HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I saw an abandoned shell in freshwater bowl then saw a crab hanging onto edge of bowl. It was obviously drowning so I took him out and put him in ISO tank with shell. When I touch him he will move slightly but won't move otherwise it has been 15 minutes now. Will he be ok and what should I do?
I have had this hermit crab for a while and he has been fine.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5-6 inch (Bernard is tiny)

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 sensor that has heat lamp and humidifier connected. 80 F and 80 Humidity
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
Heat Lamp usually but just burst yesterday
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 and salt, Zoo med declorinator 4 drop-2cups and instant ocean 3 tsp-2 cups

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
Variety of thing like freeze dried crickets and honey. It is usually replace whenever it is dirty (2 or 3 days) but I have been sick so haven't been able to change it for week but there is no mold and food is left water has same situation but it has dirt in it.
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I've had it for six months and It's a PP
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
I have many hermit crabs so don't keep track of when but he did molt at least once.
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
40 Gallon glass tank screen lid.
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
10 largest is medium.
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
10 but getting more
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No but heat lamp was knocked of by cats and one of parents put it back on after I found a shell bursts into fragments so could he have eaten one of the pieces?
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Whenever I think substrate is too low I switch them over to different tank with all fresh things.
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
No but shells are in so tinies can get out they are replaced when I clean water
14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
One new crab (no mites)
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.)?
Heat lamp mentioned
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I own a fresh water waterfall but don't use waterfall feature and there is a deattachable crawl space that a crab can get under but I usually block it off with shells but since my parents have been changing it (I am sick) they didn't block it. I had a feeling that was saying check your hermit crabs! So I checked and found his empty shell near the edge of the freshwater bowl. So I lifted up the deattable piece and saw him clinging to he edge of it. Everything but his one leg that was clinging was submerged in the fresh water. I took him off and thought he was dead but saw him move his claw a bit so I put him in an ISO tank with his shell underneath him. I filled a cap of freshwater and honey and put it next to him but his first large movement was to get away from it. So I left him for a few hour then checked on him and he was still alive but didn't move. Then I tried putting him back into his shell but his abdomen stayed curled and he fell out. I just tried putting him in again but He is just kind of hanging out.

Update: I turned on the lights in his room and saw him kind of repositioning himself so I rotated the shell so that it would look normal and cover part of his head but I don't know if he is actually in the shell, but I don't want to pick him up since he is weak.

Any idea how long he'd been in the water?

Under an hour and he is still alive doing the same thing.

I put him back in his shell and put some honey near him but he got out of the shell and other than that he hasent moved much.

Sorry to hear about this...Rinse the shell and crab and grab him right in front of his legs behind his head, and slide his abdomen into the shell. Keep trying....some use the "cup" method. It sometimes works...by taking a small cup with a small amount of sub for an iso, and the shell in the bottom. The idea is there is no where but the shell for the crab to be. Leave him in iso. Go ahead and fill out the emergency template if you wish and we can try to see if we can figure out what caused this. As long as there are methods to climb out, healthy crabs will not drown, and can stay submerged for over an hour. Unfortunately, if he won't stay shelled he is likely ill or injured and won't make it...best of luck.

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Also Bernard has been healthy until now and he didn't have bad PPS.

I'm so sorry I was obviously exhausted when I responded to this! Somehow I forgot while responding you filled out the template. Bah. I feel dumb. :/ Your tank specs sound okay.

Sometimes these guys are really good at hiding injuries, but they really do have some lasting injury from all they go through from collection, shipping, and store.

Just keep conditions stable and offer nutritious, high energy foods like honey, eggshell, chitin, organic peanut butter.

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Bernard is now completely limp but is really staying in his shell. he also has a light dead crab smell. I can't smell it by sticking my nose in the tank. only if I get really close does he smell lightly but some of my hermit crabs had a bit of a bad scent also so I'm not sure if he is dead or surface molting. Anybody have advice?

I would keep him in ISO and offer foods like Rawregeous said. Quit handling him, as that could stress him (and you) out even more. Make sure his humidity & heat are right and pray for the best. Sounds like that is all you can do right now. I hope you feel better and that he makes it!


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A few things that stand out:

For 10 crabs, with the largest being a medium, your substrate is too low. 8-12" would be much better.

Changing their substrate often can stress them out and is unnecessary. Beneficial microbes and bacteria build up in healthy substrate and help break down waste.

Continuously removing this would sort of be like putting fish in uncycled tanks over and over.

Is your screen lid covered? Temps and humidity would ideally be in the mid 80's, as this is the average in their natural habitat.

3-5 extra shells per crab to avoid shell fights

If your crabs have a way out of the water they will not drown. If they can hook a leg over the edge of the bowl and get out, they aren't going to drown.

Often, sick or dying crabs will go to the water bowls.
Did you calibrate your hygrometer? I would suggest getting a digital model that can be placed inside the tank to double check your numbers.

Heat lamps tend to sap humidity and a screen lid isn't going to hold moisture in unless it is wrapped.

Are you leaving lamps on 24/7? Do your crabs have a day/night cycle?

Zoo med dechlorinator is not harmful, but probably not the best.

Can you go into more detail about what you are feeding? What is their calcium source?

I noticed you said the crab was naked. This indicates illness or another issue.



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I am trying to tell if my hermit crab is molting or dead. He has molted once before and was fine before this. He went naked and nearly drowned in the salt water. I put him in iso and he wouldn't move on his own other than little movements. Now he is completely limp but he only has a light stench if I hold him close to my nose (I have crabs with a stench like this) I can't smell it just by sticking my nose in the tank like their dead crabs. It has been a day now and still no stench so I don't think he is dead. I'm trying not to disturb him. Can anybody who has dealt with surface molters give me advice?
Also, can hermit crabs go limp for this long?

Best thing to do is leave him completely alone until he moves or stinks!

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I'm fairly new to crabbing myself, but it does seem like the little guy is likely alive - the smell would be pretty bad by now from what I've read everywhere, unless perhaps you have really low humidity.

I can tell you what I've read until someone more experienced weighs in; if it is surface molting keep it ISO'd... keeping the ISO container in the tank so the temp isn't too different isn't a bad idea; try adding some damp sphagnum to keep moisture up - you don't want the poor thing suffocating; keep it dark, that's how it would be if it had molted properly, so try an ISO you container you can cover; wait; wait; wait some more - if there's no strong death smell, keep waiting, because I've seen posts in the Emergency Forum where people've said their crabs remained limp for well over a week.

I'm sorry this is happening... it sounds really stressful. Being patient when an animal gets sick is so hard, because unlike humans, they can't tell you anything about their symptoms. You just never really know what's going on, or how the situation will resolve.

I responded to your previous post, and since they are both pertaining to the same crab I am going to merge the two together.

Edit: Okay. So now that these are merged, I'm going to second all that Soilentgringa mentioned. Also, after reading both posts, I'm going to go on a limb and say that unfortunately the crab in question is not molting, and it sounds like it is unfortunately passing. If it will not stay shelled, and you found him naked in the water things do not look good. :/ The best thing to do is to leave it be and wait. If it develops a strong odor you will know it has passed. I'm sorry.

From here, I would increase sub depth, and add more shells as soon as possible. Shell fights can cause streaking, and I don't want to see you have further complications. Do you live in a humid area? As Soilent mentioned, usually lids have to be wrapped to have such high humidity. If so, I'm jealous. lol I would also get the lid covered in saran wrap, and perhaps calibrate your hydrometer if you haven't already.Remember: too high levels won't hurt the crabs, too low will. This will insure you are getting proper readings. Guide link: viewtopic.php?t=92540