Bad Molt

nu_butnotso_nu · 05-10-2008, 04:41 PM

Hi guys, had a quick question.

One of my crabs (Little Red) dug under a few months ago to shed. He has always shed frequently and they always go smoothly. Unfortunatly this time I had to dig him up about 6 weeks into his moult because I was moving from Texas to Idaho, and I had to put them all into a smaller cage to transport.

Anyway, after another 2 weeks under, Little Red dug up last night with no BP!!!

I've never had a crab do this before, I'm fairly sure it was from the stress of the move, but now I'm not quite sure what to do. When I found him topside, Turbo was on top of him and LR was chirping like crazy! Turbo has been shell shopping, and I am afraid of what might happen to LR since he can't defend himself.

He's currently in iso, but I'm not sure how long to keep him there. He's a large crab so it'll probably be a least another 4-5 months before he sheds. Do I keep him seperated that long?
I have no experience at this, so if anyone has any advice on what to do with a crab with no BP, please let me know. Thanks guys for reading.

silver616 · 05-10-2008, 08:41 PM

I'd probably add a smaller (and/or less aggressive) crab or two so he doesn't get "lonely", but if it were me, I'd probably keep him in iso...esp if he's getting "picked on".

Hildegarde · 05-11-2008, 02:12 PM

No crab of mine has lost a limb while moulting, but I think keeping him in ISO is a good idea. It just happened, so maybe you should take it day by day and see how he's doing. And as silver said, it might be best to put him in a tank with smaller, more docile crabs.

nu_butnotso_nu · 05-16-2008, 09:20 PM

Thanks guys,
Little Red is currently in the 10 gal with the two micros, one of which is dug under. He seems to be doing well so far, I've seen him drinking and he has been eating quite a bit! So hopefully everything will be fine.

Actually, I'm suprised that he was the only one that showed signs of stress from the move. I had to dig up three crabs of the seven to transfer them into a smaller tank. Oh, and that week that I drove from Texas to Idoha, there was this huge cold front, and going through Colorado it was snowing!

I'm just glad the rest are OK, and thank you guys again for the good advice.

silver616 · 05-18-2008, 02:59 PM

Glad to hear he's doing well!

05-10-2008, 04:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
nu_butnotso_nu "Never Molted" Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Boise ID Posts: 30	Bad Molt Hi guys, had a quick question. One of my crabs (Little Red) dug under a few months ago to shed. He has always shed frequently and they always go smoothly. Unfortunatly this time I had to dig him up about 6 weeks into his moult because I was moving from Texas to Idaho, and I had to put them all into a smaller cage to transport. Anyway, after another 2 weeks under, Little Red dug up last night with no BP!!! I've never had a crab do this before, I'm fairly sure it was from the stress of the move, but now I'm not quite sure what to do. When I found him topside, Turbo was on top of him and LR was chirping like crazy! Turbo has been shell shopping, and I am afraid of what might happen to LR since he can't defend himself. He's currently in iso, but I'm not sure how long to keep him there. He's a large crab so it'll probably be a least another 4-5 months before he sheds. Do I keep him seperated that long? I have no experience at this, so if anyone has any advice on what to do with a crab with no BP, please let me know. Thanks guys for reading.

05-10-2008, 08:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
silver616 "Preparing For Second Molt" Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 378	Re: Bad Molt I'd probably add a smaller (and/or less aggressive) crab or two so he doesn't get "lonely", but if it were me, I'd probably keep him in iso...esp if he's getting "picked on".

05-11-2008, 02:12 PM	#3 (permalink)
Hildegarde (Medium Crab) Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Gainesville, Florida Posts: 733	Re: Bad Molt No crab of mine has lost a limb while moulting, but I think keeping him in ISO is a good idea. It just happened, so maybe you should take it day by day and see how he's doing. And as silver said, it might be best to put him in a tank with smaller, more docile crabs. __________________ The Kids: Big Momma, Bwana, BiBi, Honey, Aggie, Stretch, Sparky, Houdini, Tang, Zeke & Izzie; The Big Guys: Kaiser, Mo-de-law', Belle & SuzyQ; and our 15 new Little Ones; all PPs and our baby Es: Killer, Ol' Yeller, Scooter, Mr. Greenjeans, Orange and our tiny Smidgen.

05-16-2008, 09:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
nu_butnotso_nu "Never Molted" Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Boise ID Posts: 30	Re: Bad Molt Thanks guys, Little Red is currently in the 10 gal with the two micros, one of which is dug under. He seems to be doing well so far, I've seen him drinking and he has been eating quite a bit! So hopefully everything will be fine. Actually, I'm suprised that he was the only one that showed signs of stress from the move. I had to dig up three crabs of the seven to transfer them into a smaller tank. Oh, and that week that I drove from Texas to Idoha, there was this huge cold front, and going through Colorado it was snowing! I'm just glad the rest are OK, and thank you guys again for the good advice.

05-18-2008, 02:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
silver616 "Preparing For Second Molt" Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 378	Re: Bad Molt Glad to hear he's doing well!

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode