Almost certain large crab is molting. A few questions

[Wai]

So do you know for sure the small E has been sectioned off alone? If not, check if the small E is okay. The last thing you want is cannibalism (having two victims in my tank just makes me paranoid about these things).

[llmercll]

Unfortunately I'm not 100% positive, I don't think I can be without digging him up. What I know was that he was chilling in a corner for awhile, behind my coco mat. A few hours later, there was an upward pile of loose EE in the same spot, typically what I see when a crab buries. That of course was almost three weeks ago.

Then yesterday my big crab started digging around over there (although the area where I believe my E is buried was untouched), and I watched him for a good half hour, to see if he would find him. He never did, and I sectioned him off before he got to where I believed my E to be molting.

The E is very small, and my substrate is fairly deep, but my large PP eats almost nonstop...and I wouldn't be surprised if he were lacking something in his diet...but I really don't know.

I really don't want to disturb my E if he just molted. The area where I believe he is was untouched, and I found my PP when he just started digging (I may have exaggerated in my last post), and watched him the whole time, for fear he might find my E.

Heres a picture I took that shows the situation well. The E is one corner, while my large PP is in another. This was taken three weeks ago, where a few days later the E buried right where he's (E) standing in the pic. Just last night, my large PP was digging right where he (PP) was standing in the pic, if that makes sense.

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/4550/dscn2983bo.jpg

[ladybug15057]

I agree with Wai on this, if you do not know for sure where the E is burrowed I would suggest not to section it off. This could possibly create more of a complication than waiting until you know for sure. To help the situation if you think they maybe lacking something in their diet, do you have any chitin sources? (shrimp exo's, insect exo's, ocean plankton...?)

[llmercll]

I'm not positive, but very confident he's buried there. Me not being sure is more a "technicality", I mean how can you know 100% for sure without looking for them (which If I understand correctly is bad for them)? You really think digging around is worth it considering how confident I am on his location? Maybe I can try lifting the tank over my head and looking for him through the glass, all the way on the bottom?

My large crab has stopped digging right after I split the tank, too, which makes me think even more he was after my molter in that corner. It just seems like all too much to be a coincidence (He NEVER digs), but what do I know? =/

I feed them a lot of food from the addiction store, mostly dried. The epicurean mix, the epicurean molting mix, plankton, krill, red crystal shrimp, a mineral blend from HCP, and a hermit crab commercial food (that lacks the poison). I was afraid of something like this happening actually, and was looking up protein sources awhile back to try and prevent it. I probably need more fresh food sources =/

thanks!

[ladybug15057]

I am sorry if I wasn't clear, I was not insinuating to dig for the burrowed one to see for sure where he was. If the tank is heavy and awkward if you attempt to lift it to peek underneath this in itself could be hazardous too.
Please remember, chitin sources can also be protein sources but not all protein sources have chitin in them. One can raid their own refrigerator for fresh foods.
http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/

[llmercll]

Ah, I see. Sorry for the confusion =p

So you think I should take out the barrier, or just leave it for awhile? Remember, I am very confident I know where the E is buried, my instinct tells me the barrier is doing the job. Whatever you recommend though I'll be sure to try (you guys have been right about everything else so far, including that pesky mold, and I really appreciate it), I just want to be sure I'm doing what's best for my crabs.

Besides that, I'm wondering what you think I could do to prevent these issues in the future? I need to amp their diet a bit I'm sure, possibly make my EE even deeper? I don't think I'm experienced enough to spot a pre-molter and ISO him in time, so I think that's out. What do you guys do to prevent cannibalism? It's a pain because molting is stressful enough as it is (for me and the crab!!), cannibalism is the last thing I need!

I also wonder if EE allows the fresh smell to permeate to the surface more since It's not quite as "packed" as sand. One more question, I'm guessing my large PP was going after the E because he just freshly molted, which means for the last 2 weeks he didn't molt, but was still down there "prepping". Now that he likely molted, how long on average does it take for his new exo to harden enough to prevent cannibalism? There's probably only a small window when they are vulnerable, no?

thanks a lot and sorry for writing so much!

[Wai]

As long as you're confident, then trust your instincts.

With barriers, be careful not to insert them through a hermit crab. In the past there has been a case where a crabber accidentally sliced a moulter in half when inserting a barrier to section it away from the others.

[ladybug15057]

Along with what Wai mentioned, a few years ago I also read where a crabber used a cut 2 liter bottle to separate her molter. Sadly, the exo was on the 'outside' of the divider and the molter within the 2 liter soda bottle. When this was noted, (due to the others digging and dragging up the exo) she went searching in the soda bottle for the molter. He was almost as soft as the day he molted, so she did put him in iso and offered a LOT of chitin, protein and other nutrients that are known that hermies need.

What do you guys do to prevent cannibalism?

There is nothing that is 100% full proof. All one can do is offer all criteria known to date that they need, all the nutrients they need including a wide variety of chitin. Sadly even with this there are those occasions where cannibalism does happen... their instincts seem to kick in. Even in the wild cannibalism is said to happen 30% of the time.

[llmercll]

I was sure to dig a trench and make sure he wasn't there before placing my divider =) It's a real shame about the water bottle separating the crab from his exo though, did he make it?

Today I found my large PP digging again (on the side I sectioned them off), so I went to do my daily feed + water clean and felt around the substrate just to make sure my molting E wasn't in there, and thankfully he wasn't. I wonder what's causing my PP to dig, he usually never does...

It's been exactly 3 weeks since my small E went down. He's really small though, around what time should I start worrying? I was hoping he'd be up by now =p

thanks a lot!!

[ladybug15057]

If he is in a shell about the size of a dime, I wouldn't worry for another 6 weeks. (ok, stop pulling your hair out...._
Yes, the E did make it and hermihoot had provided a little extra TLC. She had saved all the old hard exo parts that the other molters didn't eat (like some of us do) and crushed those to a powder. Mixed quite a bit of it with a little 100% pure honey (more exo than honey) to encourage him to eat as well as the other nutrients.
For the larger hermie who doesn't normally dig, sounds like he too may have molting on his mind if your tank perimeters are in order.