Naked Crab After Trying On Shells
Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 9:59 pm
1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
-A mix of mostly sand with some cocoa fiber, roughly 4". The tank is both front- and top-opening, so deeper than that may make filling it deeper hard without substrate falling through cracks
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?
-Only one for temp, back upper corner opposite the heated side. Usually between 70-75, but debating getting a higher wattage light bulb
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
-Incandescent bulb and Repti-sun bulb during the day, moonlight bulb at night, and an UTH on the warm side all the time
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)?
-Both fresh and salt, made with Zoo-Med drops
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
-A mix of pellets and fresh food, usually replaced within 2-3 days
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
-Just over a week, I'm assuming PP judging by...their purple pincers
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
-I was told they finished molting just before I adopted them
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
-It's about 30 gallons, and has a screen top on the parts not covered by the heat hood
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
-3, and their shell openings are probably 3/4"
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
-6 that are about their size
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
-None that I know of
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
-I haven't cleaned it yet
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
-There's a sponge in the fresh water tank, haven't cleaned it yet
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
-Two cracked terracotta pots. The naked crab is currently hiding in the smaller one. I also added several shells for them to try on
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.)?
-When I adopted the crabs, they just had the incandescent bulb for heat. Their substrate was half dry sand, half cypress wood chips, and the alternate shells weren't the right kind or too big. I got them Wednesday. Thursday I changed their substrate, Friday I got a little more substrate and completely rang out the sponge, Saturday I bathed them and misted their cage, Tuesday I got the heat lights, and yesterday I put in the pots and shells
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
-Yesterday I boiled, cooled, and gave some shells to my crabs. Since I've had them, only one has been very adventurous (Leif); one tunnels (Tarzan) and the other just sits exactly where he was in the tank, hanging out some (Shy Guy). The major issue, though, is the Leif. When I put in the new shells, he was happy trying some on, I even watched Leif move from the second shell back to his original shell. However, now he's out of his original shell, which is near the back, and in the middle of the tank, under the small pot. If the old shell's opening is towards the glass, should I position it with the opening facing him just outside the pot?
-Since I'm here, Shy Guy seems rather small for his shell, but as the name suggests, he doesn't move much. He was out and about the other day, but has now gone back to his shy ways. If I present him with food, he will at least try some. Is there any way to convince him to try other shells? The one he's in is painted, and I want to get it out of there ASAP, because I can see that some of the paint chipped before I got them. Also, are his actions just PPS?
-With Tarzan, he is mostly inactive other than when I've taken him out of the tank, where he'll be active in the holding box and scurrying a little bit when put back before burrowing by the UTH. Is this just PPS as well?
-A mix of mostly sand with some cocoa fiber, roughly 4". The tank is both front- and top-opening, so deeper than that may make filling it deeper hard without substrate falling through cracks
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?
-Only one for temp, back upper corner opposite the heated side. Usually between 70-75, but debating getting a higher wattage light bulb
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
-Incandescent bulb and Repti-sun bulb during the day, moonlight bulb at night, and an UTH on the warm side all the time
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)?
-Both fresh and salt, made with Zoo-Med drops
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
-A mix of pellets and fresh food, usually replaced within 2-3 days
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
-Just over a week, I'm assuming PP judging by...their purple pincers
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
-I was told they finished molting just before I adopted them
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
-It's about 30 gallons, and has a screen top on the parts not covered by the heat hood
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
-3, and their shell openings are probably 3/4"
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
-6 that are about their size
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
-None that I know of
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
-I haven't cleaned it yet
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
-There's a sponge in the fresh water tank, haven't cleaned it yet
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
-Two cracked terracotta pots. The naked crab is currently hiding in the smaller one. I also added several shells for them to try on
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.)?
-When I adopted the crabs, they just had the incandescent bulb for heat. Their substrate was half dry sand, half cypress wood chips, and the alternate shells weren't the right kind or too big. I got them Wednesday. Thursday I changed their substrate, Friday I got a little more substrate and completely rang out the sponge, Saturday I bathed them and misted their cage, Tuesday I got the heat lights, and yesterday I put in the pots and shells
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
-Yesterday I boiled, cooled, and gave some shells to my crabs. Since I've had them, only one has been very adventurous (Leif); one tunnels (Tarzan) and the other just sits exactly where he was in the tank, hanging out some (Shy Guy). The major issue, though, is the Leif. When I put in the new shells, he was happy trying some on, I even watched Leif move from the second shell back to his original shell. However, now he's out of his original shell, which is near the back, and in the middle of the tank, under the small pot. If the old shell's opening is towards the glass, should I position it with the opening facing him just outside the pot?
-Since I'm here, Shy Guy seems rather small for his shell, but as the name suggests, he doesn't move much. He was out and about the other day, but has now gone back to his shy ways. If I present him with food, he will at least try some. Is there any way to convince him to try other shells? The one he's in is painted, and I want to get it out of there ASAP, because I can see that some of the paint chipped before I got them. Also, are his actions just PPS?
-With Tarzan, he is mostly inactive other than when I've taken him out of the tank, where he'll be active in the holding box and scurrying a little bit when put back before burrowing by the UTH. Is this just PPS as well?
Here is the shell guide.