my hermit crab is shell less

[Quinnthescrub]

Since you've come to the emergency forum, we know you want a fast answer to your question. In order for us to figure out the problem as quickly as possible, we ask that you answer the following questions as best you can. Some of them may seem odd, but they're all designed to give us the information we need to give you a good solution for your problem. The things in the [ brackets ] are there to make this post easier to read once submitted. Thanks!


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
sand and coco fiber, 5 inches deep


2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? no


3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

yes, hood lamp and dome lamp
4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
distilled only

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
fruit, biweekly

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 years, coenobita clypeatus

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
yes, surface molt after tunnel collapse within one week

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
20 gallon long, screen covered in ceran rap

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
11, 4 large, 3 medium, and 4 small

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
lots

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
every 4-6 months

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
7 crabs

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
i bathed her today

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

she is without a shell in a critter keeper inside the tank with her exoskeleton and shells
.

[DragonsFly]

Adding new crabs to an established group can cause all kinds of disruption. 11 crabs in a 20g is a crowd, from the crabs' perspective, and suddenly having so many more than they had before makes a crisis of resource access. She may have been attacked for her shell and the attacker took the shell. She may have been attacked just for territorial reasons and possibly injured and dropped her shell. You don't say why you bathed her today, but crabs do not need us to bathe them; they need to decide when to regulate their shell water. They also need both fresh and marine salt water sources in order to do that properly (it sounds like maybe they only have distilled water???). For now, keeping her isolated, in good conditions, with shells, is the best you can do.

Hang on, I just realized you said "with her exoskeleton"--so she was doing a surface molt before she went shell-less??? That is two emergencies. . .

Not having gauges that can tell you what the temperature and humidity are in the tank is a serious problem for hermit crabs. They need temps between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity between 75 and 85% in order to live. Significant deviations from these ranges for very long is a life-threatening situation. Crabs will sometimes abandon their shell if they get too hot.

But if she was also molting at the same time, apparently on the surface, then more is probably wrong. Are you sure this is one of the crabs you have had for 3 years, or could it be one of the new ones?

[Quinnthescrub]

I had her for that long, she was about to molt but then another crab collapsed her cave so that explains the surface molt. I can tell that the conditions are perfect just by putting my hand in the tank. I have had 3 crabs die from overheating, so I already know to not crank up the heat all the way. She is a critter keeper and got back in her shell. I plan to build a huge topper that is more than 3 feet high and will have plants and decorations that extend to the tank's ceiling

[DragonsFly]

Our human perception of warmth and humidity can change from one time to another, because of the time of day (we tend to have our lowest body temperature first thing in the morning, for example, then it varies throughout the day), how warm or humid or cool or dry our surroundings are, whether we have just been exercising, whether we might be running a slight fever, etc., etc. So, since temperature and humidity are literally matters of life and death for hermit crabs, I personally would not rely on just how it feels with my hand to know whether it is really in a good range for them or not.

That is great that she re-shelled! Keep her isolated and in the dark to allow her to finish her molt. Best wishes!

[curlysister]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
sand and coco fiber, 5 inches deep
Curly - Ensure that your substrate is at least three times as deep as your largest crab, and that it is moistened with dechlorinated water to be sand castle consistency.

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? no
Curly - These are essential so you know the temp and humidity.

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?

yes, hood lamp and dome lamp
Curly - A thermometer will let you know how much heat you need, and whether your lamps are decreasing your humidity.

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
distilled only
Curly - Distilled water isn't appropriate. You need dechlorinated tap water for the fresh water, and then add marine salt for the salt water. You should have both in the tank. The 'water' care sheet explains everything you need to know about water.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
fruit, biweekly
Curly - Crabs need a varied diet, which includes calcium and protein daily. The 'nutrition' care sheet explains everything you need to know about their needs.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
3 years, coenobita clypeatus

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
yes, surface molt after tunnel collapse within one week

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
20 gallon long, screen covered in ceran rap

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
11, 4 large, 3 medium, and 4 small
Curly - There is a care sheet that explains how many crabs can safely be housed in what size of a tank, depending on the size of the crabs.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
lots
Curly - HCA recommends 3 to 5 extra shells per crab. There are appropriate and inappropriate shells - the care sheet has tons of info.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
no

12. How often do you clean the tank and how?
every 4-6 months
Curly - With proper substrate, it doesn't need to be completely changed unless there is an emergency like a bacterial bloom or flood.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned?
no

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
7 crabs

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)?
i bathed her today

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail.

she is without a shell in a critter keeper inside the tank with her exoskeleton and shells
Curly - DF has given great advice. You have a number of things that can be improved to ensure that your crabs have healthy lives, and don't become so weak that they drop their shells.
.

