Emerald Crab Experts!!! Help

[vpotts28]

I have an emerald crab that has perched herself atop the highest rock in the tank. She is motionless, and catatonic. I thought maybe she was dead, but she has a grip on the rock. I can barely budge her. I awoke this morning to find one of my super tongan nassarius snails on her. That in my mind only means one thing, death. Is she dead, or is she going through some kind of premolt? I would assume they would go and hide in a cave, but I have no idea. The eyes are completely blacked over. Very strange.

 

[bigarn]

sometimes they leave the molt in plain site to divert other critters from them while they hide out and wait until their exoskeleton hardens up. a sure way to tell is get it out and look underneath it ... if a hatch like thingy is open at the rear, it molted.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by bigarn
sometimes they leave the molt in plain site to divert other critters from them while they hide out and wait until their exoskeleton hardens up. a sure way to tell is get it out and look underneath it ... if a hatch like thingy is open at the rear, it molted.
That is also what I was thinking. She did it to divert the attention. She has been acting very strange the past couple of weeks. There has been several instances where I see her open that hatch from the front, and she is feeling around in there. I tried to move her from the top of the rock, but she has a grip on that rock like no other. Almost like she is glued there. I posted a story about her and the male interacting a few weeks ago, and that is when the strange behavior started.

 

[vpotts28]

This is the position she has been in for about 16 hrs, at least. It is as if she is a statue, and mind you this rock is the highest point of the tank. The Everest if you will.

 

[clown52]

Maybe she "went to the light"?
I've never seen any of mine do anything like that, esspecially out in the open.

 

[lsu]

If it's holding on tight I would say it's still alive. I had one do the same thing, I thought it was dead and tried to remove it, would not budge. I saw him a few hours later and it was still there but it was picking at the rock. If it was dead you could easily pull him off the rock. I think crabs are just weird sometimes

 

[timt6379]

are all emerald crabs 1 color, cuz i found a hitchhicker in my tank, he looks like the pic above but he is red.

 

[nigerbang]

Originally Posted by timt6379
are all emerald crabs 1 color, cuz i found a hitchhicker in my tank, he looks like the pic above but he is red.
red varations are called...Red Mithrax

 

[vpotts28]

I went home, and took the exoskeleton out of the tank. The flap was open on the underside, but there was no evidence of a body being inside. I am assuming she molted, but I have no idea how she would get out of that old exoskeleton. I'll hope for the best, and will see if I see her in a few days.

 

[stephish]

Hope she's ok! mine is sitting on the very top of a branch of tonga right now.

 

[bigarn]

yep, she molted .... as soon as her new exoskeleton hardens up a bit you'll see her again.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by bigarn
yep, she molted .... as soon as her new exoskeleton hardens up a bit you'll see her again.

How in the world do they get out of that shell though. I would think that the whole in the abdomen over the hatch would be impossible to get out of. But maybe they are that soft they can squeeze out of anything. I am glad, she is by far my favorite.