HCA: Hermit Crab Association

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Play sand 4 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?
I have 2 gauges in opposite corners of the tank. Temp is a consistent 80 while humidity is usually around 90
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I use a heat mat that sticks to the side of the tank as well as an over head 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)?
They have both fresh and salt water. I buy the all living things battles of salt water
5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed a variety of fruits as well as give chicken or shrimp as a meat source. This is replaced every 2 days
6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have had my crabs for 8 months and they are purple pinchers
7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
One is in the process of molting, a second one has buried himself and has been submerged for a while but molted four months agon, The third molted 6 months ago
8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are currently in a 10 gallon tank with what I think is a mesh wire lid. It came with the tank at the pet store
9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Two crabs are just over 3/4 of an inch while the third is and inch
10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
There are 4 extra shells in the tank
11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
No
12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I scoop out the top lawyer with a substrate scoop and change out all the sand every 4 months. the glass is cleaned with vinegar water
13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
Yes they are changed out
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.)?
I use a humidifier rather than a spray bottle
16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I went to clean out the top layer and noticed there is standing water in half of my tank. It was in the same area as my molting crab so I immediately dug her up so she wouldn't drown. She doesn't smell bad and didn't fall out of her shell so I'm guessing I got to her in time. I do not have access to another tank due to funds so I blocked off a dry section so the other crabs can't really mess with her but I have no idea what to do next. Please help!

Is the crab's exo hardened, or is she still soft? Was there any of her exo in the sand around her, or had she eaten it all? Is she moving around? Be sure that you have both salt and fresh water, as well as foods that are high in protein and calcium (many people give natural peanut butter, honey, etc).
What caused the standing water?

curlysister wrote:Is the crab's exo hardened, or is she still soft? Was there any of her exo in the sand around her, or had she eaten it all? Is she moving around? Be sure that you have both salt and fresh water, as well as foods that are high in protein and calcium (many people give natural peanut butter, honey, etc).
What caused the standing water?

I did not feel her exoskeleton for fear of it over stressing and killing her but she is normally a pale crab and the color I saw now is a a dark red color. She's been down about 4 weeks so I'm not even sure if she has shed the exo yet but I didn't find any of it in the sand. She has not moved yet but has remained locked as far back as she can go in her shell.
I usually give honey and natural peanut butter as treats for trust exercises but I will start giving it more often.
From what I can tell the humidifier tube got turned so it was facing the side of the tank instead of the center where the humidity was evenly distributed through the tank. I added more sand in the areas with standing water to help soak it up and have turned the humidifier off to speed up the removal of the excess water but I'm not sure if there is anything else I need to do since I don't have a second tank.

Any container will work to keep her separated in case she is somewhere in the molt cycle. Even a sour cream container mostly filled with sand will work, kept in the tank so the temp stays right.

I would suggest mixing up the sand well and making sure it gets back to the right consistency. Then you won't have to worry!

wodesorel wrote:Any container will work to keep her separated in case she is somewhere in the molt cycle. Even a sour cream container mostly filled with sand will work, kept in the tank so the temp stays right.

I would suggest mixing up the sand well and making sure it gets back to the right consistency. Then you won't have to worry!

Thank you so much. This is a huge stress relief for me. I really hope she survives. This has been a tough molt for her since this is the second time somethings gone wrong and she was disturbed.

Smaller crabs bounce back better, and with her size and color it sounds like she was done. Just make sure she is active and eating before allowing other crabs near her, if it's rushed she could end up attacked. I would also recommend a dunk in the water bowl before being reintroduced if she hasn't done any digging on her own to scrub any remaining molt smell off.

wodesorel wrote:Smaller crabs bounce back better, and with her size and color it sounds like she was done. Just make sure she is active and eating before allowing other crabs near her, if it's rushed she could end up attacked. I would also recommend a dunk in the water bowl before being reintroduced if she hasn't done any digging on her own to scrub any remaining molt smell off.

Update: So a friend of mine gave me a larger tank they weren't using anymore so I moved the crabs to the bigger tank but when I went to check on the molting crab that I had to dig up and found that she had not buried and when I picked her up just to make sure she didn't smell (which she did not) and her big claw fell out but the rest of her stayed in. I know it was not part of the exo she shed because I went back to search for the shed to put it with her. Now I'm just bawling my eyes out because I feel like the worst crab mom in the world and I don't know what to do!
https://imgur.com/a/fAPgO
The white thing next to her is the piece of shed I found.

Accidents happen! You've done everything right since finding the problem. Please don't feel bad. *hugs*

Just be prepared, when they start dropping limbs they don't usually fare well. She still looks really pale, make sure to offer different calcium sources and especially eggshell. Put it right under her so she doesn't have to move!