HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey everyone. I think I made a mistake and I need help deciding if i did or not and if it’ll be okay. Sunday morning i came home from my moms house (to my dads) and checked on my hermies. my crab that i call jelly, was upside down under a log and it looked like she fell and got stuck there. i decided i probably shouldn’t mess with her and then walked away. later that night she was still in the same spot and thinking back on it i know i shouldn’t have touched her, but i wanted to make sure she was okay. i picked her up to just move her gently into her little coconut and when i did her whole claw just fell off. her whole body was loose in her shell and when i did some quick research it said she was dead. i panicked and didn’t know what to do so i went downstairs and got my dad. he picked her up and was going to take her away because i was so upset but when he picked her up her whole body fell out (so we thought). i think she was molting because what fell out was hollow, and when you look in the shell you can still see a body scrunched up in there. before we looked in i didn’t even think that she might be molting. is she molting? i know you’re not supposed to disturb them while molting but i didn’t see any signs of molting that i’ve researched yet. i’m worried that i disturbed her during motling and that she won’t make it. it’s tuesday and she still hasn’t moved but i won’t touch her again because i’m scared. i really hope i didn’t hurt her. i don’t know what to do.

also, before realizing she was molting we did flush the what i think was an exoskeleton. i read that they are supposed to eat that as calcium… i read some more to try and replace it so i made a “hermie salad” with egg shells, cucumber, carrots, and chia seeds. i hope it’ll make up for the lost body.

Hello! I would assume your crab was molting. However, are you noticing a dead fish smell around your crab? If so, that could mean s/he has passed. If your crab is in a tank with other crabs, please isolate your molter. Feed a lot of cuttlebone and eggshell, along with other calcium rich foods since it won't have its exo.

Could you please fill out this template? It will help us answer your question.
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=46102

Best wishes! Keep us updated!

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

• i use a 2:5 ratio of coco fiber to sand, it’s about 5-6 inches deep on the left side of the tank and an inch or left on the right.

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?

• it is in the top corner, it usually says about 78-79 for heat and when the light is off it’s about 97 for humidity whe it’s on all day it drops around 70-75

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

• i use a double lamp on top of the tank. i keep it on for the most part from 7am-7pm

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?

• for freshwater conditioner i use reptisafe water conditioner, for salt water i use about a pinch of thrive brand soaking salt and thrive saltwater conditioner.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

• i give them hermie crab food medley which is also from the thrive brand. but that bottles almost empty and the next one i have is zoomed hermit crabs food.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?

•i got my hermies in february. i was told that they are purple pinchers.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

• i think it’s in the process of molting right now. it’s been about 4 days since she started.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

• they are kept in a 10 gallon tank. it has a mesh lid but it’s wrapped in foil to trap humidity.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

• there is two grabs, about the size of golf balls if not smaller.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?

• there is 3 or 4 extra shells.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

• nope, i’m always very cautious that whenever i’m spraying or using anything it’s not near them.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

• every week i take out everything from the tank, scoop the sand, wash all bowls, and anything plastic with dawn dish soap and warm water. i also wipe the inside of the tank walls off with a warm damp towel. i switch the moss out every few months.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

• i do not use sponges, i read that they hold mold.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

• after the situation i added a small bowl full of egg shells, cucumbers, carrots, and chia seeds.

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?

• daily i spray their tank with some dechlorinated water, around once or twice a month i bring them out of their tank and let them explore and crawl around on the hardwood floor and with me. i read that if you play with them and hold them you can really create a good bond with your crabs.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

• sunday morning i came home from my moms house (to my dads) and checked on my hermies. my crab that i call jelly, was upside down under a log and it looked like she fell and got stuck there. i decided i probably shouldn’t mess with her and then walked away. later that night she was still in the same spot and thinking back on it i know i shouldn’t have messed with her, but i wanted to make sure she was okay. i picked her up to just move her gently into her little coconut and when i did her whole claw just fell off. her whole body was loose in her shell and when i did some quick research it said she was dead. i panicked and didn’t know what to do so i went downstairs and got my dad. he picked her up and was going to take her away because i was so upset but when he picked her up her whole body fell out (so we thought). i think she was molting because what fell out was hollow, and when you look in the shell you can still see a body scrunched up in there. before we looked in i didn’t even think that she might be molting. is she molting? i know you’re not supposed to disturb them while molting but i didn’t see any signs of molting that i’ve researched yet. i’m worried that i disturbed her during motling and that she won’t make it. it’s wednesday and she still hasn’t moved but i won’t touch her again because i’m scared. also, before realizing she was molting we did flush the what i think was an exoskeleton. i read that they are supposed to eat that as calcium… i read some more to try and replace it so i made a “hermie salad” with egg shells, cucumber, carrots, and chia seeds. i hope it’ll make up for getting rid of her exoskeleton.





