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?
Lowes play sand about one and a half to two crabs deep, unsure measurements


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?

Turtle tank across the room does, they read seventy six degrees and 60 humidity today it varies with the weather

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

None right now, I live wwhere its hot in the summer it's been plenty warm rain cooled everything off this week though

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)?

I have distilled water in the tank, did have salt water in it earlier in the year lost the salt water conditioner

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

I use hermit crab pellets, Cheetos, lasagna, fruit, shrimp tails, fish, parakeet seed, like really just a little of what I'm eating and her own food. Replace it when she has left it alone for a few days or so after she burries it, eats it, or it has sat a few days to a week or so depending on how much is in there and what's she's been doing with it. Or what she's been doing, like hiding or whatever.

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

Purple pincher,
I had her for. A little over two years she was a birthday present with two other crabs that never molted and died.


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

Molted this week, it's her first molt in my care

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

Ten gallon aquarium, no lid

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

One.
She is by herself and she's about the size of a tennis ball
Or a little bigger than my fist

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

I used to keep several in there but she would only mess with it or change into it and it would be too small then that lasted for only a day or so, and she would go back and leave it alone. Cannot find a bigger she'll anywhere. I found one at a yards sale and it was too big or something and she didn't stay in it for a full day even. Right now there isn't any, bc that's all I had, I have been searching for a shell for her since I got her without finding any, help would be great.

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

Sulfuric aci, drain-o, vinegar, pine sol ( tanks between the living rooms Ms kitchen, we mopped the floor and unstopped the sink), and the mosquito sprayer came by idk if the window was open or not

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

I clean it when I find that she has burries food that I didn't notice and it has gathered mold. And when each of the other crabs died, and when the baby crabs they laid a year or so ago died, bc I didn't want germs from that to make them sick, So maybe once every two months.... Maybe sooner maybe not depends on when I find itneeda to be cleaned.

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

Nope. Used to have one, other crab died on it, so I threw it out and she seems to be doing good and drinking water out of the bowl, she dinks a lot of water and plays in it

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

I have a jingle ball for my bunny, it's plastic and has a bell, I also have her a box for hiding and climbing and stuff, like every so often I try and find toys to make their little lives better bc they are smart, and I want them to be comfortable so the box was for hiding, it's been there was out a month or so ball a few weeks

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.)?

Of it gets dry I set her in the water bowl, I like to take her out in the yard or to play in my room or on shorter car trips and things. She likes to watch the nintindo switch, which I think is funny that she actually focuses on it, I don't do these things often at all, I do pick her up pretty often to hold her and let her crawl and climb on my arm hand and get some exercise out of cage. And if she's been in shell on the sand for a few days I'll replace food and set her in the water bowl and then on the food if she's in interested in the water after a while, and play in the yard when its warm and humid.

She has been alone for I guess a year or a year and a half so I like to spend a lot of time with her when I can

She had been burring a lot in the sand recent lly for about a week and tunneled around and around, and I finally didn't see her for a while several days later I saw she was under her box, in a small hole and I thought she was dead, next to her was her dead skin, after a panic moment of oh I lost my crab, I saw she had changed skin and was in the shell again, a soft light color, and I was much relived and excited bc I had been waiting for her skin to change for so long, and she was ok, and then the emergency situation in the next box happened I just copy an pasted from the other post

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.


.Hi,
This is the first molt my crab has done since I got it a few years ago, so I had no idea what to do,

So Shelly shedded her skin. But, a few hours later I picked her up, which I gathered quickly was the wrong things to do

I put her back but I wasn't gentle I'm afraid o hurt it
How do I care for a post molting crab, do I must it with water or leave it be? Should I clean the tank, reason I checked on her is bc food had gatheredold, and was going to clean it,and I hadn't seen her for little bit do I clean it? Do I need to make the water or food closer? Do I need to rinse her off bc I think I got sand in her joints by putting her in the tank again? Did I just kill her by messing with her after her molt, like is she moved her legs a little bc she wasn't comfortable with being handled, but is she going to die bc I handled her too soon after molting? Do I need to get it a new shell- it's had the same shell for a few years and I cannot find a bigger one that it likes anywhere if it needs a new one where do you get your shells and how do I know what kind to get?

