HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Is there a photographic list of bugs/mites/creatures that live in our crabitats? I'm having a bug issue (I think) but I don't know if they are harmful or just a nuisance. There is virtually no way I could photograph them for id purposes, but I'm hoping that someone with a macro lens has been able to capture useable images for comparative purposes.

My creatures are clear to white in color and seem to hang around the food and water dish. They also hop like fleas, but are much, much smaller than fleas. I think they are slightly elongated (think rice shaped), but again, much smaller than a grain of rice. Maybe 1/10 the size of a grain of rice.

From your description, they sound like springtails. I believe they're harmless- they tend to like humid, moist environments, and it's not uncommon to find them in water dishes and around food and poo. I find them in my snail bin frequently, but they never seem to cause any problems.

Actually there is...check the crab care sheets. The springtails are there along other bugs that could be found in your crabitat.

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I found the lists! My crabs don't seem to have any of the pests on them so I'm just letting them be for now. If they food or water dishes get overly infested, I change them out immediately, but that's about all I'm doing at this point to control them.

It does sound like springtails - there are several species but all are harmless. They'll also eat your crabs' poop and any food they hide, so they are good to have around.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll just leave them be for now unless there is a massive die off in one of the pools.