Rescued Crab

[MsWorld]

I was at a small pet store today and could not believe the horrid, inhumane manor in which they kept their crabbies. 1/2 inch of sand, all painted shells (Man I hate those) and the water dishes were so bone dry that the sand in them was even dusty... So few places to hide that a bigger crab pulled a sea sponge over top himself for cover. It was so bad that I was crying!

I decided to buy one of the poor critters. My husband picked the first one that showed any signs of life - a poor thing in a painted shell too small for him. He also ended up having 2 legs with missing tips/points, and a missing 'feeler'. I got him home and bathed him, and he really got energetic! Almost crawled out of my hand before I could get to the tank! He walked around exploring a lot, but never really was interested in the log for cover. Looked at other shells but hasn't changed shells yet. Met Turbo a couple times, but Turbo just kept himself in a little pocket he dug... But a few times, if the newbie got too close, Turbo would get up and check him out, feelers going crazy. At one point, it looked like Turbo grabbed a hold of him with his legs and was going to turn him over or something. But no fights (yet).

Here's the thing that is concerning me. At times, the new one, which we tenetively have named Murphy, just kind of sits there, half out of his shell (like he's walking) but seems unresponsive to his surroundings. Like he won't retract if I'm close, or even opening lid, etc... It's almost like he's sleeping? Is this normal behavior, or should I be alarmed?

Sorry if this is a juvenile question, but I am a new crabber. I've posted a couple other posts introducing myself and my 'wards', but haven't gotten much response or help from the community...

[MsWorld]

Here is Murphy looking at a new shell…


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[mool]

Do you have any turbo shells? Purple Pinchers favor turbo shells above all others. He might be more inclined to change if you have something he wants to move into. If he's really stressed, changing shells might not be in his best interest right now. Picking out a new shell and moving into it might use up more energy than he has to spare.

His behavior seems like stress behavior. Just stay as hands off as you can and offer plenty of highly nutritious foods with protein, calcium and carbs and let him do his thing. It's really up to him to survive (or not) at this point.

Your part is to offer the best food and environment you can and keep things as stress free as you can.

Good luck!

[marandashermies]

hi there and welcome to the world of crabbing!

Like mool stated, it sounds like stress or PPS. Here is a link that goes into depth, regarding PPS. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 67&t=92531
Also, here is a link to most popular shells by species. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 24&t=92552

Most of us have all lost crabs to PPS. Do not be discouraged, as there is nothing you can really do to prevent it. It is a long hard journey for these crabs, being plucked from a beach and shipped off to pet stores, which is super stressful and then being put in junky tanks where they have very poor conditions. Often times, its just too much for them to handle and they can't pull through. Just make sure you are keeping temp and humidity around 80% and 80 degrees, feeing proper foods (lots of calcium & protein) and see what happens. I always give my new guys a bit of organic honey and peanut butter when they get home.

Once they go through their first molt with you, they are far more susceptible to thrive and survive. Just have to get over that first bump in the road. He could pull through and be totally fine too! He might just be taking it all in and distressing. Good luck!