1 Dead HC, 1 Lost Leg

[Laa417]

A few days ago, I found one of my crabs dead in his water dish. He was hanging out of his shell. He was my only really active hermit crab, I was surprised to see him dead. I only use bottled water, never tap. Today, I noticed another of the crabs has lost a leg. He is sitting oddly, almost laying on his side? I gently touched the front of his legs today to see if he was alive and his pincher moved. I am really worried something is wrong with my crabs. They have also been really inactive in general lately. I live in Texas and the weather has been fluctuating drastically. I have been struggling to keep the appropriate temperature. Even when it seems that is fine, they are very rarely active. Can anyone please advise me? I am distraught to know they are suffering and it is likely my fault Thank you

[Laa417]

JUST SAW THIS...


1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Colored sand from pet store, sold for crabs. 2-3 inches

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?

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? Heat lamp. Red bulb, reptile light. Cant remember wattage, but lowest they had. Can someone help me deice how many watts I should have?

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)? Yes, fresh and a dish of salt. Both bottled water and always are bottled water. Salt came with a crab kit.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Once every week. Hermit crab food, crab treat, fruit crab treat.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? I have had 4 of them around 3 months and 1 of them for over a year.

7. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? It is a glass tank, not sure what size gallon. It is a larger size though...

8. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? 4. With shells they would maybe be able to sit on a half dollar?

9. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? 5

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

11. How often do you clean the tank and how? Not often, once every six months. I rinse it with hot water, wipe it with a towel. I boil the bowls and throw away all the sand and replace it with new sand.

12. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? None now. They seemed to have gotten dirty and I wasn't sure to keep them.

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

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.)?I know my temperature is too low but do not know how to raise it safely. I am not sure what watt bulb to use. I bought an under the cage heater, but it didn't seem to work properly.

15. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. Described in the original thread. I desperately want to be a responsible crab owner. I am just not educated. I read all of the instructions I received with them and am not getting it right.

[aussieJJDude]

Hi, welcome to HCA. I sorry you had such a bad experience so far, hopefully we can help you turn it around.

Theres multiple things I would like to address here before anything else, as this could be what is causing the death and legg dropping.
~~~~~~~
Bottled water... A thing thats often full of chemicals to keep it fresh. Best bet is to get a dechlorinator - look for the ones listed for fish - to keep these chemicals and heavy metals out of the drinking supply.

Coloured sand from the pet store. Hate to be a bringer of bad news, but most likely this "thing" doesn't do anything beneficial to the crabs and can do more harm than good. Best bet is to get rid of it and look into getting playsand - like the ones used for sandpits. Play sand is cheap, comes in a large bag - so you don't have to buy 50! - and closely mimics the wild. Another good option is to use Eco-earth - EE - or also known as coconut fiber. This product is found in the reptile section and can help you with the humidity. Or do what many crabbers here do, mix them together! Just remember you want the substrate nice and deep, 6 inches is a good starting point.

I noticed that you didn't say anything about having gauges, if you don't; I strongly recommend you buy a gauge for the heat and humidity - often come together. It is vital so you can monitor their environment, as they need both heat and humidity to survive and thrive. Your looking at keeping the temperature around 80F and the humidity at 80%. A golden tip to remember, 80/80 is needed.

Depends on how big the tank is and where you live. I'm not 100% sure, but in Texas you have rather mild winters so IMO, a heat lamp could do fine; at most I would just insulate the tank. However, if you ever need to heat the tank a bit more, I would suggest looking into Ultratherms - an undertank heater (UTH). Even though the name says "undertank heaters", UTH's should be placed on the side so it can heat the air not the sand. Many US crabbers swear by these.

Already mentioned that the bottle water might be harmful, but I would suggest into changing the salt for a package suitable for marine fish. Often these hermit crab salts are just the table salts you would find in your kitchen. This would be fine, however it lacks all the vital - in my option - minerals that the crabs need. A good brand to look for is instant ocean; but any could do.

Hermit crabs food - - don't trust it. In fact, it worth mentioning that most produces labeled for hermit crabs is unsafe. The best bet is to offer them foods you would eat, they go nuts for them. Good place to check out: Safe food list Try to change it up as regularly as you can, hermit crabs don't like eating the same food all the time.

What's the measurement of the tank (length x width x height)? We/I will be able to help you there, or just google/bing fish tank volume calculator; and do it yourself if your curious.

As you may know, hermit crabs love the opportunity to change shells. Many people go by the rule 4 shells per crab - in the tank, at their respective sizes - and some out of the tank to switch with. Good places to look is the online stores listed here or just go down to your local pet store. Most likely your crabs will be PP's, so look for shells with a o shaped opening.

Good job for taking the sponges out of the water, they just harbour bacteria and do more harm then good. However, if you want to use those sponges (only if they are natural), I suggest adding them to the tank just to snack on. My hermit crabs love eating sponges thats laying around.

Try to limit at amount of time you "deep clean". Personally, the only time one should deep clean is if they have a mite outbreak, a heavy bacteria bloom or flooding. Otherwise, just changing up the decor every month or so will keep them happy.


