Problem: Write an article based on this summary: . Exercise Drink enough liquids Keep a food diary Avoid eating alone. Use large plates. See a doctor.

Answer: ake meal times pleasant. Eating can be a much more enjoyable experience when you put some effort into creating a pleasant atmosphere at meal times. Light some candles, put some music on, or watch your favorite TV show while eating. Also try to avoid stressful topics of conversation at the table, especially if your poor appetite is a symptom of anxiety. . Doing some light exercise can really help to stimulate your appetite. Your body is designed to crave more energy from food after burning calories, so you'll always feel hungrier after exercising. You don't need to put in a strenuous work-out at the gym for this to work, even a brisk walk outside in the fresh air half an hour before a meal can help to stimulate appetite. If you are underweight, you should avoid any form of strenuous exercise because even though you will be hungrier after working out, the food you eat will only balance out the calories you burned while exercising, which is no good if you are trying to gain weight. Leave the strenuous exercise until your appetite has improved and weight has increased. . You should aim to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water or water-based drinks a day. Drinking a glass of water an hour before and an hour after a meal can help with digestion and ensure that there is not too much food in the stomach at any given time. However, you should avoid drinking too much water directly before or during a meal, as this can decrease your appetite and give you a false sense of fullness. Certain herbal teas have also traditionally been used to increase appetite, in particular peppermint, anise and licorice teas. Try drinking a cup or two throughout the day to increase your liquid intake and potentially increase your appetite. You may want to drink water and liquids at a different time than when you eat your meals. . Keeping a food diary is a great way to identify and understand the problems in your relationship with food, so you can attempt to overcome them. Everyday you should make notes of the times you felt hungry or of the foods that appealed to you most. This way you can identify the best times and foods for you to eat, so you can maximize your appetite. You should also make notes foods or smells that you find unappealing, so you can try to avoid them in future. In addition, keeping a food diary will allow you to track your progress to see how far you've come, which can be a great confidence boost. It is a lot easier to skip meals or avoid eating what's on your plate if you frequently eat alone. Arrange to eat family dinners or invite a friend over to eat with you. You will enjoy the experience more and may even forget that you're eating. Having other people around is also a good idea as they can offer you encouragement and hold you accountable for the food you fail to eat, if that's what you want. If eating with family and friends is not always an option, consider joining a business breakfast club or an interest-based social club where you can dine alongside others for a few meals a week. Eating food off larger plates than usual is a psychological trick which leads your brain to believe that you are eating a smaller portion of food. In this way, you can eat more than if the food was piled high on a small plate, even if it's exactly the same amount of food. Using brightly colored plates and arranging your food in an aesthetically pleasing way has also been said to positively affect appetite. If your poor appetite persists you should consider seeing a doctor. If he or she feels that your appetite is negatively impacting your health, they may prescribe you with an appetite inducing medication, such as megestrol or Marinol, which should help you to develop a healthy appetite.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Look for physical signs of illness. Examine for dry skin. Notice lack of movement. Smell the tank. Check for mites. Observe behavior. Avoid confusion with molting.

Answer:
Although illness is relatively uncommon, crabs can get sick. This is usually related to problems with their habitat, or "crabitat," but may be a result of other issues such as mites. Hermit crabs need access to water to keep their skin moist and healthy. Examining your crab for signs of dry skin can keep your crab from drying out and ensure it can breathe properly. Signs of dry skin in hermit crabs can include: Lack of water in the tank or on a sponge Matte appearance to the skin Excessive burrowing to get at moist spots in the tank The environment in the tank is vital to a hermit crab's health and promotes its movement, too. If your hermit crab isn't moving around much, the water in its habitat or even toxic paint on its shell could be killing it. Lethargy can also be a sign of stress. Recognize that most hermit crabs like to play and will move around their habitats a lot if they are not molting or sick. Make sure your hermit crab is moving regularly and not hanging out of its shell, which can be a signal that it is dying. Remember that lack of movement can also signal molting. Foul odor coming from the tank can signal illnesses related to problems with the habitat. Check on your crabs every day, which can quickly signal you to any bad smells that might be coming from the animals or parts of the tank. Be aware that there may be a broad range of odors that can signal problems. These include: stinky feet, fish or shrimp, mildew or must, rotting food. Mites are arguably the most common cause of health issues for hermit crabs and you should be especially vigilant in checking for these. Be aware that there are "good" and harmless mites that inhabit crab's spaces and bodies but that there are also "bad" and harmful mites. Watch out for the following types of harmful mites: Gill mites, which are light pink or red and bury into the gills of hermit crabs. These mites are often not visible until after a hermit crab's death because a flap of skin protects the gills of live animals. Crab mites, which glue themselves to soft parts of hermit crabs' bodies including the eyes, mouth, or joints. Crab mites range in color from white to cream, grey, pink, or red. In addition to the physical symptoms of illness, hermit crabs may also exhibit unusual behaviors. Checking on your crabs daily will help you see each animals typical behaviorhermit crabs do have distinct personalities-- and can alert you to potential problems. Some behavioral problems to watch out for are: Digging down into the habitat sand or coconut fiber to "de-stress" Consuming large amounts of food or water Soaking in the water dish Being very lethargic. Hiding in its shell for long periods, especially if it usually enjoys attention. Molting in the open. Hanging out of its shell in a limp or lifeless manner. Sickness is rare among hermit and other types of crabs. However, there can be some confusion when trying to tell if your hermit crab is sick because many of the symptoms of illness parallel the signs of molting such as missing limbs and burrowing for days or months. Some additional signs that your hermit crab may be molting and not sick, especially if the crab exhibits several of these symptoms, are: Digging Drinking large amounts of water or soaking in the dish Spilling water from the dish to dampen the sand or coconut fiber in the tank Cloudy eyes Ashy-looking skin, which is also called the exoskeleton Lethargy.