I don't know whats going on

[ozmum]

Hi. My daughter is 3.5 and was just given 2 hermies for xmas. We were given the crabs, a tank, food, 3 dishes, sand, some salt and directions on how to look after them. One of the crabs died about 3 weeks ago (Wasn't moving and smelled really bad). So I went out and brought her a new one because she was devastated over it. Now, today, I went to clean out the tank and give them fresh water, food and sand and when I went to pick the new crab up it smelled funny, one of it's legs dropped off and it was almost rolling out of it's shell. I've thrown it away, but now I'm wondering why these crabs keep dying. The other crab is fine. Is this crab maybe bullying the other crabs. I've moved the tank to the lounge room to watch what happens (it was in her room). I don't want to buy another crab if this is the case. This is the first time I've ever kept crabs and I don't know what's going on. Am I doing something wrong? Please help because I don't want this to keep happening, she is completely heart broken now that another one has died.

Thanks
-Dea

[MaxPlastic]

I bought a duo of crabs when I first started 'Crabbing,' and they lived happily with no incident for about two weeks. Then one night the larger one sat in the water dish for hours, losing limbs and staring off blankly. I feel for your situation, because picking up a crab and it literally falling apart is unsettling. He died soon after. Some newly purchased crabs, especially those that were kept in shoddy pet stores, suffer PPS or 'Post-Purchase Syndrome.' This is caused by the mentioned store conditions and the transition from store to home. I have a couple of quick suggestions.
1) Before you buy any other crabs, you need to determine what the cause of the odor is. The other crab could be infected with something (mold) or the cage/substrate could have some mites or mold in it. At the very least, before you buy another crab, you need to totally clean the tank, replace the substrate, and watch the crab for a couple of weeks.
2) If everything seems okay and you want to buy another crab, be very thorough and selective in your crab choosing. Pick a crab that is in an acceptable pet store environment, is active and curious about you, and of course, one who doesn't smell or has any missing limbs. Don't be afraid to ask the pet store assistant if you can handle the crabs. If they won't let you, that's probably not a good sign.
3) Keep the tank in a low traffic and quiet area; They stress out easy and this can cause them to become depressed, listless, and even die.
There are many other things to consider and this website and the forums have some of the better information I've found on the Internet about choosing and caring for hermits. I'll also go ahead and recommend the book Hermit Crabs for Dummies, because it has excellent basic starting info for would-be crabbers, and is one of the better hermit crab books I've come across. I wish you luck in your future crabbing, and I hope your daughter can have some happy, healthy friends soon!

[CrabbyJo]

Ozmum,
What is the temperature in the tank, and the relative humidity?

Are you using a heating source on the tank? If so, what kind?

What kind of salt was given to you? Salts made for hermit crabs have been found to be completely ineffective in providing salinity. If this is what you have, then you will need to replace it with an ocean salt mix meant for salt water aquariums. Instant Ocean is one popular brand many people use.

Also, what kind of substrate is in the tank?

Have the crabs been handled a lot? What pet stores don't tell you is that your crabs need two or three weeks of not being handled at all so they can adjust to their new home.

MaxPlastic is right, some crabs will die just from having been in horrid pet store conditions previously.

It is also very important that you are using a dechlorinator in your crab's water, one that neutralizes heavy metals. If you are using a water treatment, what brand is it?

It is a good idea to determine what is causing your crabs to pass away before purchasing more. Hopefully we can help you do that.

I looked at "Hermit Crab Care for Dummies" and am impressed with what little info is at least on the excerpts on Amazon.com. It looks like they do have some good info, but I would double check everything with this or another website with up to date crab care info. For example, they do mention changing out the water in the sea sponge - leading me to believe they still state in the book that hermit crabs prefer to drink from a sponge, which is a fallacy. They do prefer to be able to drink from a fresh pond, and even to submerge in it from time to time. Also, bathing is not necessary if you provide pools deep enough for the crabs to submerge. So be careful of info in books that are more than a year old.

Also, are you aware of how crabs molt, and what this looks like? many people have tossed living crabs away without realizing it. Often they will give off a strange odor when molting, and when they shed their exo, it looks just like a dead crab lying in it's shell (This is if your crabs pull a surface molt. Many bury to molt and stay under for several weeks to several months). If this body falls away from the shell, there is no abdomen attached, but many owners assume it's the crab. The actual crab has pulled far back into the shell, as they are smaller just after a molt, and many miss that the crab is in there, expecting to see it right at the front of the shell.
A molting crab should also NEVER be disturbed if at all possible.

Back on track here, do answer the few questions and hopefully we can suss out the issue causing your poor little crabs to pass away.

[ladybug15057]

I bought the book Hermit Crabs for Dummies a couple years ago when it first came out just to see what is within it. I would like to strongly recommend if one has it to take the information with a grain of salt. Diet... no commercial food isn't all that great, ocean/sea water needs to be that which is sold for salt water fish tanks, and one should NOT bath a hermie who is in premolt... please, read the caresheets here that Wai has updated, and ask on the forum if you have any further questions. There is also a search box in the upper right corner of the screen that will also pull up information. Meanwhile, please answer the questions CrabbyJo has asked.

[MaxPlastic]

Well I was only recommending the book because it has good basic starter info in it. Of course you can't rely solely on it because it's a book that cover land hermit crabs and obviously has a picture of a MHC on the cover lol... None of the sources I've found have been 100% perfect. It's always a researching/learning experience

[ladybug15057]

I guess to a degree it is one of the so so basic starter books. Sorry if I misunderstood:

I'll also go ahead and recommend the book Hermit Crabs for Dummies, because it has excellent basic starting info for would-be crabbers, and is one of the better hermit crab books I've come across.

It does recommend the commercial hermit crab food (with occasional fresh foods) and the salts sold for hermies too as well as on page 57 top under "Before a Molt"
"If you notice a crab that seems to be premolt, bathe him in luke warm water with Stresscoat".
But the basic 'stop and think' in the book prior to buying a hermie is good. Only if one would buy the book and read about reconsidering, and then visit the web sites listed on page 85 prior to buying any hermies or supplies.

[MaxPlastic]

lol Some of the websites in the back of the book suck... And ihavecrabs.com was completely remodeled! But nevertheless, I wonder why the poster hasn't posted back yet?

[Wai]

I've flicked through several hermit crab care books, but they all contained some information that I would strongly recommend against (not just general preference, but with reasoning as well).

[CrabbyJo]

Since she's not posted back, I do hope she's gotten some help somewhere.

[ladybug15057]

So do I CJ, seems she hasn't returned to HCP since she posted her concern.
February 2nd, 2010, 3:40 am