~~~~~~~~~~
Don't worry, no one will judge you. Most people on this forum started out this way! To me, you sound responsible as your trying to rectify the situation. If there is anything that needs to be clarified, just give out a shout.

~~~~~~~~~~
Some good places to look:
viewforum.php?f=51
viewforum.php?f=25
viewforum.php?f=26

Once again, welcome!

[soilentgringa]

Hi, welcome to HCA. I sorry you had such a bad experience so far, hopefully we can help you turn it around.

Theres multiple things I would like to address here before anything else, as this could be what is causing the death and legg dropping.
~~~~~~~
Bottled water... A thing thats often full of chemicals to keep it fresh. Best bet is to get a dechlorinator - look for the ones listed for fish - to keep these chemicals and heavy metals out of the drinking supply.

Coloured sand from the pet store. Hate to be a bringer of bad news, but most likely this "thing" doesn't do anything beneficial to the crabs and can do more harm than good. Best bet is to get rid of it and look into getting playsand - like the ones used for sandpits. Play sand is cheap, comes in a large bag - so you don't have to buy 50! - and closely mimics the wild. Another good option is to use Eco-earth - EE - or also known as coconut fiber. This product is found in the reptile section and can help you with the humidity. Or do what many crabbers here do, mix them together! Just remember you want the substrate nice and deep, 6 inches is a good starting point.

I noticed that you didn't say anything about having gauges, if you don't; I strongly recommend you buy a gauge for the heat and humidity - often come together. It is vital so you can monitor their environment, as they need both heat and humidity to survive and thrive. Your looking at keeping the temperature around 80F and the humidity at 80%. A golden tip to remember, 80/80 is needed.

Depends on how big the tank is and where you live. I'm not 100% sure, but in Texas you have rather mild winters so IMO, a heat lamp could do fine; at most I would just insulate the tank. However, if you ever need to heat the tank a bit more, I would suggest looking into Ultratherms - an undertank heater (UTH). Even though the name says "undertank heaters", UTH's should be placed on the side so it can heat the air not the sand. Many US crabbers swear by these.

Already mentioned that the bottle water might be harmful, but I would suggest into changing the salt for a package suitable for marine fish. Often these hermit crab salts are just the table salts you would find in your kitchen. This would be fine, however it lacks all the vital - in my option - minerals that the crabs need. A good brand to look for is instant ocean; but any could do.

Hermit crabs food - - don't trust it. In fact, it worth mentioning that most produces labeled for hermit crabs is unsafe. The best bet is to offer them foods you would eat, they go nuts for them. Good place to check out: Safe food list Try to change it up as regularly as you can, hermit crabs don't like eating the same food all the time.

What's the measurement of the tank (length x width x height)? We/I will be able to help you there, or just google/bing fish tank volume calculator; and do it yourself if your curious.

As you may know, hermit crabs love the opportunity to change shells. Many people go by the rule 4 shells per crab - in the tank, at their respective sizes - and some out of the tank to switch with. Good places to look is the online stores listed here or just go down to your local pet store. Most likely your crabs will be PP's, so look for shells with a o shaped opening.

Good job for taking the sponges out of the water, they just harbour bacteria and do more harm then good. However, if you want to use those sponges (only if they are natural), I suggest adding them to the tank just to snack on. My hermit crabs love eating sponges thats laying around.

