Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

bingo · Joined: 24 Sep 2006 Posts: 9 Location: kuala lumpur

the latest pet now is hermit crab,if i am not mistaken. Its hot!
my sister had bought it at RM 2.50 each for small size hermit crab. she said the shop person told her not to put it in the water. :shock: i thought hermit crab should be in sea water? :?:
when my sister was not in, i took the responsible to take care of it. i changed the water everyday (its just a little water) after 2 days...it died!!! :( i dont know wat is the problem?) the water had shits and foods so i change it ,thats wat i did only! it came ot of its shells and died... :cry:
until now i m not sure of wat is hermit crab...??? can anyone tell me? thanks!
about hermit crab:
is it from sea? i saw news paper saying it is different from the sea hermit crab. whats the difference?
can it live inside the water? i saw some shop out them in a fish tank full of water!
can i put it in the sand? any soft tiny sand which is not from sea?
more info please... :)

varanus · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 472

My guess is you are using tap water. The chlorine in the water cause swelling and blister in the gill of the hermit, causing it to suffocate.

Get a dechlorinator from petshop or leave water for may be 3 days. They are very sensitive to the chlorine and metal in the water.

Wrong post location, BTW.

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

I guess hermit crab can be considered as "exotic". In some cases, it can be classified under "aquatics". It depends on which species your hermit crab is.

Dr Chong · Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 666 Location: KL

Hermit crab is really getting hot in town. I have seen those in the shops, with some purplish colouration, they may be the species from Australian islands, which usually referred as the land type. There are another type, which totally submerse in the water.

I agree with varanus that the problem may be due to chlorinated water. Dechlorinated water is advisable.

crazymouse_yyh · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Posts: 32 Location: Setapak

Hello

I keep 4 hermit crabs actually, living with me for like 8 months already.

I am guessing like what others have said, you used tap water.

Also, putting a hermit crab with say even 1cm of water in the tank can kill them. They are land hermit crabs that come from the sea, they actually do need salt water.

How to care for a hermit crab? Well, one needs to know that hermit crabs need sand to live on. Not gravel, just good sand like from the beach but that is hard to get here. Best substrate is in fact fine crushed coral, easy to clean and it is soft and feels like sand. Another is providing a small little container for it to dig and molt using peat moss or forest bedding that is made out of coconut fibers.

Hermit crabs need room to roam about and hide. a 1.5ft tank is good for say 3 hermit crabs. They like to live in groups, keeping 1 crab is quite unhealthy. You gotta give driftwood for it to climb, fake plants and a small hide house of them to dig into and rest.

Hermit crabs need 70% humidity. It is best to mist the tank with a spray daily. The tank also must have a cover, it should be covered at least 80% of the tank so it keeps the humidity well.

Hermit crabs eat anything organic. They love fruits, vegies, bread and rice. They also need high calcium foods so it is good to provide curshed peanuts, cuttlebone and turtle pellets. There's also a hermit crab cuisine for sale but not all crabs like it.

If these crabs do not have humidity and proper bedding, it can die.

Another IMPORTANT factor is that hermit crabs need salt water. Use Red Sea Salt, pretty affordable since 333g is only Rm9. Can use for a long time. Hermit crabs need to soak themselves sometimes in shallow water so always provide 2 bowls. 1 bowl has clean drinking water. That's the safest water to give. Another bowl, mix drinking water with the Red Sea Salt. A pinch would do if it is a small little bowl. In each bowl, there should be some pebbles so that the crabs can get a grip and won't drown in their own water bowls.

This is all I can think of for now.

Actually there is a Malaysian Forum with many hermit crab keepers, we discuss and share information and experience daily.

crazymouse_yyh · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Posts: 32 Location: Setapak

Dr Chong wrote: Hermit crab is really getting hot in town. I have seen those in the shops, with some purplish colouration, they may be the species from Australian islands, which usually referred as the land type. There are another type, which totally submerse in the water.

I agree with varanus that the problem may be due to chlorinated water. Dechlorinated water is advisable.

The hermit crabs that are available as pets are Ruggies... they are Rugosus... can be found in Port Dickson beach at night... So they don't really come from Aussie as what people say. Australia have their own hermit crabs, I forgot their proper name.

All hermit crabs in petshops are Ruggies, the best crabs for starters. They are widely found around the Pacific side.

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

That is good information, crazymouse! :)

Dr Chong · Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 666 Location: KL

Just found out there are pretty good sand for hermit crabs in one pet megastore. Not too fine, but sand particles that can see it's round, like balls... and they claimed it was taken from the place where the supplier obtained the hermit crabs.

mizzpink84 · Joined: 13 Oct 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Petaling Jaya

Interesting crabs! :D

I've seen quite a few places having these creatures..

mizzpink84 · Joined: 13 Oct 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Petaling Jaya

How bout using Diamond Water?
My household just drink directly from the tap when we installed diamond water... :?:

Maybe can try for the crabs

crazymouse_yyh · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Posts: 32 Location: Setapak

As long the water is really safe fr consumption, then it is ok for the hermit crabs... but best if unsure, use a bit of those anti clorine for fishes... For me, I just used normal boiled water and the crabs do great with it. Once a month hermit crabs need a full submerged bath, so I normally dunk them in water about 3 inches, let them walk about submerged for 2 minutes then take them out. This helps get rid of dirt and poop from inside the shell. By adding a bit of sea salt to this, it can get rid of mites on the crabs too.

mizzpink84 · Joined: 13 Oct 2006 Posts: 53 Location: Petaling Jaya

I think if I have a Hermit crab- I'll name it Sebastian!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

bingo · Joined: 24 Sep 2006 Posts: 9 Location: kuala lumpur

thanks you all for that information!
mizzpink,so sorry my house dont have diamond water, but thanks for that information! great idea!

i think i used tangki water...but anyway...
I really liked those hermit crab sinca last time i saw it at the beach. But does the cone shaped which can be found a lot at port dickson also called hermit crab? cause i didnt notice anyone or any pet shop has it. They just sell the crab with the round and nice shape shells.

oh ya, one more thing. Why when the hermit crab going to die , they left their shells ? is that normal? and very funny cos i saw my friend's crab running out and in of its shell (she told me that sometimes it comes out from the shell, so i assume that the crab always leave its house) and didnt die! mayb dying soon ? actually do hermit crab changed the shell as many times as they like?Do we need to prepare a lot of shells for it to change? would it be picky when choosing their houses?

So crazymouse , u mean that the hermit crab can be kept in a damp sand or dry sand(with 2 bowls of water) or wet sand with same level water in?
usually the pet shop would sell the white salt together with the hermit crab,actually how much do we have to put in? salty or just less % than water%?

TQ!

maxwinder · Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 13

I have 3 hermit crabs, and has been using tap water for almost 3 months already.. ands tats nothing wrong with it. Now only i know tat hermit crabs cant survive in tap water. But should i continue with the tap water? Or should i change to other alternative?

Dr Chong · Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 666 Location: KL

I think when they die, they fall off from their shell. It's actually good to provide more shells for them to change their home if they need. Also should provide larger shell when they grow.