Shell rot?

[Hermie13]

Hi my hermit crab has a spot on her claw. It has a cream-ish ring around the spot and it looks like she got in a fight and her shell’s been damaged. But when I looked up the symptoms Im now worried it might be shell rot? It doesn’t look black though it’s more brown. I have a smaller tank I can isolate her in if I need to. Please help! Thanks
https://imgur.com/gallery/iAB30s8

[JoeHermits]

That’s not shell rot, but I don’t know what it is from the photo.

It could be an injury as you originally suspected, though.


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[Hermie13]

Ok thanks, Im glad it’s not shell rot. Should I just wait until she molts then?

[JoeHermits]

Yeah, not much you can do, I’m afraid.


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[wodesorel]

It looks like an ulcer. That spot can scrape against their shells when they pull in and I've had them with discolorations there, but she may have ended up with a bit of a bacterial infection if it broke through her exo or happened when she was still soft from molting. That positioning doesn't look like an attack from another crab.

I think it looks healthy for how significant of a wound it is. I don't like to mess with crabs unless necessary because the stress of it can cause more problems than it helps. So long as it doesn't get bigger I wouldn't worry too much. The flesh inside may turn dark as it seals itself off from the air, but the exo around it shouldn't change colors.

If you get really concerned or she starts slowing down or seems off, you may want to consider an antibacterial treatment. Honey is safe for hermits and works well on wounds. We haven't really experimented with true antibiotics on crabs and some are dangerous for invertebrates, but there might be something that could work on crabs if anyone really felt desperate. (I never had the chance to try, myself.)

[Hermie13]

It looks like an ulcer. That spot can scrape against their shells when they pull in and I've had them with discolorations there, but she may have ended up with a bit of a bacterial infection if it broke through her exo or happened when she was still soft from molting. That positioning doesn't look like an attack from another crab.

I think it looks healthy for how significant of a wound it is. I don't like to mess with crabs unless necessary because the stress of it can cause more problems than it helps. So long as it doesn't get bigger I wouldn't worry too much. The flesh inside may turn dark as it seals itself off from the air, but the exo around it shouldn't change colors.

If you get really concerned or she starts slowing down or seems off, you may want to consider an antibacterial treatment. Honey is safe for hermits and works well on wounds. We haven't really experimented with true antibiotics on crabs and some are dangerous for invertebrates, but there might be something that could work on crabs if anyone really felt desperate. (I never had the chance to try, myself.)

Okay thank you! I’ll keep an eye on her

[Hermie13]

Update: I was looking at her again to make sure the wound wasn’t getting bigger, and I noticed the spots above her joints seemed to be worn down? I looked back at the original picture and Im pretty sure it was like that before, I just hadn’t seen it. I’m not sure it thats normal or if I should be concerned? Shes just as active as always and isn’t slowing down or anything. Thanks
https://imgur.com/gallery/NKmzYDy