HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Dropping their shell and losing legs are signs that the crab is weak. He needs to get back into a shell. Here is our care sheet that explains what to do. https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=122302 Once he takes a shell, he will still need to be isolated from your other c...

Adding lighting is a personal choice. If there is a window, the tank should be placed so it gets indirect light. My tank is in a room with a window - where I live on the Canadian prairies, there are only about 7 hours of light or less during the winter, but only about 7 hours of dark in the summer. ...

Okay, well she is alive and gets bothered when you pick her up - which is great! I honestly wouldn't do anything differently, just let her hang out in one spot if she wants. Keep the temp and humidity in a good range, offer healthy foods, appropriate shells and water, and let her do her thing! Like ...

That's good to hear! I'm glad you figured it out and didn't try to dig him up.
The waiting is the hardest part. I had forgotten how often tiny/ small crabs go down to molt. My jumbo only goes down about once a year. I got two little dudes, and I hardly see them! LOL!

Oh yes, extra climbing space is great! And good plan to have the ten gallon as an iso tank if you need it. I never had the right space to have two tanks going.

Do you have a bunch of extra shells in the tank? Is there a possibility that he took one of the other shells? Most times when a person describes this happening, the crab has simply moved into another shell.

What happens if you pick her up by the shell? Does she fall out or stay in? Does she smell?

I meant that the insulating material cannot cover the UTH. Sorry if I wasn't clear! There are some types that you can put the reflectix or whatever over the UTH, so you could for example cover the entire back including the UTH. But not the Zoo Med, it becomes a fire hazard. I put a folded up wool bl...

I used plastic wrap as the cover for my first two tanks, each of which I had for a few years! My crabs were smallish, and I didn't have anything that they could climb up to reach the lid. The current tank I have, the person who had it before me had made a DIY lid with corrugated plastic (I think tha...

Good afternoon! I converted my son's Betta tank into a crabitat earlier this week. We now have three Caribbean hermit crabs! I've used lots and lots of the information provided here in the forum's care sheets as well as using previous questions and answers to guide me. I think we're pretty well set ...

No, always offer the shell they vacated. Obviously there is something that he really likes about that shell.

Unfortunately, if there has been absolutely no movement, he has probably passed away.
If you pick him up, does he stay in the shell or fall out?
If he hadn't molted in a year since you got him, that is concerning. Do you have other crabs as well?

Welcome to the site! A couple of things come to mind. Are you able to afford/ get one of the UTH from Reptile Basics or Bean Farm? Heat will rise, so you don't necessarily need the mat to be super 'tall'. This one may be appropriate: https://beanfarm.com/products/ultratherm-heat-pads-11-x-29-in?_pos...

Nah, you'd always have to do water and food changes, so just keep doing what you are doing. Certainly you can add some plants, or isopods etc. And we kind of have a little eco system going already, with the increased heat and humidity. But a tank can't really be 'self sufficient' for healthy crabs.

Yay! It's always stressful when they are underground!