Hermit crabs claw broken

[Guest]

Today while misting my tank I found one of my smaller crabs out of their shell huddled in the corner. After getting to to take up a shell I noticed that the main large claw is missing the bottom peice as if some one tore it off. I didn't see any other crabs out and about and don't really know what happened. My question is what should I do for the injured crab or am I looking at a possible death. I can set up a small emergency tank if need be.

[Guest]

Sorry the first was a phone post. Here is my tank info

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
The tank has crushed quarts sand and coconut husk mixed through. All together the substrate is 8 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?
Yes I have a high quality humidity and heat gauge on the left hand side at the top of the tank. Standard readings are 75-78 degrees heat and 78-80 percent humidity

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
I have a day light bulb that gives off enough heat for the tank during the summer months with an additional heating pad underneath the tank which is currently off.

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)?
Have both fresh and salt water available. To declorinate the water I use Zoo Med's drinking water conditioner on top of a small amount of API's Stress Zyme. For adding salt I use Zoo Med's salt water conditioner. Usually let the water sit over night before using for the crabs

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I use food from the hermit crab patch as well as calcium powder from their site . Food is changed out weekly if not every three days.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
Had her/him for a year and is a purple claw crab.

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
Medium wide Exo terra tank and the lid is attached to the cage. Doors open in the front.

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
I have 8 and the were all introduced to each other. The biggest one is about the size of my palm. They are all medium small crabs.

9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Two per crab. One larger and one the same size

10. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently?
None
11. How often do you clean the tank and how?
Once a month and I do a complete sand change with sand that has been pre cleaned and sterilized in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

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

13. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently?
No new items

14. 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.)?
Nothing relevant to the problem.

[Rebecca C]

If the crab in question is staying in a shell, he should be fine. He will probably re-grow his claw, when he molts. If there was no fight over his old shell, there could be a number of reasons for him going shell-less.

*Edited*

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I did notice a few things where I would recommend improvement. 1- your water mixes are incorrect. Basically the zoo med water stuff is worthless. To dechlorinate I use stress coat and then instant ocean for the salt water. 2 - never ever ever put the heater underneath. I know they are "under tank heaters" but they are not meant to go through that,much substrate and not only do not warm the tank, they can be a fire hazard. 3- play sand such as the quickrete kind sold at lowe's mixed with the Coco fiber is what you are looking for instead of the sand you have now. It is most commonly mixed 5 parts sand with 1 part coco fiber and then kept at sandcastle consistency. Without these conditions they cannot bury very well to molt. Crabs should have 5 extra shells each. It can lead to fights over shells. 4-it is recommended not to deep clean your tank more than once every 6 months unless a specific circumstance needs to be handled. Changing out substrate that often stresses the crabs and also will have an affect on their molts. For your poor little guy to repair the damage to his claw he needs to molt. Very badly. He may molt a few times back to back to repair himself. Good luck! It is so hard when we see our babies hurting. Hopefully some charges can mame it easier for him to get past this and be on the way to recovery. *hug*

[Guest]

I had no idea the water conditioner was bad! Thank you for informing me of that. As far as the sand I looked every where in my area for the quickrete sand and could not find one that didn't include cement. By quartz sand I mean beach sand, I assume that the sand at the beaches is quartz sand. Probably not right of me to assume but if the sand is still not good then please tell me. Definitely will boost the coconut fiber in the tank and cut down on the cleanings. Speaking on the molting I actually noticed that this might have been a molt related injury, he/she was a little on the pink side so it could have been an injury sustained during molt.

[KellyCrabbieLove]

Aw. Poor guy. That could be it. It sounds like you are on your way! If you need links to products let me know.

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I had no idea the water conditioner was bad! Thank you for informing me of that. As far as the sand I looked every where in my area for the quickrete sand and could not find one that didn't include cement. By quartz sand I mean beach sand, I assume that the sand at the beaches is quartz sand. Probably not right of me to assume but if the sand is still not good then please tell me. Definitely will boost the coconut fiber in the tank and cut down on the cleanings. Speaking on the molting I actually noticed that this might have been a molt related injury, he/she was a little on the pink side so it could have been an injury sustained during molt.

I have found that with zoo med things marketing as "hermit crab" items are almost all worthless and often dangerous for our babies. They do have a few things that work well though.

[Rebecca C]

Sorry if I came off a certain way in my original post; I thought that the username being black, and no other information meant that the account was made and then deleted, and I thought you could not respond to us, also, for some reason, your second post did not show up until some point after I posted mine.

In addition to what Kelly has said in regards to the heat mat being underneath the tank, I wanted to mention that the heat mat on the bottom becomes too hot and even dry. The heat mat should be on the back or side of the tank above the substrate completely.

According to Wikipedia, quartz sand is the most common type of sand; however, it is found, “…in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings”. And the type of sand that is by the oceans, and in places like the Caribbean, is calcium carbonate.
There wasn't too much I could find on quartz sand, but if it is finely ground, and does not have any gravel-like rocks throughout, it should be fine to use for substrate.

How is your little guy doing?

[YYWW]

To add to everyone's help: if you have taken sand from an actual beach, this is not recommended because there is naturally occuring bacteria and such that shouldn't be kept in a small enclosure in your home. Please excuse and distrgard me if I might have misunderstood.
Play sand, meant for sandboxes, from the hardware store, is a nice safe product to use for your crabs and in your home. Sakrete is another brand known to carry play sand. It is sold where cement is offered, but as long as the bag states "play sand" it is usable.
Hope your crab makes a comeback!


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[HeathMcCrab]

It's been a few days... Do you have an update? I hope your buddy is doing better!

[Guest]

Just an update to the ones that wanted it. He's doing better though he tore off his smaller claw. He got scared by one of the other crabs but is now doing fine. Added way more coconut fiber to the sand and the humidity and sand is now much better and even changed shells. So high hopes for a full recovery. To the concerns that the sand had bacteria I did sterilize it before I used it. I had put it in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes.