HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Do the crabs have to completely submerge or just part way?

Completely. They need to be able to fill their shells with the right amount of fresh and salt water.

Its reccomend to have the dish deep enough that they can wade in, up to the bottom of the shell level (usually just over an inch for most crabs), but deeper is always a good option to go.

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i am sorry, this is a stupid question, but do they breath through their antenna? i saw a vid and a land crab was fully submerged exept its antenna. do they just hold their breath for a long time? sorry again, i shuold know better, but you guys know so much.

purplepincher wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 28, 2019 9:45 am

i am sorry, this is a stupid question, but do they breath through their antenna? i saw a vid and a land crab was fully submerged exept its antenna. do they just hold their breath for a long time? sorry again, i shuold know better, but you guys know so much.

They have modified gills and can stay submerged I think up until an hour or so. That's why humidity is so important. Without it their gills can be damaged.

thank you! that is really cool!

purplepincher wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 28, 2019 1:37 pm

thank you! that is really cool!

You're welcome. Yeah it is.

my crab rarely even goes to the salt dish...

purplepincher wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 28, 2019 2:39 pm

my crab rarely even goes to the salt dish...

Do you have cameras? I see mine dip into the fresh and salt almost equally.

i dropped all my money on new substrate, so i couldnt buy cameras. someday i will, though!

i just know because they move the sand and leave tracks.

purplepincher wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 01, 2019 8:53 am

i dropped all my money on new substrate, so i couldnt buy cameras. someday i will, though!

i just know because they move the sand and leave tracks.

Gotcha. Mostly they just lean over and drink or wisk water up into their shells.

oh, okay. how do i know if they are drinking from a sponge?

purplepincher wrote:oh, okay. how do i know if they are drinking from a sponge?

They don’t really drink from sponges. Most crabbers don’t use them. They aren’t necessary and don’t add any actual benefits to the tank.

They dip their pinchers in water and the hair on their legs and claws (setae) catches the water so they can bring it to their mouths.


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cool! i just wandered because there are holes in the sponge that were not there before. thanks!

They will pick at the sponges sometimes either for boredom or hunting a little chunk of something the sponge may have ingested/gotten stuck.


Dave the Wondercrab~Patpat the Scaredy Cat~MaggieMoo-Dumbo~Billy