HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi Everyone,

This is my first time on here. My family and I went to the beach four days ago and my six year old found a hermit crab by the water with a spiderman shell. Part of the shell was damaged and we weren't sure if it was going to live. Before this, we are completely clueless on hermit crabs. My first instinct was to maybe put it in the water, but it was freezing and decided against it. I decided to pick up the crab and put it on my chest while laying on the beach chair. The weather was pretty cold, we had to wear our winter coats! In a few minutes the crab came out of it's shell and started walking...ok..not dead.

Just to give a little background about myself, I've always had multiple animals (except hermit crab) growing up and always loved animals. While at the hotel I started researching on hermit crabs, which I've learned a lot in just four days, but not enough.

I decided to go to the pet store and get a second crab since they need companion. Currently I have them in a 29 gallon tank with about 6" of substrate (eco-fiber and sand mixed with salt water). I have the heating pad on the entire back of the tank which is giving me a temp between 76-82F and humidity of about 80%.

I apologize for the long post, but here is my questions:

The crab that I have found at the beach "Hermie" have buried itself about two inches deep and has been in there for the last three days, never came out....didn't see any tracks on the sand. Is he okay? Is he molting? What should I do?

The other crab "Gertrude" is not really moving much, just sitting on the same spot, behind an artificial plant. I have salt & fresh water in the tank and have left food out, but they are not eating. What is going on? I have tried strawberry, peanut butter, bread, cereal. I'm certain they are not eating because I don't see any track marks on the sand leading to the food dish.

I didn't realize going on a beach vacation would mean that I would be bringing another pet home, but I can't turn down on rescuing animals.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

First off, thank you very much for bringing the poor guy home! Alot of people buy these guys, then decide to 'release them back into the wild' and the crabs simply can't survive unless you live on the equator. Even then, the released crab would introduce tons of pathogens to the local crabs.
And welcome to the HCA! This is a great place to go. I'm glad you have everything figured out for them.
For your question, the buried guy is probably going to be gone awhile. He must of went through alot on that beach and before it, so he'll be underground just destressing and getting better. He also may molt once he's relaxed, but he'll probably come up to re-stock on food and water first.
Is the other crab legarthic if you pick her up? Alot of crabs from pet stores suffer from PPS (post purchase syndrome) and are really stressed out, the most we can do for them is provide proper conditions and healthy food and water and let them relax and get better, but sometimes they aren't strong enough and won't make it. This doesn't mean give up hope! I'm sure she'll perk up in awhile after having some alone time, and probably bury herself as well.
If you have honey, honey and peanut butter are super foods for sick hermies I saw you alreadyhave PB though, which is awesome
Good luck! And of course, feel free to ask any other questions you may have. People trip over themselves to answer them here
Edit: Maybe to encourage them to eat, amp up the smell meter. Smelly foods usually attract hungry hermies, like shrimp (all meats can be served raw, or cooked in dechlorinated or distilled water. And never seasoned) oyster, or freeze dried krill and bloodworms (which can usually be found sold as turtle treats)

THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU!

Hermie - the one from beach with spiderman shell, part of the shell is damaged, should I be concerned? I have purchased and left 7 extra shells of different sizes.

The day before we came home, we had both crabs in one of those small crab carriers and what I found interesting was that Hermie (the one from pet store) changed between the original shell and a new shell three times back and forth....I guess he couldn't make up his mind? but now we are home and they have a big tank and better condition, he/she goes into hiding mode? Since my last post, RockyGurly you were correct, he/she is now buried. I now have no idea where he/she is. Of course my kids (three & six) are asking to see them, I told them they need time to adjust to their new home.

I will try your suggestion with shrimps and seafood. Do I need to peel the shrimp into small pieces? What size food should I give them?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the HCA

I dont think you should worry about Hemie as if he feels he really need/wants the new shell he will change-- If he decided on the spiderman shell there may have been something to break the deal on the new shell (inside wasnt perfect he didnt like the weight etc.)
I always cut my food in strips or chunks (aproxamatly the size of the tip of my pointer finger big-- depending on the food-- carrots, Coconut, Potato, Peppers, and tomatos I do this with)

i also have a mix of nuts grinded up in small pieces as a dry food (It has peanuts, almonds and one other nut) Oatmeal is also a food I feed (not flavored) as a dry food thats precut small--

(P.s we love pics when they have settled in )

