HELP!!!!?!?!?!??!?!?!?! MY HERMIT CRAB IS NAKED, WHAT TO DO?????

Question

it has been like this for a long while, now, and i have no idea what to do!!!!!!

Answer 1

well I have hermit crabs and read this and you'll know what to do

My Crab's Legs are Falling Off One by One!!

Many people who bring home crabs fresh from the pet store experience this in the first month of owning them -- the crabs seem to just "fall apart" one leg at a time. Let me state for clarity, that this is not molting! What your crab is doing is responding to all the stress of being taken from his tropical home, taken to a wholesaler's and then shipped to a pet store. That is a lot of stress on any animal (even people!) and for a small animal like a hermit crab, it can have devastating consequences.

Is This Contagious?  No, it is not usually contagious, unless all the crabs came from the same place and were subjected to the same conditions. For this reason you should always select your crabs carefully, no matter where you buy them. Avoid crabs that have a musty smell (indication of overheating) and crabs that will not come out of their shells when held or misted. The ONLY exceptions to this rule are (1) if the crab has a healthy, strong pinch when you put something in his large claw, or (2) if you feel movement of the crab inside the shell as you hold him. Don't buy crabs from places where they don't have adequate food or water, or if there are flies inside the tank or on the crabs. For the safety of all your hermit crabs, newly-purchased crabs should be quarantined at least two weeks.

But What if I've had the Crabs for Longer Than a Month?  If you've had the crab for at least a month and it begins to drop legs and claws, you need to closely examine your crab-keeping practices. Refer to the basic care page to brush up on your crabbing skills. Pay particular attention to the Critical Care Tips at the bottom of the page.

Is There Anything I can do to Help my Poor Crab?  The only thing you can do for your hermit crab is maintain an optimum environment and hope the stress wasn't lethal. I have had crabs lose a leg or part of a leg and not die. I have had crabs lose their big claws and not die, so the loss of their big claw does *not* mean the crab is "doomed." However, crabs that lose moreCrab without claws eating than one leg in a few hours are usually beyond help and you should isolate them from the others and attempt to keep them as comfortable as possible until their death.

What Can I do to Prevent This From Happening Again?

Closely examine your crabitat. Check for the following known crab stressors: (1) low humidity; (2) tank too hot or too cold; (3) recent temperature fluctuations; (4) chlorine in the drinking water; (5) heat lamps, heat rocks or being kept in the sun too long with no place to hide; (6) chemicals in the environment, such as metal water dishes, cleaning solvents around the crabitat, (7) shell fights; (8) bathing or misting the crabs too much (more than two times a week); and (9) molting problems. You can't do much about the molting problems, but almost all the other stressors can be alleviated in some way. Please try to keep your crab's home as stress-free as possible.

Is Bathing Crabs Related to Stress?  NO. Regular weekly bathing them does not stress them out, but bathing them too much does. Too much is bathing your crabs every day, or every other day. When you over-bathe them you strip their exoskeletons of needed oils and other necessary elements and the crab weakens quickly and starts to stress. So keep the baths to once a week, UNLESS you live in a desert climate.

HELP! My Crab is NAKED!!

Though it's your first instinct, don't panic. Run your hands under water to remove any perfume and/or hand lotion. Try the GLASS CUP METHOD. This is something that I made up that works wonderfully.

Take the nudie crab and dip him in water to wash the substrate off him. Then rinse out his old shell. Put him and his shell into a glass cup together, and put into the isolation tank and leave him alone. It keeps him from running around frantically (as naked crabbies do) and conserves his energy. Besides he is in close quarters with his shell and can't walk away from it. I've been using this method for two years now, successfully.

A second method is to calmly pick up the naked crab and dip him (and his shell of choice) into dechlorinated, Stress Coat treated water and, using your finger, try to gently curl his abdomen into the shell. If he doesn't like the idea, use your fingertip to rap him a little on the head and 'scare' him into withdrawing. If he pops out of the shell, set him into the bath water and take a good look at the shell. Put your fingertip down inside it to make sure there are no protrusions or anything which would irritate or poke his abdomen. Then, try again to get him into the shell. If you still don't have success, try a new shell the same size as his previous shell. If that doesn't work, get him into a shell that is larger. Do not under any circumstances force him into a shell that it too small or uncomfortable for him. He is already under tremend

Answer 2

hermit crabs dont need shells. in the ocean, they steal other animals shells. if you want him to have a shell, then put in some new shells that are larger than his old one. hes just molting. its like us buying new clothes.

Answer 3

Put some new shells in there

Answer 4

your hermit crab most likely grew out of it's shell. go to the pet store and get a few shells that are a little bigger than the one he was in. try a few different sizes so he can find his perfect fit.

Answer 5

Put new shells in there.

Usually hermit crabs come out of there shells for either 2 reasons..

There sick or dying..

Or there shells too small.