HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey guys, just a question here. I was surface cleaning my straw's tank today and currently have 3 guys down for molting. For certain, I know 2 have molted just a few days ago, as I can see the newly uneaten exo's through their windows on the back of the tank.

I cleaned the surface, scraped a bit off, fixed the plants, changed the waters, gave new food, and then proceeded to turn the 'day' lights off and on with the moon glo since there are still two straws up and about. Well, about 15 minutes ago my little baby small straw came up, ate a bit and just as I turned my table lamp on, I must have spooked her, because she ran back to her hole. BUT before she ran back, I caught a glimpse of her new coloring... She's mostly WHITE?!?!!! Her BP looks like a candy cane and all her tips were white!!

I don't want to dig her up and take a picture yet, because she is obviously not ready. But I am waiting anxiously right now with the camera at hand so I could show you guys! Anyone know if her coloring is normal?? I've only had straws for less than 2 months now and these are my first molters!

hope she comes back up!

A straw frustration, yes the typically lose color in a molt. Two of my four who molted look like sweet little candycanes.

Strangly, I feed tons of color enchancing foods, Candy's first molt she didn't lose color, now she looks striped after her second molt. Her first molt was may be a month of having her, the lastest molt where she lost color, after many months of good nutrion. Go figure.

I've heard it reported they can gain color back, but it hasn't happened for me yet. May be the next molt. I really don't get it.

But they are fine, just less red.

Hi Crabber! Thank you for that info. I waited uhh, a couple hours for her, but she decided not to resurface tonight, at least not while I'm in here! (yes, I waited a couple hours for a hermit crab to come out of a hole in the sand!! LOL!!!)

Anyway, it's sad that yours and mine probably won't regain their solid redness back, but as long as our straws are healthy I suppose that's all that matters! A candy cane describes perfectly what I saw. One of their staple foods is fresh shredded baby carrots and it even made some of my PP's come out of molt with red eyestalks! So I am positive that that is not the cause!


I just took 4 small PP's out of ISO and put them in the tank with the straws. I'm curious to see how that's gonna go!! One of the straws is a big bully!!

its a BUMMER cause I had a seriously red crab who came up cany cane too--I just had one that gained a smidge of color but she is not what she was originally--the candy cane is down--I Imagine he will be casper when he comes up this time--unless a small miracle happens

I think that is very interesting. I didn't know that =) I don't hve strws, but it is neat. I hope to get one one day though.

That could mean malnutrition.

One thing I am sure of is that it is NOT malnutrition, although that's the prevailing theory on coloration. My crabs eat a huge variety of all natural, organic food, much of which is color enhancing and the straws still lose color while other species I have GAIN color.

The theory I'm working on at the moment is that they need more UVB rays to help them process the nutrients and then gain color. I'm testing that theory now with a direct (not through glass) florescent light over the tat. I'm interested to see of that changes anything for my straws.