HCA: Hermit Crab Association

jstein wrote:as my previous post about my crab Fleming being out of the shell is worse - see below

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Sand and coconut 6” – 8”

is it sandcastle consistancy?

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? Yes – 78- 80 both

what kind og guages? Digital? Those are the most accurate.
3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? 2 heating pads under tank

when you say under the tank, do you actually mean under the tank? That will cook them. It has to be placed on the back or side of the tank. On the outside.

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)? Distilled drinking and Ocean water

even distilled water needs to be dechlorinated. The product the HCA recommends is Prime. It removes chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals and neutralizes ammonia. And Instant Ocean added to dechlor water to make salt water. And the bowls need to be deep enough for them to totally submerge.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Fresh leafy veggies, carrots, peppers or onions, crickets, meal worms, exo mix, coconut, fresh herbs bought through Esty Crab lady, ricecake, walnuts, etc. All fresh food removed daily

please check the safe and unsafe food list under the care section. Onions are bad for them. Most seasonings are. What are you giving for calcium? They need calcium available at all times. It can be egg shells, crushed oyster shells and cuttlebone, found in bird section of pet store.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? 2 years purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? I think he just finished molting

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 20gal long tank with glass lid and light over back half

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 6 crabs 1 large, 1 med large and 2 med small and 1 small

it's recommended 1 crab per 5 gallons. You're a bit crowded.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 15-20

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? The top surface every 3 – 5 days and unless really messy then more often

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? Yes sponges in both drinking and soaking dishes – they are washed daily and replaced every couple of weeks if they get too mushy

sponges are old practice and harbour bacteria.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? It’s a new environment – they changed from a 10 gal to a 20gal L – the 3 smaller crabs didn’t get added until I had the new tank

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 take them all out and hold them to interact and I have created a playground for to round around on out of the tank

most of us have a hands off approach. Handling them stresses them out.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Fleming found a new shell and seemed normal – after 2 days in the main tank he was still moving slowing – yesterday he stayed in the same spot with his forward claws out –THIS morning he was in the same position but futher out – my husband said he thought he was dead – I tried to pick up his shell but Fleming fell out. He did seem did but he was still soft – non-responsive. I put him and his shell along with 8 other shell in the iso tank I have both waters in their and some exo food – I put a hot water soaked towel over the top and then the glass lid the temp and humidity are both around 80 – after the top was on we saw him move – he is not dead but I don’t know what to do to keep him alive – heat source for iso tank is pad beneath and hot towels changed out as needed to keep it extras warm for Fleming. thank you

jstein wrote:I’m so confused - I’ve had Fleming for 2 years - I’ve always heard 3 per 10 gal was a good number - the heating pads are super thin and are set on low beneath 7-8” of substrate - they are the thin ones like you get for reptiles, they are under the glass and they are set on low and they have been for two years I just don’t understand how I can have my tank the same way two years and all of a sudden the environment not be correct. I guess I just don’t know enough about crabs perhaps you know someone that’s willing to adopt my remaining five.


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jstein wrote:It’s just so Frustrating that opinions are everywhere on the Internet. I didn’t go into this intending to be a crab or because I found my little baby crab by accident. This is my first death and I’m taking it very hard. My wishes to learn and understand how it all went wrong so quickly


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curlysister wrote:On one of your posts, you said you had this crab for only 2-3 weeks. Is that correct, or was it a typo and you have had this crab for 2 years?