Crab's pincher claw and leg falls off, then dies

[anniehorsekrab]

One of my class' hermit crabs was fine until one day. When we came into school and picked him up, his pincher claw and one leg was on the tank where he had been sitting, and he was light and limp. We wrapped him in tissues and put him in a coffin made of index cards, then my friend Kate buried him, since she was the closest to him. I wondered if he had been molting, but his eyes were lifeless and his antennae wouldn't move. Also, I don't think he had molted because he wasn't pink and soft. Why did he die? What happened? Was he dead, or just molting?

[emmac350]

It sounds to me like he had molted. The "pincher claw and leg" that fell off sound like exoskeleton. After crabs molt, they are much lighter in color and they spend up to a few days doing nothing but hardening before they start eating the exoskeleton. Molting is a VERY stressful, tiring experience for crabs - they are soft and vulnerable until they harden back up again, kind of like if you take a band-aid off of a cut. Your skin looks white and is soft and moist, but after being out in the air for a while, you scab over then eventually your skin is back to normal. That's similar to how crabs molt.

I'm afraid you guys may have buried a live crab, unfortunately.

[anniehorsekrab]

Crud. I hope we didn't. His legs that WERE still attatched were completely limp, and if I buried a live crab, I blame myself. I was the one who declared him dead.

[ladybug15057]

What you saw, did it still have the soft curly abdomen attached?

[anniehorsekrab]

What you saw, did it still have the soft curly abdomen attached?

Yes, the abdomen was still attatched as far as I could see.

[ladybug15057]

Then he could of possibly been in the process of molting, or had passed. (hermies look very dead when in the actual molting process) But without more information about the tank conditions and such there is no way to telling why he possibly passed. But dropping of limbs is a sign of aseverely stressed hermie.

[anniehorsekrab]

Yes, like I've said in many other posts, there was NO substrate in the class' tank, and nothing to mist is with or heat it with. My tank at home would be much more suitable while molting. Based on the information provided, I'm guessing he died because of the improper tank conditions.

[ladybug15057]

Yes, like I've said in many other posts, there was NO substrate in the class' tank,

And when one does so many post repeating the same thing.. it is harder to follow...

[CrabbyJo]

Ladybug is right, it's very hard to follow. We don't all read every single post.

Do you think you could possibly let your teacher know that the crabs need a better home, or they will keep dying? Maybe you could print out this care article and take it to your teacher to try to help the crabs:

http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... toryid=136

Do you think your teacher would read it? It sounds like you know more than a lot of kids your age about caring for hermit crabs. Good for you!

[anniehorsekrab]

Yes, I am very much into the hermit crab care and rights buisness, another reason I joined this website. And thank you for the great information, I will definitely tell my teacher that the tank needs better conditions.