Post by Rachel on Aug 6, 2014 22:11:52 GMT
There are several common ailments that can afflict hermit crabs in captivity, often caused by stress or incorrect care conditions. Sadly the ability to survive for sometimes many months in poor conditions while seeming ok to a relatively new keeper means these more extreme signs are often when issues are first noted.
Some of the issues are discussed here and this will be updated regularly.
Limb loss/Missing Parts
Limb loss is unfortunately a common feature in new keepers and poor quality pet store setups. Causes include stress, fights, injury, a leg getting caught and dropped to enable escape and poor care conditions. Hermit crabs will often drop a leg that is damaged by injury or becomes deformed while the exoskeleton sets in a fresh moult.
Limbs can and will be regrown with moults (good care providing) and missing eyes have been shown to regenerate, often over the course of many moults and sometimes never quite regaining the original perfect state. Gel limbs forming in place of the missing limb is common, especially with one that is gone entirely. Gel limbs are white/clear blob like shapes that begin to form.
Ensure your crab has easy routes in and out of the dishes, if many limbs are missing you may wish to change the tank/provide a temporary tank which they can navigate more easily. Soft/mushy foods are easier to eat for crabs with a missing claw but do not panic even if it seems bad, crabs with almost if not full limb loss have been nursed to recovery and there is always hope.
Check your setup for issues such as the heat, humidity, substrate and water being wrong, if it was a fight look at diet, spare shells and potential overcrowding as some causes.
Good foods for limb regrowth include egg and eggshell, leaf litter, seafood and insects, cuttlebone, nutrobal, bee pollen, raspberry leaf, barks, bone and bone marrow, Tender Loving Care Powder and crushed carapace. As always a varied diet is key.
Deformed limbs
These are usually caused by issues during moulting such as a soft leg being pressed against a wall, a stone against the claw, overly high levels of dampness in the burrow etc. Some crabs may choose to drop these, others will manage fine without doing so, and provided they have good moulting conditions the issue will fix next moult.
Shell Abandonment (Streaking)
Despite a misconception with some keepers a hermit crab going naked (outside a brief moment during a shell change) is not a normal thing and is usually a clear indicator of distress. The most common causes seem to be humidity being too low, heat being too high and shell fights, however abdomen irritation/injuries, shell damage, unsuitable shells and other factors can play a part. Keeping the humidity high, getting the crab back in a shell and preventing injury to the delicate abdomen are absolutely vital in these cases.
Isolating the naked crab in a clean, damp glass with some freshly rinsed suitable shells (checking for internal damage and protrusions first) then placing the glass in the tank and keeping it dark for a couple of hours has often proven a successful method of getting the crab back into a shell. A more last resort option is to very gently uncurl the crab's abdomen and slide it into a suitable shell, very gently tapping him on a claw/leg to encourage retreat back in and automatic gripping. These however will not fix the original cause/s so identifying and fixing them is vital.
Surface Moulting
During the process of a normal moult hermit crabs will burrow down into the substrate to form a cave in which they stay throughout. Sometimes something interferes with that, commonly substrate that is not suitable or deep enough, and they instead moult on the surface. Stress and environmental issue related weakness, injury and simply having held off moulting too long can also cause this.
Protecting the crab from others while ensuring good conditions are maintained and that the soft and vulnerable new exoskeleton remains unharmed is important. If possible moving them into a suitable isolation tank or a tub full of damp moss in the main tank (both with their exoskeleton to eat) may be preferable, another option is to cut the bottom off a large clean water bottle and push it down into the substrate around them to avoid disruption. Keep them safe, dark, warm and humid enough and allow them to eat the old exoskeleton. Once they have hardened up and begun to move around again they can be reunited with their colony.
Mites
While most common in the "exotics" any species is capable of carrying mites. If erring on the side of caution the advice is to treat any that are just on the crabs, the best method of treatment is to use the predatory mites "Hypoaspis miles" (sold at Defenders) as they will naturally feed on any harmful mites, dying off when the food source does. Predatory mites are not harmful to humans or crabs and have been used for many years to treat a variety of exotic pets including snails and reptiles, they will also double as a handy way to control fruit flies, sciarid flies, springtails and other small tank creatures that while beneficial in small numbers can get out of control in enclosed spaces.
