Help; is my hermit crab dead?

Question

I had and still have many hermit crabs. Recently, i bought three new ones from PetsMart. One acts like it lived in my hermit crabitat all its life, one never comes out when i hold it, and one is just limp. I put this crab in an ISO tank just in case it was molting. I noticed it has lost two legs; probably because stress. I don't smell a strong fishy odor, just the regular hermit crab smell. It's not completely out of its shell, yet it is really limp. Is my hermit crab dead?

Answer 1

Its like you said if he said dead you would know it in a day or 2 by the smell. I also think that limp is a sign that it is sick but not dead. If dead there should be some kind of fishy rigormortis setting in. I would take him back to store (if bought within 30days) and look at their other crabs to see if there is a pattern of sickness. You could also get some advice. Clean the habitat and replace bedding thoroughly incase it is a bacteria. see Is Crabbie Growing Gel Limbs? at web site below. Now, I want to get a hermit crab again.

Answer 2

sorry to hear about your loss. Not sure where you got him... or when... what I noticed about stores that sell hermits.. is they have them in a tank with sand... no mist, no humidity control... which is necessary for hermits... I hope you have a humidity control and some sort of misting device.. they need this or they dry out and die.... hermits are not as easy to keep as people think.. walmart is the worst for killing them before they are even sold and the ones they sell usually dont last long unless they do to a hermit expert who knows the condition of the crab. So having said all this, you should educate yourself about them more and shop at breeders of these crabs (I am only assuming your not an expert because your on here asking if one is dead after its legs and pincer fell off)...you will get a much healthier crab ..... and enjoy him for awhile.... good luck

Answer 3

i used to have hermit crabs and both of them fell out of their shells when they died...it isnt safe to house them all together because they can be very territorial- which may be why he is missing legs. if you hold him just by the shell (holding them in your hand can be dangerous- even the most even tempered crabs clamp fromtime to time) and spritz a little watter on him, he should react by either retracting or coming out of his shell to see what all the commotion is about. if you dont get a rise out of him he might be dead. also, smooth out his sand at night and check for tracks on the morning for a few days to a week. good luck :)

Answer 4

few things you can try. Drop a little warm water over it see if it moves, touch its head see if it retracks, and lastly if it is dead you will be able to remove it from its shell. I however according to what you have said personally think its dead. The crabs I bought my nephews when they were young use to hang half out of their shells when they died

Answer 5

Sounds like it...
You'll know in a day or two thats 4 sure...might not even take
that long.

Answer 6

It might be. Does he move at all? You'll know in a day or so if he doesn't move at all. Crabitat? How cool!!! I love that!! :)

Answer 7

he/she possibly is dead. to see for sure put a little bit(less than 1 cm) of water in his/her tank and watch for a reaction. if no reaction occurs, it is dead.

Answer 8

Spray it with water. Is it totally limp? Are it's eyes dry-looking? If so, it's passed away. mine died like that;;it was dehydrated, and they literally dry up. They don't smell, or anything;;they just sit.

Answer 9

Wash a bunch of water over it and see what happens.~Jonathan B

Answer 10

uhm if you have to guess if your pet is dead or not, im not sure thats the kind of animal I want. Its as good as dead to me.