Try to limit at amount of time you "deep clean". Personally, the only time one should deep clean is if they have a mite outbreak, a heavy bacteria bloom or flooding. Otherwise, just changing up the decor every month or so will keep them happy.


~~~~~~~~~~
Don't worry, no one will judge you. Most people on this forum started out this way! To me, you sound responsible as your trying to rectify the situation. If there is anything that needs to be clarified, just give out a shout.

~~~~~~~~~~
Some good places to look:
viewforum.php?f=51
viewforum.php?f=25
viewforum.php?f=26

Once again, welcome!

I'm in Dallas and the weather has been as low as in the 20's (F) at night in the last week and the highs in the 40s or 50s during the day. With an Ultratherm insulated with foil and one of my son's blankies, the temp is at 86. If I take the foil and blanket off, even with a lamp, the temp drops down to low 70's. (Our apartment complex has the thermostats locked so we cannot raise our heat above 70 or so. Even with 2 bubblers the higher temp is causing humidity to drop to 75 so I've been misting twice a day to keep it up in the 80's.
I don't know where OP is from in Texas, but this winter has been crazy. Shorts one week and below freezing the next!
And of course all JJ's advice is solid, I just had to throw my .02 cents in about Texas, being a Texan and all.

[Laa417]

Thank you both SO much. I really feel like I have something to work with here. I stayed up pretty late reading the message boards and trying to become better informed. You are right about Texas- on warmer days here, I can tell the crabbies really notice and perk up and are active and then by night temperatures can drop to near freezing. It has been incredibly challenging.

I am heading out now to Wal- Mart to try and find 1.Play Sand 2. "Real Crab Food" 3. Guages and then over to the pet store for 1. An under heater 2. Some moss

I know you say to slow down on the cleaning, but I think I would like to go ahead and remove this colored sand and get some deeper, play sand in there. I am also going to wrap the screen lid to trap more humidity.

I sure am partial to these little ones and I am really looking forward to them feeling better!!!

[Crabinski]

I am heading out now to Wal- Mart to try and find 1.Play Sand 2. "Real Crab Food" 3. Guages and then over to the pet store for 1. An under heater 2. Some moss

You may have a hard time finding the supplies you need at Walmart. Best bet for the play sand and gauge is going to be Home Depot or Lowe's. Play sand is about $5 for a 50lb bag and can be found in the cement/concrete section. Walmart may carry play sand in their garden department. The number of bags you'll need will, of course, depend on the size of the tank. For example, I have a 29g tank (30Lx12Wx18H) and wanted to set up a 7" substrate. As I prefer to have a predominantly EE (EcoEarth coconut fiber) substrate, I used one 50lb bag of play sand and 3 bricks of EE from Petco or PetSmart.

A very good inexpensive digital thermometer/hygrometer gauge is made by AcuRite and is $10 in Home Depot's pool supplies section. I have one and love it (just be sure to calibrate the hygrometer first-- check in HCA's Food and Water section re how to easily do this). This is the link for the model they carry:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/AcuRite-Digi ... /202260980

You can also buy Shagnum Moss at Home Depot for about $5 for a large bag:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mosser-Lee-4 ... /202301542

As the others have said, most hermit crab food sold commercially is not very good nutritionally. Walmart carries Wardley's Hermit Crab Dried Shrimp, a good product that the crabs actually like. Check Petco/PetSmart for Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend (freeze-dried mealworms, shrimp and crickets). You can grind these up to a coarse powder for the crabs, assuring that they'll be getting good protein. Be sure to pick up a cuttlebone in the Bird section of the pet store and flake bits off with your fingernail to add to their food dish -- this will help boost the calcium they need for their exoskeltons. Making a homemade dry mix like this will ensure that you always have a good basic food on hand for them.

Frankly, hermit crabs can eat what we eat, i.e., eggs, chicken, fish, veggies, fruit, as long as the items are unseasoned. Check out the HCA Safe and Unsafe food lists and you'll be amazed at what they'd enjoy eating! They love variety. A great treat for them is raw albumin (egg white), served in a half-eggshell. They love the albumin and will pinch off bits of the eggshell for the calcium. When you make eggs, get into the habit of saving the shells, thoroughly wash them in hot water, let them dry and use them as serving bowls...fun for the crabs and disposable to boot !

Hope this helps. Keep on asking questions as we all learn from one another's successes and failures every day on this site .

