HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I feel like I've posted so much in this thread in the last couple months. As if losing one crab last month and having another one weak after a molt wasn't enough, our two current molters both came up today without their shells, naked.

I've posted so many times about tank conditions and never had anything pointed out as wrong, but will list quickly again:
6 inches moist sand bedding, diet of fruits, grains, nuts, veggies, etc, calcium supplement, dechlorinated fresh and marine salt water dishes, 75-80 humidity, temps 80 during day/75 at night, plenty of hideaways, extra shells, etc etc.

The basics of the situation are that we had to move a few weeks ago and unfortunately had 2 crabs who had JUST gone down to molt who we had to dig up and put into a smaller 10 gallon because we couldn't possibly carry the 55 gallon which was way too heavy. We dug them down into pits and they seemed to resume molting without problem. This morning, a few weeks later, I awoke to find one out naked hanging into the saltwater dish. Her shell was still in her little pit. I pulled it out and found all her exo still in there so I tried to force feed her some spirulina and banana, get her some water, and get her back into her shell. She appeared to retreat back in it so I put her into an iso tank, made things dark and put her with her exo and hoped she might finish the molting process.

Got home tonight and the other molter was up too in the exact same position, exact same scenario. Pulled up the exo and shell, put her back in, but she refused to go back in. She just kept crawling around the tank completely naked. Force fed her some honey and calcium powder and got a little water in her but she seems so weak, and one leg is kind of contorted out to the side and doesn't seem to work well.

I am so worried and so frustrated because we've just lost one crab, one has been a little weak over the last week or two, and now these 2 are teetering on the edge. I can't figure out what we are doing wrong!! This can't be just coincidence. It must be something to do with the move but we just didn't have any other options :'( Also, I saw little tiny black bugs wiggling in the water dishes today and cleaned that out. This happened before with the crab who died and we ended up finding mites on her and had to put her in a new tank, but these 2 didn't have any mites on them that I could see when inspecting them today.

Guess I am wondering if I should just leave the one who appeared to go back into molting state be unless she comes out again, and if I should continue to forcefeed and mist the other one who is running around naked or just let her be also??

Thanks for any tips or advice!! So worried.

Have you tried the cup method to get her to reshell? Back when I didn't have any spare tanks to do an ISO and I had a naked crab I used a peroxide bottle and cut the bottom off and placed it around the crab as far down as possible, loosened the cap for airflow. You can do the same thing with any bottle big enough. The peroxide bottle is ideal because it's dark and opaque.

Maybe check the substrate, where they were molting. See if its too wet or dry.
Are these 2crabs coming up from the 10gal? How many inches sub?
Its poss they are stressed from the interrupted molt, and are looking for more favorable conditions in panic, but unable to find it. And that theory has no cred, i'm just trying to think crab
Hope it helps tho!


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I am far from expert but am also wondering if the interrupted only did it. Kind of like someone waking you up from sleeping and you think, I might as well stay up now! But you really didn't have a choice to move them since you were moving. Unfortunately they don't always coincide with human needs. Hope they pull through.

Hi guys, she is back in her shell this morning and staying upright. The other appears to be trying to finish molting. Do I just leave them be or try to force feed and get water in them?

thanks so much.

Slowly and gently offer peanut butter mixed with honey on tge tip of a cotton swab dipped in powdered calcium of sone sort (like crushed egg shells). If they eat, then they need to be nursed. If not, then they are ready to molt. Put them in ideal conditions in the dark and leave them alone as much as possible.


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Thank you - will try!

Crab #1 is retreated into her shell and not coming out, so keeping her dark, hoping she is trying to finish molting.

Crab #2 is really active on the other hand, been eating her exo plus honey and peanut butter, so those are good signs. However her legs are really weird - they are like contorted at odd angles like they didn't re-form properly during the molt...anyone ever had this happen? She also de-shelled again overnight and left her shell in the water dish... I think she probably wasn't strong enough to get it out. Do you guys recommend really shallow water dishes during this period so she can't get stuck in them?

I just had this exact situation, pretty much. I didn't move or disturb the tank and conditions are perfect and stable, but Anorith came up still soft with no shell. I didn't look for his shell because I had another molter down and didn't want to dig, but I saw no hole where he could have come up from so I had no clue where to look

I had to manually insert him back into shells 4 or 5 times. He always came out and went naked again no matter the shape, size, or kindof shell. He wouldn't eat food well until the day or two before he died. I still don't know why he came up naked and soft. People have suggested a possible tunnel/cave collapse. That's all I have to go on.

I really hope your little friends make it! Trust me, I know its rough. All you can do is do your best and not blame yourself if there isn't a happy ending.

Thanks. I am force feeding both right now and they eat when I put a Q tip right up to their mouth parts. Giving honey and calcium and peanut butter and spirulina. I hope it's enough. I also put them in the water dishes manually a couple times a day to encourage them to drink. It's all I can really do I guess! They are both SO weak.

Not a good update - crab #2 (Stevia) keeps de-shelling, keep putting her back in she keeps coming up. Her tail is sort of curled up like she can't uncurl it into the shell properly. Also her limbs are so contorted into odd angles and her big claw is curled toward her body and it's like she can't move it from that position. Has anyone ever seen this before? Also still no change in lethargic crab #1 (Splenda). I know this is all our fault. In addition to moving, 2 days before they came up we moved an elliptical exercise machine into the room near their tank without even thinking about it. I think using that was the thing that prompted them to come up. I feel so horrible and dumb that I didn't think about it!!

The deformities you are seeing are from the interrupted molt. When still soft they are easily deformed by them going into or out of their shells when not hardened all the way. It will fix itself after the next molt if she makes it.

Bad news - Stevia, the one whose legs were deformed, has passed.

I am so torn up about it. After round the clock care for nearly 2 weeks, we decided we were going to go see family for Thanksgiving. I told a pet sitter how to care for them, mostly just putting them in front of their Q tips with honey/PB and dipping them in the water twice a day. Stevia was drinking so much each time I put her in her water dish and was doing better so I thought things would be OK. The pet sitter got confused by all the instructions and didn't put her in the water dish. I think what happened is that she got so thirsty that she tried to go for it herself, but fell in and drowned. The pet sitter found her naked motionless in the water dish yesterday before we got back.

I am so devastated and of course blaming myself. I got upset with the pet sitter and shouldn't have. It's just all not fair. She was doing so much better and I thought she was going to pull through.

The other crab is still hanging in there, but very tenuously...

I'm sorry, it is so hard to lose a crab.


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Sorry for your loss.