HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have been taking care of this legless land hermit crab for a few weeks currently. Either by hand feeding or by placing him face down upon a piece of food.
I am not sure his species but there are many around my area on this Caribbean island, in French West Indies. They do not go into the sea but they seek humidity from that I see.

Last week there are new cream white growths where his legs used to be. Recently however he has decided to crawl out of his shell. I cannot get him to go back in. He has no motility apart from the few legs that are below the main claws and legs.

I am not versed at all in hermit crabs and there are conflicting info online. What should I do ?
1 Is it alright to keep feeding him while out of the shell
2 what environment should he have without his shell ?
3 should i make concerted effort to stuff him back in the shell, risking injury
4 any other info I need

I am willing to kill him should he only suffer for the rest of his life but it seems he is regrowing his legs.


his name is Boris

Picture is here https://ibb.co/CHWrFs0

Thank you in advance, any advice appreciated

Boris is probably a Caribbean hermit crab, otherwise known as a Purple Pincher.
Rinse out his shell quickly in case there is a bit of something in there that irritated him.
Put him in a small container such as a bowl with a little bit of water in the bottom and his shell, and lay a small towel or washcloth on top. Place this in a dark, warm place and leave him alone for 30 minutes or so.
What have you been feeding him? The things he needs most are protein (any meat, raw or cooked), calcium (eggshells are a good source), and high-energy foods such as honey or natural peanut butter.
What conditions has he been kept in? The white growths are signs that he will need to molt soon, and when he molts his legs ought to grow back.

Do you have any smaller / lighter shells that he could try? The one you have may be too large/ too heavy for him.

hermitsinnc wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 21, 2022 7:55 pm

Boris is probably a Caribbean hermit crab, otherwise known as a Purple Pincher.
Rinse out his shell quickly in case there is a bit of something in there that irritated him.
Put him in a small container such as a bowl with a little bit of water in the bottom and his shell, and lay a small towel or washcloth on top. Place this in a dark, warm place and leave him alone for 30 minutes or so.
What have you been feeding him? The things he needs most are protein (any meat, raw or cooked), calcium (eggshells are a good source), and high-energy foods such as honey or natural peanut butter.
What conditions has he been kept in? The white growths are signs that he will need to molt soon, and when he molts his legs ought to grow back.

https://ibb.co/NNmVDyQ
This is his new enclosure

https://postimg.cc/0KdpKvJm
This is a closer look at his state.

I currently have placed him on a damp cloth that I keep humid, under a plastic cover with an open side, and cover him with leaves to provide darkness. He has a little food near his mouth,
I give him dog food soaked so it is easier for him to eat, and whatever i am eating that day, pasta etc.
i will give him the food you recommend .

1 Is it better to leave him alone until he molts?
2 How many times a day should I check on him ?
3 should I bury him ?
4 he has no shell (in that I cannot put him back in) will this complicate molting ?

Thank you

Bruh8413 wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 22, 2022 10:28 am

1 Is it better to leave him alone until he molts?
2 How many times a day should I check on him ?
3 should I bury him ?
4 he has no shell (in that I cannot put him back in) will this complicate molting ?

He really does need to be in a shell ASAP. Right now his soft abdomen (back end) is exposed, which is not good for him at all. (I understand you're trying your best, but at this point it's really up to him.) What Curly said is right; he's probably too weak and his shell may be too heavy for him.

Usually, when hermit crabs molt, they dig underground. Without his legs and claws, Boris will not be able to do that, and his molt will be a surface molt.

Some things you need to know about surface molts:
-they are not an ideal situation and have a higher mortality rate
-when his old exoskeleton comes off, it may look like a dead crab
-he needs to eat his old exoskeleton, don't remove it
-his new exoskeleton will take at least a month to harden
-his molting hormones will not work without darkness, so you need to keep his area as dark as possible
-he will be very weak for a while after

Some people have been able to rescue legless hermit crabs and keep them alive until their molt. Assuming he does molt successfully, do you plan to keep him?

1. You can continue what you've been doing with the hand feeding, but don't mess with him if it's not necessary.
2. As little as possible is probably best. Just do whatever food changes/rewetting the cloth you need to do and look at him then.
3. No, don't bury him.
4. Like I said before, being in a shell is very important. I don't think it will complicate molting *specifically,* but it complicates his life and breathing until then.

you should not put him with any other crabs or they will eat him.

And also when you rinse his shell make sure to use dechlorinated water and also maybe splash his abdomen lightly with water to keep it healthy.

Tim cuthbert wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 22, 2022 11:15 am

And also when you rinse his shell make sure to use dechlorinated water and also maybe splash his abdomen lightly with water to keep it healthy.

This thread is two months old, and the OP has not been back to update us. I'm not sure that the crab was alive at that point, and if he would not take a shell, it was not a good prognosis.

Oh, ok. R.I.P Boris