HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone!

I just got off the phone with a crabber who had a sick hermie and called "Florida Marine Research" (FMR) on their 1-800 number. FMR told her to bathe her sick crab in tetracycline and put tetracycline in the crab's drinking water. This is very old, outdated advice. Tetracycline is extremely bad for hermit crabs.

Please, if your crab is sick, do not call that number. You will get better results here if you make a post and wait an hour or so. I know that when your crab is sick you want answers right away, but if you call that 1-800 number you will get the WRONG answers (right away). The 15-45 or so minutes it takes for you to get an answer here could SAVE YOUR CRAB'S LIFE. PLEASE don't be in such a rush that you kill your hermie with bad advice.

I am not trying to say that the crabber I talked to did this. She honestly cared for her hermit crabs and did not know anything about calling FMR. I am making this post in memory of her dearly departed crab, so you do not make the same mistake.


hc!
Christa

I did a little research into tetracycline, and found that it binds to calcium, and it also will kill all the crabs' digestive flora. Is there more that it does, Christa?

Don't worry. I would absolutely NEVER do that anyway. After seeing FMR's website, I would NEVER get involved with them.