HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I am getting very discouraged with my ruggies. I have lost FOUR in the past week, and have a fifth that is seriously not doing well. The ones who have passed resided in three different tanks, and were not purchased from the same place. Only two were purchased at the same time, and I attribute those deaths to PPS.

I found a few flat brown disk things on the body of my latest death & wonder if someone can explain what these are. One appears where the body joins the abdomen. The other is at the very tip of the abdomen. Here is a picture (Graphic of dead crab....don't open if you would rather not see):
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l22/g ... 060652.jpg

Does anyone know what this is? I don't remember seeing these on my other crabs, except one PP that recently passed. In another words, I don't know if they are supposed to be there or not.

arent those the ends of legs? i thought i saw some on one of my guys while i have her a bath... (evil evil mites)

Okay, Im not quite sure if im looking at the right things... But when my crabbies pass on I always notice things where the body meets abdomen and at the tip of abdomen, The tip of the abdomen looks like a tiny version of the flat part of their head {behind eyes right?} Or is this like totally not suppose to be there? Im going to try this image see if it works, these aren't my crabs, simply borrwed them from internet and circled what im talking about.



http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/8017/crabgr2.jpg

What I see on that back/tip part of abdomen is what appears to me another set of legs.

Am I close or way off???

*edited to add image and url*

hermit-crabz-boi may have something there, only you can say Kathy. I've never noticed it on my crabs.

I'm sorry you lost your rug. I know the frustration well.

These really don't look like legs or gel limbs. They really look like round, flat, brown discs. I first noticed this on my jumbo PP that passed away recently, but didn't think too much about it because of the condition he was in.

When I saw the same things, only in different possitions on the rug, I really started wondering what they were. I didn't notice them on the other 2 rugs that passed this week.

They are really strange looking. Almost like those sticky things you get stuck to your pant legs when waling through brush....only much smaller. I am stumped!

Hi Kathy,

I've seen similar things on my crabs abdomens as well. I don't know what the brown disks and all those lumps and bumps are called, but feel as though it's a normal feature of a hermit crabs abdomen, in the end I could be wrong though .

I'm so very sorry about your recent losses Kathy. I truly feel awful for you. As for those little disks, I only recall seeing that once on Streaker, but it was only on his little bum. Your baby appeared to have several. I'm sure that the one on the butt is normal, but not so sure about the other ones. Pretty sure it was in one of my books as well. I'll have to look through them again.

Okay, So I still dont know what dots you're talking about. I got your picture and inspeceted it. What I circled are the legs that hold the shell, and the bottom of the abdomen {my last post} are these the disks your talking about cause that's all I see?



http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3830/crabtt2.jpg

could they be really really bad bug bites?? or maybe a infectious disease. i suggest cleaning out ur crabitat really well, even if u already have a 2nd (or 3rd) time won't hurt. I am really sorry about losing all ur ruggies. Maybe it is just a thing that only ruggies get

hermit-crabz-boi wrote:Okay, So I still dont know what dots you're talking about. I got your picture and inspeceted it. What I circled are the legs that hold the shell, and the bottom of the abdomen {my last post} are these the disks your talking about cause that's all I see?



http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3830/crabtt2.jpg

YES!!! Those are what I am talking about! I have seen them before on a few crabs that passed, but not ALL crabs that have. What the heck are they?

OMG I'm so emberassed!!!

Sorry, I feel like a complete idiot.

Im guessing the top two are legs {85% of my crabbies have those brown parts} and the bottom one {abdomen tip} is what im guessing is another set of legs that holds the shell also, if not why would they have that hardspot there? And since the shells they occupy curve down and right {left if you see them face to face} they need this extra set to help them stay in when they retract???

No....definately not legs! One of the spots is attached to the leg, one to the body & one to the abdomen. There are no such spots on the other side of the body.

Kathy, do you have a vet near you that you could take the body to and have it checked? Were the different crabs that died and had this in the same tank. I'm going to copy your picture and if I can find out with it is.

I think the vets around here would laugh if I would take a hermit crab in. They are used to treating birds & reptiles of all species, but something tells me that they would think I was a nut to bring in a hermit! (I am a nut, but that's beside the point!)

Hopefully it's not contagious! I think you should bring it to a mariene research center they might listen to you... if there are any near you.