My hermit crab tore her leg off!!!???

[Pike_finn]

my crab just recently molted about a month ago. Her previous owners had her for 5 years and I’ve had her for over 6 months and had no problems. But she buried herself again for longer than any molt she’s had. When I went to check on her in the usual spot I picked her up gently and a leg fell off!!! And not just a molt the actual leg!! How do I help her? I’ve tried to get her to drink or eat and she won’t! How do I help her, I use coconut fiber bedding, salt and fresh water, I use natural foods with no preservatives, night and day lamps and plenty of hides. I don’t want her to die, what should I do???

[CrabbyLover77]

Can you fill out the emergency template so we can get a better look into her environment?

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=46102

In the meantime, keep contact to a minimum, and provide plenty of protein and calcium. If you think she may be a target for the other crabs, iso her. Do you have any honey or natural peanut butter? That could help give her a boost.

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[Pike_finn]

My hermit crab has coconut fiber two inches at one part four at another.
Her heat is at 84 and I mist her tank in the morning and at night.
She has a red light for at night and I’m not sure what it is called but the bulb is blue for during the day.
She has zoomed salt water conditioning and same company for fresh water, each is added to distilled water.
I feed her zoomed dried apples and cranberries with dehydrated mango and every now and then some fresh fruit that has been cleaned, I change it every week or if she eats it all.
I personally have had her for over six months but she is over five years old.
She last molted about a month ago
She is kept in a ten gallon with a metal mesh lid
She was given to us by herself and I don’t know how long she has been alone, she is about the size of a medium strawberry, about an inch long.
There are plenty of shells for her big and small but not enough to be overwhelming and take up half the tank
We do have people come and clean our house so it is possible there have been chemicals used in the bathroom right next to my room
I clean the tank every month by taking all the soil out and cleaning the inside with water and then replacing the soil.
She does have sponges and I clean them by boiling them to kill bacteria
Nothing new has been added other than some grapes
And for play every couple weeks or so when it is warm I open the window and let her sit in the windowsill of course there is a screen and I don’t do it often to not stress her too much

[CrabbyLover77]

I'll put my suggestions under your answers. Hope this helps!

My hermit crab has coconut fiber two inches at one part four at another.

CL77- Substrate should be at least 3x the height of your largest crabby, and moistened to sandcastle consistency using dechlor fresh or saltwater.

Her heat is at 84 and I mist her tank in the morning and at night.

CL77- Do you have a humidity gauge? These are essential, so I'd grab one asap if you don't have it. Crabs have modified gills and need moisture in the air to breathe. It shouldn't fall below 70%, but shoot for 80%+.

She has a red light for at night and I’m not sure what it is called but the bulb is blue for during the day.

CL77- Heat lamps are known to zap humidity. So you'll def want to get that humidity gauge to keep an eye on the percentage.

She has zoomed salt water conditioning and same company for fresh water, each is added to distilled water.

CL77- Unfortunately, that salt water conditioner doesn't have enough of the minerals crabs need. You'll need to purchase a marine salt, like Instant Ocean. Using distilled water with Instant Ocean is fine, but distilled lacks minerals normally found in spring or tap water if using for the freshwater. It's perfectly fine to use tap water for both pools with a dechlorinator. Prime is a good dechlorinator/heavy metal detoxifier.

I feed her zoomed dried apples and cranberries with dehydrated mango and every now and then some fresh fruit that has been cleaned, I change it every week or if she eats it all.

CL77- Variety is key. Crabs can eat many of the things we eat. Be sure to provide a daily source of calcium and protein. Check out the safe food list for some different food options.

I personally have had her for over six months but she is over five years old.

She last molted about a month ago

She is kept in a ten gallon with a metal mesh lid

CL77- If you don't have the lid covered in saran wrap, it's likely the humidity is too low. However, if you're using heat lamps, you don't want that part of the lid covered because it can melt the plastic. Another option is using a uth on the back of sides of the tank instead of the lamp.

She was given to us by herself and I don’t know how long she has been alone, she is about the size of a medium strawberry, about an inch long.

There are plenty of shells for her big and small but not enough to be overwhelming and take up half the tank

CL77- Are they the correct type of shell for her? Purple pinchers usually prefer shells with round openings like turbos.

We do have people come and clean our house so it is possible there have been chemicals used in the bathroom right next to my room

I clean the tank every month by taking all the soil out and cleaning the inside with water and then replacing the soil.

CL77- There's no need to do a deep clean like that unless there is an emergency like a bacterial bloom or flood.

She does have sponges and I clean them by boiling them to kill bacteria

CL77- Sponges are ok to keep in the tank dry for crabs to munch on. Keeping them in the water pools will only harbor bacteria, so you'll want to take them out.

Nothing new has been added other than some grapes

And for play every couple weeks or so when it is warm I open the window and let her sit in the windowsill of course there is a screen and I don’t do it often to not stress her too much

CL77- Just make sure she's supervised and isn't acting stressed (lots of movement/running away or hiding in shell).


CL77- Implement the changes I suggested above as soon as you can, especially getting a humidity gauge. You want to keep her tank nice and humid, offer lots of calcium and protein, change up her salt water, and keep handling at a minimum since she's not feeling well.

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[Pike_finn]

Thank you so much! I put a humidity gage from an old tank in and gave her some honey, also took the sponges out to dry, my substrate looks good in depth and I’ll switch her water asap! I’ll try to get some more protein and calcium in her diet. Thank you again and I hope she recovers!
(Edit) my brother recently had a fish pass and he had freeze dried bloodworms! Will these work for protein?

[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you so much! I put a humidity gage from an old tank in and gave her some honey, also took the sponges out to dry, my substrate looks good in depth and I’ll switch her water asap! I’ll try to get some more protein and calcium in her diet. Thank you again and I hope she recovers!
(Edit) my brother recently had a fish pass and he had freeze dried bloodworms! Will these work for protein?

Yw! I hope she recovers too! If you have eggs, they are a great source of protein. You can also wash out the shells, crush them up, and offer them as a calcium source.

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[curlysister]

To clarify, when you found her 'in the usual spot' (as you said in the original post), was she underground and you dug her up? Or was she sitting on the surface of the substrate?

[CrabbyLover77]

The bloodworms are a def a good source of protein.

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