HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Please seek out a source of someone who knows a lot about marine crabs, as their care is quite different than land crabs.

I agree with the answer given.
Also, have a look at our care sheets, so you have an idea of what they need ahead of getting them. Start with the 'basics' care sheet, then go from there.

Because you never know when they will come up, it is advisable to keep water and some food in the tank. Many of us leave some dried food, which will stay good longer than fresh.

Your crab will die without a shell, the priority should be to get him in a shell. Use the method described, just him and a few shells (including the one he was wearing when he went naked) in a small container, cover so it's dark and wait an hour. He should not have anything to distract him, just the...

Have you calibrated your hygrometer to ensure it is accurate? Even new ones can be off. Is it digital or analogue? Digital are often more accurate. Be careful with a fogger that you don't add so much water to the tank that you cause a flood. I had my crabs in a ten gallon for 2 or 3 years, then in a...

Hahaha that looks like he's in one of those Bumbo chairs for babies!

Welcome to crabbing and to the site! Hang in there, you aren't doing anything wrong. As already stated, crabs from pet stores are usually very stressed when we get them. If they have been in poor conditions for a while, they may have put off molting as long as they can, and that's why they buried ri...

CrabbyLover77 wrote: ↑

Sat May 03, 2025 4:06 pm

I literally LOL whenever you tell this story. I wish I could have been there to see it ha!

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I wish I had seen it too! Such a 'crab' thing to do! LOL!

Right on! You'll love the additional space, and so will they!

Hello, fellow Canadian here! I feed lots of fresh leaves and flowers in the summer, and dry them for winter. I don't have a dehydrator, so put a shallow box (like from a flat of canned pet food etc) on the dash of my car. A couple of really warm days, and leaves and flowers are dried perfectly! I th...

One of my sister's friends had a crab that picked up a shell and yelled at it for about an hour then put it down and never did it again.

Crabs don't die from being in a small tank - they are at risk of another crab digging them up when molting, if there isn't enough space. So don't panic.

Yeah, PPs can vary greatly in color.

Use the TapaTalk app, or a photo sharing website to post a pic for us! And welcome back to crabbing!

If your tank is only 25 gallons, and a cube, I would probably start small with just a few plants and see how it goes. Our guide to plants was written by our own plant expert AussieJJ - and I would absolutely trust their advice regarding what is safe and what is not. The care sheet explains everythin...

Jumbo crabs don't usually molt that often - a third molt in 7 months would be unusual. Jumbo crabs also have the hardest time adjusting if taken from the wild (not sure where you got him from).
Not much you can do but wait and see.