HCA: Hermit Crab Association

every time ive give nosie a bath she pinches me really hard just enough it could bring blood. the other 2 love it. why is does she try to pinch when she gets bath.

Well, many people here do not bathe their crabs. It messes up their shell water, and stress them out.

hermietastic wrote:Well, many people here do not bathe their crabs. It messes up their shell water, and stress them out.

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yes, unless the crab is a newbie, has mitets, an dsometimes people bathe them after a deep clean.

Correct, hermiefantic!

Yes, most people here would suggest not bathing the hermits unless it's an emergency. I did bathe my crabbies when I first started and everything that the pet store told us to do, but I came on here and realised that it's bad. It does mess up their shell water a lot and stresses them out. If you have big enough water dishes in the tank, then they will bath themselves as needed.

hermietastic wrote:Correct, hermiefantic!

just adding a litttle to your post

Plus, I think their exoskeleton needs natural oils to keep it from drying out, like a human's skin and hair. When you bathe them a lot, it strips off these essential oils. That's why feeding them unsalted nuts-----> (see pull down edible list to the right) is a nice treat for them.

Yep. I hafta add that I don't bathe mine - I have a marine pool w/filter and rock in the tank that is deep enough for submersion for all the crabs and a deep freshwater dish (actually a cherrystone clam shell) for drinking and the occasional immersion.

Needless to say, I also pretty much stopped handling the crabs "recreationally" as well, as they have begun acting more "wild" (re: prone to pinch) -- which, I think, is good!

I would recommend gradually phasing out baths (save the occasional emergency, tank introduction, or mite infestation) and just provide a pool with a method for the crabs to get in and out by themselves.

I have noticed with my crabs that they make sure they don't walk thru the water bowls when getting a drink. they just stand beside it and sip. there must be a reason for that.

When my Es are put in the waterbowl/fall in they scurrey into the cave, I think they bathe and soak at night.

i bathe mine like once every couple of months to clean the cage and stuff and to check for the mites, you may never no

It's your choice whether to bathe them or not.....just so that you know that it's not necessary. And as long as you're aware of the risks.

Hermit crabs don't seem to like water at all. Mine NEVER bathe themselves. Sometimes I see them scrubbing themselves off in the salt water after emerging from a molt, but they never actually walk into their bowls. I mist the tank every now and then to keep the humidity up so hopefully that keeps their gills from drying out too much.

I don't ever see mine in the water dishes, either, but THEY know how much water to keep in their shells to keep their gills properly moistened. I've seen them dipping it from the dish into their shells. They also know how to keep the salinity level of their shell water in the proper ranges, and we don't......another reason I do not bathe my hermies.

Yeah, if she doesn't like it don't do it; you really don't have to anyway.