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?

Play sand and eco earth mix and it gradually goes up to six(plus) 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?

Yes they are near the top away from the pools

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

Yes I have a UTH on the side

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 normally have fresh and salt water but my instant ocean went bad and I'm waiting on more to come so right now I only have fresh

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

I feed them a mix of things from hermit grub and I give the fruits and veggies from the fridge

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

I'm not sure how long I've had this one for (it's been more then a couple months) and I'm pretty sure I have onky purple pinchers

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

Yes and I think he just came up from one yesterday

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 20 gallon fish tank with a glass lid

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

I have five and my smallest one is in a shell with an opening 3/4 of an inch and my biggest is in a shell with an opening of 1 1/4 inches (about) (I know the tank is a little small I will be upgrading to a bigger one this summer)

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

Around 20

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

No

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

I clean their hides and (artificial) plants when I notice that they get really sandey or dirty and I clean both of their filtered pools once a month

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.)?

I haven't noticed any violence in my tank and all of my crabs get along fine and are overall pretty active except for the one I'm concerned about

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

One of my hermit crabs just came up from what I would assume a molt and I noticed he was struggling a little (his shell is a little too big but I do offer several smaller shells). I went to check on him earlier and he only moved about a couple of inches and I noticed a little leg next to him. I did some reading and it said maybe he was just stressed and I left him be so I wouldn't stress him more. But I just looked in the tank and I saw another leg I'm pretty sure it belongs to him but I'm not sure because I haven't touched him yet. I'm not sure if I should move him or something or what I can do to help Jim get better. And I haven't seen any of my other crabs going after him.
.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?

Play sand and eco earth mix and it gradually goes up to six(plus) inches
Curly - Your substrate should be at least 2-3 times as deep as your largest crab, even in the most shallow spot.

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?

Yes they are near the top away from the pools
Curly - What are the readings?

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

Yes I have a UTH on the side

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 normally have fresh and salt water but my instant ocean went bad and I'm waiting on more to come so right now I only have fresh
Curly - What do you mean 'went bad'? What dechlorinator are you using?

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

I feed them a mix of things from hermit grub and I give the fruits and veggies from the fridge
Curly - Do they get protein and calcium daily?

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

I'm not sure how long I've had this one for (it's been more then a couple months) and I'm pretty sure I have onky purple pinchers

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

Yes and I think he just came up from one yesterday

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 20 gallon fish tank with a glass lid

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

I have five and my smallest one is in a shell with an opening 3/4 of an inch and my biggest is in a shell with an opening of 1 1/4 inches (about) (I know the tank is a little small I will be upgrading to a bigger one this summer)
Curly - Yes, it sounds like your tank is probably crowded. Be sure to check to care sheet that outlines how many crabs of what size can be safely kept in what size of tank.

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

Around 20

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

No

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

I clean their hides and (artificial) plants when I notice that they get really sandey or dirty and I clean both of their filtered pools once a month

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.)?

I haven't noticed any violence in my tank and all of my crabs get along fine and are overall pretty active except for the one I'm concerned about

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

One of my hermit crabs just came up from what I would assume a molt and I noticed he was struggling a little (his shell is a little too big but I do offer several smaller shells). I went to check on him earlier and he only moved about a couple of inches and I noticed a little leg next to him. I did some reading and it said maybe he was just stressed and I left him be so I wouldn't stress him more. But I just looked in the tank and I saw another leg I'm pretty sure it belongs to him but I'm not sure because I haven't touched him yet. I'm not sure if I should move him or something or what I can do to help Jim get better. And I haven't seen any of my other crabs going after him.
.
Curly - Crabs can drop legs as a last ditch effort to conserve energy. What are your temp and humidity? Are you feeding animal protein daily? If he is weak, it would be ideal to isolate him from the other crabs, and feed some high energy foods like peanut butter and honey.

The readings for my temperature is 80°F and the humidity is 80%
My the mix for the instant ocean (like the powder) got really hard and I couldn't break it up and split it apart so I had to throw it out and I use prime to treat my water
And I do feed them a protein mix
For isolating him how do I set up the tank? Would I still put in a lot of sand to dig and borrow and would I still put in lots of stuff for him to climb on or do I keep it basic like a PPS tank?
And does it matter what brand for the peanut butter and honey I use?

Oh and I was also wondering how long would I have to keep him isolated for? Would I have to wait until his legs grow back or just until he becomes more active?

Im sorry for all the questions I just want him to be ok

Marine salts tend to do that, that’s why it’s recommended they be kept in an air-tight container. Prime alone doesn’t make saltwater

Isolation is just a basic setup, if he just molted he probably won’t again for a bit so deep substrate isn’t a priority, just keep him separate until normal activity levels return. Some people like to avoid the ingredients in processed peanut butters but any brand will do in a pinch


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Ok thank you