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I've been keeping hermit crabs for 5 years and never encountered something like this. It DOES look like she's in there. Also, based on your responses to the emergency form, it sounds like there isn't enough substrate in your tat which makes a surface molt more likely.

Questions: is there a bad smell around her? Have you seen her move at all? What kind of sand do you ise in your crabitat? Calcium or playsand?

Steps: you need to separate the molter from your other crab. If you do not already have one, you need to set up a hospital tank. It doesn't need to be very large, just big enough for a hide for the crab to make her feel comfortable and food, fresh and salt water dishes. I'm not sure about substrate. I suspect it's not that important since if she is molting she won't be digging down But you'll need something in there to maintain humidity. You also need some way to keep the heat up. If your main tat is big enough you might be able to put the hospital tank inside the main tank so you don't need to buy an extra heater, as long as the crabs are unable to reach each other each other. You should search the forum for a guide on creating a hospital tank. Like the previous poster stated you should feed High calcium foods such as cuddlebone and eggshell, as well as high fat and protein foods (insects, shrimp, meat). Once you have the crab isolated in a hospital tank there's nothing to do but change the food and keep your fingers crossed!

Crabitat conditions: It sounds like you need to make some changes to how you keep your crabitat. Based on your answers to the care questionnaire, you do not have enough substrate in your tat. Your tat should have at least 6" of substrate and that should go across your entire crabitat. The rule is 6" or 3-4 times the height of your largest crab. This is most likely why your crab is doing a surface molt. Honestly you cannot have too much substrate. I would say correct substrate (composition, depth, moisture) is the most important feature of hermit crab care. Also, you didn't specify what kind of sand you are using. Ideally, you should be using play sand. However, most sand sold for hermit crabs in pet stores is calcium sand, which can be dangerous. Playsand can be bought very cheaply at any hardware store.

Also you Should not be emptying out the crabitat to clean it like you are doing. I only clean my crabitat when I move my crabs, which tends to happen about once every 2 years. Crabs are very Hardy creatures and And they really don't need a clean environment like our other pets do. At most you should be removing the top 2" of your substrate and replacing it Every 6 months to a year.

Crabs benefit much more from being left alone than from having their crabitat disturbed so often. When I tell people about caring for crabs, I explain that once you have the crabitat set up there Is very little you need to do outside of food and water. Crabs are set it and forget it pets they are wild animals and prey animals at that. They really should be left alone as much as possible.


Good luck! Keep us updated!

I agree with Rosie. It def looks like an exo to me. I think with the proper care, your crab can pull through

I would also start feeding more fresh fruits and veggies - store bought food usually isn't the best for crabs.

okay, thank you so much. the crabitat tips are SOOO helpful because it’s great to know what i’m doing wrong so i know how to fix it. thank you so much.


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If you don't have the resources to create a hospital or isolation tank right away, you can isolate the crab within the main tank by using an upside down butter dish or half a 2 liter bottle turned over and pushed down into the sub to prevent digging in by the other crab.

Other concern is the water conditioner.. I don't know if thrive removes heavy metals.. the preferred brand is Seachem Prime.. but i'll post the water sheet here for reference:

viewtopic.php?f=127&t=92553

also to the questions, there is no smell. also i was just using the pet store hermit sand but i’m going to add play sand as more substrate when she’s all better now that you say that.


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I second hermiecrab. Ideally, If you're not making your food yourself you should be purchasing from online sellers such as

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HermitGrub

However, if this is not feasible for you, make sure to supplement pellets with lots of other offerings such as kitchen scraps (most fruits and veggies are crab safe), plant matter like grass, tree leaves, twigs, and flowers (avoid evergreens), calcium foods like eggshells and cuttlebone, and dried insects/shrimp/tubifex worms which can be purchased in the reptile and aquarium sections. Don't forget about freeze dried fish and meat (salmon, turkey, bison, etc), which you can buy in the premium dog treats section!

To me, feeding my crabs is one of the funnest parts of keeping hermit crabs. I love seeing what they like and don't like. In the wild hermit crabs eat EVERYTHING. Literally, whatever they end up standing on. Just think about the kind of variety they get in the wild. That's what we're trying to simulate in the crabitat. I think of them as my pet compost pile

sorry!! i forgot to mention, i do feed them fruits, veggies, and eggshells as well!!


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Ok, wonderful!