HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Last week I happened to notice my large PP digging around, she left a window on the side and as I peek in I see next to her an orange claw. Hmmm, great! I have all 3 of my E's down molting. If its exo then where is the crab that owns it? If its not exo then someone's in trouble. Deep breath, time to dig. I dig down to where my large PP is, bring her out and the claw next to her, its not exo
i keep at it and start finding more limbs and eventually find a shell. I pull the shell up and a crab drops out of it! Its Bug, my trouble making E, the same one in my avitar, missing legs, claws, etc and too weak to hold onto her shell. I really thought she was dead when she fell out of the shell. A little background on Bug, she has a history of being a little stinker (here's a previous post on what she's done- viewtopic.php?f=29&t=81371&start=0 ) In that post I thought about calling her Swiper but changed it to Bug. Well, Bug was alive, barely, missing 3 legs, both pinchers, and a few of the little legs that hold the shell, she has 1 leg that is basically dangling but I think she is holding on to it because she needs it. I have been hand feeding her 2x a day, though i try to put her in front of a bowl so she will try to feed herself, bringing her to the fresh & saltwater bowls, she is in iso and has been getting stronger everyday. She seems quite happy to see me when i pick her up but i think that might be because she knows i'm going to give her some honey with her meal. Amazing little creatures! I did take pics of her,poor little thing. I hope this doesnt gross anyone out.

oh poor little bug

Go Irene!!! That she's made it this far is wonderful.

I would feed her more if you can - the more she eats the faster she'll be able to molt. Her mouth will be able to pick apart a lot of different items so you don't have to stick with liquid or mushy foods, though they help since they're easier to eat. Sunshine's favorite thing was the finely shredded coconut that I think came from El's shells. And of course the honey - she got honey with every meal.

Poor Bug, Hopefully she continues to get better.

Wow! I can't believe she's still alive, what a trooper! If she's made it this far I think she can keep pushing through!
go Bug!
Like wodesorel said, lots of yummies will help her, remember, you can boil and mash almost any veggie or fruit if she needs something a little mushier, some broccoli would probably do her good.
Good job Irene! What a great crabby momma

I'm rooting for you Bug. Stay tough!!!

This happened to one of my Es a long time ago. I didn't think to feed him, I just buried him hoping he would molt. Somehow he got unburied a few times but eventually he did moly and came up with the smallest little legs!!! They were way too small for his body. I still have have him and he's doing great so don't give up hope!!!

Poor baby! It's Sunshine all over again.
Go Irene and Bug! You can do this!

Ohhh poor bug!!! I really hope she makes it! You're doing an awesome job! Will be sending good vibes your way! And of course, keep us updated on her progress!

Thanks everyone! I hope she makes it. The 1st night scared me the most, when I checked on her that next morning I really expected to find a dead crabbie. But then I saw these big puppy eyes and the antennae wiggling at me...well, all was forgiven for the mean stuff she did to the other crabs in the past. If anyone has any suggestions on good mushy foods let me know. So far I've managed to get her to eat the HCP minerals & surf n turf, powdered cuttlebone, and various fruit mashed up, all of course mixed with honey to encourage the eating.

I made little mixtures for Sunshine as she was able to maneuver herself out of the shell and over whatever was directly in front of her by bracing herself up using her half-leg and paralyzed/half missing small claw limb, and she was able to eat using just her mouthparts. (It was really amazing to watch!) So I would load up Q-tips with food while I wasn't in there with her and she ate herself senseless.

Honey was always the base used for dry foods since it was sticky enough to hold them on, and I used anything I could crush up - Fluker's Treat (her favorite protein), bloodworms, brine shrimp, dried fruits and veggies. (She wouldn't touch cuttlebone or the mineral powder though.) Crushed up leaves stuck on honey were also eaten! I was lucky enough to have a mortar and pestle, but a spoon or rolling pin should work to break things up.

I would also mush up apple, orange, pear, bananas, etc and spread that on the q-tips as well. If she had been fussy that day and wasn't eating much protein I would hide a small pinch of cuttlebone or some mashed up daphnia in the fruit. Organic baby food also came in handy when I was in a rush! She liked the apple and the pear, and the turkey.

I tried to change out the food four or five times as a day as she really did eat a lot more than I thought she could. She couldn't move much for about the first week, and then she would start fussing and would try and move around. I would find the q-tips flung all over, and she would have spun herself around or flipped herself upside down.

I also did "drink time" three or four times a day, before meals. She was always very skittish with me around, so I used high sided containers with just a little bit of water in the bottom and would set her in there for 10-15 minutes so she could drink or do whatever she needed while I was doing other things around the house. (First in salt water, then again in fresh.) At first she would be right where I left her, but over time she had enough strength to drag herself around and I'd find her on the other side of the bowl when I came back. (I think it was easier since there was water for buoyancy and the plastic dishes were slippery.) The first time I found her moving herself she was in a water bowl.

I'm rooting for bug and hope she makes it!

She's beautiful! I'm rooting for her!

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oh, poor little girl! glad you dug good luck with her!

Aww, she's so cute! Hope she continues to get better!