HCA: Hermit Crab Association

As I was staring into Asmoday's eyes as she was sitting in the sun on my bed, I realized this... Crabs have pupils o.o I thought their eyes were like those of a snail or a bug...

Asmoday has red eyes, I don't know for what reason, but they're really really red. And I could see her pupils in them, as I turned her more into the sun they became smaller and as I turned her in the shade they becamse bigger. It's safe to say they are sensetive to light.



You can't see her pupils in the picture, because it's so blurry.

I spent some time on my bed observing both Bhaal and Asmoday, while holding their shells in place... As many may know, I have a mite problem with these two, no matter what I do they just wont go away.

On Bhaal: I sprayed him with my spray bottle, I think he actually enjoyed it some... He let me spray his sides. The mites run off the moment you start spraying (which I assume they also do the moment you bathe them) On my jumbo's the mites seem to be able to hide in the creases of the jumbo's body... I noticed the mites prefer to hang around in the creases between the head and the back plate... whole groups gather there. I've tried to rub some off with a Q-tip, impossible! They are way too fast... and seem to be able to hang on to the fine hair on the crab's body. The mites also like to hang around near the crab's mouth parts, I assume they clean off the bits of food left there. I am still unsure if mites are a danger to the crab, but so far my jumbo's don't seem too bothered by them. Which leads me to wonder if mites and crab coexist in the wild, perhaps they're not as bad as we think. But yet at the same time I worry, I observe my jumbo's a lot and it seems like the mites do cause small dents into the exo of my crabs, possibly to house the mites... like mice gnaw a hole in your wall.

On Asmoday: Asmoday worries me, she has a large hole in her backplate and I find mites going in and out this hole. For the past week she had seemed mite free to me, but today she was swarming again... She doesn't seem bothered by the mites, I wish I knew more on the dangers of mites and crabs.

Finding that crabs have pupils made me wonder HOW close related crabs and insects are, and if anyone actually ever TRIED mite products on their crabs. I can see how reptile anti-mite products tell not to use it on spiders and such, but it does make me wonder... How close are our crabs to mites?

I have thought about many possible ways to kill the mites, but fear the life of my crabs...

My thoughts so far:
*A Q-tip with rubbing alcohol, but this may lead to drunk mites/crabs, if it doesn't kill them both!
*Q-tip with peroxide, but my crab may end up with blonde hair, or worse.. And I wonder if it would actually kill a mite, it's more aimed towards bacteria.
*Hold crab under the tap, the constant stream may wash off mites better, I don't know how the short exposure to chlorinated water effects the crab... I would bathe the crab with dechlorinated water afterwards.

If anyone else has some idea's, please share.

All of the current research on land crustaceans mentions nothing of a symbiotic relationchip between Coenobitidae and any form of mite. Of course, there is nothing to suggest that this is a coincidental, beneficial, annatural relationchip. I have read a few places about the anti-mite stuff used in reptile habitats killing the crabs, but no first hand knowlege either way. I do not believe, however, that the mites are something that are naturally occuring in the wild, and seems to be more of a bi-product of captivity. Perhaps a good palce to start would be to look into some of the reptile and herpitology journals and check for any mention of the mites, and more about their lives. I know there are different species that invade our tanks. I do not, however know if they are carnivorous in any way. Much more research is required in this area. Perhaps contacting a reptile expert of some sort may be in order.

I sure wish you lived closer to me. We have dechlorinated water right out of the tap and could do that for your guys with no probs, even maintaining the right tepid temps for them...We're on a well system. Not city water.

Maybe someone could hold a cup and gently pour it over the crab with you holding the crab? Maybe not. Pouring the water might be more stressful than spritzing it.

One problem with the mites might be that they lay eggs a lot. Many insects lay thousands of eggs because only a small percentage will mature in harsh natural environments. You've commented that they'll be mite free and then be crawling a few days later. I would guess that the mites lay enough eggs in the environment (maybe on the crabs?) that it may be all but impossible to completely be rid of them.

Thats a rather grim idea.... sorry

If you think about it, Yartac is someone who has had crabs since the end of '03. And they are just NOW noticing something like this, I think it's safe to say that not very many people would.

I think it's easier to rid small crabs of mites, because they dont really have much spots on the crab to hide... jumbo's have huge hairs and creases in their body, which the mites can hold onto or hide between :/

The pupils, I never had a crab so big as Asmoday or with red eyes.... The pupils are hidden behind the big shiny outside... I'll draw it sometime

Edit:



Behind the glazey part, like the human eye is the pupil... I always thought the entire thing was one big pupil.

When treating sensitive plants for bugs the process involves, spraying with dish soap (very low solution) every 3 days which is the gestation period for red spider mites...we know that salt water kills the mites on the crab (where it can reach them)...and doesn't harm the crab...could we assume that these mites have a similar cycle and perhaps bathe them in salt water in a regime? For example: Day1: bathe crabs thoroughly in salt water,
Day3: bathe them again...do that for about 2 weeks while keeping them isolated so that the mites can't cross contaminate...also, I had a Christmas cactus with bugs...they used to dig into the dirt, I resolved that by bare-rooting my plant in vermiculite...viola 1 week bugs GONE...mites can tolerate FB...but I bet you sand wouldn't be as popular...try using only that while crabs are ISO'd... What do you think???

