HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey all my Crabby Friends and Family!I was just responding in another thread about bathing premoulters. I decided to start a new post about my observations on this issue. My big advice...do not dig up, bathe or mist a crab in premoult or moult stages. There are only a couple of situations that this would become helpful, and they are few and far between. Especially important are iso tank conditions and the adrenalin explanation.>Yes, I agree. If the humidity is not high enough, or steady enough, the premoult hermits will not get enough water pressure under their exo's to shed. Baths don't have much to do with moulting. When it is time for a hermit crab to moult, the pituitary gland releases some hormones that set-off a chemical chain of events...that's moulting. In that process, a hermit crab must build up water pressure under the exo for it to crack. During this time, it is most crucial for temperature to be perfect, humidity a little higher than normal and constant, with no fluctuations. After the shed, humidity and temperature aren't quite as big of factors. The substrate should be sandcastle consistency for a premoulter in iso, that helps them moult successfully. I generally recommend against bathing/misting/digging up moulters. This often times does more harm than good. Sometimes a crab, especially jumbos, will have a tough moult, and that can be an exception if someone is careful and only intervening out of dire need. All other times this is done, you are essentially playing russian roulette with the crabs moult. May be fine and recover, may get sick and die. Moulters sometimes get huge adrenalin releases when they are disturbed...that requires energy, lots of energy, that is stored and used for a good moult. It is better to prevent, than treat. Keeping ideal tank conditions will help avert alot of stuff. Iso's are particularly prone to problems as they are usually not the same humidity as the main, and if you use critter keepers, the humidity and temp can fluctuate greatly, between the thin plastic walls and opening the top. One last thing, if you have a moulter who is really having a hard moult, bathing is the last thing you really want to do. If they are having troubles getting their exo off, the bath may cause pieces of exo to mold that are attached to the pieces stuck on the crab. Same with misting. If you are raising humidity, spray elsewhere. Gertie

Great advice Gertie. In addition to ideal tank conditions, nutrition PRIOR to the molt is very important. Gertie has posted a lot of great advice regarding a well balanced diet that is comprised of a VARIETY of natural foods for our hermit crabs.There is no miracle "cure all" food for hermit crabs. Since they aren't allowed to forage for food, we have to provide them with the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, protein, and calcium they need for their health and to molt.

Yes and no to the hermit crabs not having pituitary glands. I take it for granted that most people understand that there are no vertebrate organs in an invertebrate.The hermit crabs have a fully functioning endocrine system, that works as a whole, just like a vertebrates. Once again, another area that is being reasearched currently, so more and new information is just around the horizon. Hermit crabs have two masses or aggregates of nerve cells, one behind the eyes and mouth referred to as the gangalion, and another, located toward the back of the body called the cephalothoracic ganglion. The ganglion is believed to play a roll in some hormonal activity, but so far, it appears the cephalothoracic ganglion functions much like a vertebrate pituitary gland. It is likened to the beginnings of vertebrate brains as we know it...a conglomeration of nerve cells working in tandem. Gertie