HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Posted: **Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:42 pm**

Recently I found one of my hermit crabs motionless, I waited a while to see if maybe he was molting but after a week I pick him up and he was fishy smelling - dead. I owned him for a little over half a year and he was fine and healthy, but soon after he died my other hermit crab who I've owned for almost a year is acting strange; he has trouble moving and if he can even move it's very slow, and I noticed his antenna's are messed up, one of them is cut short and the other looks like it's gone. My fifteen gallon tank has calcium sand, fresh and saltwater, plenty of food and shelter, climbing objects and I mist the tank and keep the humidity around 70, 75. and the temperature is always at 75. The only thing I've change about the living environment recently is the location, which I moved six feet away from it's original position, I bought a new hermit crab, and I've been making my salt water with a different brand of salt. I don't know, is it the brand of salt I changed? the brand is Morton Sea Salt. or could it be that the new hermit crab is a carrier for a disease?

Posted: **Thu Apr 09, 2015 12:26 am**

Calcium sand is actually really bad for hermit crabs. Unfortunately, Morton Sea Salt is not the correct thing to use to mix salt water. You need to be making a salt water mix using something specifically designed for aquariums. Your fresh water needs to be treated as well.

I, personally, use this to mix my salt water but there are lots of options out there:

http://www.rescuepetstore.com/product/O ... gQodYYwA4g

I use this for fresh water:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4057

There is an emergency help template that helps us help you better.

And, there are care guides that will help you assess your crabitat conditions. There is so much misinformation out there about crab care, it's really difficult to get good information. But, you've come to the right place.

Hold tight and I'll find the template for you to fill out and the guides.

Posted: **Thu Apr 09, 2015 12:29 am**

Please fill out this help template so we can help you better:

viewtopic.php?t=46102

Posted: **Thu Apr 09, 2015 12:41 am**

Here is our basic care guide that will help you check your conditions. Have any of your crabs molted successfully since you've had them? Hopefully your 2nd crab will be ok. It sounds to me like he/she is showing signs that he desperately needs to molt. But, you've got to change your substrate and get that calcium sand out for your two crabs to survive. I think calcium sand is what killed my crab, Robin.

A mixture of play sand (sold at lowes or Home Depot) and Eco Earth (sold at pet stores for reptiles) is the best substrate for hermit crabs. The mixture needs to be moistened with de-clorinated water so that it is sand castle consistency and needs to be 6-8 inches deep.

http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 51&t=92457

Posted: **Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:06 am**

Welcome to HCA and this wonderful crabby community! I hope you enjoy your time here, feel free to look around.

Calcium sand is actually really bad for hermit crabs.

^^^ Yep this! Calcium sand used as a substrate where the crabs can moult in it could have adverse effects. Calcium sand often hardens and clumps together - similar to cement - which means its:
a) Impossible for a crab to dig through
b) Imagine a "rock" getting into the shell of the crab, hardening (and getting bigger as more gains come in); piecing the abdomen.
Best bet is to throw it out and starting over in a substrate such as playsand (pretty much it washed beach sand

) or coconut fibres/eco-earth (EE)... Or do a mix! Many people choose to mix the sand and EE to a 5:1 ratio as many feel that it closely mimics the wild.
Lburns also pointed out that the sea salt that your using isn't the best for your crabs. A correctly sea salt your looking for is one for marine fish; this contains all the minerals that is found in the wild, again these minerals can help the crabs.

Posted: **Thu Apr 09, 2015 3:24 pm**

aussieJJDude wrote:Welcome to HCA and this wonderful crabby community! I hope you enjoy your time here, feel free to look around.
^^^ Yep this! Calcium sand used as a substrate where the crabs can moult in it could have adverse effects. Calcium sand often hardens and clumps together - similar to cement - which means its:
a) Impossible for a crab to dig through
b) Imagine a "rock" getting into the shell of the crab, hardening (and getting bigger as more gains come in); piecing the abdomen.
Best bet is to throw it out and starting over in a substrate such as playsand (pretty much it washed beach sand ) or coconut fibres/eco-earth (EE)... Or do a mix! Many people choose to mix the sand and EE to a 5:1 ratio as many feel that it closely mimics the wild.
Lburns also pointed out that the sea salt that your using isn't the best for your crabs. A correctly sea salt your looking for is one for marine fish; this contains all the minerals that is found in the wild, again these minerals can help the crabs.

Yep, Calcium sand which is often recommended by pet stores to new hermit crab owners is very very bad. When it gets wet it hardens like cement and if it gets inside their shells can harden inside there too which could make it not possible for them to leave the shell! ( I use Insta Ocean from the pet store aquarium section to make my ocean water) But always dechlorinate the water first whether for fresh or to make ocean water with. This is a fantastic site to be in for help! - hugs -

Posted: **Thu Apr 09, 2015 11:24 pm**

Has the original hermit crab molted for you at all? It's not a good sign that he's slowing down, and that usually happens from something environmental. What kind of food have you been giving him? Just trying to think of things! We haven't found hermits to pass diseases. Did the crab that died molt at all since you brought him home?

Posted: **Fri Apr 10, 2015 9:23 pm**

wodesorel wrote:Has the original hermit crab molted for you at all? It's not a good sign that he's slowing down, and that usually happens from something environmental. What kind of food have you been giving him? Just trying to think of things! We haven't found hermits to pass diseases. Did the crab that died molt at all since you brought him home?