PS...to my last post...I just read that ALOE directly from an aloe vera plant has a oily enough base in itself to kill aphids, apparently it suffocates them...does aloe hurt crabs? If it doesn't may be worth trying in a bath, maybe a higher concentration of stress coat in their bath water will do the same thing...it is kind of the same texture as aloe juice...anyone know more about Aloe?

Yartac, One of my E's (Charlie) has brown eyes and I've noticed the pupil on him too so it's not just you.

I don't think colored eyes are very common. All my others have black.

I'm leaning towards the crabs getting the mites from captivity--someone posted on here (can't remember who) that they thought the crabs were getting the mites from being close to the reptile section in the petstores--that makes sense to me. I've never seen any mites on my crabs (knock on wood) and I bought mine the day after they arrived at the petstore so they didn't sit there for a long time--I got them in August of '03--I also don't ever purchase any additional crabs--even though I'd like to--I just kind of feel like if I buy new ones that they'll make my crabs sick or have mites etc. I'm not really sure if the mites are natural w/the crabs--maybe someone who went to the convention could tell us--because I've only seen marine hermit crabs in the wild not land crabs.

Chestersmom wrote:When treating sensitive plants for bugs the process involves, spraying with dish soap (very low solution) every 3 days which is the gestation period for red spider mites...we know that salt water kills the mites on the crab (where it can reach them)...and doesn't harm the crab...could we assume that these mites have a similar cycle and perhaps bathe them in salt water in a regime? For example: Day1: bathe crabs thoroughly in salt water,
Day3: bathe them again...do that for about 2 weeks while keeping them isolated so that the mites can't cross contaminate...also, I had a Christmas cactus with bugs...they used to dig into the dirt, I resolved that by bare-rooting my plant in vermiculite...viola 1 week bugs GONE...mites can tolerate FB...but I bet you sand wouldn't be as popular...try using only that while crabs are ISO'd... What do you think???

Salt water does nothing to my mites, so I dunno who invented that one XD It doesn't work! Breecheez confirmed this, salt water doesn't matter one bit!

I don't have forrest bedding, but my jumbo's do have moss, which they love to sleep in... I guess I should take that out (Asmoday is going to KILL me!)

MY tanks are sand only, but yea, the jumbo's have a pile of sleeping moss :p Since they don't have a hidey (I had to throw out their butter tub hidey because of the mites)

Chestersmom wrote:PS...to my last post...I just read that ALOE directly from an aloe vera plant has a oily enough base in itself to kill aphids, apparently it suffocates them...does aloe hurt crabs? If it doesn't may be worth trying in a bath, maybe a higher concentration of stress coat in their bath water will do the same thing...it is kind of the same texture as aloe juice...anyone know more about Aloe?

We have TONS of Aloe in the kitchen :roll: Ray's mom grew it... and I have stress coat... I could try :/ I rather have somemore opinions on it though

Sheb wrote:I'm leaning towards the crabs getting the mites from captivity--someone posted on here (can't remember who) that they thought the crabs were getting the mites from being close to the reptile section in the petstores--that makes sense to me. I've never seen any mites on my crabs (knock on wood) and I bought mine the day after they arrived at the petstore so they didn't sit there for a long time--I got them in August of '03--I also don't ever purchase any additional crabs--even though I'd like to--I just kind of feel like if I buy new ones that they'll make my crabs sick or have mites etc. I'm not really sure if the mites are natural w/the crabs--maybe someone who went to the convention could tell us--because I've only seen marine hermit crabs in the wild not land crabs.

Mine were nowhere near the reptiles though, but you do have a point... Stupid pet people probably where messing with the snakes again and then went in the crab tank (Sylvia, the woman from the store, likes the snakes... and I never caught her washing her hands ew o.o)

They have had mites since I got them, I was rid of them for over a month... and now they just dont wanna go... I haven't seen them in the sand or anything, they seem to strictly stay on the crabs o.O

Yartac wrote: We have TONS of Aloe in the kitchen :roll: Ray's mom grew it... and I have stress coat... I could try :/ I rather have somemore opinions on it though

From Vanessa's Crabarium: Advanced crabbers actually have been known to rub Aloe Vera (directly from a plant) onto the exoskeleton of a hermit crab showing pre-moult symptoms.

I would definitely steer clear of any anti-mite chemical. They WILL kill your crabs. [smilie=nono.gif] (Don't mean to lecture, and I'm sure you know this, but I've never had a chance to use that smilie before! )

I stared asmoday in the eyes for a long time XD

Hehe. I wouldn't know about that, Charlie's the squirrely one. Can't keep him in one spot for more than seconds. Everyone else buries when it's cold...he climbs the netting. Of course he always climbs the netting.

Squishy's the one who's little black eyes melt my heart.