[soilentgringa]

You may have a hard time finding the supplies you need at Walmart. Best bet for the play sand and gauge is going to be Home Depot or Lowe's. Play sand is about $5 for a 50lb bag and can be found in the cement/concrete section. Walmart may carry play sand in their garden department. The number of bags you'll need will, of course, depend on the size of the tank. For example, I have a 29g tank (30Lx12Wx18H) and wanted to set up a 7" substrate. As I prefer to have a predominantly EE (EcoEarth coconut fiber) substrate, I used one 50lb bag of play sand and 3 bricks of EE from Petco or PetSmart.

A very good inexpensive digital thermometer/hygrometer gauge is made by AcuRite and is $10 in Home Depot's pool supplies section. I have one and love it (just be sure to calibrate the hygrometer first-- check in HCA's Food and Water section re how to easily do this). This is the link for the model they carry:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/AcuRite-Digi ... /202260980

You can also buy Shagnum Moss at Home Depot for about $5 for a large bag:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mosser-Lee-4 ... /202301542

As the others have said, most hermit crab food sold commercially is not very good nutritionally. Walmart carries Wardley's Hermit Crab Dried Shrimp, a good product that the crabs actually like. Check Petco/PetSmart for Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend (freeze-dried mealworms, shrimp and crickets). You can grind these up to a coarse powder for the crabs, assuring that they'll be getting good protein. Be sure to pick up a cuttlebone in the Bird section of the pet store and flake bits off with your fingernail to add to their food dish -- this will help boost the calcium they need for their exoskeltons. Making a homemade dry mix like this will ensure that you always have a good basic food on hand for them.

Frankly, hermit crabs can eat what we eat, i.e., eggs, chicken, fish, veggies, fruit, as long as the items are unseasoned. Check out the HCA Safe and Unsafe food lists and you'll be amazed at what they'd enjoy eating! They love variety. A great treat for them is raw albumin (egg white), served in a half-eggshell. They love the albumin and will pinch off bits of the eggshell for the calcium. When you make eggs, get into the habit of saving the shells, thoroughly wash them in hot water, let them dry and use them as serving bowls...fun for the crabs and disposable to boot !

Hope this helps. Keep on asking questions as we all learn from one another's successes and failures every day on this site .

When you go to Wal*Mart go to the garden center and ask for Play Sand/Sand box sand. They sell it in 50 lb bags. It's usually out by the fence by the potting soil or out in the "corral" in the parking lot. I have only been to one Wal*Mart that didn't have it in stock.

[Laa417]

Updates: I am enjoying reading everyone's responses. Thank you everyone for weighing in, I am feeling a lot better about the outlook for the crabs.

Wal Mart did not have the sand. They had colored play sand, but it was really expensive and I am just going to stay away from the colored, I think. I did get a heater, a Reptitherm. Aussie mentioned placing it on the side of the crabitat, Inside or out? It is on the outside right now. I do have a thermometer now. It only reads 72 with the light and heater. I put some fresh apple slices with organic honey on them. I am going to boil an add tonight to let them have the white and shell.

I also got a shelter they can crawl into to hide. It is for fish. They haven't explored it quite yet, my main objective will be to raise the heat. I am afraid to mist right now with the temperature so low.

My crab who is missing a leg seems to be ok still today, he hasn't lost anymore legs. He woke up and explored for a few minutes when I added things.

I am checking back frequently for advice!!!!

[soilentgringa]

Updates: I am enjoying reading everyone's responses. Thank you everyone for weighing in, I am feeling a lot better about the outlook for the crabs.

Wal Mart did not have the sand. They had colored play sand, but it was really expensive and I am just going to stay away from the colored, I think. I did get a heater, a Reptitherm. Aussie mentioned placing it on the side of the crabitat, Inside or out? It is on the outside right now. I do have a thermometer now. It only reads 72 with the light and heater. I put some fresh apple slices with organic honey on them. I am going to boil an add tonight to let them have the white and shell.

I also got a shelter they can crawl into to hide. It is for fish. They haven't explored it quite yet, my main objective will be to raise the heat. I am afraid to mist right now with the temperature so low.

My crab who is missing a leg seems to be ok still today, he hasn't lost anymore legs. He woke up and explored for a few minutes when I added things.

I am checking back frequently for advice!!!!

