HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My crab is very light in color (light peach/pale color). This has just happened in the last 12-16 hours. Not sure if it is the same crab but there was one crab that changed shells four times in about an hour last week. And today I have had two crabs (that I watched) change shells. Three crabs are still acting like they want to change shells--the same two that I watched and the one that is very light in color. The tank has a sand bottom that is dry but damp in part of the center where the water dish is because of crabs tipping it.

That is a sudden change! I have noticed mine get lighter a bit before they molt. Their coloring can also be affected by what they're eating. The sand sub. How deep is it? Twice the height of your largest crab but a minimum of 6 inches is recommended. Also, not calcium sand. Playsand from the hardware store is good. It needs to be sandcastle consistency to be able to create molting pockets effectively.

The sand is about 2inches deep and right from the beach. It has a nice light salty smell to the tank. I do have more that I can add. The crabs like both the moist sand and the dry sand. The little guy has moved to the other side of the tank since my post last nite. I just bought some probiotic spray. Does that stuff work? And should I use it on the sand that is in there now before I add more?Kelly

Definitely add some more sand and try to get most if not all of it damp to make it sand castle consistent. The dry sand they can dig in but it will collapse as they are digging they can't make a permanent pocket to stay in to molt. On the other hand if its to wet or soupy it can create problems.I am not familiar with the spray your wanting to use. I would ask that question in LHC to get a few more answers. I don't use any sprays just add a little dechlorinated water when I need to afterwards if no crabs are down under I stir it.They do tend to get lighter in color when they need to molt, or from food, or I have a crab that stays naturally lighter than the rest its kind of a light orangish color with a blueish purple pincher where as the other 3 are more of a dark redish purple all over.

Yea I agree you need to make sure the substrate is sandcastle consistency in dampness to allow for molt pocket carving and tunneling as substrate that is too dry will not hold shape and will cause the crabs to attempt surface molting which is stressful and dangerous for the crab.PP's or Purple Pinchers are light peachy/tan colored when they are very very young and fresh from their native habitat because wild hermitcrabs dont get a whole lot of pigment boosters they tend to look faded out compared to our captive hermits who get fed a consistent diet full of pigment boosters.Juvenile hermits will be more faded in color than the adults because a hermitcrab dosen't start to develope that deep lustery color until it gets up in age and size typically around large to jumbo.Domesticated hermits will fade or loose their color when they go pre-molt or if they haven't been getting enough pigment boosters in their diet.

Thank you so much for the help. The sand is going to be deeper soon. And now that I had the words 'pigment boosters' to search I found a different website that sells a variety of supplements for crabs that they might not be getting from the food that I have. Again, thank you to all that replied to my post.

@Kelly, the probiotic spray you have is it by All Things Living?This kind of spray can used around reptiles to clean/deodorize their enclosures because as the name Probiotic emplies it's full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that break down harmful waste and odors.The problem here is that the types of bacteria and enzymes used can cause issues with soft molters and may also impact the health of the crabs who are currently on the surface.As the old saying goes to much of a Good thing can be a Bad thing as with any healthy thing if enough is ingested it can quickly become toxic even water presents this risk.Given that the directions state to spray it in the substrate to remove fecal material I would be hesitant to use it as the amount of bacteria needed to excellerate the decomp of fecal material seems a bit high and the use of this product discourages the practice of weekly surface cleans where fecal material, food and other debris are collected and removed from the enclosure which can lead to sick hermits because this product wont address all of these issues.Since hermitcrabs are so sensitive to chemicals I have to call into question the safety of the enzymes used because we don't know exactly what they are since the info on the bottle dosen't list exact names we can't say for sure how safe they are for short or long term exposure.

It's by 'All Living Things' (Distributed by Pacific Coast in Phoenix, AZ, made in USA) called, probiotic spray, contains enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Also says, Helps break down organic waste and neutralize odors, Discourages toxic ammonia build-up. Directions for use are: mist the habitat substrate and water 2 to 3 times a week or as needed. Use as intended to support a safe and healthy environment for your hermit crabs. Safe when used as directed. I bought it at Pet Smart. Not going to use it, I haven't found anything about it. I found a hermit crab on-line store and they do not even carry anything like it either. Kelly

I forgot to mention that I added more damp beach sand and I had happy crabs all over the tank last nite. I had shell swapping, deep digging, just like they were when I first put them in the tank. Kelly

Everybody's Happy, Happy, Happy!