HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey, so I have a hermit crab who lost two legs and is not moving at all. He won't fall out of his shell though but I can move is limbs without him pulling back. I have him in a little container with some eco earth in case he was molting but will he be okay or is he dead?

Ellybelly18 wrote:Hey, so I have a hermit crab who lost two legs and is not moving at all. He won't fall out of his shell though but I can move is limbs without him pulling back. I have him in a little container with some eco earth in case he was molting but will he be okay or is he dead?

If the two legs that he lost had what looks like little gel balls forming, he's molting or preparing to, although I wouldn't handle him anymore than you already have in case he is. If he isn't falling out of the shell he isn't dead just yet, just keep him in ISO with the right humidity and temp and watch out for a fishy smell, this will mean he's dead, otherwise leave him alone for now.


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I recommend giving him raw organic honey, protein and calcium. Dechlorinated fw & msw. Then be hands off to minimize stress. Give him/her a hide also.


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Yeah he smells a little like fish but I don't want to call him dead yet. Good news is all of my other hermits have all four legs and two pinchers and are very active. Two have changed their shells into the new ones I put in last night. I put the one who looks to be dead in a separate container with some eco earth and I mist it so it is very humid in there. I didn't put any food in there because it will just mold and make it smell bad or I'll have to mess everything up by taking it out. He hasn't moved really but he did go into his shell about a cm more than before. He is in a tight ball but he is still limb.

Ellybelly18 wrote:Yeah he smells a little like fish but I don't want to call him dead yet. Good news is all of my other hermits have all four legs and two pinchers and are very active. Two have changed their shells into the new ones I put in last night. I put the one who looks to be dead in a separate container with some eco earth and I mist it so it is very humid in there. I didn't put any food in there because it will just mold and make it smell bad or I'll have to mess everything up by taking it out. He hasn't moved really but he did go into his shell about a cm more than before. He is in a tight ball but he is still limb.

If he's in a container exposed to light, maybe also try throwing a towel or something of the sort over it to reduce light when you aren't checking on him. If he is possibly (a big possibly) molting, this will help excrete the molting hormone. Also if you add just a little bit of honey in something small and maybe some cuttlebone it will take ages for it to mould if it even does, so you should probably try that. I hope everything turns out well for your little buddy!


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Just checked on him today and he is out of his shell and smells weird. Should I bury him or wait?

If he is out of his shell he needs to be re-shelled ASAP. What do you mean by "weird smell"? Dead fish or a chemical smell? If it's the latter it very well may be his exo you are seeing and not the crab itself. Hope he's okay


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He lost his big pincher and I put in some cuttlebone and coconut. I don't really know what dead fish smells like but I do know what live fish smells like and it did not smell like that. He smells like what it smells like when I clean out their tank but not ask strong. He is not completely out of his shell but is falling out a big but he didn't fall out all the way. I don't really know what to do do I leave him alone or put him back in a different tank? I have a small container that he is in since he isn't moving and I sprayed it so there is humidity but I don't want to put him with my other hermit crabs because I don't want them to eat him.

Hmmm, sounds like he's molting and what you're seeing is his exoskeleton...could be wrong though...just don't disturb him, and only do minimal check ins to change food water etc.

If he is molting, that's good news

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What do you mean by it is his exo? Why would he leave it in his shell and also I think I would've seen him when I was cleaning out the tank.

When a crab molts he stays in his shell and let's the hard exoskeleton shed. Then he eats the exoskeleton while hardening back up. This is how the crabs grow. The shedding of the exoskeleton itself is similar to how a snake sheds its skin, except snakes don't eat their skin.

When they shed their exo, it is pushed out of their shell/hangs out of their shell while the crab itself is curled tightly inside the shell, soft and vulnerable. This is why people often mistake exo for a crab that is dead outside of its shell. You can always tell if it's exo because it's hollow. That make more sense?


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But how do I know if it is hollow?

If it has an abdomen attached it's the hermit crab. If no abdomen its the exoskeleton

Oh okay well then idk and also I saw eyes so I don't think they shed their eyes right?