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Help! I don't know if my Hermit is dead.

hermie143 Sep 08, 2008 09:22 PM

Well first off, is that true that I need a lamp over my cage? And secondly, my tank does not have any fishy odor, but I got him about three weeks ago and now he is not moving, he was not eating a lot the whole time I had him. I touched his leg and he did not move like he usually does. I don't think hi tank has gotten below 72 but it could have gone as high as 84. I put some water on him and he still does not move. Is he dead? I am worried.

Replies (3)

PHStorme Sep 09, 2008 11:34 PM

Hi. Telling whether or not your hermit crab is really dead or not is pretty tricky sometimes.

First of all, I need to ask you a few questions.
Was he above sand, or trying to bury when you noticed that he could possibly be dead? Generally a crab that is deceased will bein to fall out of their shell, or smell really badly. I would give it a little bit of time, since you don't want to throw him away if he's really alive.

You don't need to have a lamp above the cage, unless your crab doesn't get any other type of light- or if the cage doesn't stay warm enough.

Hope this helps
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PHStorme

hermie143 Sep 09, 2008 11:58 PM

Well he was not digging into the sand. He was just on top like normal. What about him not eating a lot? Could that be a sign that he is molting? Also since the day that I thought he was dead, I have placed a marker of where he is and he hasn't moved since. Could that be a sign? And he still does not smell fishy.

PHStorme Sep 12, 2008 05:51 PM

Posted by: hermie143 at Tue Sep 9 23:58:04 2008 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

Well he was not digging into the sand. He was just on top like normal. What about him not eating a lot? Could that be a sign that he is molting? Also since the day that I thought he was dead, I have placed a marker of where he is and he hasn't moved since. Could that be a sign? And he still does not smell fishy.

Hermit Crabs don't always dig in the sand when they're molting. Some will, but I've seen others that go about their business above ground. Hermit crabs in general don't eat alot of food at a time.

If he still doesn't smell fishy, or fall out of the shell when you pick him up, I'd leave him for a while longer.
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PHStorme

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