Hermit crab's head exoskeleton is cracking

[Sesame12]

Hello I'm new to this forum, my poor large hermit crab has a serious injury on his head, there's a patch where his hard exoskeleton has chipped away, revealing the peach colored soft skin. Glady it isn't like a hole, it looks like if a egg's shell was cracking and it has the soft intact underskin. He has been trying to lift and dig under objects, I'm guessing the weight of objects put pressure on his shell and caused the cracking . I tried trimming his shell down so the edge of his shell doesn't put more pressure to cause more damage, as well as remorving the objects in the tank. He is showing signs of molting, he is a dark brown crab and his head is turning grey and so are his legs. He isnt lethergic, but he wont eat, i tried giving him differnt types of food, and tried handfeeding him, he just spits it out. He's active and acts like barely anything happened haha. Has anyone had this happen? Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you.

[fantasybookworm]

Can you fill out the emergency info template found here? viewtopic.php?f=27&t=46102 That will help the experienced crabbers on here give you advice on how to help your little guy.

[wodesorel]

Can you share a photo of the damage? Having trouble figuring out what you're seeing.

[Sesame12]

Here is a photo http://gyazo.com/46d5bd3d1ef4eb74a92e48ec50b3fdeb
That small patch in the center of his head is it.
And i will fill out the info for the emergency template.

[Sesame12]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Coconut fiber soil, 4 inches deep

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, Temperature is 77 degrees, Humidity is 75%

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? UTH, and just hot my room is

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 use spirng water, and for them salt water i mix a teaspoon of Zoo med salt water conditioner with 1 cup of spring water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? I feed them Hikari crab cuisine, and fresh fruits: Apple, banana.. etc. I offer fresh foods at night then change it in the morning, and i replace the Hikari food pellets every 24 hours.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? Ive had him since may 17th, Hes a purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? He hasn't molted with my yet, N/A

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? Glass 10 gallon tank, screen cover

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3, Small Ecuadorian crab about the size of a big grape, Medium purple pincer about the size of a golf ball, Large purple pincer (This is the one I am concerned of) about the size of a tangerine.

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? None

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I change their substrate every month

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? Yes, I boil them

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? A few shells i found on the beach

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.)? There was a small coconut hut the big hermit crab was always trying to fit into

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

[soilentgringa]

Hi! Welcome to HCA. I wasn't able to view your image but I will point out some areas of concern.
1. They really need a minimum of 6". If you have a crab the size of a tennis ball you will want around 12" of substrate. Playsand mixed with cocofiber is inexpensive and mimics their natural environment and helps keep humidity up.
2. Are your gauges analog or digital? Were they calibrated before use? E's need higher temps, in the 80's at minimum, and PP's need a minimum of 80°F as well.
3. Where is your UTH attached? What brand?
4. They really need the water to be treated with a dechlorinator or product that removes metals/chemicals such as chlorine, etc. Unfortunately there is no other 100% sure way to trust any water, no matter what the label says. A small bottle of SeaChem Prime will last over a year and you can treat countless gallons for $3.
They also need a marine grade salt. This provides with over 70 necessary elements that the ocean water in their natural habitat would provide, allowing them to thrive and facilitate healthy molt. Instant Ocean in the purple box is the most widely used.
5. Get rid of the pellets. I am not familiar with the Hikari brand but, IMO, most pellets have harmful preservatives or other agents and don't do anything for the crabs really. You can feed inexpensively from bits of unseasoned food while prepping your own meals. They must have animal protein and calcium sources. Crickets, cuttlebone, egg, eggshell, krill, dried or fresh shrimp and other seafood are great choices! Crabs are scavengers by nature and you can leave food in the tat for a few days; they love stinky shrimp!
6. If he hasn't been able to bury successfully to molt and destress it sounds like he is pulling a surface molt.
7. ^^^
8. E's need a minimum of 40 gallons. They are notorious diggers and prefer deep substrate and plenty of room to roam. Also if you have a crab as large as a tennis ball or tangerine, a 10 gallon tank is very small. That would be like living in a space the size of your closet.
9. ^^^
10. Each crab needs at least 3-5 extra shells in the shapes that they like to wear and varying sizes. E's prefer D shaped openings while PP's prefer round.
12. This is probably why your crab hasn't molted. They bury themselves for weeks to months to molt and if the substrate is being removed they cannot do this. Also, beneficial bacteria starts to build in the substrate and helps to break down wastes. It is never necessary to change the substrate unless there is a flood or bacterial bloom. This causes undue stress.
13. Ditch the sponges, they do not add anything benefical to the tank and only harbor not-so-benefical bacteria.
14. Always check local beachcombing laws before taking anything off the beach. If it is okay make sure they are boiled first and soaked in a vinegar solution to remove bits of their former owners. Also, rinse again with dechlorinated water.

I know this is a lot to take in. Almost all of us started off with little knowledge of proper crab care. Here is a link to our care guides that also has links to the safe food lists and all other info you need to set up a great crabitat and help your buddies.



viewtopic.php?t=92457


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[wodesorel]

Just to add to the advice SG has given - The injury itself is not bad and a molt will clear it up, but given that it's a 10 gallon tank with 5 crabs I can't see him being able to molt safely. This injury may even have come from one of the other hermits due to territory and space issues, since small Es can pack a punch and just because he's the biggest doesn't mean he's immune to an attack. We see overcrowding like this a lot, they seem to calm and collected and they don't move around much, but molting leaves them completely defenseless for days to weeks, and they have to be able to get completely away from the others for safety whenever they feel the need to - and not when we think they need to be moved away from the others to an ISO. A group like yours would need at the very least a 30 gallon enclosure half filled (8 inches) with substrate to be safe, and quite frankly a 55 gallon with 10 inches of substrate would be better since they will just keep growing and needing more space as they get bigger. They might be okay through a couple of molts, but this is a high risk situation and that guy looks extremely overdue for a molt. He's most likely putting it off because he doesn't feel safe. Anything you can do to give them more space and more substrate is going to help things!

[Sesame12]

Thanks for the responses so far, I do have a 55 gallon tank' its hard to keep the humidity up in that huge thing, I tried moving them in there and the humditiy gauge was reading only 60% humidity, I tried putting lots of water, i'm not sure if its the heat light drying out the air, now since reading all this I most likely need to get more substrate.

[fantasybookworm]

Did you have a screen cover on the 55 gal? If so, it helps a lot to cover the screen up with plastic wrap or tin foil. I had issues with humidity at first with my 40 gallon tank when I first got my crabs. As soon as I covered the lid with tin foil, it was completely solved. But heat lamps do dry the tank out more than heating mats, from what I've read. If you have larger pools, you can set up airstones in the pools and hook them to a small pump. They'll make bubbles in the pool and that will help raise humidity too.

[wodesorel]

Also, did you calibrate the hygrometer (humidity gauge)? They can be off on their readings! There's ideas on how to gain humidity and a link to how to calibrate the gauge here: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... hp?t=92544

[Sesame12]

He has molted this morning, thanks a lot for taking time to answer and for the tips, he should be fine now.

[wodesorel]

Are you seeing the molt because he's on the surface? That's not a safe situation and it's very unnatural. A molt should only happen when they are buried underground, and it's a process that takes weeks for them to build up, and then several more weeks to recover from. They do not come back up to the surface for any reason until they are finished, which for a crab his size should take two months or more.