hermit crabs gonopores are white, is it an infection?

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_icosa_
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hermit crabs gonopores are white, is it an infection?

Post by _icosa_ » Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:55 pm

apologies because i havent been able to get any photos of it, the crab in question is extremely skittish and doesnt like being picked up. i noticed about a month ago when my crabby was climbing that her gonopores had white bits in them, which i found concerning. ive absolutely SCRAPED the internet and found no information on it at all, so i waited to see if it would go away on its own. it didnt. her gonopores are almost completely white, and i dont want to let it go any longer. i was going to try treating with api pimafix because i thought it might be fungal but im not sure and i dont want to stress her out with medicine baths. shes not showing any signs of discomfort or fatigue but i dont want to let it go until its untreatable. for real, any advice at all would be helpful.
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. - Laozi

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Re: hermit crabs gonopores are white, is it an infection?

Post by wodesorel » Tue Apr 04, 2023 10:41 pm

Sounds like retained exoskeleton, if they're not just filling in with new exoskeleton altogether. Gonopores have been noted by hobbyists to come and go when molting, as some hermits will be intersex. I would not be concerned unless you're seeing fuzz or the white area is spreading.
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Topic author
_icosa_
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2022 9:03 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: hermit crabs gonopores are white, is it an infection?

Post by _icosa_ » Tue Apr 04, 2023 11:52 pm

thank you so much for the info, i was worried it was some kind of infection. the crabby being intersex would definetly explain a lot of odd traits i had noticed. shes getting ready to molt, i bet that has something to do with the gonopores turning white so suddenly. again thank you, ive had a seriously hard time finding information on specific topics like this.
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. - Laozi

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