Is there a healthy color?

Shawn B. · Post by **Shawn B.** » 17 Feb 2005, 17:58

I'm not if one of my crabs are healthy. His color seems off. He's not really red or even brownish red. He seem more of a purplish black. Is it to late for this little guy. Help!! My six year old daughter has just purchased 2 crabs with her own piggy bank money, and i am trying really hard to make sure they make it. any help is appreciated.

Post by **Wai** » 17 Feb 2005, 18:07

No, no, your hermit crab is fine! The darker the colours, the healthier he is. They don't have to be red or brown to be healthy, that's the 'healthy colour' for only a few species. Some species of hermit crabs are healthy if they are dark brown or purple. In general, the darker the colours, the healthier he is. An unhealthy hermit crab will look pale and have whitish-grey skin (like he's all washed out). If you have a crab with such dull colour, you need to feed him plenty of carotene-rich foods such as carrots and other brightly coloured vegetables.

Hannah · Post by **Hannah** » 23 Feb 2005, 13:00

Try http://www.hermit-crabs.com to check out what species he is. He sounds like a PP or Rug to me.

bennynlewie · Post by **bennynlewie** » 05 Apr 2005, 10:01

and i think when they get a dimmer or lighter color than usual it means they are about to molt soon...

Post by **Wai** » 05 Apr 2005, 11:16

That is known as the 'ashy exo'. They might lose a bit of colour on top of the head area and back when they are pre-molt.

bennynlewie · Post by **bennynlewie** » 05 Apr 2005, 23:29

yep like with benny i didnt notice it and then after i noticed he was bright red and i was like wow!

ayianna · Post by **ayianna** » 08 Apr 2005, 10:25

There is no single healthy color. Basically, the more color there is, the more beta carotene your crab has eaten. Crabs would normally consume this through the ingestment of other crustaceans and shrimp. They change color much like flamingos do. Without shrimp (or another source of carotene), flamingos turn white over time.

It is not necessarily bad to have a light colored crab. I have 3 myself, one of which is almost white. That's just the color she is.

Typically, on most crabs, if they aren't well nourished, it's visible in their claw tips and pincers as particularly light, if not white areas and the crab is not naturally colored white. This indicates they lacked beta carotene during their last molt.

Ways to darken your crabs: Shrimp, krill, carrots, and any fish and crab foods specifically designed for brightly colored fish and/or crabs.