Article on bathing

[Guest]

As far as tap water - you should always be adding a dechlorinator to any tap water you use. Most dechlorinators also will remove other hard chemicals, just make sure you do not use one that has aloe in it. You can find dechlorinators at petstores usually in the fish section. There really is no need for people to be wasting money on bottled water, etc., when a dechlorinator is so cheap and easy.

[Guest]

In response to Crabaddict: Sorry if there was any confusion about crabs being offered salt and fresh water. In the article I do mention recouping lost sruface area taken up by "basins" I know I only mentioned salt water, I just assumed people would naturally assume that the second basin was for fresh water.

[Guest]

Hermit crabs have three levels of breathing structures according to the reference material that I have read. Motified gill structures, primative lung structures (not so much in Land Hermit crabs but coconut crabs) and also through the skin on their abdomen. I feel that their skin is probably more important for breathing than we once thought. To keep their skin soft and better able to conduct air/blood exchanges it needs to be kept moist. They do this inside their shells continuously. Some need more salt water than others for this and will visit the salt water pond more than the others (strawberries). But I think any added boost that we can provide (stress coat) is a benefit.

I believe that Stress Coat is good for them. To keep their skin moist and keep a protective barrier to aid in keeping moisture in. To keep their skin soft and better able to conduct air/blood exchanges. In their bath only. I bathe once a week during the winter months and sometimes twice a week during the summer months. I provide a freshwater pool (no stresscoat) big enough for them to walk into if they so choose. I also provide a salt water pool as well. They can walk through or self-bathe if they choose but I still give them baths during the summer since it's only 2-5% humidity here naturally. I think they like it and will continue to bathe them. I know my crabs pretty well by now. Other places have other humidity levels and should be taken into consideration. He didn't take any other conditions into consideration when he made his sweeping comments.

This author says that Stress Coat in their drinking water is okay for hermit crabs in another theoretical comment. I don't feel that it is good for their drinking water because we should never give hermit crabs anything 24/7. They thrive on variety. Aloe Vera (in the Stress Coat) is not for drinking. It's for their skin. When you use it you should know that the company does NOT endorse it's use for drinking water for any creature.

I'm not understanding why you would feel the outer air humidity level would be a factor in how often you bathe your crabs. The in tank air should always be maintained above 70% relative humidity. Since that's the air the crabs breathe, the humidity level in your home wouldn't make a difference.
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I only bathe my crabs when they come from a particularly dry environment at the store. I do use stresscoat. The only other reason I might bathe them is if they had mites, which I've been fortunate enough not to experience.

The humidity stays at 80% at all times in my tank and I provide them with fresh and saltwater dishes deep enough to partially submerge(some changes coming soon). They've been healthy and happy for over a year.

[Guest]

a common "fact" that i keep hearing is that aloe isnt safe to drink. does anyone know y? i would think that this is wrong because i've had aloe drinks before. they're popular in the asian markets and the aloe drink is very good, not to mention expensive. ($3+ for a 2 liter?) although i do not endorse bathing (which is because it's not "natural" for them), no one has explicitly explained y drinking aloe is bad for hermit crabs. does anyone know the answer?

[Guest]

What's so bad about stress coat? I really do not have any idea, I have been using stress coat in my tortoises drinking water for proabably about as long as most hermit crabs live, and there has never been a problem. And as fragile as we all think hermit crabs are, you should really think of fish or the aquatic invertibrates that stay with them. Most fish are much less able to handle chemicals and such than hermit crabs, but stress coat is fine for them. (it certainly causes little risk for aquatic arthropods, crabs, shrip, lobster, and even hermit crabs). And should actually be always used with all of these species. (Think, if its so bad for hermit crabs, why are all aquatic hermit crabs doing fine when they are exposed to it on a greater basis than land hermit crabs?)

[Guest]

The reason I have heard that StressCoat is bad for drinking water is because of the aloe it has. It would be like us drinking water with lotion in it! The reason it may be good to use in bathing is because the aloe would provide a protective coating for the outside of the hermies. But as for drinking, it seems reasonable that aloe inside them wouldn't be too good!

[Laurie]

Wow - a lot of info there! I thoroughly promote self bathing as much as possible. This way the crabs can determine how and when they want to hydrate.

When I first began keeping crabs four years ago, I had a few die of limb loss and stress within a day or two of bathing them. When I noticed the connection, I began bathing them less frequently. That seemed to do the trick, for I haven't had stress-related limb loss like that again.

