HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I found three of my four crabs out of their shells and not moving. They were a significant distance away from their shell too. The first one I discovered like this stayed like that for a month now and still hasn’t moved. He looks dead but I can’t tell because he doesn’t smell bad at all. I’ve had a crab die before and it wasn’t anything like this. I have no idea what to do, please help.

Crabs without shells are likely to die. You need to put the crab and a couple of shells the right size into a small container that is not see through. Rinse the shells first to get any sand or stuff out of them. Put the container with crab and shells into the tat and cover with a damp face washer. Leave for a few hours and check. The idea is that in a small space where they only have the shells to focus on the crab will choose a new shell. It may take a while but without shells they don’t have a good chance of survival.


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Even if my crabs are not moving?

MarsBars wrote:Even if my crabs are not moving?

Seeing they have been without shells for ages they may not still be alive. But give it a try. Each one on its own.


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In future do this the instant you see a naked crab.


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How deep is your sand? Can the crabs dig down and be totally covered? Have you got a sealed tank with heat and humidity? Crabs need 80F and 80% humidity. They also need pools of fresh and marine grade salt water deep enough to fully submerge


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My sand is 4-5 inches deep and I must the tank every day. I also have a heater, and fresh and salt water deep enough for my biggest crab to fully submerge in the water. I got my tank from goodwill though (cleaned it first) so I use a blanket as a lid

Sounds basically good. But the blanket will be absorbing lots of the humidity. Plastic wrap under the blanket would be good. Shouldn’t need to mist each day if conditions are right. Corflute or Perspex can also be used as lids.


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Do you have a temperature and humidity gauge? If not you should get one. They are not too expensive and give you a good idea of your conditions


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I had one but it stopped working. Do you have any brand recommendations? Also I had a bad experience with plastic wrap in the past and mold growing in the enclosure. Any suggestions you have are welcome

Mold is inevitable with the heat and humidity in our tanks. It isn't going to harm your crabs, you just remove it when you see it, if it is on the surface of the substrate. If your wood items are molding, soaking/ boiling them in salt water can slow it down. Humidity needs to be high so that crabs can breathe, they have modified gills. You can still vent your tank a bit to keep it around 80%.
Depending on where you live, AcuRite is a good brand of digital hygrometer/ thermometer.

Thank you. Do you have more recommendations for my enclosure?

Recroc has given good advice. The blanket won't hold in humidity. You need a hygrometer/ thermometer so you know if the temp and humidity are safe.

What kind of sand do you use for substrate? Is it sand castle consistency?

What do you feed your crabs?

How long had you had them when they died? Where did you get them? Had they molted with you already?

MarsBars wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:54 pm

Thank you. Do you have more recommendations for my enclosure?

Bit hard to make recommendations when we can't see your enclosure. If you could post a photo that would help us assist you more.

Will do. I’m currently quarantining my living crab and replacing all the substrate and cleaning everything though.