HCA: Hermit Crab Association

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Coco fiber play sand mix 5 inches at its lowest point, 6 at its highest

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? Humidity ususally reads 85, temp 79

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? Zoo med UTH on the sides of tank

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)? I have a salt water dish that is about 1 1/2 inch deep, fresh that is 1 inch deep. Treated with API tap water conditioner. Replacing everyday since recently speaking with moderators

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Main food for past couple of months has been organic carrots, but I have also given them organic honey, natural peanut butter, coconut, walnuts. I replace food every other day. And am working to give them more variety as suggested recently.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I have had this crab for 6 months, it is a purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? It is recently molted

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10 gallon tank with glass lid

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 2 crabs totol. The naked with shell is about golfball size while the other is just a bit smaller

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? There are currently 4 extra shells

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? about 6 months. I use soap and water and rinse thoroughly and let it dry.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? No

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? No

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
My PP went down to molt a month ago. Recently I was concerned that he might not have a successful molt because he wasn't moving as far as I could see and was helped on that situation and covered the bottom of tank to not let any light in and let him be. Well this morning when I woke up I saw a crab running around naked. At first I thought it was my other crab that was still above ground, but quickly released it was my molter. He was apparently digging and abandoned his shell. He is still a very light purple so I suspect he has not fully hardened yet. He also now only has his little pincher, BP and 2 walking legs on BP side, which might be another reason he abandoned the shell. I dug up his shell he was in and his exo, because he has not ate it yet and placed him, shell and exo under a coco hut for darkness. I also put out some honey, walnuts, peanut butter too. Im not sure what else to do at this point.

It seems like your molter was attacked, on account of the legs that are now lost that were there before. Either that or he was trying to molt some damage away and didn't get to finish his business.
I strongly suggest you isolate the crab. You can get a spare Tupperware and poke some holes in the lid for air and ventilation. It should have enough space to fit him, his shell, and his exo. Rinse his shell off in FW to clean the insides from anything that might hurt his bum. Also give him a quick dip in FW to clean him off from his streak. Place the three components into the ISO and place the ISO into the tank, with the hole-y lid on. He will now be warm and moist, but safe from attackers going after his delicious smelling molt body. You can use some moss wet with FW to serve as his bed, but it is not necessary. The most important thing for him is to harden and eat his exo. You can fit and provide little bottlecaps of FW and SW if you think he might be thirsty, but he will not need any food until he's done eating his exo.
Next time you need to do a deep clean, don't use soap. Soap can leave residue or fumes/chemicals that are completely harmless to people, yet harmful to the sensitive crabs. Instead, just wash with super hot water, and then use vinegar to dissolve any leftover dirtiness, and then let it completely air dry before you start putting the stuff back in. You should generally not ever deep clean, unless there's an issue. Like a really big issue, where all your crabs die for no reason, or if your tank becomes infested with mosquito babies... something major. Other than that, just spot clean for mold and rotten food. The cocofiber in your sub will naturally help you break down waste and keep bacteria balanced.

I started thinking he was attacked too after thinking about his limbs missing, that or got really stressed trying to dig out. But my other crab has been digging a lot so being attacked seems more likely. Since posting, I did rinse his shell off with FW. I didn't wash the crab off because I wasn't sure what to do, but he has got back in his shell now. Should I dip him and his shell or no? I feel like there might be a possibility of him streaking again if there is anything in the shell that is bothering him that he got on him while crawling around naked. He was getting a drink from the salt water, but has since went back into the hut where his exo is. I'll ISO him and hope for the best. How long should I keep him in ISO? And no more cleaning with soap, I'll make sure to use vinegar when I clean.

You should ISO him until he is hardened. His exo and SW will play a big part in that. Then he will need good food and water is where its at, but for now wait for him to harden and finish exo. When he starts scrambling around looking for food will let you know he is ready. If he unshells again is the problem.


Crabbers unite!!!

Well Ranger is doing good so far. He has been eating on his exo a little bit at a time. I got to looking at his shell and noticed that my other crab had taken the one Ranger was originally in. Scuttle had a shell that looked like Rangers and so I put a dot on the shell and noticed Ranger had the dot shell yesterday. I was worried he might go naked again because I didn't wash his body off but so far he hasn't unshelled from the shell he is in, so I reckon that's a good sign.

It is. Keep up the good work, hopefully he will harden and get right!


Crabbers unite!!!

So Ranger is still doing good. He has most all of his exo ate and has hardened up. I'm thinking it's time to take him out of ISO in the next day or so and so my question is should I give him a dip in FW to wash off the molt smell or should the molt smell be gone?