HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I recently adopted some hermits today from petco, all of them are very active except one, hes alive but seems so weak. Should I isolate the little guy? Thanks everyone

Its always safe to go ahead and put a crab in iso. Just incase. Expecially if you can. Id go ahesd and make sure they can get to water and food. Id offer some honey, animal protein and calcium. Im so sorry im not sure what else but im sure a more knowledge able crabber will have an answer.

It might be a good idea to put some damp moss in iso to help keep humidity where you want it.

LadyJinglyJones wrote:It might be a good idea to put some damp moss in iso to help keep humidity where you want it.

i normally like to take a tuppy container and put it inside my main tank with a face cloth or hand towel that i soaked in treated FW. that i find keeps it dark and humid. moss isnt a bad idea too tho. since it can make a nice soft hide and they can eat it along with the humidity boost.

quick update: checking on the little guy every now and then, still super weak. Going to put him in a ISO inside the main tank and hope for the best. Does anyone know the reason why he could be so weak? it's heartbreaking

fill this out so everyone can get a better idea of whats happening

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

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? -

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

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)?

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

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

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

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?

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

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

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

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

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?

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.

It could be PPS (Post Purchase Syndrome). Unfortunately all hermit crabs are plucked from the wild and put through extremely treacherous conditions before they land in pet shops...and even then who knows their fate. Sometimes they just are unable to make it. That is why we do not want to purchase them. (We don't want to support the industry). We want to adopt from people looking to find homes for theirs. Best wishes! I pray your crab makes it! Hopefully it is just adjusting to the better conditions, but it's hard to tell without the questions answered.


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Update: I didn't answer the questions because they had nothing to do with the hermit and it was a little too late since he passed away the following night, he was frail the minute i got him I just didn't realize how weak he was when i had him inside my tank. He would move but no power inside of him to hold onto anything. As for buying the hermits, I buy them from stores because I like to think I'm saving them and putting them into a better environment with bigger space,climbing, healthier non painted shells, water and different food everyday. I've searched for anyone wanting to give up their hermits but no luck so far. Thanks everyone for trying to help. If you guys still need me to answer the questions I will still do so

You don't have to answer the questions, but they do give us a good overview of your crabitat, and care methods. I feel like it never hurts to have more info, and it could potentially prevent another crab in tank from suffering the same fate. Many times, like got butterflies mentioned it's something as simple as pps, other times it's a bit more complicated, and the answers to the questions help us pinpoint exactly what the problem may be as it is hard to speculate much over the internet with little or no info.

Rawrgeous wrote:You don't have to answer the questions, but they do give us a good overview of your crabitat, and care methods. I feel like it never hurts to have more info, and it could potentially prevent another crab in tank from suffering the same fate. Many times, like got butterflies mentioned it's something as simple as pps, other times it's a bit more complicated, and the answers to the questions help us pinpoint exactly what the problem may be as it is hard to speculate much over the internet with little or no info.

I couldn't have said it better. I work in pet care and there are times that i want to hit myself for not thinking to ask something as simple as what treats do you feed your dog? You never know.

So sorry for your loss


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Just Jay wrote:fill this out so everyone can get a better idea of whats happening

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand and coconut fiber, sand castle consistency, sand is 7inches in depth
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, 72 degrees ferenheit and 80-90% humidity

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? heat lamp for a little bit, heat pad all day, with the heater being on during the winter seasons i don't need heat lamp

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 water, salt water, both have their own 1gallon jugs, i measure 1tsp for salt and 1tsp for the water dechlorinater

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? unseasoned meat, veggies, fruit. Changing everyday

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I've had some crabs for 2 years, some for just a couple of days. I have some purple pinchers and some Ecuadorian

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? my older hermits have molted

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 100+ gallon tank, i have acrylic slabs with slits for air to flow in and out, tons of climbing, and a humidifier inside to boost humidty

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 12, i'm not sure

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 20

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? other than my pumpkin candles nope

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I only clean the tank when i notice some sort of mildew building up inside the corners of the tank, I'll carefully take each hermit out, then all the decorations, throw out all the substrate, clean the tank with soap and do a final rinse with the dechlorinator, and i'll rinse the decorations+shells and depending on how dirty i think those are i'll boil them for a little bit.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? nope

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? more decorations

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 can't really think of any right now :roll:

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

a crab died when i brought it home

[quote="madiem"][quote="fill this out so everyone can get a better idea of whats happening

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? play sand and coconut fiber, sand castle consistency, sand is 7inches in depth

Gb: it should be at the minimum twice the size of your largest crab . Please also keep in mind E's are huge diggers, so you really should go deeper than that so molders will be safe.

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, 72 degrees ferenheit and 80-90% humidity

Gb: you need to get your temperature up. At the very minimum 80 due to the fact that you have E's. Pp's can handle lower temps, but it is not recommended. What kind of gauges do you use? Digital is more accurate than analog.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? heat lamp for a little bit, heat pad all day, with the heater being on during the winter seasons i don't need heat lamp

Gb: I disagree, you really need to get your temperature up. Please keep in mind heat lamps can zap humidity, so please watch that.

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 water, salt water, both have their own 1gallon jugs, i measure 1tsp for salt and 1tsp for the water dechlorinater

Gb: are you using marine salt water? Follow directions for dechlorinator. I use prime. Sometimes if you have hard water use a little more than recommended .

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? unseasoned meat, veggies, fruit. Changing everyday

Gb: make sure they are on safe food list. Provide calcium sources, protein, fruit, veggies are important.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I've had some crabs for 2 years, some for just a couple of days. I have some purple pinchers and some Ecuadorian

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? my older hermits have molted

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 100+ gallon tank, i have acrylic slabs with slits for air to flow in and out, tons of climbing, and a humidifier inside to boost humidty

Gb: make sure it cannot flood the cage

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 12, i'm not sure

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 20

Gb: recommend at least 6 shells per crab.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? other than my pumpkin candles nope

Gb: I would not recommend the candle near the tank.

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I only clean the tank when i notice some sort of mildew building up inside the corners of the tank, I'll carefully take each hermit out, then all the decorations, throw out all the substrate, clean the tank with soap and do a final rinse with the dechlorinator, and i'll rinse the decorations+shells and depending on how dirty i think those are i'll boil them for a little bit.

Gb: only use vinegar to clean the tank. Never use soap. Boil shells in dechlorinated water. Rinse in dechlorinated water.

Had to keep it short, I'm flying home from Washington DC. I replied under questions with Gb: as my response. Good luck! Sorry about your loss!


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Thank you! I had no clue about using vinegar for cleaning the hermits tank! I'll for sure change what needs to be changed. And the candles aren't right next to the tank just in the same room is that ok?. Other than that thank you for taking the time for correcting what needs to be fixed!

So glad Gb got back to you! If been trying all day lol. I keep my crabs in my bird room andbi know for them i cant have a candle in the same room so i use the same rule of thumb for my crabs. Only thing i can add that Gb didnt already. Hope that helps!

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