what are these things???!! OMG

[Wai]

Hmm... maybe try sifting through the sand for any hermit crab remains? I know it sounds unpleasant... but hopefully you'll get a definite answer as to whether they are in fact dead or not. Do you remember what shells the three were last wearing? Are they definitely empty?

[hermie_lover3542]

Hi, um i'm to this website but not to crabbing (3 yrs actually) anyway i just wanted to check in to see if you fouund those 3 missing crabs yet? Have you found any more info. on the earwigs yet? And did you try remebering what shells those crabs were in? Also how big is your aquarium, and how deep is the substrate? Sorry for all of the questions I'm just trying to see how these little guys disappeared ans the little pests got in.

[arilou]

Sorry, I have been traveling. update.. My crabs have been in a rudimentary 15g tank (the one I used when I still had only 5) waiting until I had enough time to revamp the bigger 20g.

I finally got around to cleaning out the tank, which had looked like a crab-sized hurricane had hit from when I went sifting around in there. I had left all the hide-outs, obstacles, and food dishes strewn about in there. The earwigs were definitely still there, and they had even grown to a full inch in length, scurrying out every time I moved an ornament. Did you know, earwigs are known to crawl into an ear canal while you are asleep, looking for a warm, dark environment? I hate these things the more I learn about them.

So first order of business, I trucked out to my backyard and dumped the entire tank out and sifted through for dishes and clues about the remaining crabs. I definitely found two claws and a leg, which were completely hollow. Not sure what to make of that...

I boiled everything and then stuck in the oven at 300 for 20 minutes just to be safe. Well, what do you know, a few minutes into boiling the big stick (which was too long and was half sticking out the pot), who shows up but an earwig, trying to climb to higher ground on the stick. I will have none of that. I flipped the stick over and boiled the other half, earwig and all. It died instantly.

So finally, after all that, I completely redesigned the cage, and it looks great! The spaces are much more open now so I can keep a better eye on them, yet still have plenty of cover for hiding. I made some really cool toys for them too, which I plan on sharing in the tats forum in a bit. So that's that, every few months I learn something new about my crabs. I am very about my three crabs that are missing, but I am resolved to take better care of the other 8 and have them live long, happy 30 year lives.

pics of new tat

[arilou]

Hi, um i'm to this website but not to crabbing (3 yrs actually) anyway i just wanted to check in to see if you fouund those 3 missing crabs yet? Have you found any more info. on the earwigs yet? And did you try remebering what shells those crabs were in? Also how big is your aquarium, and how deep is the substrate? Sorry for all of the questions I'm just trying to see how these little guys disappeared ans the little pests got in.

I don't remember how many extra shells I had in before, but I had 5 empty ones coming out. At one point I had nearly a dozen but after a few months, they refused to change shells anymore so I removed all the extra clutter. I believe I only had 2-3 empty shells at the time, so 5 empty is about right. Anyways, I checked thoroughly for withdrawn crabs, no luck. The only sign of them I have found is sifting through the sand pretty thoroughly and finding the body (actually, it looked like an exo that had been shed but I have no way of telling) of a crab. I don't remember which were in which so no luck there.

My tank was 20g with about 7-8 inches of sand/EE half and half. It is a little maddening because these things cannot climb up glass, so the only conceivable way of them getting in is by me somehow putting them in there.... wait a second, I just realized that one could have climbed up the power cord to my heating lamp and fallen in from the top. wow, that's probably how they got in.. according to my sister (who is a biologist), it only takes one female, who can hold onto fertilized eggs for variable lengths of time until she finds ideal conditions. so it's very plausible. hmm......

[CrabbyJo]

The thing with your extra shells - boiling them will remove the "smell" from them, and the crabs will think they are new shells every time. Try it and see, they will roll them around and check them out every time you boil them. They may even decide to change into a shell they rejected before.
it's always a good idea to have plenty of shells for them to choose from, so keep them in there even if it does look like extra clutter. It will keep them happy.