What kind of damage is it? A chip, or a hole? Either way, he needs a new shell, the paint is toxic and can poison the little guys. If you think he's a PP (purple claw) you'll probably have luck with a turbo shell (what kinds do you currently have? Check out the shell guide: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 24&t=48249 Purple pinchers are the fourth one down.) For size, you can measure his big claw (next chance you get) and get a shell with an opening the size of his claw, or a bit bigger. But I always geuss by looking at the shells mine are wearing You can buy bags of shells at craft stores, dollar stores, wal mart, or online at various places.
When he was changing, he might not of been able to decide, or he wanted to go into the new shell, but something was wrong with it. Have you boiled them? Or put your finger in and see if it's broken on the inside or theres a lump or something inside the shell that could be rubbing against his soft abdomen? The inside of a shell is very important to crabs, their abdomen is like a thin skinned organ filled balloon, so they need the inside to be smooth and comfortable. You could probably tempt him into it by spraying the inside with a bit of water next time he's up
It's a good sign that they're buried, it means they're trying to recover and get over the trauma they experienced from the shipping/pet store and god knows what else the poor rescued one went through.
For the shrimp, I bought a container with pre skinned baby shrimps, and I just take a couple out of the freezer, boil them, and throw them into the food bowl. They really don't eat much, a hermie stomach is smaller then a pea, but while yours are new they'll pack away quite a bit of food. Depending on the size of your hermie, you can chop the food into tiny bits and give them about a quarter sized portion each (or a bottlecap sized portion) I give them very small portions of about 7-10 different foods each night, but I have larger portions because I have 12 crabs in one tank and 8 in the other
You can put in whole shrimp with the shell if you want, they will eat the shell and it'll be very good for them! As well as the tail If you serve whole shrimp, just cut it into little bits and serve all of it. But I recommend boiling it first just to sanitize it and to keep bacteria out of the tank.
Whew, sorry for the long winded answer, I didn't want to miss anything! Let me know if I did

Glad you found us at HCA! As you've already found out, people here are very nice and eager to help with questions.

Welcome!

welcome you and your crabbies, it is so good that you rescued the 'lil guy.
It is kind of like one persons trash is another treasure, but you have the most cutest treasure out of all of them
Good luck on the lil guys

Yes, thank you, people here are quite helpful and informative.

Just to give you guys a status report. Tonight I heard scratching tank sound so I decided to check out....covert operation with my flashlight and see what was going on. Shining the light from the top with a towel as filter, Gertrude (from pet shop) is out walking about. I saw her (son say its a girl) walking around the entire tank and eventually found her original shell that she came in. I watched her for about 1 hr and 30 mins and noticed her changed between the two same shells five times!

I can't believe how intriguing these creatures are and that I would spent that much time observing Gertude with a flashlight. I have a degree in Biology (but an IT person) and I just can't believe I've never shown any interest in a hermit crab. Can someone explain why Gertrude keeps changing between the two same shells? It's interesting how my son's pets have now become my pets! Obviously he is still too young to take care of them but it's a good way to start teaching responsibilities by asking him to get food and put in a bowl for them.

Rocky,

Yes they are purple pinchers and the damaged spiderman shell have few chips at the opening. I actually only have turbo shells in my tank, did my research before buying shells. So how long should I let Hermie bury himself before I disturb him? How do I know if he's alive or dead?

BTW just noticed my previous post that I contradicted myself and made a mistake, just to be clear, Hermie is the one from the beach in spiderman shell and Gertrude from the pet store.

Thanks!

Thats great! It might be that there's so many suitable choices that she likes, she can't decide!
Unless you think something is seriously wrong, it's best not to disturb crabs who have dug down. They can be down a long time, but we have to trust that they know what to do remeber, these guys have been doing it all their lives, what they do is instinct. You can injure an even accidentally kill a molter by disturbing it during it's molt. So don't worry I know it's nerve wracking, my strawberry, Betelgeuse went underground January 5th and resurfaced late March. I was convinced he had passed, but he's happy and healthy!
Edit: I just noticed I missed something, if a hermie has passed, you will usually know. The smell is overpowering, and smells like dead fish. You may smell something funky in the tank from time to time, but check to see if any food has been dragged or buried and has gone bad. Often that is the source of the stink.
He should be fine in the shell, a hole in the shell would be worrysome, because sand could get into his shell and injure his abdomen, as well as possibly dry him out. But once he resurfaces, try to take out the shell, and any painted shells that new crabs come in. You can remove the paint if you wish, and re-use the clean shells.

