How do you know if your hermit crabs are healthy?

Question

i recently purchased two hermit crabs, and i wanted to know if they're healthy or not!

the one ive seen eating on a few occasions, but my small one i haven't ever seen eat or drink. all he does is hide in the cocoa hut i got him. is that normal?

also, they don't seem to like to be bathed very much. i followed the directions from the internet word for word, and they seemed to hate it! they clung to my hand for dear life.

one last question. my bigger hermit crab just changed shells. should i leave the shell he changed out of in there? do they reuse shells? or do they only use a shell once?

Answer 1

unhealthy hermit crabs get spotty like they get spots on their bodies. Also never bathe your crab more than 3 times a month because if you bathe them a lot they could die from it! Yes they hate baths but they need them to stay clean! The shell of the big crab can be used by a smaller crab when they need that size shell. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

there fine. but if they stop moving and responding to things and dont seem to be breathing there my be something rong. but im not for sure.

Answer 3

http://www.hermit-crabs.com/

you may have to scan through the site you want but its a good reliable site.

Answer 4

if they still itch, they're definitely healthy

Answer 5

take them to the vet  

Answer 6

1. that is perfectly healthy

2.hermit crabs have a fear of drowning

3.the reason they move shells is because they are to big if the other one is smaller keep it there if not take it out

Answer 7

how do you know if your hermit crabs are healthy?

the only deciding factor is this.

if they are alive...

you have nothing to worry about

Answer 8

i had hermit crabs a few years ago. You can tell if there heathly looking at there skin. it should be "meaty looking" and not spotty. also they very active at night when they dont sense any movement.

they bath maybe once a week. just keep a dish their size in there with a good amount of water in it. they change shells when they grow out of their old one. you should have a least 6 different sizes of shells for them. they will reuse shells, or at least the smaller ones do.

Also you will notice that they will move and climb over shells ALOT, usually a few days before they change shells. dont worry they are fine, just trying to find a perfect shell.

Good luck with em