HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My hermit crab lost a leg! He was perfectly fine yesterday, but as the day progressed he looked
tangled and then today his leg was off! Once we picked him up to examine his claw fell and his claw was hollow inside. Very worried and don't know what I have done wrong. I use 6 inches of sand and eco earth soil block, humidty stays at 82% and temp stays around 80 during the day and 76 at night. I feed them store bought variety diet from all things living, and a zoo med hermit crab food. I feed them fruits occasionally. He doesn't have a fishy smell either, so I don't think he is dead. I've had him for about a month.

Most people here will say not tk feed store bought hermit food due to the various chemicals found in it. Temp and humidity look ok so I dont think thats the issue. There is a questionare on here but I dont have the link handy maby someone else will get that. The claw being empty could be a surface molt so try not to handle the little guy. If he is in with other crabs isolate him using the bottle method. Cut the bottom off and push it in to the sand with the cap removed. Give him little caps with water, and food and hope for the best.

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http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=46102
That is the emergency template. Please fill it out. If the pincher was hollow it's possible he surface molted but we will be able to help better once the template is filled out.

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Agree with NLindsey . .. claw being hollow does sound like a surface moult. Crabs will pull up into their shells & you may not have noticed the crab inside. They're soft for a bit after shucking their exoskeleton, and vulnerable to deformity, so it's best not to handle the little guy. Isolate as recommended.

He'll eat his exo, and eventually start moving again, but it takes a while.

Here's a link to the crab food pyramid, to give you a better sense of their nutritional needs:

http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92554

Sounds like a surface molt to me as well. Generally speaking if you keep your sand deep and moist enough crabs will burrow down several inches to molt rather than on the surface.