HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Don't know which topic this should go in. I was browsing pinterest for ideas on hermit habitats, and came across a how to bath your hermit crab step by step article. It said to put crab in salt water bowl outside of tank, gently swirl it around so it realizes it's in a bath, then leave it in there until it comes completely out of the shell. (I did not know they did this, so all my baths have been wrong) said crab will go back into its shell then you put it back in tank.

What is the true way that is correct?

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Personally, I do not bath crabs unless they are new, and even then, I don't feel comfortable bathing them. I believe handling the hermit crabs stresses them out so I try to minimize that as much as I can. As long as you provide deep enough fresh + salt water bowls for them to fully submerge themselves, hermit crabs will bathe themselves if needed

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On another note - a hermit crab leaving his shell (unless changing to another shell) is not a good thing!

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I don't think this is correct. I don't think a hermit can realize it's in a bath, since it's not a natural thing in their environment. Also, a hermit leaving it's shell is extremely concerning, and not good at all.

That is outdated care info. While bathing crabs used to be common practice, we let them what they used to call "self bathe." The only time you should dip them is if you are introducing a crab to a tank.

Hermit crabs coming out of their shells or moving quickly during baths is a sign of distress.

They carry water in their shells at all times. They have the ability to adjust the salinity to their needs and putting them in water messes up their shell water.

Bathing is unnecessary unless the crab has predatory mites attached to it's joints/eyes/antennae.

I'm a very hands off crabber and am of the opinion that while crabs may come to associate us with food, they are prey animals and consider anything larger than them a predator. I rarely handle my crabs.

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Thanks all of you, I have only done two baths, the first was to try and get penny and Gary to smell alike so they would quit fighting, the other when I put the new ones in. I thought the info sounded bad.

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kieagcarm wrote:Thanks all of you, I have only done two baths, the first was to try and get penny and Gary to smell alike so they would quit fighting, the other when I put the new ones in. I thought the info sounded bad.

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And when I did the baths ask I did was put them in the fw bowl no moving around I let them do it

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