How to remove ticks from hermit crab

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Content

Steps
Part 1 of 4: Cleaning the aquarium
Part 2 of 4: Clearing Mites from Your Aquarium Contents
Part 3 of 4: Removing Ticks from Hermit Crab
Part 4 of 4: Preventing Ticks
Additional articles

Ticks are a common parasite among hermit crabs. They are very small and difficult to see. The mites resemble small reddish-brown or black specks that move around the body of the crayfish. If left untreated, ticks can cause stress and damage to the animal, for example, hermit crab can lose a leg or even die. Mites can live and reproduce in your pet's aquarium. To get rid of the mites completely, you should clean the aquarium and its contents. It is also necessary to remove ticks from the body of the cancer and keep the aquarium clean so that the parasites do not reappear.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Cleaning the aquarium

1 Move the hermit crab to another container. In order to properly clean the aquarium and the objects in it, first of all, it is necessary to move its inhabitant to another container. A clean plastic bowl or bucket can be used as such a container. While you are cleaning the tank, the hermit crab will probably try to explore a new location.
- You can also put dechlorinated water in a small bowl and place it next to the crayfish container to warm the water to room temperature. This water can be used later to remove mites from the hermit crab itself, before replanting it back into a clean aquarium.
2 Use a small vacuum cleaner to remove mites from the aquarium. If you want to make sure that all the mites are removed from your aquarium, you can use a small vacuum cleaner. Vacuum the aquarium before washing it, as a vacuum cleaner cleans dry surfaces better. Pay particular attention to the corners of the aquarium where mites can accumulate.
3 Wipe the sides and bottom of the aquarium with a damp towel to remove any remaining mites. After removing all items from the aquarium, wipe it off with a damp paper towel. Press the towel firmly against the glass to wipe away the mites. Watch out for the corners of the aquarium, which often hide mites.
- You can also rinse the aquarium with tap water to drown and rinse out any remaining mites. Try to remove all black spots to keep the glass clear and clean.
4 Dry the aquarium in the sun. Mites don't like direct sunlight, so after washing and wiping your aquarium with plain water, dry it well in the sun.
- You can also dry your aquarium indoors. After the aquarium is dry, place sterilized decorations in it.

Part 2 of 4: Clearing Mites from Your Aquarium Contents

1 Remove all items from the aquarium if possible. If you don't mind decorative items, including sand or soil, then throw them away. This is the easiest way to get rid of any mites that may have accumulated in your aquarium.
- You should also discard toys that the infected cancer has played with, as they may also have ticks on them.
- Place the items in a trash bag and take out immediately. In this case, the mites will not have time to get out of the bag and crawl back into the aquarium or other places in your home.
2 Boil decorative items for at least 20 minutes. If you don't want to throw away some items, you can boil them in water to get rid of the mites completely. Place pebbles, stones, or other objects in distilled water and boil it for at least 20 minutes. Do the same with your pet's dishes, shells, corals, and the like. Thus, you sterilize decorative elements and clean them of mites.
- Allow the decorations to cool before placing the decorations back into the aquarium.
3 Anneal sufficiently heat-resistant items in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius. Another way is to place sand, gravel, or wood on a baking sheet and place it in a preheated oven for at least half an hour. After annealing, wait for the items to cool before placing them back in the aquarium.
- If you are concerned about wood burning or charring in the oven, you can sterilize them in the microwave. Place them in the microwave for two minutes and make sure the wood doesn't catch fire.

Part 3 of 4: Removing Ticks from Hermit Crab

1 Wash the hermit crab in a small bowl of dechlorinated water. While the aquarium is drying, you should thoroughly wash the crayfish itself so that no ticks remain on it. Bathe your crayfish in room temperature dechlorinated water at least once or twice.
- Dip the hermit crab in a bowl of water. Turn the crayfish upside down so that all the air comes out of its shell. Then lift it up so the water drains back into the bowl.The mites will also wash off with the water. Empty the bowl into the water sink. Repeat this one more time or until all the ticks are washed off. Check that there are no mites on the shell of the cancer.
- You can also gently remove mites from the cancer with a paper towel. Wash the crayfish thoroughly, dry it gently with a paper towel, and rinse it with clean water. This will help remove any ticks from the hermit crab.
2 Use medications specifically made for hermit crabs. These can be purchased from a veterinarian who specializes in arthropods or from an exotic pet store. This method should be used if you washed the aquarium and boiled the decorations, but this did not help get rid of the ticks.
3 Do not spray your aquarium and crayfish with mite spray. Regular mite spray is not intended for hermit crabs and may harm them. Do not use such a crayfish or aquarium spray.
- Also, you should not use a bleaching solution to clean your crayfish or aquarium. Bleach contains a large amount of chlorine, which can cause burns to the gills and hermit crab disease.

Part 4 of 4: Preventing Ticks

1 Keep your aquarium clean. To prevent re-infestation by mites, you should clean your tank once a week. To effectively clean the aquarium, you need to remove the crayfish from it and transfer it to another container. After that, wash the aquarium with plain water and boil or bake all decorative items in the oven to sterilize them.
- If you are using a sponge to keep the aquarium humid, smell it to make sure it is clean and does not start to rot. If the sponge smells like rot, it should be replaced. You can also place the sponge in the microwave and bake it for a few minutes to kill the mites.
- If your aquarium has a lid, clean it daily to keep mites and other parasites out of your aquarium. You can also tape the lid to the aquarium to prevent dust and parasites from entering the inside of the aquarium.
- Do not place live plants near the aquarium, as it is possible that various parasites also live on them, including ticks, which can move into the aquarium with hermit crabs.
2 Remove spoiled food from the aquarium. Often, ticks are attracted to the food of hermit crabs, and they can penetrate it (for example, dried shrimp or plankton). Try feeding the crayfish only dry food for a while so that the mites are not attracted to the strong smell of wet or fresh food.
- You should also remove all cancer waste from the aquarium daily and change the water in the saucer to keep it clean.
3 Check your pet for ticks daily. A hermit crab should be examined every day. Do this in good light and check for small moving dots on the shell and other parts of the animal's body.
- If you find mites on your body, you should thoroughly wash it in dechlorinated water and thoroughly clean the aquarium and its contents. This is the only way to get rid of ticks and prevent them from reoccurring.