My new adopted hermit has PPS! (edit: he didn't make it)

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parker_roo
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My new adopted hermit has PPS! (edit: he didn't make it)

Post by parker_roo » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:10 pm

On Wed, I adopted two new PPs from Petsmart. I immediately put both of them into my 29 gallon tank with my other two PPs, after a quick bath. One passed away two days later, so I decided to ISO my other new crab, Phil. He is right now alone in my old 10 gallon, with about 5-6 inches of substrate, plenty of FW and SW, plenty of food, about 8 shells, and a couple of places to hide. The temperature and humidity is around 75 degrees F, and 80 RH. Phil is not eating or drinking, he isn't even really moving. He is just sitting in the same place under the coco hut. Yesterday night, as well as tonight, I tired to hand feed him, but he didn't really eat or drink from what I gave him. I put some honey on a q-tip and tried to feed him. He could have possibly ate a little bit, but I don't think it was much. And I sprayed his little claw with FW, and set a small shell of water next to him. After I tried to feed him, I set him down in the tank and he walked around a little bit, and then went right back into the coco hut. What can I do to help him? I want to continue encouraging him to eat and drink by hand feeding him, but I don't want him to be stressed by being handled. Should I leave him alone, or continue to hand feed him? He can walk to the food and water dish, but he just won't. I want him to molt so badly, but he has not even tried to dig one bit. What do you guys suggest? I don't want him to pass like my other crab. I know this is Post Purchase Sydrome, but I don't know what to do. I have read the forum about PPS, but I don't know what to do at this point. Any pointers or suggestions would be helpful. Thank you so much!
Last edited by parker_roo on Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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megmaholm
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! Suggestions?

Post by megmaholm » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:28 pm

The best thing to do is to leave him alone in proper conditions. At this point, handling him will probably stress him out even more. Just keep food and water available for him and he'll eat and dig down when he's ready. Unfortunately there isn't much else you can do.
Crabbing since July 2014! 75 gallon with 12 Purple Pinchers.

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YYWW
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! Suggestions?

Post by YYWW » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:40 pm

Were these crabs already lethargic at Petsmart?
My goto treatment would be to pop him in a moist moss pit near the heater and leave him there until he comes out or dies. But that's just me. I figure crabs love moss so they'd be happy and perk up. Otherwise, he's gonna die anyways and sitting in moss is like being cuddled to death. Best case, either way! Oh, and he can eat some moss if he gets hungry
Good luck!


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ViiT
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! Suggestions?

Post by ViiT » Sun Jan 04, 2015 11:45 am

YYWW wrote:sitting in moss is like being cuddled to death
I loved this.

I would suggest putting him in a dark area, such as a hide with something covering the entrance. Make sure that whatever is covering the entrance can be knocked over so he can get out if he wants. This may give him the darkness that he needs to molt, if he isn't strong enough dig underground.

I've had two crabs with PPS, one didn't survive. On the other hand, the other survived, regenerated a limb, and is now very healthy. So while things may look bad, remember that it's definitely possible for him to pull through. Good luck :)
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hermitcrab24
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! Suggestions?

Post by hermitcrab24 » Sun Jan 04, 2015 11:49 am

If you are encouraging him to molt, maybe you should try giving him honey, so he can have energy, and cuttlebone or eggshells so he has calcium.

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parker_roo
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! Suggestions?

Post by parker_roo » Sun Jan 04, 2015 4:26 pm

Thank you all for your suggestions! I went ahead and tried a mixture of these things. I put some moss in and around the coco hut, after being mist with FW. I then covered the opening of the coco hut with some sand and a shell. I also placed the heater closer to the coco hut, and then covered the tank with a black towel. Hopefully this will get him to molt. I already tried offering him honey, which didn't work out too well. But for food I have a mixture of crushed cuttle bone, egg shells, and dried meal worms, river shrimp, and crickets. I'm hoping he will be okay in the coco hut with it covered, and he should be able to get out easily enough. I will just wait till tomorrow night to check on him. Thank you again for all your help!
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YYWW
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! Suggestions?

Post by YYWW » Sun Jan 04, 2015 5:39 pm

Just keep an eye out for mold! Good luck!


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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! (edit: he didn't make it)

Post by parker_roo » Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:43 pm

Over the past week, Phil has been too weak to even hand feed. He slowly came out of his shell a little bit, but couldn't get back in. He was just too weak to move. It was so sad to watch this happen. I have been checking on him everyday, seeing that keeps getting weaker. Today, I lifted up the coco hut and smelled the terrible death smell. I just buried him in the back yard with his friend, who passed away a few weeks back. I am trying to stay positive, trying not to blame myself. But I did keep him in amazing conditions, compared to what he had at Petsmart. He got to lay in a pile of moss under the coco hut in a warm, humid environment. I hand fed him a few times, but he later couldn't eat, so I did all that I could for that poor little guy. I will miss him. RIP, Phil!
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parker_roo
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! (edit: he didn't make it)

Post by parker_roo » Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:48 pm

I am trying to decide if I will adopt anymore hermit crabs. I don't want to have the same thing happen. Maybe I will wait for a little bit, until I try to buy more. I just wish pet stores would keep them in the right conditions, that way they would be much healthier. I will also try to look out for anyone who is unable to take care of their crabs anymore, that way they will hopefully be healthier. Thanks again for all of your suggestions for helping Phil, I really appreciate it.
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Crabinski
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Re: My new adopted hermit has PPS! (edit: he didn't make it)

Post by Crabinski » Tue Jan 20, 2015 4:00 pm

parker_roo wrote:I am trying to stay positive, trying not to blame myself. But I did keep him in amazing conditions, compared to what he had at Petsmart. He got to lay in a pile of moss under the coco hut in a warm, humid environment. I hand fed him a few times, but he later couldn't eat, so I did all that I could for that poor little guy. I will miss him. RIP, Phil!
So sorry to hear your news about Phil :( . But you're right: in those optimum conditions he had a very good life with you, short time though it was. Sometimes these little guys astound us by pulling through the most horrendous situations but most of the time the odds are just against them. When you're ready for more crabs, do try either the craigslist route or see if someone here is looking to rehome. In the former case, you'd be doing probably poorly kept crabs a huge favor; in the latter, you know you'd be getting well cared-for crabs and being doing a fellow HCA member a huge favor.
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