HCA: Hermit Crab Association

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? eco earth sand mix. at least 10" could be more.

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? bottom middle reads about 80 humidity 80 temp. top reads 70 humidity and high 80s temp.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? heat pads on out sides of tank.

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. use instant ocean and....prime conditioner i believe is the brand.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? grounded freeze dry mixes. Change about every 4 to 5 days unless it is going bad. leaf/flower/calcium/bark mixes.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? this crab i have only had for 4 months or so. he is a pp.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? this was his first moult with me.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 90g tank. glass lid on top.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 7 in total. 2 XS. 3M. 2M-L.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Not sure....too many to count??? Maybe....100 or so?

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? At least once a week to tidy it up and do any water and food changes.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no sponge.

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.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

My large crab Garp went down for a moult a while ago. He came up a couple of days ago. I only noticed yesterday that he got attacked while moulting. I have been so lucky as to never have another one of my crabs attacked yet so do not have any experience with this. He lost his entire big claw and part of his small claw. His small claw was damaged enough that he cannot pinch with it any more. Besides that he has all his other limbs and looks good. Now my question is, can he eat on his own if he cannot pinch? I am providing grounded foods so he doesn't have to break anything up. I also tried to take him out and feed him from qtips but he wanted nothing to do with that so now I am so worried whether he can eat on his own or not. Any advice would be welcomed. Thank you all in advance!!

All of your answers are normal. The only one I question is #5 - changing food 4-5 days... I would change that to every day or every other. If you feel like it's a lot of waste, offer less. Always offer leaf, bark, calcium, and lots of protein rich foods.

As for attacked, ISO him and offer plenty of powder foods instead of grounded up foods. Foods like honey and peanut butter do well as well. He should bounce back with another molt or two.

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*And question 5... could do with a variety of foods, particularly from fruit and veg.

In most cases, when crabs loose a limb or is damage they often quickly moult again, so I wouldn't be surprised if he goes down soon. But yes, keep an eye on him and ensure that he is ok and getting the proper nutrition/basic needs with his slight handicap.

i think your taking the best step offering soft foods. i would also up the calcium he is taking in with more protein and honey to help him build up for a molt. hopefully he corrects the issue soon.