Having gauges to measure the temperature and humidity is an absolute necessity to keeping hermit crabs alive. Temperature between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal, too much lower or higher than than can lead to serious injury or death. Humidity between 75 and 85 % is ideal, if it is lower than that for very long that is again a life-threatening situation because they need humidity in order to breathe properly. Having a gauge in a different tank across the room will tell you the temp and humidity in THAT tank, but not what they are in the hermit crab's tank. If you can't buy another one right now, at least put the one you do have in the hermit crab tank for an hour or so and see what the temp and humidity are. With no lid at all, unless it is very humid in your house, there is probably a serious lack of humidity.

She sounds pretty large, which may be why she was able to go so long without molting, but crabs need to be able to molt when they need to molt, or they will die. They can put off molting for a while if conditions do not allow for molting, but if they do this too long they will die. It sounds like maybe your conditions are not allowing for normal molting. The fact that the others never molted and then died, and that this one has not molted for two years and then basically did a surface molt, makes me suspect that. You say you have play sand for substrate, and it is at least two times as deep as your crab? Is it "sand castle" moist? In other words, if you put your finger down in there, will the hole made by your finger stay well-formed? If not, you need to moisten it with dechlorinated water (or filtered spring water, or distilled water). To molt properly and safely, they need to be able to burrow down under the substrate, make a molting cave for themselves, and stay there in the dark, safe place undisturbed.

Crabs absolutely need both fresh water and Marine Salt Water. They need both kinds of water, in deep enough containers, so that they can submerge and regulate their shell water.

For now, you need to do only what is necessary to get the temperature and humidity into a safe range, cover her over with a cocohut or something so she is in the dark, or drape a towel or something over the whole tank to make it all dark, make sure she has some food and both kinds of water in there for her, and leave her alone. The more you mess with her, the more stressed she will be and the more likely she will have trouble. Best wishes!

Curly - DragonsFly answered most of your questions, I'll just add a few things.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Lowes play sand about one and a half to two crabs deep, unsure measurements
Curly - Substrate should be at least three times as deep as your largest crab. As DF said, it needs to be sand castle consistency so crabs can tunnel and make caves that do not collapse.

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?

Turtle tank across the room does, they read seventy six degrees and 60 humidity today it varies with the weather
Curly - As DF said, you absolutely need to have the gauges in the crab's tank. If your tank's humidity is 60%, that is too low for the crabs to be able to breathe through their modified gills.
Here is the care sheet on humidity:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 26&t=92544

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

None right now, I live wwhere its hot in the summer it's been plenty warm rain cooled everything off this week though

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)?

I have distilled water in the tank, did have salt water in it earlier in the year lost the salt water conditioner
Curly - You are better to use tap water, and treat it with a dechlorinator - distilled water does not have the ground minerals that tap water does. And as DF said, crabs also need marine salt water. Use the dechlorinated water and then add the marine salt to it. Here is the care sheet on water:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 27&t=92553

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

I use hermit crab pellets, Cheetos, lasagna, fruit, shrimp tails, fish, parakeet seed, like really just a little of what I'm eating and her own food. Replace it when she has left it alone for a few days or so after she burries it, eats it, or it has sat a few days to a week or so depending on how much is in there and what's she's been doing with it. Or what she's been doing, like hiding or whatever.
Curly - Hermit crabs need a varied diet, including protein and calcium daily.
Here is the nutrition care sheet:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92554

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

Purple pincher,
I had her for. A little over two years she was a birthday present with two other crabs that never molted and died.


