My hermit crab has spots

[Cococrabgirl!]

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? play sand from lowes is as tall as my crabs


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? my battery died but before it died I figured out the times I need to mist them done


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? one 8 inch heat lamp with UVB


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)? the have both fresh and salt water I use purified bottle water from publix


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? little bit of everything the only store bought food they get is bare organic fruits that are dried and mealworms and their fave bloodworms


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? two years now and purple pinchers

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He came up Christmas eve and it took about a month and a week


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 16 gallon with locking mesh lid covered with foil


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


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 7 or 8


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? are AC was leaking frean and are heat smells like dog puke and chemicals


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? weekly spot cleans and not sure on deep cleans the tank is very heavy and is taller then me and I am a noodle so I try my best to keep it clean with spot cleans


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponges just a shell and some glass pebbles


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


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.)? Dory did have a chip on his leg


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Hello.So my hermit crab Dory( Dory is male) has spots and odd coloring. The most noticeably is a spot on the inside of his large claw where it is white. I will up date later with picks hopfully.


.

[Cococrabgirl!]

Sorry I have been busy helping my Mom. So I don't know how to post picks on here but I will post a link with pictures of Dory.

[Hermiesguardian]

You can post pics on the app Tapatalk.

[Cococrabgirl!]

You can post pics on the app Tapatalk.

Lol I just figured it out but thank you!

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[Cococrabgirl!]

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? play sand from lowes is as tall as my crabs


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? my battery died but before it died I figured out the times I need to mist them done


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? one 8 inch heat lamp with UVB


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)? the have both fresh and salt water I use purified bottle water from publix


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? little bit of everything the only store bought food they get is bare organic fruits that are dried and mealworms and their fave bloodworms


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? two years now and purple pinchers

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He came up Christmas eve and it took about a month and a week


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 16 gallon with locking mesh lid covered with foil


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


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 7 or 8


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? are AC was leaking frean and are heat smells like dog puke and chemicals


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? weekly spot cleans and not sure on deep cleans the tank is very heavy and is taller then me and I am a noodle so I try my best to keep it clean with spot cleans


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponges just a shell and some glass pebbles


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


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.)? Dory did have a chip on his leg


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Hello.So my hermit crab Dory( Dory is male) has spots and odd coloring. The most noticeably is a spot on the inside of his large claw where it is white. I will up date later with picks hopfully.


.

Okay so the top picks are older and the bottom picks are newer. Later I will post one more that is better.

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[Cococrabgirl!]

Lol I just figured it out but thank you!

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Okay here is what Dory looks like today. I did read that aussie do darken when they age but Dory is a purple pincher. He was really pale when I got him so this might just be his color coming back, but he did have a chip on his one leg but it fully healed. I just want to make sure he doesn't have shell rot, and you guys are really smart and have had crabs longer then I have so I really need your help. I forgot to say that Dory's behavior is normal it is just his color and spot that are different.

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[curlysister]

Personally, I can't see anything wrong with his coloring in the later photos. That said, there are some things that can be improved in your crabitat.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand from lowes is as tall as my crabs
Curly - The substrate needs to be at least 6 inches, or three times as deep as your largest crab, whichever is deeper. It needs to be moist enough to hold it's shape, but not so wet that it drips when squeezed. Use dechlorinated water to moisten 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? my battery died but before it died I figured out the times I need to mist them done
Curly - It is very important to get new gauges. Digital are more accurate than analogue.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? one 8 inch heat lamp with UVB
Curly - Lamps often dry out the tank, as above you need to have gauges so you know the temp and humidity.

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)? the have both fresh and salt water I use purified bottle water from publix
Curly - what brand of salt do you use?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? little bit of everything the only store bought food they get is bare organic fruits that are dried and mealworms and their fave bloodworms
Curly - When you say 'store bought food', do you mean hermit crab pellets? Do you have a source of calcium?

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? two years now and purple pinchers

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He came up Christmas eve and it took about a month and a week


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 16 gallon with locking mesh lid covered with foil


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


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 7 or 8


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? are AC was leaking frean and are heat smells like dog puke and chemicals


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? weekly spot cleans and not sure on deep cleans the tank is very heavy and is taller then me and I am a noodle so I try my best to keep it clean with spot cleans
Curly - Spot cleaning is all that is needed, as long as the substrate and conditions are appropriate.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponges just a shell and some glass pebbles
Curly - Water dishes need to be deep enough that the crabs can fully submerge, and have a way that they can crawl out (ie- the shell or pebbles).

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


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.)? Dory did have a chip on his leg


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Hello.So my hermit crab Dory( Dory is male) has spots and odd coloring. The most noticeably is a spot on the inside of his large claw where it is white. I will up date later with picks hopfully.

[wodesorel]

Hermit crabs can change colors with every molt. As they grow older and larger, they do usually get darker. If you're talking about the dark spots on his limbs, those are where their sensory hairs grow from, called setae. They can become more noticeable post-molt, and some crabs just naturally have ones that are high contrast to their natural color. The inside of their big claw is often white or near white.

Curly covered the things that should be looked at so he keeps growing and doing well for you.

[Cococrabgirl!]

Hermit crabs can change colors with every molt. As they grow older and larger, they do usually get darker. If you're talking about the dark spots on his limbs, those are where their sensory hairs grow from, called setae. They can become more noticeable post-molt, and some crabs just naturally have ones that are high contrast to their natural color. The inside of their big claw is often white or near white.

Curly covered the things that should be looked at so he keeps growing and doing well for you.

Thank you so much! Since Hermy and Dory are my first crabs I couldn't tell if it was his color coming back. I was afraid it could have been an infection because he had a chip on his leg, but don't worry it is fully healed. Thank you so much I was so worried about Dory Thank you!

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[Cococrabgirl!]

Personally, I can't see anything wrong with his coloring in the later photos. That said, there are some things that can be improved in your crabitat.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand from lowes is as tall as my crabs
Curly - The substrate needs to be at least 6 inches, or three times as deep as your largest crab, whichever is deeper. It needs to be moist enough to hold it's shape, but not so wet that it drips when squeezed. Use dechlorinated water to moisten 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? my battery died but before it died I figured out the times I need to mist them done
Curly - It is very important to get new gauges. Digital are more accurate than analogue.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? one 8 inch heat lamp with UVB
Curly - Lamps often dry out the tank, as above you need to have gauges so you know the temp and humidity.

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)? the have both fresh and salt water I use purified bottle water from publix
Curly - what brand of salt do you use?

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? little bit of everything the only store bought food they get is bare organic fruits that are dried and mealworms and their fave bloodworms
Curly - When you say 'store bought food', do you mean hermit crab pellets? Do you have a source of calcium?

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? two years now and purple pinchers

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He came up Christmas eve and it took about a month and a week


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 16 gallon with locking mesh lid covered with foil


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


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 7 or 8


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? are AC was leaking frean and are heat smells like dog puke and chemicals


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? weekly spot cleans and not sure on deep cleans the tank is very heavy and is taller then me and I am a noodle so I try my best to keep it clean with spot cleans
Curly - Spot cleaning is all that is needed, as long as the substrate and conditions are appropriate.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponges just a shell and some glass pebbles
Curly - Water dishes need to be deep enough that the crabs can fully submerge, and have a way that they can crawl out (ie- the shell or pebbles).

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


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.)? Dory did have a chip on his leg


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Hello.So my hermit crab Dory( Dory is male) has spots and odd coloring. The most noticeably is a spot on the inside of his large claw where it is white. I will up date later with picks hopfully.

Last time I did a deep clean and I ran out of sand and it was hurricane season. I am looking for a new thermometer as well but if you recommend any please tell me. What I use to make salt water is instant ocean sea salt. I know pellets and other foods like pellets are bad for crabs. The store bought food that they get occasionally is this bare organic fruits with no preservatives , mealworms, cuttlebone,and bloodworms. I need to get new water dishes of DIY them. They are deep but not enough. I have been trying to find some that is deep and not super wide because my crabbies like alot of flore space. Thank you so much for spending your time helping me and my crabbies and I will be fixing things. Thank you!

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[curlysister]

Oh yeah, that kind of food is safe. Check out the Nutrition section for lots of good info about crab nutrition.
For water dishes, many people use Rubbermaid type plastic food containers, and add craft mesh/ plastic canvas as a way for them to climb in and out. If you look in the Pictures section, you will likely see what I am talking about. Cheap and easy to make!
Deep cleaning isn't really needed, unless there is something like a bacterial bloom. In the 8+ years I have had my crabs, I have never thrown out the substrate, I have just added more as I needed it when I moved to larger tanks.
Accurite digital thermometer/ hygrometer is what many people use. If you are in the US and have access to a WalMart, I am told they are only about $10-12 there, or from Amazon.

PS - I named my crabs Sonny and Cher when I first got them, and still haven't bothered to sex them! LOL.

[Cococrabgirl!]

Oh yeah, that kind of food is safe. Check out the Nutrition section for lots of good info about crab nutrition.
For water dishes, many people use Rubbermaid type plastic food containers, and add craft mesh/ plastic canvas as a way for them to climb in and out. If you look in the Pictures section, you will likely see what I am talking about. Cheap and easy to make!
Deep cleaning isn't really needed, unless there is something like a bacterial bloom. In the 8+ years I have had my crabs, I have never thrown out the substrate, I have just added more as I needed it when I moved to larger tanks.
Accurite digital thermometer/ hygrometer is what many people use. If you are in the US and have access to a WalMart, I am told they are only about $10-12 there, or from Amazon.

PS - I named my crabs Sonny and Cher when I first got them, and still haven't bothered to sex them! LOL.

Okay thank you! I am just afraid to use plastic for salt water. Can't it over time leak chemicals in the salt water? And I did not know bacterial blooms happen in hermit crab tanks, thank you for telling me that. I do give my crabbies a variety of fresh foods. It is just where I live hurricanes happen alot so I always have dried food mix I make. I think I will get a thermometer / hygrometer an Amazon because their reviews are verified. Thank you so much for the information and the help!

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[Hermiesguardian]

Okay thank you! I am just afraid to use plastic for salt water. Can't it over time leak chemicals in the salt water? And I did not know bacterial blooms happen in hermit crab tanks, thank you for telling me that. I do give my crabbies a variety of fresh foods. It is just where I live hurricanes happen alot so I always have dried food mix I make. I think I will get a thermometer / hygrometer an Amazon because their reviews are verified. Thank you so much for the information and the help!

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I've never heard anyone mention the plastic issue. It's a good point. But it's cheap enough to change out every couple of months. Although you would have to keep doing whatever you do to make it easy for them to climb in and out.

[JoeHermits]

I've never heard anyone mention the plastic issue. It's a good point. But it's cheap enough to change out every couple of months. Although you would have to keep doing whatever you do to make it easy for them to climb in and out.

I was under the impression that food-grade containers didn’t do that, hence they are labeled “food-grade”.


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[Hermiesguardian]

I was under the impression that food-grade containers didn’t do that, hence they are labeled “food-grade”.


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Makes sense.