sluggish crab won't leave water bowl

[CrazyCrab12]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Its 50% coconut fiber and 50% play sand hydrated with salt water. It started an even 8 inches but the crabs dug out a section around the bowls so it ranges from 6 inches to 9.5 inches.
2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? yes, its 86% relative humidity. 77.2F currently. it gets warmer in summer and colder in winter. this is colder than it usually gets. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out with my dad if all the heater's have been plugged in. he's taking care of them while i'm away at school, and though the wire's are labeled. he is unsure if all my heaters are plugged in. we are sorting it out.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
3-4 under tank heaters. i plug them in and unplug them as extra heat is needed. they are placed on the back and side.
4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
Salt water and fresh water. Its dechlorinated with aqueous ammonia treatment stuff. i don't remember the exact name of it. the salt water is instant ocean.
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Too much variety to list it all but in the last week they've had freeze dried meal worms, freeze dried brine shrimp, freeze dried turkey, hermit crab variety bites ( the kind without EQ in it. I know they used to have that but changed the recipe or something), primal turkey and sardine recipe cat food, Fluckers orange cubes (meant to feed crickets), peanuts, sunflower seeds, zilla reptile munchies vegetable mix, Katee bird greens origin treats, zoo med peanut butter treats for crabs,freeze dried banana,dried papaya (it had food coloring in it). all of these items were things left in a bin of non-perishable items that i told my dad was safe to feed the crabs. he won't feed them fresh food because he's afraid he'll accidentally feed them something bad and i will get upset with him.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
not sure which crab it is anymore, but i've had him between 2 and 6 years. he's a purple pincher
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
He came up around the first week of january.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
its a 45 gallon aquarium with a hood. i put packaging tape on the bigger holes to hold in humidity. there is velcro to keep it shut because the crabs are strong enough to lift the lid.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
6, they range from tiny to large but i haven't seen the tinies since i added them which was months ago.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
120+ they get rotated out whenever i'm home from college.
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i wipe down the glass with a wet paper towel occasionally. i've only done a deep clean twice due to infestations.
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
this coconut thing, but i took off the metal clips https://www.chewy.com/prevue-pet-produc ... lsrc=aw.ds
15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
this crab has been hanging out by the fresh water bowl for 3 days without leaving. he is now acting sluggish. he sits at the water's edge. if the water bowl is topped off it covers him a little and he move back to the edge of the water after a few hours. he may have molted recently because he was gone for a long time but he doesn't look very hairy. his antenna movements are slower than usual. If you go near him, he partially withdrawls into his shell. I can't seem to think of why he would be doing this. the water bowl also happens to be as close to all the heaters as possible, and he's recently changed into a thicker shell so maybe he is cold. i don't know.

I had my dad move him to a ten gallon iso tank because it looked like he was gonna go streaking. he leaned really far out of his shell while i was skyping my dad about different options of how to help the crab. it looked almost as if the crab was out of the shell. you could see the end of the abdomen. its the furthest i've ever seen a crab out of his shell not including shell changes.

[CrazyCrab12]

I forgot to mention that i am away at college, so my dad is caring for them while i am gone. he called me today letting me know about this. it appears that the crab has stayed in or around the fresh water bowl for 3 days straight.

[GotButterflies]

Hello. I sympathize with you!! That must be so difficult being so far away and leaving your babies in someone else's hands! My guess would be that your gauge might be incorrect. Hermit could be hanging by the water for more humidity to breathe due to the air being too dry, or perhaps it might be too warm in your tank. You can purchase a digital gauge for $9 at Walmart - made by Acurite.

[GotButterflies]

Then also calibrate your gauge - here is the link: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 26&t=92540

[CrazyCrab12]

I actually have an acurite gauge, do those have to be calibrated as well?

also my dad says it's definitely humid in the tank, because there is condensation on the front and when he sticks his hand in it feels like how the bathroom feels after my mom takes a shower for 2 hours.

[Rawrgeous]

You already seem to be on it, but I would definitely try to get the temp up to at the minimum of 80. Is there any type of irritation, or way we can see a pic of his abdomen? Perhaps there is something in the shell that is uncomfortable? Just speculation since I don't see much else that could be wrong.:/ But all gauges should be calibrated as they tend to go a bit wonky after a while, and they all tend to slightly differentiate.

[CrazyCrab12]

i doubt i'll be able to get a picture of his abdomen. My dad is already asleep, but before he went to bed, the crab was partially retracted into the shell so i wouldn't see it anyways. i'll definitely walk my dad through the calibration process tomorrow when he wakes up.

[CrazyCrab12]

theres a new symptom. He is drinking excessive amounts of salt water. He's been drinking about half a bowl of salt water each day.

[CrazyCrab12]

My dad said he also seems to be adding salt water into his food before he eats it which is peculiar.

[GotButterflies]

Is your dad mixing the saltwater correctly? 1/2 of a cup of instant ocean to 1 gallon of dechlorinated fresh water

[GotButterflies]

Also, I'm not sure how big your pools are, but how could he possibly drink a half of a bowl. I wonder if there is a leak...He still could drink some, but a half of a bowl? Has your dad picked up the bowl to see if it's leaking?

[GotButterflies]

I would think the crab needs more minerals. Maybe try premixing the water for your dad in the future. I know I use 1/4 cup to measure my salt because I had an extra. I know I have to use two scoops to make my gallon. Is yours like that? I'm just trying to come up with ideas of what it could be.

Edit: I do give himalayan sea salt and I started offering reef salt too. seems to be a hit. I recently ordered green sand, but I haven't received it yet.

[CrazyCrab12]

My pools in the iso are half of a plastic christmas ornament. I think they would hold around 1 cup of water. Because they are so curved they are big enough to cover each of the crabs. My dad says he follows the directions on the box for mixing salt water.

[GotButterflies]

My pools in the iso are half of a plastic christmas ornament. I think they would hold around 1 cup of water. Because they are so curved they are big enough to cover each of the crabs. My dad says he follows the directions on the box for mixing salt water.

Crabs that are about to molt to tend to increase their water intake...so perhaps that is about to occur?

[LadyJinglyJones]

I wonder if he's filling his shell & then dribbling it out in other parts of the enclosure? I had a mystery like this with my fw pool... for three consecutive days it was nearly drained every day... it wasn't leaking, and there wasn't a flood.... and it was much too much water to just be disappearing. Yet it did. Then the phenomenon ended, and I never did figure out what caused it.