Bad Molt- Rainbow Crab

[AudreyElizabeth]

I was elated this morning when I woke to discover my crab had molted. Upon closer inspection though I saw he was missing FOUR legs.....
The claws, eyes, and mouthparts are fine, and I know he can survive minus the legs, but I can't figure out what happened, unless it was just bad luck. The set up is very humid, half water, half land, with a filter and under-tank heat, cuttle fish bone available for calcium.
Anyway, right now I've got the room dark and the aquarium wrapped up in paper towels to block any outside activity from view. I hate this, and I'm so upset.

 

[OldHag]

aaaww sorry about that!! I had a Hermit crab that had a REALLY bad molt..I kept it moist with calcium and all.....but he ended up dieing..It was horrible. Sounds like yours will be ok if it can feed itself Funny how we get so attached to something like that isnt it
Michelle

 

[Wade]

Often with land crabs, they need a deep burrow to molt in. What are you using for substrate and how deep was it?

Wade

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

Thanks for the sympathy OldHag, I was pretty bummed out about it.

Wade, come to think of it, maybe that is what happened. He didn't molt in the burrow, but in the pool. I have him in an aquarium with sand that comes up to the top of the tank and gradually slopes down into the water. He did have two burrows dug, but for some reason didn't molt in either one of them. Who knows? I'd day at the deepest point he has about nine inches of damp sand, but the water table is too high I believe. I think I need to work out a wide, more shallow pool area. Like a bigger aquarium. He is only about two and a half inches long across the carapace (do crabs actually have those? Closest description I can come up with ), so I figured ten gallons would be spacious. I think it is, but not good proportions for that type of set-up.

I hate learning like this, I'm still bummed about it. I just hopes the bugger lives and regenerates his lost limbs. A good sign though, he left the pool and was moving about earlier today.

Can you feed crabs right after a molt? I left the exoskeleton in the tank in case the crab wanted to eat it, but I was wondering if I could offer it any other food.

Anyway, wish him and me luck. Thanks!

 

[Wade]

I don't think there's any harm in offering food, although it may not be interested yet.

I usually find it easier to just offer a big water dish for land crabs. Much easier to keep clean! As long as it's deep enough for them to submerge it should be OK. A bigger tank might be a good idea, I read one book that suggested a foot or more of substrate depth might be needed for some of these land crabs!

It might have also be bennificial to offer a small dish of brackish water. I'm not sure if it's needed for rainbows, but it's recomended with many others. I have a large freshwater dish as well as a small brackish dish for my hermits.

Wade

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

I think I will offer it some brackish water, thanks for the tip!

I used to have a large water dish, but I switched over to a sloping bank with a filter for a two to five gallon tank. Keeps the water spotless, and the sand moist. All I have to do is add more water occasionally. I think I'm going to move the set-up to a twenty gallon tall tank ASAP though.

I just took a peek, and the crab is sitting in the pool with the exoskeleton shredded beside it. I guess it is eating it!

Thanks for the suggestions Wade, and I think he is gonna be OK!

Audrey

 

[crabbykid]

Completely oblivious

Hi, my Rainbow Crab has just molted, apparantly successfully as he has all his legs... I'm a complete novice and have been attempting to research information on rainbow crabs as I was completely shocked that my crab had molted in captivity. The aquarium shop owner had no information to help me on this matter and it would be nice for someone to fill me in about what types of risks are involved with the hardening of his shell again and if there is anything I can do to help the process? he's in an aquarium with another rainbow crab and they get along really well, it's mostly water but with volcanic rock raised above the surface for land; he's shed his shell in the water in a small crevice underneath one of the rocks; i'm just concerned that he might die or something any help would be grateful.

 

[Kevin_Davies]

My Rainbow Crabs moult every 6 months or so, always in the water, despite them both having their own burrows, and they always moult fine, so not sure if its just because the Crab moulted in the water, maybe he was disturbed by another Crab while moulting? or do you only have one Crab?

crabbykid, there isnt anything you can do to help his new shell harden, it should take around 6 hours or so, if the water's ph is above 7 though that should help, I also add liquid calcium to my Crabs water, Rainbow Crabs do need quite a lot of land though, they like to burrow.

 

[crabbykid]

Thanks for the info! I have two, and despite hearing varying ideas of fighting and agression they seem to live along eachother fine. I have a cuttle fish in for the calcium which they both seem to munch on a lot, and there is quite a bit of gravel in the bottom of the tank - they seem to use that to burrow - do u think sand would be a better option for them? the crab which has moulted appears to be devouring his previous exoskeleton; I read from a previous thread that this is normal. he also seems to be looking a little less transparent in the last 24 hours. I was concerned about the molted crab's safety due to the aggression theory and his soft shell. As I mentionned before, the owner of the aquarium shop has no idea about rainbow crabs despite selling them... they were both approximately 4-5cm accross shell diameter but now the molted one is about 6... I've also heard they can grow upto 20cm accross? how big are your crabs? do they grow in size every time they molt?

 

[Kevin_Davies]

Fine gravel or sand would be fine, my Crabs land substrate is made up of sand and gravel, and mainly gravel in the water.

My largest Crab is approx 20cm length across (including legs) with a carapace of around 9-10cm length, the smaller Crab is around 15cm across. They do get larger each time they moult, and can even regenerate lost claws.

 

[crabbykid]

sad sad news

My crab that molted a week ago is now fine and dandy, however the other one molted today and didnt make it thru, i'm really upset! I dont even know what happened, if the other one attacked it after it molted or what, but he only had 4 legs - 3 one one side and one on the other and I found him floating upside down in the water. proper gutted. x