Please help! Molting crab was attacked

Just now, I found a hermit crab dragging another hermit that just molted. Christmas just molted, I can tell because I have found most of his exo and he is baby pink. He was under the sand, it was not an above ground molting, I had to dig to find his shell and exo after he was attacked. He was dragged to the surface. I saw a hermit crab pinching him by the mid section, between abdomen and head.I had to spray the other hermit so he would let go. Christmas is moving very little, his abdomen looks good, not dehydrated. I placed his exo and his shell in the moss pit and I was able to scoop him and put him in the moss pit. I removed all access to the moss pit and covered it with black construction paper. What else can I do? Please help!

 

all you can do is wait. Crabs have a hard time moving after a molt. In fact they cant move at all right after a molt for a day or so. So christmas not moving very much is not unusual. Really try not to disturb him. He has his shell and his exo, He is in the dark. I asume he has heat( even though crabs like a slightly cooler place to molt for some reason).. Just leave him be for now or untill their is an odor. You should know what the outcome will be within a few days good or bad. I'm hoping for the best with you. Let us know.

 

Thanks Trixie. I checked on him just now and he has re-shelled. He has not eaten the exo. I will keep waiting. Any other ideas?

 

Thats a good sign. Hopefully he will start eatting his exo soon.I dont have anymore advice. Just make sure he cant get out and fall or be attacked again. You've been on here a while just use caution.

 

:sad5: unfortunately, he didn't make it :crybaby2: I am very sad. I checked on him this morning, and he was half way out of his shell, he didn't move. So I checked again now, and lift the shell and he came out of it. What is worst, a third of his soft abdomen was detached from the head, I guess where the other hermit pinched him to drag him. I am devastated, Christmas was my baby, he is the one on my profile pic, he was gorgeous red. I always feed them krill, shrimp, eggs, meat, chicken with veggies and fruits to keep the beautiful colors, always thinking about how gorgeous Christmas is. I can't believe how much this is making me cry.

 

Aww I'm soo sorry=( *hugs* it always hurts to lose them=(

 

:hug2: Every now and again it happens. Make sure you have "chitan" rich foods and crushed up calcium in their dishes. If the attacking crab is lacking something in his diet, that is sometimes the cause of the attack so he can get the molter's exoskeleton for himself.

Hang in there... :flower:

 

O,NO. I'm so sorry to hear that!

 

I have a bully crab that will always attack a molter no matter what! It is the smell of them that makes him want to attack them. So if I catch my molter coming up I get him out a.s.a.p. & into iso, let him rest a few days then everyone gets a salt bath to make everyone smell the same. I have only 3 now so whew, I don't have a lot to give baths to! After I do this I have no troubles. He has attacked every molter that I have had come up & has caused one to die to along with post molt stress. Sorry to hear your baby died, I get all mad to when one dies, makes me angry when the cause of it is cause of an other crab is mean!