Should I dig?

[JulesRolyCrab]

Okay. So.

I am nearly 100% sure my crab did not make it through its first molt w/ me; he's been under for about 6 months, and is smaller than a ping-pong ball. He dug under around August 20th of 2015. It really isn't a question of whether he made it or not. I'm just unsure on whether to dig, and how to go about doing that. See, my other crab is molting. As far as I can tell, he's on the other side of the tank, but crabs tend to move, correct? So I don't want to risk that. I really hope he'll make it through his 2nd molt with me, but he's been down since early/mid December, and the first time he molted he was only down for 3 weeks or so. Anyway, I don't want to compromise him. Should I dig for the first guy, or wait? And when I do end up digging, do I just dig in that area and... well.... you know. Bury him outside, I guess? Will I be able to smell him strongly? :'( I'm really sad about this. Anyone have advice on this matter?

Thanks for any replies. :/

[AutumnHermie]

I always say go with your gut feeling. If I thought he was dead or having a problem, I would go with my gut and dig.

[wodesorel]

It's harsh to say, but if he's dead then he's not going to harm you current molter. I would highly suggest waiting until your other guy is up again, unless you have a bad feeling about him or think there is something wrong with your substrate. There is no reason to risk the life of the survivor to bury crab that has been MIA for 6 months. There is a high likelihood that all that will be left is his shell at this point.

[Crabinski]

I second @wodesorel: looking for the MIA could be detrimental to the currently active molter. Once the second crab is back up, pop him into a KritterKeeper for an hour so you can do a thorough search; but, as wodesorel said, all that you're likely to find after all this time is his shell.

[JulesRolyCrab]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll wait then for Ludwig to come back up.
A couple questions: So, um, will he be like... kinda... decomposed? I don't mean to be insensitive or gross, just you know. Also, I know he didn't make it, but I find it a bit weird. Maybe a month or so into the molt-not-molt, he dug a little window in the sand and was moving around, digging, looked completely fine. In fact, I couldn't tell if he was pre or post molt. He re-covered the hole later that day. In retrospect, I feel he was probably post molt, and I feel terrible. Did his cave collapse or something? It makes me so sad that he was fine and I could've saved him then.....

[wodesorel]

They move around a lot underground before and after molting. It would not be very likely that anything collapsed on him - sometimes they just don't have it in them to make it all the way through a molt, and until they are back up on their own, they are still technically "molting". Was he new, or had you had him for a while?

It really depends on how long he's been dead and on several other variables on what you'll find. I've found nearly intact crabs after several months that stunk to high heaven, but other times there was nothing left after only a few weeks. The more aerated the soil, the more bacteria will be present to break down anything that is already decomposing, and the less you'll find.

[JulesRolyCrab]

He was new. I got him because he was tiny and active, but it turns out he was a lot bigger than he looked. His shell was just so small that he couldn't retract into it, thus the activity. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly in a stress free environment. Thanks for the help, Wodesorel.

[AleyedtoBuggie]

Did you find out anything?

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