How long before drowning?

SojMad · Post by **SojMad** » Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:11 pm

Hello!
I am writing a text about hermit crabs and water and such, and now I wonder how long a hermit crab can be underwater before it drowns? How many minutes (or even hours?) does it take?

Thank you for your time,
Moa

sugarselections · Post by **sugarselections** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:09 am

It many vary depending on each individual crab. I've seen crabs voluntarily submerge in a pool and not come out for nearly an hour.

suebee · Post by **suebee** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:52 pm

Please do not ever submerge your crabs. Its not necessary. They just need water deep enough to be able to get water into the shell and flush it around and back out. That deep enough..Deep enough to dip the bottom of the edge of the shell under water. Modified gills are not for breathing under water. Many people have lost crabs to drowning.. Lets remember they are land crabs..

sugarselections · Post by **sugarselections** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:04 pm

I disagree and the care sheets here at the HCA recommend offering water deep enough for the crabs to fully submerge.

Personally, I had eight inch deep pools in my crabitat and my crabs of many different species loved submerging themselves and "swimming" around. You can see many of them in the YouTube video linked in my signature. I currently have four inch deep pools with ramps in my crabitat and some crabs choose to dive in and and submerge themselves while others stick to the "shore".

suebee · Post by **suebee** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:25 pm

Ill refer people to this pool thread so they can make their own choice

viewtopic.php?t=76084&postdays=0&postor ... ee&start=0

quebert36 · Post by **quebert36** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:57 pm

I've always heard around 5 minutes, but never really seen a crab fully submerged for longer. Some of my crabs like to walk half in/half out of their water by climbing on the water dish edge, while others will walk right out into the center of the pool. I have also heard that it's important for crabs to be able to fully submerge, as long as they are able to get out of the pool.

CallaLily · Post by **CallaLily** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:59 am

sugarselections wrote:I disagree and the care sheets here at the HCA recommend offering water deep enough for the crabs to fully submerge.

Personally, I had eight inch deep pools in my crabitat and my crabs of many different species loved submerging themselves and "swimming" around. You can see many of them in the YouTube video linked in my signature. I currently have four inch deep pools with ramps in my crabitat and some crabs choose to dive in and and submerge themselves while others stick to the "shore".

I agree with sugarselections on this one. My pools are pretty deep and my crabs love to "swim" around under water. I've watched one crab stay under for close to 30 minutes and she was perfectly fine. As long as crabs have easy ways in and out of the pools, there's no need to worry about drowning.

ETA: just wanted to add that while pools deep enough for crabs to fully submerge are great, they aren't absolutely necessary. Deep enough for them to easily swap out shell water is all that is required. But my crabs do seem to enjoy walking around in the deeper water.

tigermoon89 · Post by **tigermoon89** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 12:34 pm

Hi!

I think that as long as the crab is choosing to fully submerge everything should be okay. They know what they can handle and for how long.

A problem would come in if someone were to force the crab(s) to go swimming- just placing them in deep water, I'm sure it would be similar to dunking someone that wasn't ready to be dunked and didn't suck in enough air to be able to handle it.

Just make sure they have plenty of easy and safe ways to exit the pools. If you can offer a pool with varying water levels (shallow- deep) that would be more ideal so the crab can choose how far in they want to go.

As a side note: be careful with climbing items near the pools, if the crab falls and hits the pool, he/she can suffer from injuries and drown. I'll post a thread where this happened to a member here.