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

Molted this week, it's her first molt in my care

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

Ten gallon aquarium, no lid

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

One.
She is by herself and she's about the size of a tennis ball
Or a little bigger than my fist

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

I used to keep several in there but she would only mess with it or change into it and it would be too small then that lasted for only a day or so, and she would go back and leave it alone. Cannot find a bigger she'll anywhere. I found one at a yards sale and it was too big or something and she didn't stay in it for a full day even. Right now there isn't any, bc that's all I had, I have been searching for a shell for her since I got her without finding any, help would be great.
Curly - HCA recommends three to five extra shells per crab.
Here is the shells care sheet:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 24&t=92552

People source shells online, from places like Naples Sea Shells, Richard's Shells, Etsty, etc.

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

Sulfuric aci, drain-o, vinegar, pine sol ( tanks between the living rooms Ms kitchen, we mopped the floor and unstopped the sink), and the mosquito sprayer came by idk if the window was open or not
Curly -I would tend to try to minimize the amount of fumes that crabs are exposed to. A lid on the tank will help too.

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

I clean it when I find that she has burries food that I didn't notice and it has gathered mold. And when each of the other crabs died, and when the baby crabs they laid a year or so ago died, bc I didn't want germs from that to make them sick, So maybe once every two months.... Maybe sooner maybe not depends on when I find itneeda to be cleaned.
Curly - Spot cleaning is all that is needed, you don't to change all the substrate.

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

Nope. Used to have one, other crab died on it, so I threw it out and she seems to be doing good and drinking water out of the bowl, she dinks a lot of water and plays in it

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

I have a jingle ball for my bunny, it's plastic and has a bell, I also have her a box for hiding and climbing and stuff, like every so often I try and find toys to make their little lives better bc they are smart, and I want them to be comfortable so the box was for hiding, it's been there was out a month or so ball a few weeks

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.)?

Of it gets dry I set her in the water bowl, I like to take her out in the yard or to play in my room or on shorter car trips and things. She likes to watch the nintindo switch, which I think is funny that she actually focuses on it, I don't do these things often at all, I do pick her up pretty often to hold her and let her crawl and climb on my arm hand and get some exercise out of cage. And if she's been in shell on the sand for a few days I'll replace food and set her in the water bowl and then on the food if she's in interested in the water after a while, and play in the yard when its warm and humid.

She has been alone for I guess a year or a year and a half so I like to spend a lot of time with her when I can

She had been burring a lot in the sand recent lly for about a week and tunneled around and around, and I finally didn't see her for a while several days later I saw she was under her box, in a small hole and I thought she was dead, next to her was her dead skin, after a panic moment of oh I lost my crab, I saw she had changed skin and was in the shell again, a soft light color, and I was much relived and excited bc I had been waiting for her skin to change for so long, and she was ok, and then the emergency situation in the next box happened I just copy an pasted from the other post
Curly - Crabs carry a mix of fresh and salt water in their shell with them. You shouldn't put them into water or bathe them, they will replace their water as they need to.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.


.Hi,
This is the first molt my crab has done since I got it a few years ago, so I had no idea what to do,

So Shelly shedded her skin. But, a few hours later I picked her up, which I gathered quickly was the wrong things to do

I put her back but I wasn't gentle I'm afraid o hurt it
How do I care for a post molting crab, do I must it with water or leave it be? Should I clean the tank, reason I checked on her is bc food had gatheredold, and was going to clean it,and I hadn't seen her for little bit do I clean it? Do I need to make the water or food closer? Do I need to rinse her off bc I think I got sand in her joints by putting her in the tank again? Did I just kill her by messing with her after her molt, like is she moved her legs a little bc she wasn't comfortable with being handled, but is she going to die bc I handled her too soon after molting? Do I need to get it a new shell- it's had the same shell for a few years and I cannot find a bigger one that it likes anywhere if it needs a new one where do you get your shells and how do I know what kind to get?
Curly - DF has described what to do with your crab now. I agree that your crabs put off molting for as long as they could, because conditions are not right for molting. Be prepared that your crab may not survive this surface molt, as it has not had ideal conditions up to this point. You have a number of improvements that need to be made, in order for crabs to survive and thrive.
Here is the 'basics' care sheet to start with:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 0&t=119273