HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi. Im a 14yr old boy who has a PP in a 10 gal tank. I have bad substrate-5inches of just play sand Its better than like 1 inch or gravel but he never digs down ever. Anyways. HE NEVER MOVES. Ive had him since late may to early june. He was brought into this VERY small cage. Like its a circle and it can fit like 1/9 a gallon of water. It had those steel bars or whatever and he hated it. It also had gravel. Then i got him a small plastic critter keeper. Finally, in early to mid july i got him a 10G tank. He doesnt really have great food as i feed him bad commerical food. Thats all i have and my mom and dad refuse to give him any real food. I was sneaky and cut up an organic baby carrot and he ate the whole thing himself! I also gave him organic peanut butter (one knife glop) into a flat sea shell and he ate alot of it! He was full cause he ate no more of the 2nd carrot i gave him. Anyways the issue is he NEVER moves. The only time he moves is if i manually take him out of his coconut hut put him near his food dish and finally he will move a little. Hes in that coconut every second! And i know they are nocturnal but i dont go to bed until like 7am so i see him. He doesnt do anything! Im worried. He NEVER drinks water. I dont have salt caue my parents cant afford instant ocean. I have nothing for him to climb caue i cant aford anything thing. All he has is a bad food bowl a water bowl coconut hut and a very small plastic tree.
Someone please help ):

Hi.

I would advise you to read the care guides and print them out for your parents. If they refuse to help provide the proper supplies for the crab, you may need to rehome it.

Unfortunately it sounds like the crab is very week and constant handling is only going to stress it out more.

It sounds like it is suffering from a combination of PPS and poor conditions.





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Care Guides



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mak0124 wrote:Hi. Im a 14yr old boy who has a PP in a 10 gal tank. I have bad substrate-5inches of just play sand Its better than like 1 inch or gravel but he never digs down ever. Anyways. HE NEVER MOVES. Ive had him since late may to early june. He was brought into this VERY small cage. Like its a circle and it can fit like 1/9 a gallon of water. It had those steel bars or whatever and he hated it. It also had gravel. Then i got him a small plastic critter keeper. Finally, in early to mid july i got him a 10G tank. He doesnt really have great food as i feed him bad commerical food. Thats all i have and my mom and dad refuse to give him any real food. I was sneaky and cut up an organic baby carrot and he ate the whole thing himself! I also gave him organic peanut butter (one knife glop) into a flat sea shell and he ate alot of it! He was full cause he ate no more of the 2nd carrot i gave him. Anyways the issue is he NEVER moves. The only time he moves is if i manually take him out of his coconut hut put him near his food dish and finally he will move a little. Hes in that coconut every second! And i know they are nocturnal but i dont go to bed until like 7am so i see him. He doesnt do anything! Im worried. He NEVER drinks water. I dont have salt caue my parents cant afford instant ocean. I have nothing for him to climb caue i cant aford anything thing. All he has is a bad food bowl a water bowl coconut hut and a very small plastic tree.
Someone please help ):

There are different kinds of salt water you can use. Yes instant ocean is the best but I know on here on the care sheets there are less expensive safe ones you can use.

Kudos on giving him fresh food and peanut butter!

He could be trying to do a surface molt. Research surface molt and see if that is what you think he might be doing.

Or he could be lonely as crabs need friends.

Would you interested in adopting him out? I know there are quite a lot of crabbers on here that would take him in and provide for him. And once you are older, maybe with a part time job you can try crabbing again but be prepared first. Get all your things first before getting your crab. Just a thought.

I personally have 13 crabs and only about 6-8 f of them are active all the time. I've got a few that sound just like yours, don't move much but all of mine have molted at least once if not twice now.

soilentgringa wrote:Hi.

I would advise you to read the care guides and print them out for your parents. If they refuse to help provide the proper supplies for the crab, you may need to rehome it.

Unfortunately it sounds like the crab is very week and constant handling is only going to stress it out more.

It sounds like it is suffering from a combination of PPS and poor conditions.

\



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1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5inches of 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?
Yes. 75temp 70-90humid

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
No, room temp is 75
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)?
fresh. use a brand of water that has no fluroide or chrloine

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Usually feed commerical food but have been sneaking natural foods lately
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
PP. 3-4 months
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
No
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
Glass lid, 10G
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
1, small-medium
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
6 shells. All natural. 3 are turbo, 3 are non turbo
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Once a month i do a minor clean. every 4 months a complete clean
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
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.)?
No

MsWorld wrote:

mak0124 wrote:Hi. Im a 14yr old boy who has a PP in a 10 gal tank. I have bad substrate-5inches of just play sand Its better than like 1 inch or gravel but he never digs down ever. Anyways. HE NEVER MOVES. Ive had him since late may to early june. He was brought into this VERY small cage. Like its a circle and it can fit like 1/9 a gallon of water. It had those steel bars or whatever and he hated it. It also had gravel. Then i got him a small plastic critter keeper. Finally, in early to mid july i got him a 10G tank. He doesnt really have great food as i feed him bad commerical food. Thats all i have and my mom and dad refuse to give him any real food. I was sneaky and cut up an organic baby carrot and he ate the whole thing himself! I also gave him organic peanut butter (one knife glop) into a flat sea shell and he ate alot of it! He was full cause he ate no more of the 2nd carrot i gave him. Anyways the issue is he NEVER moves. The only time he moves is if i manually take him out of his coconut hut put him near his food dish and finally he will move a little. Hes in that coconut every second! And i know they are nocturnal but i dont go to bed until like 7am so i see him. He doesnt do anything! Im worried. He NEVER drinks water. I dont have salt caue my parents cant afford instant ocean. I have nothing for him to climb caue i cant aford anything thing. All he has is a bad food bowl a water bowl coconut hut and a very small plastic tree.
Someone please help ):

There are different kinds of salt water you can use. Yes instant ocean is the best but I know on here on the care sheets there are less expensive safe ones you can use.

Kudos on giving him fresh food and peanut butter!

He could be trying to do a surface molt. Research surface molt and see if that is what you think he might be doing.

Or he could be lonely as crabs need friends.

Would you interested in adopting him out? I know there are quite a lot of crabbers on here that would take him in and provide for him. And once you are older, maybe with a part time job you can try crabbing again but be prepared first. Get all your things first before getting your crab. Just a thought. '


I personally have 13 crabs and only about 6-8 f of them are active all the time. I've got a few that sound just like yours, don't move much but all of mine have molted at least once if not twice now.

I asked for help on a different forum and someone nice offered me food bowls, climbing accesories, and a small amount of salt water.
Once i recieve the stuff, ill buy a 2nd medium sized PP. If they are friends and active ill get back to you

I would absolutely not recommend adding more crabs to this situation.

2-3 crabs need at least a 20 gallon tank, and ideally you need half the tank full of a playsand/eco earth mix.

Did they say what brand of salt mix they were sending? There are only a few safe brands of marine grade salt mix that are usable for land hermit crabs.

Pellets contain molt inhibiting ingredients that can kill the crabs.


So again, unless you can properly heat the tank and keep conditions stable, and provide proper food and water, please do not add more crabs.

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soilentgringa wrote:I would absolutely not recommend adding more crabs to this situation.

2-3 crabs need at least a 20 gallon tank, and ideally you need half the tank full of a playsand/eco earth mix.

Did they say what brand of salt mix they were sending? There are only a few safe brands of marine grade salt mix that are usable for land hermit crabs.

Pellets contain molt inhibiting ingredients that can kill the crabs.


So again, unless you can properly heat the tank and keep conditions stable, and provide proper food and water, please do not add more crabs.

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No no no.
They are a very experienced crabber. They are sending me food from hermitcrabpatch.com which is very healthy for crabs
They are sending me instant ocean salt mix
And a 10G tank can hold 2 small to medium sized crab (:
Ive seen people house even 3-4 small to medium sized.
By the time they molt and get big to not fit into a 10G tank assuming all goes well, i should have at least a 20G tank.
They are also giving me a block of zoo med eco earth with climbing accesories. Thanks for your concerns however.
Ill let you know in a couple weeks once they get here how my hermit is doing. If hes active i'll add another PP
Also 75Degrees is fine for a tank, and my humidity is often above 80 and never below 75

mak0124 wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:I would absolutely not recommend adding more crabs to this situation.

2-3 crabs need at least a 20 gallon tank, and ideally you need half the tank full of a playsand/eco earth mix.

Did they say what brand of salt mix they were sending? There are only a few safe brands of marine grade salt mix that are usable for land hermit crabs.

Pellets contain molt inhibiting ingredients that can kill the crabs.


So again, unless you can properly heat the tank and keep conditions stable, and provide proper food and water, please do not add more crabs.

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No no no.
They are a very experienced crabber. They are sending me food from hermitcrabpatch.com which is very healthy for crabs
They are sending me instant ocean salt mix
And a 10G tank can hold 2 small to medium sized crab (:
Ive seen people house even 3-4 small to medium sized.
By the time they molt and get big to not fit into a 10G tank assuming all goes well, i should have at least a 20G tank.
They are also giving me a block of zoo med eco earth with climbing accesories. Thanks for your concerns however.
Ill let you know in a couple weeks once they get here how my hermit is doing. If hes active i'll add another PP
Also 75Degrees is fine for a tank, and my humidity is often above 80 and never below 75

75 degrees is not fine, that is the bare minimum safe temperature.

As an admin, part of my job is to provide people with good care info so that their crabs thrive.

All of your water needs to be dechlorinated/treated for heavy metals.

Your temps should be in the mid 80's ideally and so should the humidity.

I'll go through the rest when I have more than 5 minutes to be on my phone.


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soilentgringa wrote:

mak0124 wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:I would absolutely not recommend adding more crabs to this situation.

2-3 crabs need at least a 20 gallon tank, and ideally you need half the tank full of a playsand/eco earth mix.

Did they say what brand of salt mix they were sending? There are only a few safe brands of marine grade salt mix that are usable for land hermit crabs.

