QuestionQUESTION: I was giving my hermit crab a salt bath today and noticed he was lifting his shell in the air. I didn't know if I was doing something wrong with the water or something. I put one teaspoon for a little over a cup of water. Or I didn't know if my crab just simply wasn't used to salt water on his body since the pet store didn't seen to have it available. What do you think? Thanks for reading! =]
ANSWER: Allison, If you were using table salt and not hermit crab salt he was trying to get it out of his shell and rinse him thoroughly now. The hermit crab is sea salt and you don't give him a bath you just always have it in there and he will use it. It replenishes his minerals and keeps him healthy. If it was the correct salt did you mix to the right amounts? I am going to give you a great care sheet. These guys are easy to keep if kept correctly. Also these guys are very social creatures and like company !!!! If you find any other questions just ask. Good Luck, Tina
http://hermit-crabs.com/care.html
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QUESTION: I was using hermit crab salt and the instructions said to add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water but i put a little over a teaspoon so i decided to add a little more water so it wouldnt be too salty.
ANSWER: Allison, It may have just been moving around. Have you added anything new to the tank...a shell a branch, another crab? I want you to hold it up with your hand under him carefully and see if you can get it out of its shell and check and see you should see with a naked eye if not get a magnifying glass if on his soft abdomen you see any black specs. If you do it may be parasites but if you haven't added anything that may not be it...It may be close to a molt. It definitely if you see no specs is not an issue that I would worry about. Tina
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QUESTION: I checked there were tiny little ones but it might have been the eco earth. But today and yesterday I found 2 mites and maybe that could have been it. How can I get rid of the mites?
AnswerAllison, I am so sorry it took me so long to get back to you. You have a mess of a problem. Your tank has to be totally broken down. All you sand will have to be thrown away. Your tank needs to be bleached and if you have decorations they need to be boiled for about 40 minutes. Unless it is wood than it should really be baked for about 2 hours on 350 degrees.
Now your crab. There really is only one way to get rid of mites without killing the crab and that is to drown them. It is big commitment. Go and get stress coat for fish at the pet shop. You will want to dilute that abit and at least 4 times a day for a week you will need to fill his shell and keep it that way for about 2-3 minutes. Give him a break and do it again a few times. Be very careful not to drown your crab if he is smaller lessen the time to a minute. Keep him isolation for now. Do not put in him back in his all cleaned home until you know he has no mite. I am going to be honest Allison this is always a worse case scenario with crabs. I am so sorry. Let me know how he does...Good Luck, Tina
