HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
its a mix of eco earth and playsand its about 4 inches deep but we're getting more

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 i dont but im trying to upgrade his tank right now

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
no its pretty hot in our room

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)?
we have salt and fresh water umm i use zoo med for saltwater and bottled water for fresh.. salt water has 1 tsp per cup

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
i feed fresh food eggs, mangoes, meat, chicken and stuff like that we replace it every day

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
ive had him for 4 years and i think hes a purple pincher

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
he molted before yes and last time was in april

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
its a 10 gallon tank and it has a mesh lid

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
we only have 1 crab he killed the others hes about the size of a quarter i think

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
4

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
i dont have an exact schedule but every 2 weeks i take everything out and wipe it down then put stuff back in

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
i added some more climbin areas but i made sure to clean then before using

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.)?
no

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
okay so i was cleaning out his tank and i put his shells out and he went over to them and tackled one of them, i thought he was just pretending to kill it or something cuz hes done that before but then he started trying to go in it but it was one of the smaller ones so he went back to his old shell.. i have shells coming in the mail so he'll get bigger ones but is this bad??? after that hes been really jumpy and not acting like himself, earlier he was running all over my bed and he was climbing everywhere in his tank so this isnt like him at all. im scared for him is he gonna be alright?? thanks in advance

oh and by the way before you attack me for only having one crab we're getting more we're just scared if he will kill the others again but we're gonna get one more before we get a bigger tank

Hermit crabs will try out almost any shell that catches their eye, and in some cases that can include smaller shells.

As for the jumpiness, that’s normal. They’re at the bottom of the food chain in the wild and their eyesight isn’t as refined as ours so sudden shadows and movements can startle them.


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