HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My little hermit cayman is very pale as if he had just molted, he stays is is shell all the time except for when I give him a bath. After his bath he slowly withdraws from his shell. He is very very pale and sticky, and has brown spots all over his gills. He Does not walk around the cage or even move unless I pick him up,then he barely moves his claws. He has been like this for several months and has not eaten at all during that time,he might have drank though because I mist them nightly and occasionally put him on top of the sponge in the water jar(where he still does not move). Also when I do give him a bath miniature brown clumps that as far as I know are not poo fall out of his shell. He lives in a tank with two non-aggressive hermits that are very active and healthy... What can I do.

Isolate your sick crab. The brown spots might sound like mites. If they are, you dont want them getting to your other hermies. Your isolation tank should be the same temp and humidity, if it is both 74-82°F. If you see the brown stuff building up, see if you can find an exotic vet that knows about hermit crabs, they might help but theyre also not popular. Im sorry what your going through. Im not sure if you should keep giving him baths, because they can ruin the gills with too much, but baths help if the situation is mites. So im sorry that im kinda stuck in that situation, but i WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK.

They don't really look like mites, just small itty bitty clumps of dirt with a white speck... But thanks and I hope your hermie is ok two:)

That sounds terrible. I'm so sorry you are going through this. I can't even begin to help you, i have no knowledge or insight. I just hope to bump this in case someone else has anything.


Crabbers unite!!!

I too have no insight either but, all I can say is make sure you stay positive and never loose hope. I am so sorry for what you are going through, you have my full support and I wish, I could be of more help

Pictures of the clumps on the crab and in the water please?? This situation can be helped if it is mites, people all over the HCA order exotic crabs and they seem to always come with mites. There's a predatory mite that'll eat the larvae and juvenile mites while continuous bathing rids of the adults. Some people get snake mites and leave their snake on paper towels in a tank so the mites can't hide which might work for crabs. Tbh the walking willingly out of his shell with minimum energy sounds a lot like mites are irritating and draining him.


Mommy of 10 PP babies:
Poseidon (Sid), Toby, Matty, Junior, Aries, Kaylee, Turbo, Adrian, Pepper and Flower. RIP Octavius & Fred

I just wanted to add that his gills should have something covering them. If you can see his gills, something is very wrong. Like kornchaser said, pictures, please!


Crabbers unite!!!