was going to molt again (probably to fix the claw). But this time, he had lots of trouble. He lost three legs and his big claw in the process and another crab stole his exo! I have him in ISO now, but I'm worried he won't make it. Of course, my mom is convinced he'll die no matter what we do, so I don't have much money to spend trying to help him (I had a heck of a time just getting a tank for ISO- and it's a kritter keeper at that!). My main tank conditions are pretty good too- high humidity and temp at all times, plenty of sand to bury, hidey places and climbing things, water and fresh food. I'm not sure how long to leave him be and recover or how soon to try hand feeding. Without his big claw, I know he's defenseless and unable to eat anything short of powdered or crushed stuff.
Any advice?
BTW- I am keeping the humidity and temp up in ISO with an UTH and wet cloth. He has access to shells, food and water, too.

[ladybug15057]

To try to troubleshoot more info is needed.
You mention you keep the temp and humidity high at all times? What is the air temp, as well as the substrate temp of the tank? (both warm and cool side)
What is the humidity percentage, and did you calibrate/test the gauge to see how accurately it is reading?
What do you use for a substrate?
The iso, does it have the criteria needed like the main tank should?
How long have you had this hermie? What brand of ocean/sea mix do you offer, and what type of freshwater? Or do you use tap water, and if so what brand of dechlorinator do you use?
Did you actually see exo pieces the second time he molted to know he lost his legs during the molt as opposed to loosing them due to some form of stress? (or cannibalism?)
What foods do you offer your hermies, and what do you use for a warming source?

[crabbiekarma3]

Yes- the temp and humidity stay from 70-80 year round. I do not know the exact air temp, but I try to keep it warm and moist (but not too much!). I use normal, pet store sand that goes from three inches to six inches. All four of my hermies are small, so this is not a problem. The sand stays diggable and is never too dry (I mist the tank daily with dechlorinated water). The ISO also has proper temp and humidity with six inches of sand for him to bury in if he needs to. I've had this particular crab for about 3-5 months now and he has successfully molted once before. The ocean/sea water is expensive to make, and as I've said, my mom does not care to spend tons of money on them. I know it is important for them, so it is on a list of things I am saving up for. Yes, I did see his legs with his exo before one of the crabs stole it. They do not lack much in their diet, so they have never resorted to cannibalism (or the stealing of exos). I give them fresh, hermie-safe fruits and veggies and freeze-dried shrimp, mostly. Since it is warm now, I am not currently using any heater, but in the winter, I keep the room warm with a space heater and the sand warm with an UTH.

[ladybug15057]

Do you have a thermometer and a humidity gauge within the tank to monitor the temperature and humidity percentage?
Without a humidity gauge one cannot know for sure what the humidity percentage is within the tank and hermies depend on the proper humidity percentage to breath correctly through their modified gills.
http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... eather.php
Many times even if the air temp is within normal range, the substrate temp is different. So it is important to monitor both. Hermies are cold blooded creatures so they must have a cooler as well as a warmer side to the tank.

Even though it maybe normal pet store sand you’re using, this doesn’t quite mean that it is hermie safe:
http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... edding.php
I do hope you’re able to get an ocean/sea salt mix soon because as you mentioned it is important. (sold specifically for salt water fish tanks)
I see you’re from U.S. (thank you for putting your country location down… this helps us to help you) but there is an ocean/sea mix sold that is less expensive than some and is in a smaller package for almost $5. This can be found at PetSmart too if you have one in your area.
Oceanic

Which dechlorinator do you use for your fresh water?

[crabbiekarma3]

Yes, I do have gauges that seem to properly measure heat and humidity (if it's cold, it shows, if it's dry it shows). I always buy fine grain reptile sand that is safe for them to eat (or so it says). I did not realize that Oceanic was so cheap! I will definately go to PetSmart soon to get some!
I use a type of stress-coat to dechlorinate and treat the water I give them and spray in their tank.
Since my crabbing skills aren't too bad, why did he have such a hard time molting and what can I do to help him?

[ladybug15057]

Well, for now I would suggest a proper well balanced diet to help him grow healthy gel limbs so he can regenerate new limbs. Understanding your financial situation, there are plenty of foods you can offer that chances are you already have at home that you and your family eats. Just try to make sure he (as well as your other hermies) get something from each food group.

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=25

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=44

http://www.hermitcrabcuisine.com/

Please remember that it is important for hermies to have food from the chitin source too. Where as many chitin sources are also considered protein, not all protein sources have chitin in them. And a properly mixed ocean water source is also considered part of a healthy nutritional diet. It helps keep their shell water balanced as well as provides some 'elements' they may not get in diet alone. To mix smaller portions of ocean water:

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=20

Make sure to leave the water sit for 12-24 hours prior to offering it so all the ocean/sea crystals dissolve.
I would also like to suggest to buy a thermometer and humidity gauge that gives actual numbers as opposed to "Dry/humid" or "warm/cold" WalMart has gauges in their hardware area where they sell out door thermometers. They sell a digital combo for about $7.

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... storyid=69

[crabbiekarma3]

Thank you for all the advice and links! I'll go out this weekend and try to find that Oceanic stuff...
Sorry, I thought I was being clear, but maybe I wasn't- my temp and humidity gauges show percentages of how humid it is and numbers to show how warm the tank is. I was just trying to say I thought they were callibrated right because they react to changes somewhat properly. I just couldn't think of the word!

[CrabbyJo]

One thing about humidity gauges - they do tend to need calibrating on a regular basis. It's annoying, but has to be done. They tend to change how accurately they read, for whatever reason. Which reminds me, it's been a little while since I calibrated mine.

[emmac350]

One thing that I didn't see mentioned is that your crab may need his food pureed to make it easier for him to eat. A food processor or blender can do this well, and will make it easier for him to get the nutrients he needs.

I would be careful using a UTH with a critter keeper - CKs are made of plastic, and plastic with heat applied directly to it can cause it to emit toxic fumes...not good for you or your crab.

Chitin is very important post-molt; I have my crab food divided into "protein sources with chitin" and "non-chitin protein." Whenever a molter comes up, I will put a frozen shrimp in the fresh food bowl and it's always shredded. The tail is torn to pieces, and the meat itself looks like someone combed it (lots of little strings hanging off). There is a lot of chitin offered in pet stores in the fish food aisle - look for things like 'freeze dried bloodworms,' 'freeze dried baby shrimp,' 'dried krill,' 'dried plankton,' etc. Anything 'buggy' in nature has chitin - it's the building block of crab and insect exos.