HCA: Hermit Crab Association

AJ just came up from his first molt with us. He was one of the 11 crabs from our rescue trip we did in mid January.

Upon inspection his big pincher appears to have been crushed. Not a bump or a dent, like his new exo was split.

I'm not sure if he was attacked or it was a bad molt.

Also is there any type of special care that would help to combat any type of infection he may get?

Thanks for the help.

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It's likely he will drop the limb, especially if it gets infected. However, salt is a great natural disinfectant, so having a SW pool - which you have - and allowing him to wash his claw is a great move!

Thanks for the quick response. Would it be a good idea to dip him in the saltwater pool daily or to let him do it on his own?

I saw this medicinal bath mix on the crab street journals for helping combat infections and deformities. I'm not sure if this would be beneficial to attempt.
1 Tbsp. Marshmallow root shaved
1 Tbsp. myrrh powder
1 Tbsp. calendula (marigold)
1 Tbsp. whole chamomile flowers (not powdered)

http://crabstreetjournal.org/blog/2012/ ... ts/

I don’t have any advice but I’d like to wish him a speedy recovery. <3


Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«
Who♡Fearless♡Crimson♡LittleBit

I have no advice re- the healing mix. But wondering if he is using the claw normally? Or does it seem to bother him?
(Not that I have experienced anything like that before, just wondering if it's something that seems painful?)

I've had this happen a few times and had no difference in outcome between leaving it alone, soaking it often in saltwater, or using honey. Either they drop it or attempt to repair it. As always, make sure it can molt undisturbed next time, and make sure it has access to a variety of good foods to store up as it'll take a lot of energy to fix!

He just came up from his most yesterday. Yesterday he was extremely active climbing anywhere he could pretty much the whole day. Up nets, up to the moss pit, up cholla wood, everywhere. From what we can tell so far he hasn't had any issues with using the big pincher. We didn't really see him use it to eat though.

I'm a bit concerned because it looks as if the meat is on the outside of his exo or part of the exo is missing. I want to look at it closer but don't want to completely stress him out.

The exposed meat will turn black and shrink and become hardened over. It's very odd looking. I'll see if I have any pictures of it.

Wode, do you know what caused it when it happened to your crabs? Was it an injury during molting, or after?

I bought a few with bad pitchers to rehab, had a couple from fights, and had a few that were obvious attack injuries from molting. I think most claw injuries end up being from other crabs - either while they are not quite hard enough from molting, or from getting into fights with larger crabs when topside. Just one of those things that can happen when they are housed together.

Thanks for answering my questions!

Thank you so much for allowing the information Wo! We are running getting supplies to set up another tank today. As if four tanks aren't enough already. We stopped at a health food store and picked up the stuff to make that bath mix. We also found rose buds, organic raw honey, hibiscus petals, and dandelion leaves. It was only about $6 for a good amount of all of that.

We just made the medicinal bath for AJ. We made less than what the original recipe called for. 1 cup dechlorinated water, 1 teaspoon of all the ingredients. We let it cool down to what the water temperatures in the tank.

We added about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of the liquid into a small container then placed AJ in it. He stayed in his shell for about 30 seconds then popped out to see what was going on. It looked as if he was either drinking it or was sloshing his little pincher around. After about a minute he had enough and started to climb out. We then put him back into the tank.


The ingredients in raw form. Marshmallow Root, Myrrh Gum Root, German Chamomile, and Calendula Flowers.


The bath is ready!




AJ taking his bath. He seemed to not really mind it.


Another picture of his bad claw.

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It looks so painful, I hope he is feeling better. Sending healing crabby vibes to AJ. <3


Rod♡Salty♡Bob♡Squirt♡Crabina
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers <-♡-«
Who♡Fearless♡Crimson♡LittleBit

Thanks for the good vibes! I don't know how crabs feel pain or if they do. I would think it would be similar to a broken bones if they do. We have been putting him in the bath for a minute or two twice a day. I figure with the damage it will hopefully at least prevent infection and dropping the pincher. I'm not too sure how long to continue with the baths. Perhaps twice a week for the first week. Then once a day for a week. Then perhaps once every other day. Unless we some sort of change or drops it. Then we will put him in an isolation tank to recover.

From what I read the Marshmallow Root helps draw out infection and creates a slime cost. The Myrrh is an anti-inflammatory bacterial that is crab safe. Calendula Flowers stimulate the immune system possibly encouraging a quicker molt. The Chamomile reduces inflamation, and helps speed healing.

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