I hadn't left the house in days, until I had to go for a blood test today. When I came home, I found Ceres naked in one of the corners. He left his shell in the food dish. I was alarmed and promptly slipped Ceres back in his shell, but he appeared very weak and would slide out of his shell again.
I don't think he had fully hardened, but he looked a bit dehydrated, so I dipped him in the salt water pool, to which he started drinking. Seeing that he was willing to drink, I gave him a bath. After the bath, I hand-fed him some honey. Afterwards, he became loose and appeared dead (if not dead already).
Ceres's exoskeleton feels rubbery/elastic (as opposed to brick solid) when you poke it, so I guess he hasn't fully hardened.
I will wait for the fishy smell, but realistically thinking, even if Ceres isn't dead, I think he is in his final hours.
I'm so sorry Wai, I have had this weird tradgedy with one of my favorites, violet. She was beautiful, bright purple and red. Any way I'm not sure what happened. I did the exact same thing as you too. I left for dinner and my mom's boyfriend leaned over and said is this crab dead? She wsa in front of her shell on her back. I had noticed that she was acting weird too. She kept on falling, and coming out of her shell. She would randomely stop moving and there was no antennae movement at all. I did the bath and everything else....but nothing. I had put her in an iso, and gave the other crabs bathes....and when i left for my dad's house..... it was over.... But if it already hasn't hapened, I would consider that he/she isn't going to make it.... The other members suggested that he/she was to hot or cold, and more likely ill. What is the temperature of your tank? Are other hermies acting weird? Does its shell have weird objects in it like sharp or pointy. And does your tank have mites? Also what do you feed them, what is in there water, and what substrate are you using?
*~-proud hermie mommy of 15-~*
They are Hermie the 2nd(medium pp), T.J.(medium pp), Big Daddy(large pp), Tank(Jumbo pp), Pearl(large pp), DigDug(medium pp), Freaky Fred(small pp),courage(Medium pp), Strawberry Shortcake(small pp), Tiny Timantha(tiny pp), T-rex(giant Indo), Bruce(medium strawberry), Autumn(medium blueberry), and Hor-Hay(medium blueberry).
That's okay. Both of his moults were bad and I'm not sure exactly why, since all my other hermit crabs have been fine. Ceres suffered a similar fate to Quaoar who died before him and they were from the same shocking pet store.
Oh my goodness! I bought 2 crabs the same day from a pet store called "animal house" and Pearl was out of her shell and survived, (shes doing fine now) but violet went loopy crazy and did whatever the thing was that our crabs did (yours and mine) and violet passed on, but pearl survived! Freaky huh.
*~-proud hermie mommy of 15-~*
They are Hermie the 2nd(medium pp), T.J.(medium pp), Big Daddy(large pp), Tank(Jumbo pp), Pearl(large pp), DigDug(medium pp), Freaky Fred(small pp),courage(Medium pp), Strawberry Shortcake(small pp), Tiny Timantha(tiny pp), T-rex(giant Indo), Bruce(medium strawberry), Autumn(medium blueberry), and Hor-Hay(medium blueberry).
My poor Hermie I owned for 4 years ded because of the same hing and the same way. I really miss him and don't undersatnd why he died. He was very old also.
It's a problem I'm constantly worried about - when they turn lavendar and their exoskeleton just stays rubbery instead of hard. I have yet had cases of this from hermit crabs that I have kept longer. So far it has been the stressed newcomers who try moulting the first time, but yet up like that. Quaoar, Ceres and Sedna died that way - turned lavendar (Ceres survived the first moult, but still turned lavendar and tan brown in the second, which cost his life) and wouldn't harden fully.
I don't plan to get anymore hermies unless they have been put up for adoption by someone else. I just want to focus on keeping my current 12 healthy.
I really miss him and don't undersatnd why he died. He was very old also. 