HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Old elm wood is a huge hit with my unwanted isopods. The trees that died decades ago during the dutch elm disease outbreak have aged enough to where the isopods can tunnel right through and eat every last bit. My millis love the stuff as well.

This is really normal! Food is scarce in the wild, and they have not had the best treatment after they are collected. They tend to binge on everything - food, water, and shells.

I'm not sure how much of an effect, as the anaerobic bacteria that grow in oversaturated de-oxygenated areas occur in both fresh and salt conditions. Using salt helps with mold and mildew growth though.

That's really true - if he doesn't have a picture of them as tiny babies he's just making stuff up.

There was a campaign several years ago that used Ecuadorian hermit crabs and scanned the natural modified shells that they prefer to wear, and those crabs did actually take and wear the 3D printed ones over natural ones. However, it's been the only case I've seen where that has happened. For species...

Watch to make sure the substrate at the bottom doesn't start smelling. Anytime substrate gets oversaturated, there is a risk for a bacterial bloom. Draining it won't have dried it enough to prevent it. It doesn't always happen, but if it does make sure to throw away any spots that are affected. Crab...

7 years is an amazing amount of time! Unfortunately the little things catch up with them eventually, and I think that's what happened here. The older and bigger they get, the harder it is to get through a molt in not so ideal conditions, or to stay okay when too cold or dry. It's going to be really ...

Having it against an inside wall will help keep the temperature stable. (As opposed to an outside wall, where on the other side is outdoors.)

That's the old design that uses AA batteries, the new design is thinner and takes AAA.

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He may just like that location, or wants to be a little warmer. They will regulate their temperature as needed, which is why it's good to have a little bit of difference in temps closer to and farther away from the UTH. I wouldn't worry, they can be a little weird at times!

Just the top lip, so it couldn't fall off. The bottom was free so it could be cleaned behind.

It was just like the zip tied ramps many people are using, just melted together.

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No, this method permanently binds the ramp to the plastic.

She went with zipties not long after, because it was too hard to clean.

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Straws also chip out the opening for their eyes and legs.

If someone was dedicated and had tiny tools and a lot of patience and a steady hand, I'm sure it could be done by a human. But we really aren't sure exactly why they do it and what they're looking for.

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Straws modify their shells, so having the opportunity to get a pre-made home and not having to spend all that energy on doing it themselves is a huge bonus. Studies have shown that a lot of their decisions come down to energy conservation, as that means they have more reserves to molt and grow large...

It's just aquarium salt and water, which is a handful of elements at most. Real seawater has over 70 different elements and Instant Ocean provides these in captivity.

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