My rescued crab

[Mabus]

This is my first post. 2 1/2 weeks ago my gf & I rescued a hermit crab while on vacation. The Boardwalk shops closed for the season the week before and we figured that they must dump onto the beach all unsold crabs. We found Buddy sitting in front of her car tire. It was 64° outside that day. The next day we brought him home and went out to buy a tank - a 10 gallon acrylic (sorry not glass). I set up the coconut fiber substrate (with a small amount of sand mixed) and food, water bowls, and small heating pad. I initially got an analog thermometer/hygrometer.

Three days later, I got him 2 friends, a smaller one (Lulu) and a larger one (Diesel). Diesel burrowed underground the same night I got him. In the pet store, he was in a tank with very shallow substrate maybe an inch thick. Buddy was out & active for 7 days then burrowed underground. Lulu went underground the next day (after 5 days home). Haven't seen any crabs in 11 days. I'm assuming they're are destressing.

Over the last week, I've been carefully adding things like pillow moss, extra shells, climbing things, catappa leaves, and changing the bowls to organic coconut shells. Two days ago, I installed an overhead light with 60W incandescent bulb. Yesterday, I installed a fogger/humidifier.

Today the digital thermometer/hygrometer came in. The thing that worries me is the old thermometer is 6° off. Each side of the tank was not 78° & 76° F but instead 72° & 70°F for the last 2 weeks. Crap. I do mostly cover the mesh lid at night to try to save heat & humidity. The addition of the light raised the warm side to 81° during the day so I moved the small heat pad to the cool side. Now the warm/cool sides are 79°/72°. So I just bought a night time bulb to warm the overnights. I know I have been careless in not adding more heaters yet but have been overwhelmed with all of this and did not how how inaccurate the thermometer was. We do keep the heat in the house at 78° F. I'm glad I got the digital thermometer now. I have 2 8W heating pads coming in in a few days. If I can achieve perfect temps with them then I want to change light to florescent to give them necessary UVB. Since the florescent light doesn't give off heat, I'll custom cut acrylic sheets to partially cover the mesh lid to help maintain humidity & heat. One during the day and add another piece at night once the light is off.

So my concern is: does anyone think my crabs are sick because of the extended time in overly cool temperatures? And I hope they come topside soon.

[Hermiesguardian]

Welcome! Personally, I don't think that would have made a difference. Considering the treatment and conditions they had before you got them. If they succumb to anything at this point, I would say its PPS. Post purchase syndrome. If they haven't come up at night for several days I would say they're molting.

[DevilNDisguise]

Hermit crabs suffer through a lot before being sold. They typically live in poor conditions with no humidity and little heat. So I'm sure they will jump right back with no issues.

I do want to say, though... I can't believe there are shops that do that! They actually dump their crabs when it's off-season? The possibility never even crossed my mind. Ugh.

Anyway, congratulations on the new additions, regardless! I'm glad these hermit crabs have a good new home to take care of them.

[Moe2076]

Welcome to the HCA! You are off to a GREAT start! I can tell you have been reading up. Your story is not unlike a lot of ours. I saw my first hermit crab on vacation in Outer Banks. When I was coming through Nashville on the way home to west TN, I went into an aquarium store and adopted my first 2. (ok I only picked 1 but then my wife ran in and got another so it could have a friend)

I was completely ignorant! Most if not all of the information any of the pet store people have given me is all wrong. The best thing you can do going forward is to try and create the most ideal conditions you can. The 3rd crab I found was in horrible conditions with rocks for substrate, no thermometer/hydrometer and an open air tank/ it was in there all by itself. I started with one of those analog meters and was freaking out just like you were when my digitals came in and the anolog was off by several degrees. That little crab in the bad conditions buried himself the 2nd day and was under for like a month.

Keep reading the care sheets, post in here whenever you have questions, there's lots of friendly help. Hopefully your crabs will come up ok when they are ready. The patience is the hardest part, resist the urge to dig and check on them. Like others have said, if they don't make it it definitely is NOT because of the GOOD care you have been giving them.

https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... .php?f=120

[Mabus]

Had I not taken Buddy home he would have not survived up to today. He did manage to not get eaten by seagulls (which are plentiful & ravenous in this State) or run over by a car (as he made it under the Boardwalk and halfway down the street toward the main road). Once we saw him, I took him out of the road and placed him on the sidewalk for safety. He walked down the curb and settled in the puddle along the curb. We went back to the motel to get a container to put him in. When we got back he was gone. My gf saw him walking across the street. She had to stop to allow a FedEx truck to pass which missed Buddy by like 12 inches. Hard to believe he survived the trauma in his life up to that point. But this morning & yesterday morning were the first 2 days this season that the temperature dropped overnight below freezing.

Right now, Buddy and his 2 roommates are safe and presumably alive, hiding in nice moist 81° substrate.

[Mabus]

We have movement! The moss under the driftwood tree was pushed WAY up and turned over.

And the chia seeds I sprinkled around are sprouting like crazy!

Also today I received the assortment of organic hermie food I bought on eBay from Hugs for Hermits.

[Mabus]

After 4 weeks underground, my smallest crab Lulu came up to eat very early this morning. My dog Lexi alerted me when she detected movement in the tank. Lulu was in a new, larger shell. I believe this was my first moult. Hopefully the other 2 will surface soon. I'm curious if they are moulting also.

[Hermiesguardian]

After 4 weeks underground, my smallest crab Lulu came up to eat very early this morning. My dog Lexi alerted me when she detected movement in the tank. Lulu was in a new, larger shell. I believe this was my first moult. Hopefully the other 2 will surface soon. I'm curious if they are moulting also.

[Mabus]

Two nights ago my largest crab, Diesel, emerged from his 2nd moult. Like clockwork, this one was also 40 days long. This morning he ate for hours and chirped like a bird for 90 mins before sunrise.

However my initial rescue, Buddy, has never resurfaced. I don't know if he survived or is just good at not being seen. He was found on the street and went through lots of trauma before I found him. We have hopes.

Today we rescued another crab that we named Jinn-jinn. She seemed to be living in a turbo shell that was too small. Also her shell on her upper legs & head was ashy. My wife pointed out she looked like she was ready to moult. Once in her new home, she buried herself under the food bowl almost immediately.