HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I just emptied out one of my old habitats. I left it running for three months with no sign of activity, but knew that it had been quite a bit longer than that since I'd seen my three missing crabs. I'm pretty sure they've been dead quite a while, as there was never any smell. I just want a more experienced opinion, to make sure its not something that I did wrong.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

Playsand and EcoEarth. As close to 5:1 as I could get. It settled to around 6.5 inches.

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 digital gage that sits in the center, and two analog ones on the back. The analogues are off by a bit, but the digital is right and usually sat at 80 degrees and 90 percent humidity.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

A heat lamp on a dimmer to adjust temperature.

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)?

My house has a spring as its water source. I use Instant Ocean to mix the salt water, I think its a half cup to the gallon.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?

Mostly dehydrated that I've gathered myself. Leaves, fruit, flowers, bark, etc. Also always on offer are dried shrimp and crickets from the pet store, cuttlebone and eggshell. I replace when the fruit gets moldy, everything else once a week.

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

All three were PPs. I don't know when they died, but less than a year. They all came from bad pet stores.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?

I know that all three molted once with me successfully, but disappeared during their second molts.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

Its a 30 gallon fish tank with a plexiglass lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?

At the peak occupancy there were six small crabs in it.

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

As many as I could pile into the little tray I kept in there. I always started with three per crab, then added in miscellaneous sizes and shapes where there was room.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?

None that I know of.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?

I only really remove old food and rinse the water bowls and moss pits. The poo seems to end up in the moss, and everything else gets broken down in the sub.

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

No sponges.

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

I switched up decorations here or there. Mostly new sticks.

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.)?

I only bathe new crabs to make them smell neutral when I added them in. A quick dunk in the fresh water bowl. I only handle them rarely, to check for the little black tips to see if they molted.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

I just need a more experiences opinion. Almost every one of my other hermits have molted since I've seen those three, either in the new 80 gallon or in one of my 10 gallon isolation tanks. I'm guessing that they had a bad second molt and didn't make it, but I can't stop blaming myself.

I guess overall I need someone to tell me whether or not I killed my crabs. I'm absolutely heartbroken, maybe a little pathetic at the moment.

So sorry to hear of your loss but, not to seem heartless, these things just happen. The crabitat conditions and foods you've described are fine so you've done nothing wrong. Molting is not an easy process under any circumstance -- that's why we all get so excited when one of our crabs emerges from a successful molt.

Im pretty weird about picking crabs... The pet store workers look at me like I'm crazy. If you get more, make them pull up the hut and usually they'll all snap back into their shell's. Pick the first one up that starts moving and check it out. Don't pick them if they are sluggish OR running around crazy (this is a sign of panic/stress). I do this to avoid PPS the best i can! It sounds like that's what happened to your crabs and it can be very discreet and spontaneous until Its to late. It was in no way your fault very sorry
Hope you have better luck next time!

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Whether or not a crab hides or runs when the tank is opened doesn't indicate if it will succumb to PPS or not. Some of the raggediest looking goner crabs have been rehabilitated by new owners.
Any crab can die of PPS or other unknown disease vectors.
I just wanted to clear that up. I have a couple of crabs that were missing limbs or what seemed to be at death's door when I brought them home. Over a year later, they've molted a few times, had good conditions, and will hopefully live out long lives.

You'll have a much higher survival rate if you adopt rather than purchase. In my opinion, those who buy contribute to the cycle of abuse crabs go through for the sake of profit.

Crabinski and Kaydeelove: Thanks for the sympathy. I really thought that they were safe from PPS after their first molt. I'm still really sad, but if it wasn't my fault I can move on. Its not easy to lose the little guys, but I really did the best I could for them. I was just afraid that I was doing something wrong.

Mool: Two of my hermits are from adoptions, and I drove two hours to pick them up each time. There just aren't very many adoptions around here. Thanks for making me feel bad for purchasing, though.