HCA: Hermit Crab Association

can carbon monoxide affect hermit crabs and fish? we had to evacuate the house because ofan alarm. 911 is here now but im worried about them. i wouldnt think so, seeing as they both have gills and no lungs but i cant find anything online about it and im worried. plus the fish have labrynth organs.

so it was a false alarm luckily... i’d still like to know though in case something ever happens again! super scary

Any animal that utilizes oxygen can be poisoned if CO levels are high enough, regardless of respiratory organs used.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/do ... 1&type=pdf

How much airflow do their tanks have? In an emergency, you’d definitely want to turn off any air pumps.


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Yeah, CO affects all pets the same as it does humans. We had a leak in our furnace a few winters back, along with the gas pipes having leaks. Gas company shut us off immediately and we had to have everything replaced. (Three days no gas (hot water or furnace) in 15-degree weather, fun!) It made us feel flu-ish, but it was also why our cats were getting so many of what we had thought were hairballs/upset stomachs. It never got to the levels where it affected the crabs or fish though.

In the event of an emergency and an alarm, you have to get out of the house though. Do NOT try to rescue your pets. Wait for the fire department to come with their meters and oxygen tanks and have them help. CO is nasty, it hits fast, and it can kill you quickly. You might feel okay one moment and be blacked out the next, and then dead not long after.