HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I believe it is still unknown as to whether Willow is safe or not, so I wouldn't recommend using that branch in the tank. As for the ants, I would have imagined that they were harmless, but I searched through the forum to be on the safe side, and I found that recently enough someone lost a crab to a...

Hello there and welcome to the HCA! :) Those look like food mites; which, are completely harmless. There is a wealth of all kinds of information here and anything you cannot find, we are happy to help you figure things out. Here is a link to the article on mites: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/php...

It does look more like BP pinching, when i think about it. Eggshell halves that got pinched off has that look. So sorry [emoji20] Crabbers unite!!! It's okay, I just never want to experience finding another crab in the same way that I found Roux; it was a terrible sight to see and I keep picturing ...

I am so sorry for your loss but this brings up a strange question. If a crab passes away under the sand, is there any way to know? Or does the death small get covered up by being under several inches of sand? In other words if a molter "never" comes up should anything be done, or do you assume it i...

I'm so sorry Rebecca C [emoji20] on the other hand hopefully Spider's shell was the result of some E remodeling, as they like to alter their shells. Wishing you some good crabby vibes! Crabbers unite!!! Thank you, I appreciate all of you for your kind words. I personally don't think it was a case o...

I'm sorry for not having replied until now; things have been a bit crazy for me. Oh good, I forgot to mention that you could check craft stores and such for the shells; I'm glad you had luck with finding some to use! I'm also glad that you have found some nice things to put in the tank! :D The tank ...

Hello and Welcome to the HCA! I think it is so awesome when people take the time to research their pet’s needs before they get them! :D You should try insulating the back/outside of the heater with foil and/or cardboard. I personally have a smaller heater with foil and cardboard taped to the outside...

It is normal for them to stay still at different stages during the molting process. You can actually see him though? Does it look like there is room for him to move around, like he is inside a cave? I wouldn’t tap the glass or regularly pick the tank up to check, I’d imagine that is causing stress f...

Thank you everyone, I'm trying not to think of it as it was a horrible night; I will spare you all of the details. At least now I can add more substrate to that part of the tank so that it doesn't happen to anyone else; I was hoping that he would have left that area, as clearly it was too low for sa...

So...I just had a terrible feeling by the time I got home today, and I had crabs digging around again, so I decided to just dig in the area that Roux went down in...what a terrible sight :cry: My poor little Roux had been attacked, ripped to pieces...I'm feeling so sick right now, and can't imagine ...

I REALLY don't want to go digging, but Roux has been down since at least November 13th, and I last saw him in a cave, through the glass, on November 25th. He was the first one to go down, and now all of my crabs have gone down and molted, including BFG(my largest, who is a large). Roux is a medium s...

They are both cute, and Morrigan's coloring is gorgeous! See, there was nothing to worry about, but first molts are always hard to wait out.

That's so sweet; I'm glad.

I know I can't really tell you not to feel like a bad mommy, but you really shouldn't. :( It is common for them to behave that way when they are still new to captivity. If they haven't already dug down and molted for you, you might want to not handle them until after they do come up from a molt. You...

It is my pleasure to help if I can. I normally don't use the oven to dry leaves because they tend to burn, but I have done it. You want them to keep their color and become the texture of dry herbs. I worry about them burning so I would check on them maybe after about 30 minutes or so and then keep c...