HCA: Hermit Crab Association

HI. For a long time i've used to have only one hermit crab. One day I decided to get him a friend so i bought a new hermit crab. After about a month, I woke up one morning to find my original crab dead, out of his shell and lying over the edge of the habitat's water bowl. I was wondering whether this could have been caused by my new hermit crab being aggressive and territorial or just nature as I've had him for many years. I've been thinking about getting another hermit crab but I don't want it to be put in the same habitat as another crab that may or may not be dangerous. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

depending on where you got your new crab from it could have had some type of illness that your origional crab wouldnt have had an immunity to it

NeWbE123 wrote:depending on where you got your new crab from it could have had some type of illness that your origional crab wouldnt have had an immunity to it

The one that died came from one of those cheap beach stores. The second one i got from my local Petsmart. I don't know if Petsmart takes good care of those crabs or not.

It sounds like PPS (post purchase stress) But, to be sure, go ahead and fill out the emergency template so we can check your conditions

HELP REQUEST TEMPLATE: Questions that help us help you!

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Is the other crab in your previous crab's shell? I'm just wondering if it was a shell fight.

Did you dip the new crab in the fresh water of the crabitat?

Please definitely fill out the emergency template.

I don't believe that it was post purchase syndrome since you had the original crab for a long time. I think it would let us help you figure it out more with the emergency template filled out.

I agree Gotbutterflies, its defiantly not PPS since you jave had it for a lenght of time. IM curious to see how long you have had it for and if it has moulted during that tine frame....

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GotButterflies wrote:Is the other crab in your previous crab's shell? I'm just wondering if it was a shell fight.

Did you dip the new crab in the fresh water of the crabitat?

Please definitely fill out the emergency template.

I don't believe that it was post purchase syndrome since you had the original crab for a long time. I think it would let us help you figure it out more with the emergency template filled out.

I did not dip the new crab in the freshwater as i did not know that back then ( doesn't it mask the crabs scent or something so that it doesn't seem like an intruder? ). The new crab however did not take the old crab's shell.

I do have to admit however that back then I had the old crab for a few years but was still inexperienced with taking care of crabs. As a result, the habitat was pretty low quality . Since then my habitat has greatly improved, but the habitat years prior was not a happy looking place.

aussieJJDude wrote:I agree Gotbutterflies, its defiantly not PPS since you jave had it for a lenght of time. IM curious to see how long you have had it for and if it has moulted during that tine frame....

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The old one I had for about 3-4 years and he molted on numerous occasions like normal.

Here is the emergency template filled out. I may not be able to remember some details since this was almost a year ago. Definitely not proud of it but have learned from past mistakes

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

I used calci sand, about 1 and a half inches deep.

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?

No gauges back then.

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

Lamp.

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)? \\

Only freshwater available. Water was treated via reverse-osmosis.

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

Dried fruits, seeds, and occasionally oats.

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

I had the crab at that point for about 3-4 years. Purple pincher crab.

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

It had molted about 8-10 times during that span.

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

Cheap plastic habitat from the same cheap beach store as the crab. Plastic lid with ventilation holes.

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

It was about half an inch wide. The other crab that i introduce was relatively the same size.

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

2 extra shells. All slightly bigger than the one the crab was currently wearing.

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

None. I kept those far away.

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

Every other day i would change the water and food. I would change the sand every 6 months.

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

One sponge. I cleaned it by rinsing it in hot water and letting it dry out before using it again.

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

Yes. Another crab about a month before it mysteriously died.

I hope this is helpful in determining a cause of death for my hermit crab. Please understand that these conditions have been greatly improved since this incident happened. I don't want to be seen as a crab killer!

Okay, so conditions were like that when this happened right? So I would say it was more than likely a territorial / dominance issue. The crab that you had for a long time was probably really weak due to lack of protein. It's possible he was just barely getting by with his molts - I can't believe he molted that many times! Obviously he surface molted with only 1" of calcium sand. No heat, no humidity he was kind of in survival mode. To be honest - I'm really surprised your crab lived as long as it did in those conditions. You are really lucky. I wouldn't mind seeing the template filled out with how conditions are now.

Yes, dipping the new crabs in the the freshwater of the crabitat makes them not smell like intruders. I personally recommend a minimum of 5 gallons per crab up to medium crabs

I'm sorry you lost your crab a year ago.

Edit: Also, the HCA recommends 3-5 shells per crab...so it could have also been a shell fight. The new crab probably wanted to try on the shell, and pulled the other out...just a guess...

Ah, I read it backwards--I thought the crab you had had a month was out of the shell. My bad, lol!

I agree with the above post, sounds like it was a result of conditions and aggression. I'm sorry about the poor guy


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