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? 6 inches of 5:1 playsand to eco earth, sandcastle consistency


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, the temperature is 80 degrees and the humidity stays around 75-85%


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? i uses bean farm heat mats on the sides of the tank with a PID thermostat


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)? fresh and salt water, using seachem prime in both, and instant ocean for the saltwater pool


5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? i feed mostly balanced mixes from HermitGrub on Etsy, along with foraging dishes that have greensand, wormcasting, cuttlebone, spray millet, timothy hay, and starfish. i change the dinner dish out every other night and the foraging dishes out every week


6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? he is a purple pincher, i’ve had him for about 5 months


7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? he had his first molt with me about three weeks 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 were in a 30 gal tank, 3 nights ago i moved them to the upgrade i have been working on which is 150 gallons


9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 3, they are all small


10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? i have 26 shells mostly turbo shells all the proper sizes for all 3 of them


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


12. How often do you clean the tank and how? i change the water every 3ish days, and spot clean the sand by scooping it up if there’s any food spilled


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.)?


16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

my shyest hermie is naked:( i found him this morning in the saltwater dish, with his shell barley hanging on, so i kept an eye on him and with in 30 minutes he had completely dropped his shell. so i put some super super moist eco earth in a small Tupperware container and put tons of shells his size including his old shell, and gently scooped him up with a plastic spoon and put him in. it’s been about 40 mins, and he’s looking at the shells, but hasn’t picked one yet. my other 2 crabs seem fine, i think he may have dropped it due to stress from the tank change. also what should i do once he re shells? is he ok to go back in his tank when he re shells?

UPDATE: he got back in his original shell within about an hour, so i put him back in his tank with the other 2 crabs, but he is now laying in the coconut hut half out of his shell not moving:( maybe attempting a surface molt??? he buried himself for a little over a month and i assumed he was molting then but maybe not??

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It's good that he went back into a shell.
I would keep him isolated from your other crabs - even in an empty margarine container with holes cut in the lid, in the main tank. Give him some high energy foods.

curlysister wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 15, 2024 1:11 am

It's good that he went back into a shell.
I would keep him isolated from your other crabs - even in an empty margarine container with holes cut in the lid, in the main tank. Give him some high energy foods.

He stayed in the coconut hut all night, i did look him a little bit and inspect the tank and it doesn’t seem like mites. my other crabs have lived with him for 5 months, and they seem healthy and active. he has a tendency to get extremely stressed at even the smallest things like weekly tank maintenance, so i think i’m going to leave him in his coconut hut and keep a close eye on him, my other crabs don’t bother him. i did put some extra shells and a separate food dish in there with him, but he hasn’t seemed to touch it. I really think he’s doing this because he needs a bigger shell, but he he won’t change from his old one, he’s been in the same shell for almost over 5 months even though i’ve bought him about 8 shells, all the correct size and shape, he’s just super picky. if he abandons his shell again, should i only offer slightly bigger shells and take away the old one and see if he will finally get in one that fits him better? the one he refuses to change out of is definitely way too small

No, always offer the shell they vacated. Obviously there is something that he really likes about that shell.