HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Changing out food once a week shouldn’t be that bad, he’s not gonna starve if he has to go a few days without fresh snacks. Does he get access to protein regularly? I noticed that most of his protein intake comes from shrimp and nuts


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Agree that circumstances suggest marine. At that size and color possibly a red leg hermit crab, which are common in the pet trade. Dunno how compatible they are with snails so keep an eye on them if you add it to your aquarium


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I’m not super familiar with those but I’ve seen other people use seedling mats without reporting issues


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Could be a delayed onset of PPS. Is he still alive? Weird that there’d be sand on the eyestalks, normally those are kept pretty clean


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Do you have any gauges to measure temperature or humidity? Those are two major factors that affect how comfortable the setup is In the meantime keep offering food and water. Anything rich in protein will be helpful for regrowing lost limbs. Honey is also good in a pinch for a quick energy boost Sent...

The young leaves and flowers should all be fine


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See our naked crab guide: viewtopic.php?t=122302

It has procedures for reshelling naked hermies as well as places to look for potential stressors that can cause them to streak


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A sudden strong fishy smell often indicates death. Sometimes they last a few months but those who are purchased sick, injured, or extremely stressed may not give a lot of obvious symptoms until it’s too late


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Usually no, they’ll surface if they’re hungry


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Never seen a Chia Pet in a crabitat but I don’t think it’d be harmful. The crabs can eat whatever chia they have


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It’s normal for the first inch or so of sand to be dry. As long as it’s still at an appropriate level of saturation underneath the crabs will be able to function just fine


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All that food is fine to offer. Going from whitish to dark sounds like a good thing (usually gaining color is positive)


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Flower sprouts should be fine


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That description alone doesn’t tell me enough about what he is. Sounds kind of like a marine crab but terrestrial hermits also come in brown. Are both claws the same size?

And that lighting regime is fine. They don’t need direct sunlight.


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If you pick him up, look at his claw. A terrestrial hermit crab will have an enlarged claw that will block the entrance of the shell when it retracts. Marine hermits generally have two claws about the same size. Anything that’ll add moisture to the air will boost humidity. A hand sprayer is the most...