Dogs have the tick, dogs and cats have fleas, and hermit crabs are susceptible to their own type of parasite called a mite. Mites are very small, almost microscopic in size compared to the host, or hermit crab, and can cause a lot of damage to your crab’s health if left untreated, including premature death. This is not something you want to have to explain to your little son or daughter.
Although they are much smaller than crabs, mites are tan and black in color, look like small grains of sand, and are visible to the naked eye. Unlike infection from other parasites, which seems to be just bad luck, proper prevention and care of your crabs is much easier than dealing with them when they infect your crabs, and will go a long way in preventing these crabs from spreading. infect with mites.
Adhering to the following 5 steps will prevent or help cure hermit crab mites once an infection begins:
* As tempting as it may seem, do not buy or use commercial mite sprays. Unfortunately, this will kill both the moths and your crab.
* If mites are found in the tank, each piece of equipment will need to be properly treated to ensure the infestation is gone. This involves taking all food and water bowls, driftwood, rocks, artificial plants, and empty shells and boiling them for a minimum of 10 minutes before drying and returning them to the cage.
* Once all the substrate has been removed and all accessory items have been properly sterilized, it is important to properly and thoroughly clean the cage to ensure that there are no traces of mites. You can clean the cage by taking a damp cloth or paper towel and wiping down the sides and bottom of the tank. Be sure to apply a lot of pressure while cleaning to kill all the moths, including the ones hiding in the four corners of the tank.
* Remove and replace all the substrate in the cage to ensure that there is no trace of mites. You will need to replace the scraped coconut substrate or sand. If replacing the litter substrate is not an option, rinse it with water and bake it on high heat for 10 minutes and allow it to cool before returning it to the cage.
* Bathe your hermit crabs immediately if you feel an infection with mites. Be sure to dip them in and out of the treated water several times to remove all hermit crab mites from their shell. You can see mites floating on top of the water, which you’ll want to discard so the mites don’t make their way back into your crab’s shell.
Mites are an unfortunate part of keeping hermit crabs, but they can be prevented by changing their food regularly, cleaning the tank regularly, and bathing the crabs twice a month. If you have to deal with hermit crab mites, following the steps above will help you treat the problem and prevent it in the future.