# My poor crayfish molted without claws/legs!



## janftica (Jan 11, 2010)

I found one of my Blue Alleni crays lying on its back in the big tank, so I netted him/her out and put it in the smaller 2.5 empty gallon, that was still running. (just moved the last of my shrimp out to a bigger tank)

I thought for sure it was dying :icon_conf Today I found it sitting up in the front waiting for breaky....but when I looked closely it has no front claws and is missing several legs on the one side...so it continually falls over! Poor thing....I did see it had managed to grab its algae wafer though and was eating it, so I guess it will regrow the claws on the next molt. 

It can stay in that tank until its better, then go back in the bigger tank once it has claws/legs to defend itself with.

IT looked so sad, I didn't have the heart to euthanize it, so hopefully it will manage without the limbs in this tank. At least it has nothing in there to harm it and lots of green stuff to eat. :thumbsup:


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## jclee (Jul 15, 2009)

I'm sorry to hear that. Have you though about trying to raise the calcium levels in the water?


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## Moe (Jan 22, 2004)

interesting. hope all ends well.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

I thought crayfish claws grew back? Maybe I'm thinking of fiddler crabs or something.


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## janftica (Jan 11, 2010)

Yes I usually dose liquid calcium, but for some reason didn't put any in that tank as I didn't realise there was one of my baby blues still in it. Must have gone in on the moss and just grew! Yes the claws/legs will grow back with the next molt, but that might be a while yet. Heshe is still eating so thats good, and there's no one in the tank with him except snails, so it should feel quite safe now.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

He probably molted with claws and legs but got them eaten by another crayfish. They will attack others that molt because theyre soft for awhile. I provide 4" pieces of bamboo big enought for them to get into for this. Or keep them well fed when you see a molt. My CPOs gill gather aboud a newly molted one to try and get an opportunity to attack it.


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## janftica (Jan 11, 2010)

There is only one other crayfish in that tank...a big Papua Apricot one....it doesn't come out except to grab an algae wafer. But as you said it probably was in molt and maybe the guppies or the red tail shark ate the claws while it was soft.

Its doing just fine in the smaller tank by itself. I just feed it once a day and turn the light on to check it out, then turn it back off so it can feel safer.


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