HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your 1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? *Coconut fiber/sand mix, 5 & 1/2 inches


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? *Middle of back wall, a little closer to substrate than the halfway point to the top. Temp has been around 70° last few months. Humidity maintains well around 80-85%.


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? *Heating pad stuck on one side


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)? *2 large dishes. Fresh water dechlorinated by API and Salt water made with Instant Ocean. Both mixed per directions, I make 1 gal at a time


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? *Fresh fruits and vegetables, unsalted eggs, dried shrimp


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? *Almost 3 years, PPs


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? *Yes, it's been a while


8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? *75 gal tank, screen lid, large portion covered with plastic wrap to maintain humidity


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? *3, shell-less crab is large, other 2 medium


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? *9


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? *Had a sick child and used Lycol several times last week, covered lid when I sprayed near the tank


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? *Not much, deep cleaned 4 months ago due to flood


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? *Sea sponges, rinsed well, towel dried, rinsed with dechlorinated water before put back


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.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. *Crab is in the cocohut with no shell. He's probably going to molt. He has not gone under in a long time. He spends most his time by the heating pad. One med crab recently came up and has been acting normal. I haven't seen the other med crab in a while. I realized last night I need to add more substrate. I know it should be 6+ inches due to his size. I have a family member bringing me an empty 2 liter bottle to make some protection for him. My fear is that my down crab is somewhere under where I'm going to quarantine Harley...who knows. I don't really know what to do. His tail looks kinda thick and white/gray color. Is that normal? I've had 2 dreams recently about my crabs getting killed, feeling sad like it was a weird premonition type thing, lol. Please give me any tips you can!


.

Why can't I post a pic

Until one of our moderators comes on, I suggest you cover entire tank and get your temperature up . 70 is too cold. Saran wrap lid and put a towel or blanket on.

They molt in their shell when the go down. He needs to be in his shell or he could die. Get a Tupperware container, put some moss or paper towels in bottom, wet with salt water. Take his shell and a couple others, rinse in salt water. Take a small dish or bottle cap put fresh water in one some food in other, put all in Tupperware with him, put the lid on. Place back in the tank and hopefully he will take a shell.

We can only post pics with tapatalk app.
Good luck❤

How do I pick him up to put in a Tupperware bowl??? That gives me high anxiety!

Doesn't it need ventilation? How long can he be in there?

I hear you lol. Put everything in first . Put container near him so you can do it quick. Just gently pick him up. Or scoop under him with a spoon or something. You can put holes in if you want first.

Usually if out of their shell they are too weak to carry it. Or something else is going on.

Lovelittlecrabs17 wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:09 am

How do I pick him up to put in a Tupperware bowl??? That gives me high anxiety!

You don't have to pick him up with your fingers, just use the bowl to gently scoop him up. Nudge him in with your hand if you have to.

Once he's in the bowl, add a few millimeters of fresh water for moisture and a few appropriate shells and leave him in a dark place for a few hours.

If that doesn't work you'll have to place him inside a shell manually.

I don't see any conditions that scream "alert", but I would recommend adding more calcium if they don't have a dietary source other than shrimp. Your bowls are deep enough for submersion, correct?

Seventy degrees is a little low but acceptable. Your crabs will have lower activity levels but it shouldn't harm them.

Negative on the submersion. They are only about 1/4 inch deep. Idk how to manually shell a crab, at all let alone without getting pinched. Also on the water bowl, what should I use? How can I ensure they can safely get out? I've used these water dishes almost 3 years now.

Lovelittlecrabs17 wrote:Negative on the submersion. They are only about 1/4 inch deep. Idk how to manually shell a crab, at all let alone without getting pinched. Also on the water bowl, what should I use? How can I ensure they can safely get out? I've used these water dishes almost 3 years now.

A lot of us use disposable plastic containers that you can find in store. I'm currently using 2 plastic containers I got from take out food. I used a one hole punch and made a couple of holes at the tops of each container. Then I zip tied on craft mesh. This allows the crabs to climb in and out of the cotainer safely. You can put smooth rocks in the bottom too if you want to give them something to hang on to. To make sure you can easily remove the containers to change the water, have an identical container under the first. This will help keep the shape of the sand and protect any digging crabbies from being disturbed. I don't have a pic of my dishes, but I'll see if I can find a pic of someone else's on here so you can see what I'm talking about. Hope this helps!

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

This is @Overmountain1's water dish. You can see it to the left of the pic. It's a plastic container and deep enough for the crabbies to submerse in if they want. The white stuff is plastic craft mesh that you can usually find in a craft store.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

So Harley still hasn't taken a shell. He's in a container inside the tank. He won't move at all. How do you manually shell a crab that won't even flinch?

Did you rinse the shells in salt water? That helps, think of shells washed up on the beach by ocean. On the Emergency board there are several posts below yours addressing naked crabs and what to do. I have never had to do it, so I can't really say. Hopefully something there helps.

Idk. I think he's dead. He has not moved a bit, didn't grab onto the shell I put on him. I first noticed him naked Sunday night. I quarantined him Monday. I foolishly put dried shrimp in the bowl so of course Tuesday it was stinky so I got them all out. The same stink is still there this evening. I believe he's gone but I'm afraid to make that call prematurely.