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Gel limb big pincher regenerating by Lamont Darren Medley

Caring for hermit crabs with limb loss or other deformities

Tagged: crippled, dropped, dying, falling apart, hermit crab, injured, leg, limb, lost, missing, pincer, pincher, sick

This guide will help you care for a hermit crab that has been attacked, lost several limbs or is suffering from molt complications. General care instructions will be outlined and special exceptions for molting crabs will be included at the end of the guide. If this a newly purchased hermit crab that is dropping limbs you should check out our information on Post Purchase Stress. PPS is a common cause of dropped limbs. Dropping multiple limbs indicates extreme stress. Not all hermit crabs can recover from this type of limb loss. Isolate The victim hermit crab needs to be isolated. Use a secure container thatRead More →

Ask Milo – Finding a lost hermit crab

In: Ask Milo

Tagged: ask milo, escaped, hermit crab care, lost, missing

Hermit Crab101 asks: My crab escaped yesterday night and I have no clue where he is I am a “newbie” to hermit crabs and have not seen him really eat anything or any bite marks in the morning. I even gave him walnuts! Still nothing So how should I find him and what should I feed him. This happens so much we have and FAQ devoted to it: Find my lost hermit crab We also have a starter list of things your hermit crab can eat: What foods are good or bad for my hermit crab to eat? Good Luck! Your friend in a pinch, Milo Read More →

Ask Milo – Dead crab smell

In: Ask Milo

Tagged: escaped, hermit crab care, lost, missing

Vette asks We think our son got the hermit crab out of his cage! And we can’t find it. We are leaving going on vacation next week. If we can’t find it we know it will dead. So how do we get the smell out of our house? Well Vette while I can’t offer any suggestions on getting the smell of a dead hermit crab out of your house I can help you find the missing hermit crab before it dies. This is actually a common occurrence and we have an article about it. Check it out: FAQ Locating an Escaped Hermit Crab Also registerRead More →

FAQ Locating an Escaped Hermit Crab

In: FAQ

Tagged: escape, hermit crab, lost, missing

Written by Marie Davis On occasions one may find that when they do an antenna count they seem to be missing a hermit crab? Where possibly could it be? All empty shells have been looked into, including doing the precaution of turning the shells upside down and placing water within them. There have been occasions when a hermit crab has changed shells and fits so far down within it they are impossible to see. By placing water within the shells and turning them hole side up, if the shell moves hole side down a crabber knows there is a resident within it. Could he beRead More →

Why do land hermit crabs drop limbs?

In: Caresheets

Tagged: cheliped, claw, dropped, dropping, fell off, gel, hermit crab, legs, limb, lost, missing, pincer, pincher

Lost Limbs What is Autotomy? Comes from the latin words autos for “self” and tomos for “cut Autotomy can be described as self-cutting, Websters dictionary describes autotomy as a “reflex separation of a part (as an appendage) from the body: division of the body into two or more pieces.” Hermit Crabs can autotomize (drop) and regenerate (regrow) their limbs from juvenile to adult stages. The break occurs along a fracture plane located at the appendage’s base. Why do land hermit crabs drop limbs? The rate at which the limbs regenerate depends upon the molt cycle (Morgan, 1900; Zeleny, 1908; Bliss, 1960; Skinner 1962, 1985). DuringRead More →