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?
I use ecoearth mixed with sand. There isn't much height in the temporary cage so there is only about 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?
No gauges.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I have a heatpad covering the back of it.

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 a water bowl in there with fresh water but every time I filled it he ends up burying it so I just spray down the cage daily and pour water in it if the dirt gets dry.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed him a variety of foods everyday like fruits, vegetables, egg shell, whole wheat bread, and cooked meats(no spices).

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have kept him for 2 years and he is a purple pincer.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
He hasn't molted in about one and a half years.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
I have been holding him in a critter carrier temporarily. I am not sure about the volume of it but it has one of those ventilated lids they always have.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
1 crab and I am not sure how big he exactly is.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
There aren't any in there right now.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
Not to my knowledge.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean the tank they are usually in every 6 months.

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

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.)?
He is usually held in a 20 gallon tank with a tankmate who just finished molting. I moved back in October, right before the move one of them molted, and I separated them. I kept the molter at the old house and the one who isn't molting in a critter carrier not expecting a 2.5 month molt. I moved him up to the new house. The molter recently surfaced and I haven't been able to re-introduce them yet.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
After dinner when checking up on him he was perfectly fine and just sitting in the once again buried water dish. I then checked on him a few hours later to feed him and found him limp with his head hung low. He reacted to my hand by moving his eye stalks and legs a bit. I am very concerned since this is abnormal behavior, and the last time I saw behavior like this the crab died. If he is molting I am scared of a surface molt which I don't know what to do about. Trying to figure it out on my own I remembered nights when watching him I'd see him eating more than usual like one night when I found large chunks of a spinach leaf eaten picked out of it and eaten. There have also been periods of time where he'd just dig around out of sight. Other days he'd just do nothing and sit around in the same space. I don't know what to do and I don't know if he is dying or preparing to molt.
Here is an image that should hopefully help if visable:

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Your image isn't visible, you will need to use an image sharing site. Or post from the app Tapatalk.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have kept your crab in unknown or suboptimal conditions for almost three months. You need to get him back into proper conditions asap, in order to give him the best chance of survival. You don't know the temp or humidity in the critter keeper, he has no extra shells, and he does not have deep enough substrate to molt. Now that he is weakened, he needs to be kept separate from your other crab. Presuming that your main tank has proper temperature and humidity, you could put the critter keeper into that tank. If he needs to molt and he has been unable to dig down to do so, he will surface molt; they can't put it off indefinitely. But he may be too weak to be able to dig down if given deep enough substrate now.

If he does pull through, in future, you could have added him back into the main tank, even tho the other crab was molting. Crabs don't need to be separated to molt.

curlysister wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 01, 2022 11:45 pm

Your image isn't visible, you will need to use an image sharing site. Or post from the app Tapatalk.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have kept your crab in unknown or suboptimal conditions for almost three months. You need to get him back into proper conditions asap, in order to give him the best chance of survival. You don't know the temp or humidity in the critter keeper, he has no extra shells, and he does not have deep enough substrate to molt. Now that he is weakened, he needs to be kept separate from your other crab. Presuming that your main tank has proper temperature and humidity, you could put the critter keeper into that tank. If he needs to molt and he has been unable to dig down to do so, he will surface molt; they can't put it off indefinitely. But he may be too weak to be able to dig down if given deep enough substrate now.

If he does pull through, in future, you could have added him back into the main tank, even tho the other crab was molting. Crabs don't need to be separated to molt.

I would move the critter keeper into the tank but don't take him out of the critter keeper? Then if he gets better I can put them back together? I want to make sure I am doing this right.

Yes, if you have room to do that, then you would know that he has the same temp and humidity as your main tank (I am presuming that you have gauges on the main tank, and that the temp and humidity are good in there), but in his weakened state the other crab won't be able to get to him.

There are gauges in the tank and I took out the hut to move him in. I also moved the driftwood away from where the hut was to ensure the other crab couldn't climb up to it. I'm willing to bet this I all I can do now. Just keep feeding them, don't disturb him too much, and wait for him to get better.