Some of the issues are discussed here and this will be updated regularly.
Limb loss/Missing Parts
Limb loss is unfortunately a common feature in new keepers and poor quality pet store setups. Causes include stress, fights, injury, a leg getting caught and dropped to enable escape and poor care conditions. Hermit crabs will often drop a leg that is damaged by injury or becomes deformed while the exoskeleton sets in a fresh moult.
Limbs can and will be regrown with moults (good care providing) and missing eyes have been shown to regenerate, often over the course of many moults and sometimes never quite regaining the original perfect state. Gel limbs forming in place of the missing limb is common, especially with one that is gone entirely. Gel limbs are white/clear blob like shapes that begin to form.
Ensure your crab has easy routes in and out of the dishes, if many limbs are missing you may wish to change the tank/provide a temporary tank which they can navigate more easily. Soft/mushy foods are easier to eat for crabs with a missing claw but do not panic even if it seems bad, crabs with almost if not full limb loss have been nursed to recovery and there is always hope.
Check your setup for issues such as the heat, humidity, substrate and water being wrong, if it was a fight look at diet, spare shells and potential overcrowding as some causes.
Good foods for limb regrowth include egg and eggshell, leaf litter, seafood and insects, cuttlebone, nutrobal, bee pollen, raspberry leaf, barks, bone and bone marrow, Tender Loving Care Powder and crushed carapace. As always a varied diet is key.
Deformed limbs
These are usually caused by issues during moulting such as a soft leg being pressed against a wall, a stone against the claw, overly high levels of dampness in the burrow etc. Some crabs may choose to drop these, others will manage fine without doing so, and provided they have good moulting conditions the issue will fix next moult.
Shell Abandonment (Streaking)
Despite a misconception with some keepers a hermit crab going naked (outside a brief moment during a shell change) is not a normal thing and is usually a clear indicator of distress. The most common causes seem to be humidity being too low, heat being too high and shell fights, however abdomen irritation/injuries, shell damage, unsuitable shells and other factors can play a part. Keeping the humidity high, getting the crab back in a shell and preventing injury to the delicate abdomen are absolutely vital in these cases.
Isolating the naked crab in a clean, damp glass with some freshly rinsed suitable shells (checking for internal damage and protrusions first) then placing the glass in the tank and keeping it dark for a couple of hours has often proven a successful method of getting the crab back into a shell. A more last resort option is to very gently uncurl the crab's abdomen and slide it into a suitable shell, very gently tapping him on a claw/leg to encourage retreat back in and automatic gripping. These however will not fix the original cause/s so identifying and fixing them is vital.
Surface Moulting
During the process of a normal moult hermit crabs will burrow down into the substrate to form a cave in which they stay throughout. Sometimes something interferes with that, commonly substrate that is not suitable or deep enough, and they instead moult on the surface. Stress and environmental issue related weakness, injury and simply having held off moulting too long can also cause this.
Protecting the crab from others while ensuring good conditions are maintained and that the soft and vulnerable new exoskeleton remains unharmed is important. If possible moving them into a suitable isolation tank or a tub full of damp moss in the main tank (both with their exoskeleton to eat) may be preferable, another option is to cut the bottom off a large clean water bottle and push it down into the substrate around them to avoid disruption. Keep them safe, dark, warm and humid enough and allow them to eat the old exoskeleton. Once they have hardened up and begun to move around again they can be reunited with their colony.
Mites
While most common in the "exotics" any species is capable of carrying mites. If erring on the side of caution the advice is to treat any that are just on the crabs, the best method of treatment is to use the predatory mites "Hypoaspis miles" (sold at Defenders) as they will naturally feed on any harmful mites, dying off when the food source does. Predatory mites are not harmful to humans or crabs and have been used for many years to treat a variety of exotic pets including snails and reptiles, they will also double as a handy way to control fruit flies, sciarid flies, springtails and other small tank creatures that while beneficial in small numbers can get out of control in enclosed spaces.
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