I'm sorry that Wal*Mart was a bust on the sand I guess maybe they only have it as a seasonal item? At any rate, welcome and props to you for being conscientious enough to want your crabs to have the best home!

[singlemomwithcrab]

Do you have a Lowes or Home Depot close by?

They will have play sand in with the construction (lumber and masonry) this time of year.

[Laa417]

I do have Lowe's. Probably right about seasonal-makes sense actually!!! I boiled an egg and gave them half, egg white and shell. One crab lit into that!! I was so happy. So, heater inside or out? What else can I do to raise the temp?

[rml6f4]

I'm not positive about the Repitherms, but most heating pads heat equally from both sides. The best way to make sure the heat is going to the tank is to insulate the heat pad. Tape the pad tightly on the outer side of the tank above all substrate (I just used packing tape), cover it with a layer of aluminum foil shiny side down, then a layer of cardboard. Make sure the edges are all layers are taped so no heat comes out the sides. The insulation can make a huge difference!

[kornchaser]

I do have Lowe's. Probably right about seasonal-makes sense actually!!! I boiled an egg and gave them half, egg white and shell. One crab lit into that!! I was so happy. So, heater inside or out? What else can I do to raise the temp?

The heater should go outside the tank above the line of substrate. If it touches the substrate line (not literally but from the other side of the glass) then that can cause the top layer of sub to dry out or worse... Mold. You can also get a hygro/thermo meter in the garden center of Fred Meyers along with Home Depot and Lowes, all carry AcuRites.
Around here a 50lb. bag of play sand is $3.99. It's good to mix your crabitats' sub 5:1. Five parts sand to one part Eco Earth/coco fiber.
What I do to raise my temp is have styrofoam cut to the size of my tank. The left, right, back and top. I use packaging tape to secure it over the UTH and if necessary I wrap the styrofoam in brown gift wrap like a present because it's basically cardboard. But insulated cardboard, if you can get ahold of it, is best when used with styrofoam. The "insulated" kind is basically just the ridged kind looks like squiggles between two layers of cardboard. Best stuff, right there.


Mommy of 11 PP babies:
Poseidon (Sid), Octavius, Matty, Junior, Aries, Kaylee, Turbo, Adrian, Pepper, Flower and Winifred.

[Laa417]

Well, this is all very informative. It makes me cringe to think what would have happened had I not come here. It also makes me wonder where people are supposed to find all of this out when the buy crabs.

I fed my crabs the egg shell and white. One of my crabs ate almost all of it!! Another seems to really enjoy the honey. No takers on the apple yet. It is making me so happy to see them enjoying some of the changes.

I have not begun to insulate yet. I still need to go and purchase the sand. once I have that in place, I am going to begin to insulate.

How important are the hideouts? I put one in the crabitat, but so far none of the crabs have even gone near it. It is taking up quite a bit of space. It has occurred to be that they need a bigger tank, However, I want to make sure I am successful before I spend a lot more money. I have already spent quite a bit at present getting things in order!

I really am continuously so grateful for you guys' help. I know my crabs are too! Thanks for helping save their lives.

[soilentgringa]

Well, this is all very informative. It makes me cringe to think what would have happened had I not come here. It also makes me wonder where people are supposed to find all of this out when the buy crabs.

I fed my crabs the egg shell and white. One of my crabs ate almost all of it!! Another seems to really enjoy the honey. No takers on the apple yet. It is making me so happy to see them enjoying some of the changes.

I have not begun to insulate yet. I still need to go and purchase the sand. once I have that in place, I am going to begin to insulate.

How important are the hideouts? I put one in the crabitat, but so far none of the crabs have even gone near it. It is taking up quite a bit of space. It has occurred to be that they need a bigger tank, However, I want to make sure I am successful before I spend a lot more money. I have already spent quite a bit at present getting things in order!

I really am continuously so grateful for you guys' help. I know my crabs are too! Thanks for helping save their lives.

Having little dark places to hide are pretty important to the crobs. If you are having space issues, you might try second levels using shower caddies, suction cups, cholla branches, and zip ties to DIY some upper levels. I have a small plastic bowl with moss and a coconut hut over it as a hideaway, and a little tiki hut (getting too small for my guys!). They are always digging under the chunk of wood and hiding in the shell shop or behind it as well. They feel safer when they can hide from us, especially during the daytime.