Here is the link: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hlight=net

suebee · Post by **suebee** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:00 pm

In the wild the Land hermit crabs will walk through small pools of water but dont go swimming. Its one of the reasons they call them "land" hermit crabs. The gills are very different from gills that are made to filter air from water. The will look for inland pools to lay eggs before they go to the ocean edge. You find more of them away from the ocean edge then near the edge of the ocean. We have a few members here that have lost crabs due to drowning and because of that have modified pools to make them smaller. I have never seen a crab under water for long periods of time that was not confused as to where it should get out.. Every time ive ever seen a crab under water and offered a way out it has taken the way out. Being under water can confuse the crab with the lack of oxygen. Its my opinion that its not safe to have deep pools. We had a nice thread about pools here but some how it was miss placed or deleted. We are searching for it i believe? Hopefully we will find it.. it has many ideas for pools in it and many different opinions in it. Not just my opinion. Its a judgement we all have to make on our own. I always try to stay with the safe side of things.. I take many of my sugestions from the years of research done by Bob Wampler owner of Exotic Land Hermit Crabs who is a researcher and the only Licenced Inporter of the Coenobita variabilis In the United States and From The Owners Of The Hermit Crab Patch Who also have Many years of Research On Coenobita.
I also have a few friends around the world that do Research on The land hermits and live right in the countries where they are. Some of the research are from members here on the HCA you would be surprised of the credentials the people here have. Hands on Research by People owning large amounts of the crabs for many years seems to be the best place to base Research on if you can combine every ones success and failures with what methods they are doing so a forum like this works well sharing info.
If anyone has had a crab drown it would be good to know about it, i hope that they would tell about it and not feel shame. We all learn together. One death can save many other crabs if we can figure out why it happened.

tigermoon89 · Post by **tigermoon89** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:30 pm

I have never seen a crab under water for long periods of time that was not confused as to where it should get out.. Every time ive ever seen a crab under water and offered a way out it has taken the way out. Being under water can confuse the crab with the lack of oxygen.

That makes sense, I never thought of that.

CallaLily · Post by **CallaLily** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:51 pm

suebee wrote: I have never seen a crab under water for long periods of time that was not confused as to where it should get out.. Every time ive ever seen a crab under water and offered a way out it has taken the way out.

Then I suppose the majority of my crabs are confused. :roll: I have watched many of them walk into both the freshwater and saltwater pools where they continue to either walk along on the bottom or sit still in place and just soak. When they are ready to climb out they do so easily. A few do seem to prefer to stay in the shallower places of my pools but many go all the way in. By swimming I meant walking along the bottom or soaking.

sugarselections · Post by **sugarselections** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:45 pm

Calla- My crabs need to join yours and form a Confused Crabs Club. I have several crabs that love to completely submerge and soak for significant periods of time in deep water. I've never placed a crab in my pools. They all enter and exit on their own just fine without any issues.

Shivering Isles · Post by **Shivering Isles** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:40 pm

I agree with callalilly and sugarselections. My E's especially love to go into the deep end. I guess my crabs aren't " all there in the head" makes me love them more

Energizer13 · Post by **Energizer13** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:20 pm

Hermit crabs can go underwater for a post-molt soak for 5-1hr cycles underwater. They will regularly come up for a breath or 2 because they can not hold their breath for 1 hr as many people say! If your dish is so deep that your hermit crab falls in and cannot take a breath or get out than you may have a drowning hermit crab on your hands. Hermit crabs NEED to take breaths underwater and CANNOT HOLD THEIR BREATH!! Hope you have fun with your hermies!!!!!!

Post by **wodesorel** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:48 pm

I once had a new crab physically push the filter out of the way so he could completely submerge in the salt-water pool. He stayed there not moving for a half-hour before I got worried and pulled him out, and then he went right back in for another 20 minutes. After that I made sure the dishes were deep enough so they could go swimming if they wanted to. I've never seen any of them go in willingly since, but I also never see them eat either - doesn't mean they aren't doing it.

I actually can't find any solid research on how long a hermit crab can stay underwater without drowning. I imagine that for safety sake they have to be able to for a while so they don't drown in nature. (What would happen if they stopped a a tide pool for a drink and fell in? It would take them some time to climb back out.) I'm sure the research is out there - but I'm having trouble finding it! Anyone know of any science journals they can check?

HCA: Hermit Crab Association

How long before drowning?

How long before drowning?

Easyher