Pellets contain molt inhibiting ingredients that can kill the crabs.


So again, unless you can properly heat the tank and keep conditions stable, and provide proper food and water, please do not add more crabs.

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No no no.
They are a very experienced crabber. They are sending me food from hermitcrabpatch.com which is very healthy for crabs
They are sending me instant ocean salt mix
And a 10G tank can hold 2 small to medium sized crab (:
Ive seen people house even 3-4 small to medium sized.
By the time they molt and get big to not fit into a 10G tank assuming all goes well, i should have at least a 20G tank.
They are also giving me a block of zoo med eco earth with climbing accesories. Thanks for your concerns however.
Ill let you know in a couple weeks once they get here how my hermit is doing. If hes active i'll add another PP
Also 75Degrees is fine for a tank, and my humidity is often above 80 and never below 75

75 degrees is not fine, that is the bare minimum safe temperature.

As an admin, part of my job is to provide people with good care info so that their crabs thrive.

All of your water needs to be dechlorinated/treated for heavy metals.

Your temps should be in the mid 80's ideally and so should the humidity.

I'll go through the rest when I have more than 5 minutes to be on my phone.


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While where PP's live is around 87Degrees average, 75degrees will not kill them.

mak0124 wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:

mak0124 wrote:
No no no.
They are a very experienced crabber. They are sending me food from hermitcrabpatch.com which is very healthy for crabs
They are sending me instant ocean salt mix
And a 10G tank can hold 2 small to medium sized crab (:
Ive seen people house even 3-4 small to medium sized.
By the time they molt and get big to not fit into a 10G tank assuming all goes well, i should have at least a 20G tank.
They are also giving me a block of zoo med eco earth with climbing accesories. Thanks for your concerns however.
Ill let you know in a couple weeks once they get here how my hermit is doing. If hes active i'll add another PP
Also 75Degrees is fine for a tank, and my humidity is often above 80 and never below 75

75 degrees is not fine, that is the bare minimum safe temperature.

As an admin, part of my job is to provide people with good care info so that their crabs thrive.

All of your water needs to be dechlorinated/treated for heavy metals.

Your temps should be in the mid 80's ideally and so should the humidity.

I'll go through the rest when I have more than 5 minutes to be on my phone.


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While where PP's live is around 87Degrees average, 75degrees will not kill them.

You're missing the point. You should want them to thrive, not merely survive. I can survive in cold temperatures, however, it is not ideal or enjoyable in the slightest.....and it would eventually effect my quality of life.


Sent hastily from my iPhone....

Prolonged exposure to low temperatures can cause organ failure.

You have posted that your crab is weak and barely moves.

You have been directed towards the care guides and had some concerns about the crabitat pointed out to you.

I can assure you that if the temperatures are brought up to the appropriate temps, you will see more activity and better overall health.

I can survive on McDonalds and in 60° weather with no jacket for a while, but eventually I would become ill and without improvements in diet and housing conditions, would fail to thrive.


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soilentgringa wrote:Prolonged exposure to low temperatures can cause organ failure.

You have posted that your crab is weak and barely moves.

You have been directed towards the care guides and had some concerns about the crabitat pointed out to you.

I can assure you that if the temperatures are brought up to the appropriate temps, you will see more activity and better overall health.

I can survive on McDonalds and in 60° weather with no jacket for a while, but eventually I would become ill and without improvements in diet and housing conditions, would fail to thrive.


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The food is natural... its from hermitcrabpatch.com
they are awesome at making food. it has ground up worms shrimp fruit nuts and more for hermit crabs. its litearly all these real foods combined and grinded up into a powder. And im getting a zoo med heat mat for my "early" christmas present. So my hermie should be fine.
But i have a question. I heard playsand is great if mixed with eco earth.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Sakrete-Sand/30 ... a5e7373ea9
thanks for your concern and if you could reccomend me any products cheapish i would glady consider buying them

i found a prettycheap one.
Is this good?
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiThe ... B0002AQCKA

mak0124 wrote:

soilentgringa wrote:Prolonged exposure to low temperatures can cause organ failure.

You have posted that your crab is weak and barely moves.

You have been directed towards the care guides and had some concerns about the crabitat pointed out to you.

I can assure you that if the temperatures are brought up to the appropriate temps, you will see more activity and better overall health.

I can survive on McDonalds and in 60° weather with no jacket for a while, but eventually I would become ill and without improvements in diet and housing conditions, would fail to thrive.


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The food is natural... its from hermitcrabpatch.com
they are awesome at making food. it has ground up worms shrimp fruit nuts and more for hermit crabs. its litearly all these real foods combined and grinded up into a powder. And im getting a zoo med heat mat for my "early" christmas present. So my hermie should be fine.
But i have a question. I heard playsand is great if mixed with eco earth.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/Sakrete-Sand/30 ... a5e7373ea9
thanks for your concern and if you could reccomend me any products cheapish i would glady consider buying them

When I got mine several weeks ago. I was misinformed on a lot w them. One was having their temps lower. After doing much research I bumped my temperatures up. What a difference!!! Try it u will see!


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