EMERGENCY My hermie came out of a molt (I think) and immediately left its shell. It then went and is now submerged in the water bowl, still without a shell. I put shells of different sizes and kinds by him, but he wasn’t interested. What do I do????
Take the crab out of the water bowl and put them in a clean, empty container big enough for the crab and a few shells of appropriate size/shape (either similar to what he had on or turbos, which are most popular). Make sure the shells are clean, and it can help to dip them in salt water so there’s a bit in the shells too.
Give him a couple hours of privacy & see if he’ll get into a shell by choice. If he doesn’t, you can try re-shelling him manually - you’ll want a shell slightly bigger than his proper size, so you can slide him in gently. See if he’ll grab hold & stay in the shell once he’s in.
In the meantime, try to find a reason for the emergency:
- Double check tank temps in case it’s too warm. Check humidity as well.
- Is there any chance he had his shell stolen by another crab, or did you see him leave his shell on his own? Can you see if there’s anything off about the old shell (size, parasites, painted shell, etc.)?
- Is this crab one that is new to your home? Were they in bad conditions before coming home with you? If that’s the case, it could be stress, or the result of the huge change in conditions.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep him in an isolation tank for a while, with a bunch of appropriate shell choices, to keep a closer eye on him and keep him safe from the other crabs until he’s behaving more normally.
If it does continue to happen, I would try joining this group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/landhermitcrabowners/ and see if the mods there can provide some more guidance for what’s going on & how you can help him.
