HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello everyone,

Sorry for not following the template earlier, this is my first post here.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Eco Earth

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?
Yes, a Hydrotherm which displays and regulates both humidity and temp. A ceramic heat lamp and fogger are hooked to Hygrotherm and the tank stays at 78 degrees F and 78% humidity

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Ceramic heat lamp

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)?
Fresh distilled water and pre-mixed salt water, intended for use in a salt water fish tank

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Shrimp, crill, plankton, etc. as well as freeze dried veggies and fruit. I get all my food from the Hermit Crab Patch. Awesome stuff.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
PP and a couple of years now. He is a medium-large sized crab

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
many times, not sure when the last molt was but I would say probably within the past month.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
It is a large glass terrarium with an opening front. I believe made by ZooMed.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
6 and they range in size from small to Jumbo.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
at least 15 or so all different sizes.

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Deep clean every couple of months, other than that spot clean daily.

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.)?
No playtime or bathing. looks like a shell fight occurred.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

I need some advice on a situation one of my hermit crabs is in. This past Sunday the 22nd I got home from the grocery and went to feed my hermit crabs. To my surprise it looked as if a pretty intense shell fight took place. Ive had Hermit Crabs for years and haven't broken up a shell fight in at least 2 or 3 years. My current enclosure consists of 6 hermit crabs all ranging in size from small to Jumbo, with a plethora of different sized shells and types, so shell options are not an issue. One of my medium sized hermit crabs was the victim of the shell fight when I was gone. I found him naked, pinned in the corner of the the fresh water bowl. At first I thought he was dead, but saw him faintly moving around. I quickly took him out of the tank and transported him to a small ISO tank.

The major problem here, is that while in the fight, he seemed to have lost 3 out of his 4 legs as well as his Big Pincher and half of his feeder pincher!!! Yes, 4 appendages and half of another. I have heard if Hermit Crabs drop any more than 2 legs in a day, it is pretty much game over His other leg seems work and is still attached but damaged toward the end. I can't believe he was still alive when I found him. I stuck him in the ISO figuring he probably wouldn't make it through the night, however he was still alive in the morning

I put a couple shells in the ISO to see if he would go into one on his own. I figured it was a long shot and the last thing I wanted to do was pick him up and try and coax him into a shell in fear I would stress him out even more. I checked on him the next day and he was still naked but alive. I put some food in the ISO and left him be, in hopes he would get into a shell or at least de-stress as much as possible. He was still alive Wed. and I was able to pick him up and stick him into a shell. He obviously cant move very well, so I went ahead and started hand feeding him food yesterday. he ate a ton and seems to be doing OK (relatively speaking) Hes not moving around the ISO, but does come out and retract into his shell like a normal crab would.

Anyways, I just wanted some advice on the situation if anyone has anything. It's a long shot, but hes hanging in there. IF he holds on, I'm hoping I can nurse him through or at least into a surface molt. IDK how hard it will be for him to actually complete a molt, missing most all of his limbs and all, but if he can make it through one at least the legs will start to regenerate and he might have a bit more mobility. I hope he hangs in there and I will keep you all posted on the situation. Until then, any help would be greatly appreciated

Maybe you should make a mimic cave. Dig a large hole with enough room for a bit of water and food (honey on a qtip rolled in cuttlebone would be a good choice) also put a few shells in there and cover up the hole with a pot lid or something like that and hope that he decides to molt! Good luck!! That's about all I can say until the the more experience crabbers see this fourm. Also you may wan to fill out the emergency template so we can understand why this happened in the first place. I hope your crabbie makes it!!
Don't lose hope because I've heard about many crabs who are left with just a few legs and manage to pul through!

viewtopic.php?t=82507

If you haven't read this fourm already this may help

Basically just keep hand feeding and watering him until he refuses food, and maybe wants to dig. Then put him in a ditch-cave like Sid suggests and let him molt. Darkness and quiet will be the most important part of molting time.


Crabbers unite!!!