Yes, I did read about painted shells not good for them, but he's still underground. My three year old wants the spiderman shell! I told him he needs to wait until Hermie is done using it, then he can have it.

Tonight, Gertrude is back out again! Switching between the two same shells again, she must be doing that all night long. Currently I have a orange 5 watt LED light that I use for the tank at night, it's very dim, but I can see, is this okay?

Do I need light for them in the daytime? They are in my six year old son's room on the dresser close to the windows. In the daytime the sun brightens up the room but the sun is not shining on the tank, do I still need light? I read that they need the 24 hr light cycle.

I have UTH surrounding the entire back of the tank already and maintaining a temp of 80F so I don't need a heating light to warm up the tank.

Ok, this might be stupid of me, but I mean well, what do you think of me getting another crab? I'm thinking maybe Gertrude needs a buddy while Hermie is underground for who knows how long. Just watching her changing between two same shells....feeling sorry for this little guy!

THX! for being so helpful

When I first bought Yoshi( a pp) and another crab, Yoshi stayed abover ground and the other went below. After a few weeks(3-4) I noticed Yoshi was not as active, he honestly seemed lonely. I went a purchased another crab, who when I picked up was quite active. The new pp seemed to be a ray of sunshine to Yoshi and they both were pretty active and seemed healthy. Later, maybe 3 or 2 months the other first crab was above ground naked. He later died. I am not sure if.Yoshi could sense he was not well or what, but I do think if your crab that is above ground begins to seem less lively/ healthy, i would consider buying him another partner that was pretty active.
Also, I would suggest getting a night light and day light for the crabs, mine seem to like the lights better and like having a night and a day bulb. My tank is pretty well heated so I just use a regular 60watt light bulb for the day. At night I use a Nightglow heating light to help keep the temperatures from flexating to much.
I currently have a 20g. Long tank with a large pp(new), three mediums( one new, other two are the ones from my story above) and three smalls. Sometimes one of them seems to go on a changing spree and changes shells back and forth for awhile. I remeber Yoshi doing this. But once he figured out which shell he liked, he stays in it for a long time. If the old shell is broken, take it out after the crab changes. If the shell is fine, just wait. Some of my other crabs seem happy in their shells and havent changed as much. Also, if you want a good calcium snack for your crabs that you can leave in their tank for them to chew on and climb on, look into cuttle bones in the bird section. Calcium is good for crabs about to molt or those who have. I actually am going to add a cuttle bone to my tank asap.
**Sent from my phone, excuse any mistakes:)**

Hermies live on the equator, so they have a 12/12 hour schedule every day all year, so the season's natural lighting might mess with their natural schedules. They need 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness (or mostly darkness, lots of people use a moonglo bulb to simulate moonlight)
Just a warning, be careful having them close to the window. You wouldn't want them to get a chill from a draft!
If I recall correctly, you have a 29gallon, right? You should be just fine adding a new (small) hermie. But remember, one day (years away though, don't worry!) you'll need a large tank to hold very large crabs once they grow!
If she's having trouble still, maybe give her less options for a night and see what happens? She may be feeling a little overwhelmed

Ok, I think I have concluded that Gertrude is just having fun switching between shells. This morning I see her in a completely new shell, but this shell is 3x the size of her original! It's way too big for her, when I picked her up, she goes all the way in the shell, you could barely see her. I don't understand why she is going into a shell that is that big.

So I decided to go to Petsmart and Petco today to look for a buddy for Gertrude while Hermie is way underground (five days now). What I noticed in both stores is that there are small little silver things crawling in the tanks, are those mites? If it's that common, makes me wonder if Gertrude have mites too since I purchased her at a sea shell store in Ocean City. I didn't really have time to research about hermit crabs before getting them (since Hermie was adopted), now I'm playing catch-up. I'm reading that you're suppose to bath them when you bring them back from the pet store. I guess my question is, should I not even bother purchasing the crabs from Petsmart and Petco since the little silver bugs are crawling everywhere in both tanks?

THX

They could be a variety of things, were they on the crabs? The thing to look out for is tiny bugs crawling on the crabs, mostly around their joints and mouthparts. You could still get a crab from there, but you'd have to bathe an iso him. It's recommended you bathe and isolate any new crabs from anywhere though

Were the bugs just in the crab tank? You might want to look at some of the other pet's tanks to see if any of the same bugs are in the tanks. I would personally be curious if the bugs were just in the hermit crab's tank or throughout the store.