HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I found Shelby shoved in a corner by Violet, and that Violet had ripped
Shelby's LP off.

Will Shelby be ok?
What should I do?

Hi. Shelby naturally has what it takes in order to make it through this type of ordeal. She needs to gather nutrients and then molt in order to repair her LP. If she can get around, walk, eat, drink, etc, and if Violet is no longer VioleNt to Shelby, you can simply leave Shelby alone in the tat and give her lots of good food and fresh water until she molts, then hope she comes back up with all her stuff together.
If Violet is still hating on Shelby, or if Shelby can't/won't protect herself or run, then it is best to ISO Shelby in order to give her space to heal. Make sure the ISO is in ideal conditions, and make sure you provide the most nutritious and beneficial food you can. Make sure she has lots of good fresh FW and SW. Make sure she has a good amount of substrate. Make sure she can molt in peace, quiet, and dark.
Losing a LP isn't the end of the world for a crab. Maybe Shelby will need you to give her food that is already crushed/broken in order to make eating easier for her.
If she's lethargic or stressed it will be best to ISO her in the same ideal conditions as mentioned above. There's really not much else for you to do, as stressing her out is the #1 thing you SHOULD NOT DO, which means leaving her alone in a peaceful oasis is the best thing you can do.
It appears as if this is the 2nd or more crab that has had issues. Please revisit your conditions by posting your current conditions in the Help Request Template, so that we can go through everything as the latest and greatest, and hopefully help you not have any more emergencies.

What should I do with her LP?

You can put it in the ISO food dish. She can recycle the nutrients from her old LP to grow a new LP.


Crabbers unite!!!

OK, thanks for the help.

Shelby is naked now.

Should I put her in ISO now or leave her alone?

Iso iso iso!

She's in ISO now.

Put her in a shell asap. She won't make it without a shell.

He reshelled her last night.

Is it normal for a hermit crab to not move after something like this,
because she hasn't moved since I put her in ISO.

How can I tell if she's dead?

It is possible that she got too stressed out and died since the beginning, and shen she deshelled it was her last breath. Either way there isn't anything you can do for her at this point. Wait for the death smell, but if she is limp and naked i think she is dead. If she isn't death smelling you could just leave her until you see her decompose.


Crabbers unite!!!

StarWarsHermitCrab wrote:Is it normal for a hermit crab to not move after something like this,
because she hasn't moved since I put her in ISO.

Yes. A stressed crab may act this way. There is also a chance she'll pass but don't give up until you're absolutely sure. If she's naked, try and reshell her.

StarWarsHermitCrab wrote:How can I tell if she's dead?

The "death smell" is like rotting fish. When I've had crabs that passed it was very obvious. If you have any doubt at all, it doesn't hurt to wait until you're absolutely sure.

I was sure Hera had died....and instead she pulled a surface molt and reshelled.