[Quinnthescrub]

I got the gauge up and the humidity was too low so i fixed it and she is active now

[HermieMom7610]

Hi there, I have a crab that has been without a shell for almost 2 days now. I have read a lot of the information on here, and I’m not certain what else to try. I should mention that I have 3 crabs. 2 XL and this one is a medium. He recently came up from a long, what I assumed was a molt. I didn’t even know he was still alive- that’s how long it was. He had a shell on then. While he was up, I changed the substrate (5-1 sand/coconut fiber) and upgraded from 20 to 29 gallon tank. He’s changed shells several times. This morning he was just submerged in the salt water still shell-less. I tried putting him in a small container with about 7 different shells with a towel over to keep it nice and dark. No luck with that. So, I decided to make him his own separate crabitat, so he doesn’t become dinner for my XL crabs. He has three times his height in substrate, salt water, regular water, I used prime in both and marine salt in the saltwater. He has a little hut in there, some moss, some fresh fruit and veggies and dried krill, and 7 different shells. I have his little homemade crabitat up next to my tank so the overhead dome light will provide some heat as well. Only concern is keeping humidity up in there, it’s a tall plastic container with a lid, which I put a ton of holes in the top of so he has air. I can try to send pics if that would help. Please provide me with any info and advice you feel may be helpful. I’ve had hermit crabs for about 5 years now, have upgraded tanks before but have never had a crab go shell-less. I’m at a loss.

[Jlmills525]

I am by no means an expert here, but did you try to manually re-shell him? There is a guide for that here


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[CrabbyLover77]

Hi there, I have a crab that has been without a shell for almost 2 days now. I have read a lot of the information on here, and I’m not certain what else to try. I should mention that I have 3 crabs. 2 XL and this one is a medium. He recently came up from a long, what I assumed was a molt. I didn’t even know he was still alive- that’s how long it was. He had a shell on then. While he was up, I changed the substrate (5-1 sand/coconut fiber) and upgraded from 20 to 29 gallon tank. He’s changed shells several times. This morning he was just submerged in the salt water still shell-less. I tried putting him in a small container with about 7 different shells with a towel over to keep it nice and dark. No luck with that. So, I decided to make him his own separate crabitat, so he doesn’t become dinner for my XL crabs. He has three times his height in substrate, salt water, regular water, I used prime in both and marine salt in the saltwater. He has a little hut in there, some moss, some fresh fruit and veggies and dried krill, and 7 different shells. I have his little homemade crabitat up next to my tank so the overhead dome light will provide some heat as well. Only concern is keeping humidity up in there, it’s a tall plastic container with a lid, which I put a ton of holes in the top of so he has air. I can try to send pics if that would help. Please provide me with any info and advice you feel may be helpful. I’ve had hermit crabs for about 5 years now, have upgraded tanks before but have never had a crab go shell-less. I’m at a loss.

Are you offering protein and calcium daily? What's the humidity and the temp? You're going to have to try to manually re-shell him. Here's the link to the care sheet on how to do that:

https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... 7&t=122302

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[HermieMom7610]

I offer protein daily and also keep cuttlebone for calcium in the tank. Heat and Humidity are WNL for hermies. I have both a digital and gauge thermometer and hygrometer. I even recalibrated the digital one today just to double check.
Since I’ve isolated him in his own crabitat, he hasn’t moved at all. Eyes wide open just staring ahead. I’m worried I traumatized him by handling him to move him today. I handle them only when necessary. He seems like he’s in shock, if that’s possible? I can try to re-shell him manually. He seems so soft to the touch-could that indicate something?

[CrabbyLover77]

I offer protein daily and also keep cuttlebone for calcium in the tank. Heat and Humidity are WNL for hermies. I have both a digital and gauge thermometer and hygrometer. I even recalibrated the digital one today just to double check.
Since I’ve isolated him in his own crabitat, he hasn’t moved at all. Eyes wide open just staring ahead. I’m worried I traumatized him by handling him to move him today. I handle them only when necessary. He seems like he’s in shock, if that’s possible? I can try to re-shell him manually. He seems so soft to the touch-could that indicate something?

Hi there,

Sorry your little guy isn't feeling well. Their little abdomens are usually soft. Def try to manually re-shell him since the container method didn't work. Don't feel bad about moving him. Since he went shell-less before that, he wasn't feeling well already. The best thing to do is just to keep trying to get him in a shell and keep up the good environmental conditions.

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[HermieMom7610]

Thank you for your help. I'm worried he might be dead. He hasn't moved all night, is cold to the touch and doesn't react to me touching him. I'm going to leave him in his separate crabitat but manual reshelling was not successful.
Also, FYI, I jumped on your Etsy site and did purchase some hermie foods from you!! I'm excited for them to try your stuff!
Thanks again for your guidance!

[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you for your help. I'm worried he might be dead. He hasn't moved all night, is cold to the touch and doesn't react to me touching him. I'm going to leave him in his separate crabitat but manual reshelling was not successful.
Also, FYI, I jumped on your Etsy site and did purchase some hermie foods from you!! I'm excited for them to try your stuff!
Thanks again for your guidance!

Aw I'm so sorry! It sounds like he may have passed since he's not responding to touch. Sometimes we can do everything right but they still don't make it. Please keep me updated.
And thank you so much, I thought I recognized the city in the order haha! I've already got it all packed and ready to go. I'll be sending it out tomorrow, and you'll get an email from Etsy with the tracking number. Thank you so very much for your support!!

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