HCA: Hermit Crab Association

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Sand 5-6"

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? middle side of tank digital gages calibrated. temp 75 humidity 83

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? no

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)? both fresh and salt, use distilled water for fresh and salt mix from pet store.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? fresh fruit every few days, lots of moss in tank and oak tree leaves

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? 3 months

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? just molted 2 weeks molting process

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 18 gallon tank, screen lid with cover to keep heat and humidity in

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 2 small - medium

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 3

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? every few weeks but not since started molting

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

I've had my crabs about 2 months, first time molting. He has been molting for about 2 weeks, he dug a deep hole in the sand and was completely hidden in his little cave. I checked on him today and now his shell is just outside where his cave hole was and he is burried in the sand. The hole he was in is completely caved in and he is completely burried in the sand. I have kept it at a sand castle like consistency but it appears it was dried out where he dug his hole. The temp is 75 and the humidity is 83 (with a digital meter that I checked for calibration). I dug down just a little to see if he was there and I saw a little bit of his pincher moving. Do I just let him be or should I be worried he will suffocate under the sand? HELP!!!!

Thanks,
Steve

You need to re-shell him. Rinse him off with water, and carefully put him back
into his shell.

so its ok to dig him out of the sand? he is completely burried now, naked, with just a pincher out of the sand (that I carefully uncovered)

Yes, carefully dig him up.

Make sure you rinse him with water before you re-shell him.

is regular tap water ok? i have a gallon of distilled water, is that better?

No tap water. Use the distilled water.

Thanks, gently rinsed him off and he is back in a shell.....

Is there any other hermit crabs digging?
You need to fix your dry sand problem.

No other crabs digging, I have one other in the tank and he spends alot of time burried in the bottom of the moss pit. I thought I was keeping the sand moist by lightly spraying it every few days. That obviously only gets it moist on the top. The original cave that he dug started out under a small "hut" so I didnt want to move it and disturb the cave / hole that he was in. I guess I should have moved the hut from the top of the hole and made sure the sand was moist there. Is there a better way to get the sand moist and keep it that way? Thanks for all your help!!!!!

golfinfool wrote: Is there a better way to get the sand moist and keep it that way?
Thanks for all your help!!!!!

I'm glad to help.

And there is no better way to keep the sand moist.
You don't want to use too much water or you will flood your tank.

You should get a heat source, and some more shells.

Hi and welcome to HCA. I am happy to address some areas of concern. 75°F is okay for Purple Pinchers but they are more active in the low 80's. You want your substrate to be sandcastle consistency. If you mold the sand with your hand it should keep its shape.
You want about 3 extra shells per crab. Is it possible that your little guy switched shells before digging? If you dig him up and reshell him DO NOT rebury him. Dig a little pit in the sand and cover it with an empty butter tub with a door cut out or a cocohut, or similar.
Can you post photos? What species is it, do you know?
You will want to treat all water-even distilled- with something like SeaChem Prime or API water conditioner to remove chlorine, ammonia, and other trace chemicals/metals. The distillation process doesn't remove all of these. Tap water has chlorine and ammonia which will blister your crabs gills.
They have to have an animal source of protein daily, and a calcium source. Veggies and leaves are great to supplement their diet but they must be rinsed in dechlorinated water and pesticide free.
Protein sources include: dried mealworms, shrimp, krill, crickets, grasshoppers, pieces of unseasoned meat raw or cooked. No processed meat like lunchmeat or ham, though. They cannot have table salt because iodine will make them sick.
Instant Ocean is a marine grade salt mix that provides them with essential minerals and elements that they would normally get in their natural environment.
If you can post pics we would love to see them!


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Golfinfool already dug up and successfully re-shelled their hermit crab.

Oh, and distilled water doesn't need to be treated.
Distilled water is JUST 100% pure water, nothing else. No minerals. Just water.

Municipal water supplies almost always contain trace components at levels which are regulated to be safe for consumption. Some other such as trace levels of aluminium may result from the treatment process (see water purification). Fluoride and other ions are not removed through conventional water filter treatments. However, distillation eliminates most impurities.

While it is widely believed that distilled water is completely void of all contaminents there are some that are present in small levels. Considering hermit crabs are so sensitive to chemicals of any sort it is normal practice to treat ALL water. Regardless of if it is tap, purified, distilled or any other type.

References:

Anjaneyulu, L.; Kumar, E. Arun; Sankannavar, Ravi; Rao, K. Kesava (13 June 2012). "Defluoridation of Drinking Water and Rainwater Harvesting Using a Solar Still". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 51 (23): 8040–8048. doi:10.1021/ie201692q.


Distilled water. (2015, May 17). Retrieved June 6, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distilled_water