Now that I use Forest Bedding as my substrate, the crabitat stays humid (80% relative) and the temp stays consistent around 80 degrees F. I provide two corner dishes (ReptiRock dishes -- I'll try to find a link later to post a photo) in each crabitat to offer both fresh and saline (Instant Ocean) water.

My thoughts on Stresscoat are as follows: I heard long ago that Stresscoat should not be used in crabs' drinking water. Although I questioned WHY considering people can ingest aloe, I figure there must be some reason for it. I use Stresscoat on my jumbos as a "back rub" (don't LAUGH, people ) when they are getting close to molting and have that graying ashy appearance. In most instances, the jumbos are calm during the process, and a few of them (Strawberry Parfait included) actually hang way out of their shell as I rub Stresscoat on their topside as if it may feel good! Call it crabassage, call it weird or whatever - it works for me and my crabbies. I like to think it will make the exo easier to shed. It also helps in instances when a crab is in the molting process and a piece of old exo appears "stuck" on a leg.

The only other time I now use Stresscoat is that I do put some in water to bathe new molters before reintroducing them to the crabitat.

I know everyone will form their own opinions, and not everything that works for one person will work for another. This is my opinion on what works for me, and I'm sticking to it.

Laurie

[Guest]

*bows down* laurie has commented on my post! i feel so honored, hehe. its like i just met a celebrity .

i had the same experience as u when a few of my crabs would drop their limbs after bathing. thats y i discontinued it as part of their daily routine and only do it when it is necessary. im glad you shared your info on how u used stresscoat to massage the molters. although very funny, if it works, then i'd say contine on doing it!

another question i have for users who bathe their crabs, how do u guys know if your crabs are "happy" during a bath? is it based on the increase in activity and movement of your crabs? cuz i would imagine... if i was drowning in the ocean, i would kick my legs, swing my arms, and yell like crazy for help. my "increase in activity" will not necessarily mean that im "happy". also, when taken out of their baths to dry, i'm sure that instead of running around "happily", they're actually frantically searching for a place to hide after a traumatic episode. but this is just my guess.

[Guest]

I know my crabs dont mind, because I have seen them angry :p My crabs will chirp, pinch and cause havoc when they're not enjoying the things I do. I only bathe my crabs every once in a while though, mostly when introducing new crabs or when they all are REALLY messy.

I also bathe them occasionally to get them used to it, so in case of emergency I wont creep the bajebus out of them! Imagine never bathing a crab.. then you find him with mites that already stresses them to no end.. and then you have to bathe them multiple times! I can bet it only adds to the stress.... It's just like you get kittens used to brushing their teeth or clipping their nails, you get them used to it slowly... That's my opinion though.

My crabs have never EVER lost a limb after bathing.

[Guest]

In most instances, the jumbos are calm during the process, and a few of them (Strawberry Parfait included) actually hang way out of their shell as I rub Stresscoat on their topside as if it may feel good!

Do you mean that you rub undiluted Stresscoat directly onto the crab? I thought the stuff was too strong for that, doesn't it have to be mixed with water first?

[Guest]

It's kinda like handlotion really... and you use only a drop... I did it to my jumbo Bhaal because he looked all dry and stuff.... and about a week later he dug under! I think he was dry looking because of an upcoming molt

It actually worked pretty well... and I only have had this crab a few weeks... He didnt even mind it that much o.O

[Guest]

im not too sure if i follow laurie or yartac... when my crabs begin to molt, they are usually tucked into their shell. so if i wanted to add some stresscoat, i can only get the bp and their front leg. im imagining u two putting some of the stresscoat on their backs, which boggles me that they wouldnt retract when u get near them.

[Guest]

Well, jumbo's are often a little more "GRR I'm big you cant hurt me!" and dont duck in too much :p Bhaal is lots of GRR and tries to grab you I just put one drop of stress coat on my finger, rubbed it quickly on his backplate and put him back in the tank, this was about a week before he dug under.. I doubt you can do it exactly pre-molt.. they'll be dug in.

The aloe will keep his skin supple so it's easier to molt, if he molts and survives and everything is okay I will have to thank Laurie I'm so worried of jumbo molts

[Guest]

hmmm yartac, now that i think about it, you're right! the big ones do tend to be a bit more daring. and even if they go into their shells, they come out rather quickly. maybe i should try adding the solution onto them. do u just drip it from a bottle? or do u dilute it first?

[Guest]

stresscoat is kinda thick when coming from the bottle... lot like lotion... so I just use one drop as is and rub it on... one drop is more than enough.... heehee