HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I brought my baby Rock to the vet after I noticed some growth on his eyes and legs and him dropping a leg (and he just hadn’t been active). He hasn’t been as active since his friend Chuck passed. At the vet, they found it to be a bacterial and yeast infection and to give him baths in Melafix. I put him in an isolation tank and gave him one bath and he did fine; then later that night he completely stopped moving except for a few twitches/movements of his eyes or antennae. When I woke up the next morning he was in his water bowl and hasn’t moved for about 1.5 days now. I know some crabs molt on top of the sand but would it be normal for one to molt in water? (I’ve had him for almost 2 years and he’s never molted so I’m not sure what’s normal molting behavior for him). Does he look like it’s molting or should I say my goodbyes?:(




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you pick him up, does he fall out of the shell?
Interesting that your vet knows about hermit crabs! How did he/she diagnose the infections?
Something is very wrong if a crab did not molt in 2 years. What are your temp and humidity? What are you using for substrate?

I had to call about 20 different vets and to find one with enough knowledge to see him lol!! But I picked up him when I found him in the water and he didn’t come completely out but he is very very limp and just hangs there. I thought the same thing about it being weird that he hadn’t molted since i’ve had him because my others molt very frequently but they are smaller than Rock is. Before I was a very new hermie mom a few years ago I used to just have a metal screen as a lid for the tank and no heating or humidity sources and those crabs lived for 3-4 years. But now, I have a reptile heading pad on the back of their tank (about 2.5 in. above the substate) and I use sand (sterilized/clean play sand) mixed with coconut fiber for the humidity. I also spray the substrate with a spray bottle. I do not have a humidity gauge but I do have a thermometer. During the night I keep the temperature around 67-70°F and during the day 70-72°F. I feel like I tried to become a better hermie mom with these new things and I feel like they are worse off now:( I’m really trying my best like I’ve spent hundreds on Rock this week just trying to get him the medicine and nutrients he needs and I feel terrible:(


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

and the water has recently changed colors since he’s been in there for a while now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Unfortunately it sounds like he has passed away. Surface molting in water is not the norm and he should have shed his exo now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk