Hermit Crab Leg Injuries and Health Issues
Hermit Crab leg injuries and health issues are fairly rare, but a clear indication that crabitat changes are needed quickly. Watch for missing leg segments or an entire leg as this can mean there was an accident OR bullying or fighting. It can also point to severe nutritional or health issues.
Chances are you won’t see an actual accident or injury happen, because hermit crabs are nocturnal and most everything happens in the dark. But identifying a leg injury early on will help point out crabitat issues that can almost always be easily corrected.
Accidents and Safety Issues
Accidents happen. Hermit crabs are very curious little creatures and will find every way possible to climb to the very top of their crabitat.
Most common accidents in a crabitat:
- climbing out of enclosures and falling down
- getting stuck in tight spaces with no way out
- drowning in water bowl
Always keep a top on the crabitat because they WILL find ways to crawl out. And if they crawl out and fall, they can get badly hurt or worse.
Another thing to watch for is any tiny crevice where they could crawl into and get stuck.
Also very important: make sure water bowls have easy, safe ways to get in and out especially for your smallest hermit crabs. Yes, hermit crabs can drown!
Bullying and Fighting Injuries
Though rare, hermit crabs do bully and fight. The two main reasons why hermit crabs will bully or fight are:
- crabitat overcrowding
- not enough extra shells
As hermit crabs grow, or as you add more hermit crabs to the crabitat… it’s important to increase their space. Hermit crabs should not live in anything under the bare minimum 10 gallon tank (which most experienced hermit crab pets parents argue is way too small). There should be plenty of surface space to burrow into for hiding and molting, for each hermit crab. Also, there should be a minimum of 2-3 extra shells per hermit crab.
Health and Nutritional Issues
Hermit crabs can lose leg segments or whole legs when suffering from extreme health or nutritional issues. Most often, this happens when the crabitat’s food variety is poor and doesn’t meet their basic needs. Remember, calcium is very important to their diet!
Also, when a hermit crab’s water source is very dirty or not properly de-chemicalized, health issues will happen, and could lead to death. When using water from the faucet, make sure to use a water condition to remove the chlorine, ammonia and chlorides (etc) in the water.
Tip regarding water bowls: it’s always a good idea to separate the food and water bowls in different areas of the crabitat. Why? Hermit crabs will sometimes drag food into the water. This will foul the water quickly. This is especially harmful if the water isn’t changed daily, or if you are on vacation and the water remains fouled for days or weeks.
Hermit crabs are one of the easiest, low-maintenance pets to have. However, it’s important to be familiar with the potential issues that can cause health issues or injuries. Keep the water clean, provide a balanced diet, make sure there’s always a top on the enclosure and there are no safety issues inside the enclosure and you’ll dramatically reduce any possible risk to your hermit crab pets!
