Hello! New crabber

Please post here if you are a new crab owner and someone will be along shortly to welcome you to the HCA! This is also the place to welcome new crabbies to your clan!
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AliCrab
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Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:44 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Hello! New crabber

Post by AliCrab » Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:02 pm

Hi, my name is Ali! I am new to this forum and (sort of) new to being a hermit crab owner. I wanted to make an account after reading over some of the basic care guides.
I recently got 2 hermit crabs and I'm still having trouble with setting up a proper tank due to misinformation at pet stores. I want to point out that I'm 17 and have a learning disability so some of the stuff on the care sheets was hard for me to comprehend!

Since I'm still in high school and don't have much money (myself) to spend, I was hoping being in the forums could help me? The main issue with the tank(it's 20 gallons) right now is figuring out how to heat it. My dad would help me set it up once we figure out what we need (he has a turtle/fish)

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curlysister
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Re: Hello! New crabber

Post by curlysister » Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:33 pm

Hello and welcome to crabbing!
Feel free to ask question about anything you don't understand or need help with!
As for heating, your best bet would be an under tank heater(UTH). For crabs, the heater is always mounted on the back or sides of the tank, never underneath.
Personally, the room where I have my tank varies greatly in temperature - so I have multiple UTH's and plug/ unplug them depending on the room temp (old farm house, no air conditioning, baseboard heater in the room). But many people use a single one on the back of the tank, which works if your room doesn't vary so much in temp. You want the biggest one that will fit on the back of the tank - go by dimensions not what it says for how many gallons of tank it will heat. There are a few brands, but the ones that work the best are the ones that can be insulated over top of, like UltraTherm. They are more expensive but are worth the extra money.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

https://beanfarm.com/collections/heatin ... nk-heaters
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

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Motörcrab
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Re: Hello! New crabber

Post by Motörcrab » Fri Mar 27, 2020 11:10 pm

Welcome to the HCA! Here is a basic guide Fleabag made for how to set up the UTH and insulating. There are a few different options for insulation too. Reflectix it the easiest option. It's similar to an aluminum bubble wrap.

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=119297
Coenobita Curiosities offering crabby decor
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CoenobitaCuriosities

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JoeHermits
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Re: Hello! New crabber

Post by JoeHermits » Sat Mar 28, 2020 9:39 am

Welcome to the HCA! Curly and Motor have pretty much covered the basics of heating.

Please don’t hesitate to ask questions. That’s what we’re here for.


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Crabby7Crabber
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Joined: Sat Jan 18, 2020 2:24 pm
Location: US

Re: Hello! New crabber

Post by Crabby7Crabber » Sat Mar 28, 2020 8:06 pm

Welcome! :)
Three PPs (Hoodini, Aaron Burr, and Jubali)
Love my deceased baby crabs George Washington, Zero, Domino, Billy, Eduardo, and Shelly too 🥺

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scuttlecrusty22
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Re: Hello! New crabber

Post by scuttlecrusty22 » Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:43 pm

Welcome to the HCA!

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(Scuttle, Crusty) crabs, (Buster,Ruby) chihuahuas, (Bugs) goat, (Echo) betta fish (Skittles,Sky) parakeets

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life"

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