There is a big difference between dropping limbs and having them ripped off, so don't worry about that part of it. If there is no internal injuries, an attacked crab can recover so long as you can feed and water them until they are able to molt. It's hard to know just by watching them how badly they were hurt though. They can linger for weeks before succumbing, so while saving him should definitely be attempted, it's not good to get your hopes up.

I just went through this. Mine has 3 legs left, no pitchers, but she ate and drank with help. It took her a couple of weeks to figure out molting, but she is finally under. I had dug her a hole and she went down but came back up, stuffed her face again, and dug herself under.

Don't give up hope, but yeah, it can go either way.

Any updates?

I'm so sorry about your crab and hope he is doing ok.

Wow! Thanks for all the helpful information and linked posts, I feel much better knowing some of you have gone through similar situations. He's hanging in there, eating when I give him food and drinking when I put him in a shallow water dish. Just focusing on keeping the temp and humidity inside the ISO tank within reason, and letting him be.

I'll try and post some pictures tomorrow for everyone.

Thanks again everyone!

Glad to hear that! Good luck...fingers crossed...

I never posted pictures of my hermit so I decided I should try and post up some progress pics for everyone to see. Even though this situation has been less than ideal, it is amazing seeing this hermit work through his problems. I have been crabbing for probably 10+ years but I am still learning how these little guys work haha.

Anyways onto some pictures:

March 9th:
These show the initial damage pretty well. He only had half of his feeder claw and one mangled up leg. He literally couldn't move around or dig. I started bathing and hand feeding previously but this is when I started taking pictures. Sorry for the bad quality of some.



March 13th
Gel limbs starting to show


March 18th




March 25th



March 29th
Sadly no pictures but I went to feed him and noticed him hanging out of his shell, eyes dropped down, and not moving. He looked dead, but no rotten fish smell or anything was apparent. I carefully picked up his shell and he fell more out of the shell, abdomen included. I figured for sure he had passed and decided to leave him be for the rest of the day just in case. At this point 0 movement, totally lifeless, I was 99.9% sure he had passed away

March 30th
I SAW A REAR LEG MOVE! I went to check on him and sure enough he is molting! I couldn't frigging believe it. It seems it is a surface molt but given his situation, I don't see it as being an option to dig. His mangled leg was dropped and he was about halfway out of his old skin. I did not take a pictures because I am trying to not stress him out in any way shape or form. I checked on him throughout the day and I have not seen him move, except for the fact that the old exo is coming off little by little as he emerges. I still do not want to get my hopes up to high as he is still in a pretty tough situation but at least things are looking up.

One very important thing to take away from this post is to let your crab be, even if you think they are dead. Like I said before, I was 99.9% sure he had passed but decided to leave him be just in case. I have read about hermits becoming very lethargic and "lifeless" during a molt but have never actually witnessed this first hand, since they are all usually buried or done shedding before I notice. I hope my interaction with him during this process did not hinder his molt in any way, only time will tell I guess. I'll keep my fingers crossed

More updates to come.

Wow, what an incredible story! I hope he continues to do well...you've done such a great job!

I have a quick question. All the info I have read up over the years generally states that the actual time it takes for a hermit crab to "shed its Exoskeleton" Is only a few hours. A majority of the molt is wait time before and after the molt. As of last night, he was still working off the old Exo. It seems every time I check on him, he has backed out of his old exo a little more each time, so I know he is working it off so to say.

With all of the trauma/regeneration of claws and legs, could it take a lot longer to physically drop his exo. If my timeline serves me right, I figure he has been shedding his exo for about 4 days now. Is this sort of timing unheard of or sorta normal in his particular situation? Just curious, will be checking on him today after work.

It's abnormal. They deflate their limbs and only stay wet for a few hours which is how they slide out of the old skin. After that they dry out and harden and inflate automatically. It's not impossible that he is still molting, but I think it's more likely that he's stuck and have difficulty getting the ends of the limbs free. That's not something to panic over, as it's a rather common complication. Can you get photos without touching or moving him?