Accidentally brought home hermit!

[CarriereFamily]

Had no idea a crab was in the giant shell we brought home from the beach on Monday. He’s been in the door of our car for a week and appears to be alive. HELP! We got him from Destin, FL and are currently in Tennessee. Drive back home to Louisiana tomorrow. We have a large terrarium and a heat lamp at home but are completely perplexed about what to do now. My daughter was devastated that we brought home a creature and aren’t prepared to care for it. She thought it had died, we feel awful!

She’ll is huge, probably at least 7 inches.


Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?


2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?


4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?


12. How often do you clean the tank and how?


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?


15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.


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[wodesorel]

Unfortunately because of the location he came from, this is going to be a marine hermit crab. They can survive for a few weeks out of water in lucky situations, but they need a fully established saltwater aquarium in order to survive long term.

Please look into local aquariums, fish stores, aquarium clubs - even posting on local classifieds to find anyone with a saltwater aquarium who would be willing to give him a home. These guys get big and destructive though, and it can be hard to find a place to take them.

[Overmountain1]

Oh wow! What a tough fella! I hope you are able to find someplace to take him/her, do you by chance have any pics to share? Just cause I’m curious as much as anything. I bet that scared the poopie out of you once you realized it was there!!


Dave the Wondercrab~Pat~Maggie~ Billy~Pop~Corn~Ten~Sam~MissTeri~Tim~Gene~ Barry~Mr S~Princess + 5 Es + Mr EnDoh =my crabby clan!