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?
Coral sand mixed with different types of salt aquarium sand. It is about 10cm deep

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

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
No

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)?
Both fresh and salt water are available. Water is treated using Nutrafin Aqua+ dechlorinator. The salt mix is 100g of salt to 10 gallon of fresh water

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
The hermit crabs are fed pet bought hermit crab food which is replaced every 2 to 3 days. They are also fed fresh food eg. apples, papaya, watermelon every saturday.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
We've had the hermit crab for about 6 months and we do not know the species, but it looks a lot like an indonesian hermit crab.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
The hermit crab molted in August, which is 2 months ago.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are kept in a 10 gallon tank with a small cave inside. The only other cover is from the moss

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 hermit crabs, both are about palm size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Only 1

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
The tank is usually cleaned by using a small shovel to pick up any dirt every 3 days but recently it was not touched so as to not disturb the naked crab.

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?
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.)?
No

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I have 2 hermit crabs, one purple one red. 2 days ago I was going to take them out for feeding. When I tried to take out purple, he was in a cave, so a took him by his shell to try and drag him out. Normally he would just retreat into his shell and let himself be taken for feeding. However, it might have been that I took him out too quickly, but he just slipped out of his shell and remained in the cave. I left the shell in the cave with him for him to reshell himself. However, purple came out of the cave a few hours later, still without his shell. I took him out of the tank and into a box with water and the shell to encourage him to reshell. He did reshell himself on the next day and I put him back into the tank, but he slipped out of his shell again after an hour. I did not want to traumatize him too much by taking him out of the tank again so I let him be and checked on him later. Now its been more than 24 hours since he came out of his shell. He does not take a shell even though I put the two shells available including his old shell in front of him. He does not seem stressed at all or threatened as he is still going about his daily routine, except now he goes to the water more often. He is also not injured or losing limbs. What could be the problem and what should I do?

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1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Coral sand mixed with different types of salt aquarium sand. It is about 10cm deep
Curly - I'm not sure what those sands are, so I hope someone else can weigh in on this.

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
Curly - A thermometer and hygrometer (usually in one unit) are one of the things that are really mandatory for a crab tank. they need humidity around 80% to be able to breathe through their modified gills, and they need heat also around 80F.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
No
Curly - Once you have a thermometer, you will know how much you need to boost your heat with a heater. Most of us use a UTH (under tank heater) mounted on the back or side of the tank (they are NOT used under the tank for crabs, despite their name).

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)?
Both fresh and salt water are available. Water is treated using Nutrafin Aqua+ dechlorinator. The salt mix is 100g of salt to 10 gallon of fresh water
Curly - Be sure to check the 'water' care sheet. You will need a dechlorinator that removes chlorine and heavy metals. And you will need to use a marine salt to provide all the mineral needed for long term health. Seachem Prime is a commonly used brand of dechlorinator, and Instant Ocean is a commonly used brand of marine salt.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
The hermit crabs are fed pet bought hermit crab food which is replaced every 2 to 3 days. They are also fed fresh food eg. apples, papaya, watermelon every saturday.
Curly - Crabs need a varied diet, which includes protein and calcium daily. Most commercial 'pellet' type foods aren't appropriate to use for long term health. Be sure to check the 'nutrition' care sheet for all the info about feeding. They can eat many of the same things we do.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
We've had the hermit crab for about 6 months and we do not know the species, but it looks a lot like an indonesian hermit crab.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
The hermit crab molted in August, which is 2 months ago.
Curly - Did it dig underground and bury itself to molt?

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are kept in a 10 gallon tank with a small cave inside. The only other cover is from the moss

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
2 hermit crabs, both are about palm size

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Only 1
Curly - HCA Recommends 3 to 5 extra shells per crab. Be sure to check the 'shells' care sheet, so that you get the appropriate type of shells for your species of crab.

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

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
The tank is usually cleaned by using a small shovel to pick up any dirt every 3 days but recently it was not touched so as to not disturb the naked crab.

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?
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.)?
No

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I have 2 hermit crabs, one purple one red. 2 days ago I was going to take them out for feeding. When I tried to take out purple, he was in a cave, so a took him by his shell to try and drag him out. Normally he would just retreat into his shell and let himself be taken for feeding. However, it might have been that I took him out too quickly, but he just slipped out of his shell and remained in the cave. I left the shell in the cave with him for him to reshell himself. However, purple came out of the cave a few hours later, still without his shell. I took him out of the tank and into a box with water and the shell to encourage him to reshell. He did reshell himself on the next day and I put him back into the tank, but he slipped out of his shell again after an hour. I did not want to traumatize him too much by taking him out of the tank again so I let him be and checked on him later. Now its been more than 24 hours since he came out of his shell. He does not take a shell even though I put the two shells available including his old shell in front of him. He does not seem stressed at all or threatened as he is still going about his daily routine, except now he goes to the water more often. He is also not injured or losing limbs. What could be the problem and what should I do?
Curly - A crab will drop it's shell when it is too weak to carry it. A naked crab is an emergency, they will die without their shell. There could be a number of factors causing him to be weak - the temp or humdity could be too low, their nutrition may need more variety, or he could be weak from what he went through before you got him. There is a care sheet that says what to do for a naked crab - which includes putting them into a small container with a couple of shells like you did. You need to do that again. And keep him separate from the other crab, because he may not be strong enough to defend himself. Feed some high energy foods like honey, peanut butter, fruits, and bee pollen, as well as sources of protein and calcium.

blood worms, brine shrimp, calci worms, cockroaches (dead) and crickets (dead) are all great sources of protein that you can get at your local petstore. another good source of protein that you probably have on hand are eggs (they can be served cooked or uncooked). you can crush up egg shells and offer them to your crabs as a quick and cheap source of calcium too. you can also get cuttlebone at the petstore as a source of calcium. I usually put mine in a bag and then break it apart, then I put the chunks in their calcium dish.

if he's weak, you'll want to put the food and calcium within reach so he doesn't have to move much to get it.