HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I was just curious,since my 2 ruggies have been pooping a lot on the sand,my lego(When I take them out for play time)and especially in the water bowls.So if a crab poops a lot does it mean they'r healthy?(Stupid Question)

Crabbzymagnus wrote:I was just curious,since my 2 ruggies have been pooping a lot on the sand,my lego(When I take them out for play time)and especially in the water bowls.So if a crab poops a lot does it mean they'r healthy?

Idk... It's better than no poop, better out than in, that is. Kinda a silly question but if your a serious crabber and you say you've never thought this... I don't believe you. It's good to get this out in the open, hear ideas and theories on crabby doo-doo.


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

I think it's a great sign. Sounds like they have nice, healthy appetites. When you have pets and/or children, poop becomes more important than you ever thought it would.

Yah i guess its kinda silly,i just want to hear opinions of other crabbers,here are a few crab healthcare questions
1)Is there such a thing a crab diarrieah/constipation?(If so how do i prevent it?)
2)If crabs poop a ton in the substrate will i have to change it?(I usually just burry the poop)
3)Has anyone ever brought a crab to the vet?(Y?)
Thanks everyone!

CallaLily wrote:I think it's a great sign. Sounds like they have nice, healthy appetites. When you have pets and/or children, poop becomes more important than you ever thought it would.

Haha,poop is pretty important!I feed my crabs strawberry tops every day!They go crazy for it.....

I have a poop question too When they do it, does it stay in the shell and then fall out? Or, do they do it outside of the shell to begin with? Where exactly are their bottoms?

Oh, and, I asked at my vet. There are 3 doctors in the clinic where I take our dog. One of them does see hermit crabs but, I haven't taken them

Lburns wrote:I have a poop question too When they do it, does it stay in the shell and then fall out? Or, do they do it outside of the shell to begin with? Where exactly are their bottoms?

I think i'v seen one of my crabs poo
before,he just sat on the rock,then the poop came out and he just moved along,i can't seem to locate their bottoms...
Never thought vets could do hermit crabs...

The Petco I bought my crabs from said if anything went wrong in a 14 day period from when I purchased them they would take my crabs to their vet. So it is possible!

Lburns wrote:I have a poop question too When they do it, does it stay in the shell and then fall out? Or, do they do it outside of the shell to begin with? Where exactly are their bottoms?

They poop in their shells and then remove it by manually moving the piece along until it falls out of the shell. It's a fascinating process to watch.

Do they use water to get the poop out of their shells sometimes? I always find some poop in the water dishes. I told them that would get them kicked out of a public swimming pool, but they don't seem to care.

megmaholm wrote:Do they use water to get the poop out of their shells sometimes? I always find some poop in the water dishes. I told them that would get them kicked out of a public swimming pool, but they don't seem to care.

Yep, they do that, too. My guys seem to equate sitting in the food dish, refueling, as a good time to flip poop out of their shells. I know it's time to change out the dry mix when there's as much poop as food in the dish .

Crabinski wrote: Yep, they do that, too. My guys seem to equate sitting in the food dish, refueling, as a good time to flip poop out of their shells. I know it's time to change out the dry mix when there's as much poop as food in the dish .

Haha! That's how I gauge when to change the supplement dish. Nasty crabs.

Eh if u have ecoearth poop should naturally break down.

Also if u were wondering here's what a hermit crab pooping looks like https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gu42rFXkiVo