lost limbs, molted, and out of shell
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blckuncrn
- Zygote
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 20 Apr 2005, 07:41
lost limbs, molted, and out of shell
About an hour ago I woke up and found one of my crabs laying outside of his shell in the cage. It appears that he just molted, and the other crabs got to him, maybe after the exoskeleton, and took off his three legs on one side, including his big claw. We took him out, thinking he was dead, but he moved, so we put him in an isolation tank. We are keeping the humidity up, and the tempurature about right, what can we do to keep him alive.
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blckuncrn
- Zygote
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 20 Apr 2005, 07:41
So I tried gently lowering him back into his shell, and He eventually grabbed on, and has since then pulled back into his shell. He isn't sealed in like he normally would be though, since he has no big claw. What can we do to assist him since he is still soft from his molt, and most of his exoskeleton was gone when we found him. We put the parts we found in with him, but they were just the legs. Also what should we do to keep him safe, since he has no big claw, and only has legs on one side.
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Wai
- Administrator
- Posts: 2907
- Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 6
- Total gallons: 45
- Total tanks: 1
- Location: Victoria, Australia
- Contact:
Re: lost limbs, molted, and out of shell
Are you using a wire cage? If so, that's a big NO NO. Wire cages cannot hold in humidity and barely any heat. It is also easy for flies and other household pests to get in.blckuncrn wrote:About an hour ago I woke up and found one of my crabs laying outside of his shell in the cage.
Wai
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ayianna
- Zoea I
- Posts: 87
- Joined: 05 Nov 2004, 18:09
- Location: Irving, TX
- Contact:
If your crab has legs on only one side, I am sorry to say that there is no hope for him. Crabs don't survive long if they lack the ability to move. You can make him as comfortable as possible for as long as he remains.
I would, however, suggest that your crab was not injured /after/ it's molt, but that an attack occurred. During that attack, limbs were lost and it molted shortly after to repair itself from other injuries.
Check all of your crabs for any signs of injury, as a fight of that magnitude can leave both crabs involved injured.
The best thing you can do is remove stress from your currently dying crab. Move it to a location, like a closet, where it will be dark and try not to disturb it more than necessary. It may seem cold, but it's the best thing for him.
I would, however, suggest that your crab was not injured /after/ it's molt, but that an attack occurred. During that attack, limbs were lost and it molted shortly after to repair itself from other injuries.
Check all of your crabs for any signs of injury, as a fight of that magnitude can leave both crabs involved injured.
The best thing you can do is remove stress from your currently dying crab. Move it to a location, like a closet, where it will be dark and try not to disturb it more than necessary. It may seem cold, but it's the best thing for him.