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?
5-1 ratio of plays and and coco fiber. It’s about 6 inches deep. It is getting really dry and I need to get new but there hasn’t been a good time

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? humidity 83% and temp 79.7°. I do struggle with humidity bc of my dry sand. But I try to keep it atleast above 70.


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I have a heat mat along the back side of my tank


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 both salt and fresh. I use repti safe for the fresh and this pre bottled hermit crab salt water I got at per co.


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? I feed them all types. I constantly have green sand egg shells and worm castings in there. But I feed them a mix of the hermit crab food you can find on Etsy. It’s like complete meals. They also like pumpkin powder and just random stuff like that.


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I’ve had the one that is pantless for almost exactly a year. I believe all 3 of them are pp


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? he’s molted twice with me each lasting about a month and a half. He came up from his most recent mole about the beginning of January 2024


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 a 20 gallon tank. I have a glass lid that is saran wrapped just to keep it humid.


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? I have 3 crabs. The one naked is about a 1.5in shell opening. The other is about a 1in and the third is about .5in or less (she’s molting rn so I can’t check.


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? about 15 shells ranging from 2 in diameter to 0.5 in diameter


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? I try not to spray anything in my room, but this morning there was a big spider in my bathroom so I got ready in my room and did spray some perfume (oops)


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I have not done a full deep clean bc I’ve always had at least one crab molting, but I do tidy like the food area. Clean empty shells and pick up any moss they have dragged around.


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no but I do have netting.


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? nope I tried a different brand of green sand but I can’t think of anything else. Oh I also got the third crab about a month ago.


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.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I’ve noticed my largest crab has been pretty lethargic, but i thought he was just getting ready to molt (it’s about time). But it’s been on going. So a couple days ago I gave him an energy boost. Made with organic honey worm casting calcium and some other things. He got a little better after that. But a couple hours ago I noticed he was pantless! He’s old shell was sitting in the salt water. I quickly (not calmly) scooped him up with a wooden spoon and put in in a small bowl with half an in of salt water and about 5 shells bigger and smaller facing up (along with his original). It’s been 2 hours and he’s sill not found some pants. He’s my oldest and biggest I don’t want to loose him. What else should I do. I’m too scared to manually re home him. Because I don’t want to hurt him.

Update- it’s been 24 hours now. And no one has responded so I tried to manually re home him about 5 hours ago, and it didn’t work. I’ve washed the shells as well. Can someone please answer with some advice!!

.

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
5-1 ratio of plays and and coco fiber. It’s about 6 inches deep. It is getting really dry and I need to get new but there hasn’t been a good time
Curly - You don't have to get new sub, you just have to add water. If you have crabs undergound, you can't mix it up - but you can heavily mist a number of times and allow the moisture to seep down into the sub. Or you can pout water along the edges and allow it to seep into all the sub.

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? humidity 83% and temp 79.7°. I do struggle with humidity bc of my dry sand. But I try to keep it atleast above 70.


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I have a heat mat along the back side of my tank


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 both salt and fresh. I use repti safe for the fresh and this pre bottled hermit crab salt water I got at per co.
Curly - Pre-bottled hermit crab salt water does not provide all the minerals that crabs need for long term health. You need a marine salt, like Instant Ocean. The dechlorinator you are using won't remove heavy metals, if that is an issue with your tap water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? I feed them all types. I constantly have green sand egg shells and worm castings in there. But I feed them a mix of the hermit crab food you can find on Etsy. It’s like complete meals. They also like pumpkin powder and just random stuff like that.


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I’ve had the one that is pantless for almost exactly a year. I believe all 3 of them are pp


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? he’s molted twice with me each lasting about a month and a half. He came up from his most recent mole about the beginning of January 2024


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 a 20 gallon tank. I have a glass lid that is saran wrapped just to keep it humid.


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? I have 3 crabs. The one naked is about a 1.5in shell opening. The other is about a 1in and the third is about .5in or less (she’s molting rn so I can’t check.


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? about 15 shells ranging from 2 in diameter to 0.5 in diameter


11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? I try not to spray anything in my room, but this morning there was a big spider in my bathroom so I got ready in my room and did spray some perfume (oops)


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I have not done a full deep clean bc I’ve always had at least one crab molting, but I do tidy like the food area. Clean empty shells and pick up any moss they have dragged around.


13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? no but I do have netting.


14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? nope I tried a different brand of green sand but I can’t think of anything else. Oh I also got the third crab about a month ago.


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.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.
I’ve noticed my largest crab has been pretty lethargic, but i thought he was just getting ready to molt (it’s about time). But it’s been on going. So a couple days ago I gave him an energy boost. Made with organic honey worm casting calcium and some other things. He got a little better after that. But a couple hours ago I noticed he was pantless! He’s old shell was sitting in the salt water. I quickly (not calmly) scooped him up with a wooden spoon and put in in a small bowl with half an in of salt water and about 5 shells bigger and smaller facing up (along with his original). It’s been 2 hours and he’s sill not found some pants. He’s my oldest and biggest I don’t want to loose him. What else should I do. I’m too scared to manually re home him. Because I don’t want to hurt him.

Update- it’s been 24 hours now. And no one has responded so I tried to manually re home him about 5 hours ago, and it didn’t work. I’ve washed the shells as well. Can someone please answer with some advice!!
Curly - All you can do is to try to get him back into a shell. One of the hard parts about crabbing is that we can't run any diagnostics to know what the problem is when they get sick. I would try again with the small bowl or cup, and less water (like just enough to cover the bottom) using fresh water. Do you have any shells that are lighter than what he was in? If so, offer that. And if that doesn't work, again try to manually re-shell him.