None of my hermit crabs have molted which I did find strange, but thank you all so much! I will get new substrate ASAP and will buy water conditioner. Just be praying my other crab doesn't die.

Posted: **Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:48 pm**

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? (I just switched to half echo earth and half natural play sand.)

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? (I have a gauge that tells humidity and temperature on the left hand side at the top, temperature is usually at 75 and humidity is usually at 65, but I try and get it higher.)

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? (I have a sticky heater on the right side glass wall.)

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 often switch between fresh and saltwater, I have a pool for them that can hold a cup of water. And I treat the freshwater with this http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/water-c ... tid-500026 and the saltwater with this http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/health- ... tid-500007 http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/health- ... tid-500007 and I spray the tank at least once a day with conditioned freshwater.)

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? (I currently use this http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/food/al ... tid-500004 but I use vegetables and nuts pretty often. And I change the food at least once every two weeks.)

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? (I've had one of my crabs for almost a year, and the other for two months. one of them is Caribbean, and the other a purple pitcher.)

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? (None of my crabs have molted.)

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 fifteen gallon tank and I have a metal mesh top.)

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? (I have two crabs and they are roughly the same size, which is about the size of a lime. (with shell)

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? (I have two that are a little larger than the ones they have.)

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? (None ever.)

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? (I clean it once a month, and I clean the glass of the tank with a water, natural soap, and white vinegar mix.)

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? (They are, and I clean it with freshwater.)

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? (New substrate as I stated.)

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.)? (Not really.)

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. (Stated above.)

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2015 10:22 pm**

jjcooper1598 wrote:1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? (I just switched to half echo earth and half natural play sand.)

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 often switch between fresh and saltwater, I have a pool for them that can hold a cup of water. And I treat the freshwater with this http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/water-c ... tid-500026 and the saltwater with this http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/health- ... tid-500007 http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/health- ... tid-500007 and I spray the tank at least once a day with conditioned freshwater.)

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? (I currently use this http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/food/al ... tid-500004 but I use vegetables and nuts pretty often. And I change the food at least once every two weeks.)

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? (I've had one of my crabs for almost a year, and the other for two months. one of them is Caribbean, and the other a purple pit8. 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 fifteen gallon tank and I have a metal mesh top.)

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? (I have two crabs and they are roughly the same size, which is about the size of a lime. (with shell)

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? (I have two that are a little larger than the ones they have.)

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? (I clean it once a month, and I clean the glass of the tank with a water, natural soap, and white vinegar mix.)

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? (They are, and I clean it with freshwater.)

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? (New substra

Hi again. Sorry none of us had gotten back to you yet. I do see a few things from the template that stand out to me. I'm a relative newbie myself..the moderators on here are the true experts but, I'll give it a shot. I've learned a lot from them!

That's great that you've switched substrate! I hope you are seeing more digging activity and that your crabs will molt. Is the substrate 6-8 inches? And sandcastle consistency?

You should keep both salt and fresh water in your tank at all times. The crabs use the fresh water for drinking and they store salt water in their shells. They regulate their own needs if they have both available. Salt water is key for successful molts. I change out both my fresh and salt water every two days to keep it clean for them. I'm not familiar with the conditioners and salt you are using. Hopefully a moderator will come along and double check that those are good ones.

You can double check your food safety with these links:
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92556
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92555
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557

A lot of the commercial food sold as hermit crab food is actually bad for the crabs. They also like a lot of variety so you might consider changing out the food and offering a wider variety every other day or so.

I only have PPs so I'm not sure about your Caribbean but, I think I've read that the more exotic species need higher temps. You might check into that. To get your humidity up you could consider adding a moss pit. I was having trouble with humidity so got a piece of glass cut at lowes for about $3 that covers the majority of my mesh tank lid. That plus a bubbler in my salt water and a moss pit raised my humidity to 80. I only have to mist occasionally now as opposed to several times a day. You could consider a hood light with a moon glow bulb that you can leave on all the time to raise your temp.

More shells would be good too. 2-3 options per crab is best. Hermitcrabpatch.com sells a variety pack of shells or you can find them at craft stores like micheals or hobby lobby.

I'm not sure about the vinegar and natural soap to clean the glass. That might not be good for your crabs. Maybe a moderator can tell you?

If you can get your humidity up other ways, sponges aren't really necessary. They can harbor bacteria so it's best not to have to use them.

Hope this feedback helps.

How is your crab that was having trouble moving doing now?

All the best to you.

Posted: **Wed Apr 15, 2015 10:42 pm**

Just wanted to pop in about using vinegar - I use diluted while vinegar occasionally to clean the inside of my tank's glass, and it's perfectly fine.

As far as your crab types, a Caribbean hermit crab is the same as a purple pincher, so did you maybe mean another kind?

The saltwater conditioner you're using is unfortunately not good. Not necessarily harmful, but not beneficial either. You'll want a marine grade saltwater like Instant Ocean; it can be purchased at most pet stores. The dechlorinator you're using is okay, but it doesn't remove ammonia. The general consensus is something like Prime is the best.

Other than that, I don't have much to add to what Lburns already said

HCA: Hermit Crab Association

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