Crabitat Kit Question

[Laylay23]

I was given a hermit crab as a gift, I've had her for about a week, her name is Skye. I do not know anything about her particularly except she's a land hermit, she's in a painted shell which I know is bad but like I said she was a gift, she did not previously move around in the little tank that she was purchased in. I was able to go today and get her a tank but they were sold out of the stuff on my list that I got from the forms on here. I bought the hermit crab kit which is 10gal with a mesh lid. They didn't have a hood, premade salt water, a ramped water bowl that wasn't glow in the dark, growing shells (I have one that is a tad bit bigger than her that came with her, it is not painted), or EcoEarth but the kit came with a compressed block. My question is: Is there anything in this kit that is dangerous other than the calcium hermit crab sand? It is a ZooMed kit and it labeled the sand as Vita sand. I'm using great value distilled water to keep it moist. I plan to get an aerator to keep humidity up right now the temperature is 79 and the humidity is at 73. The ideal temperature and humidity I'm looking for is between 75-80°F from the forms here and it may increase after it being set up for a while but I'm not sure yet. Any tips, tricks or advice is greatly appreciated. I do not plan on getting anymore crabbies at this time but I may in the future. Thank you all I'm just trying to make Skye as healthy and happy as possible!

[JoeHermits]

Most of it in there isn’t dangerous per se, but there are better options, and as you can see from the guides you’ll want to use different products for long-term care. I’ll just drop now that the water conditioner doesn’t remove heavy metals (which crustaceans are sensitive to) so if anything you may wish to replace it.

I would also encourage trying to get your six inches of substrate in for proper molting. A bag of playsand from the hardware store will do nicely. It’s okay if you can’t get your hands on any Eco Earth right now, you can expand the Zoo Med Hermit Soil and mix it in with the playsand (Eco Earth and Hermit Soil are both coconut fiber, only difference is marketing).

Otherwise it sounds like you’re getting the hang of things, so you can phase the rest out over time as they become available.


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[wodesorel]

The only usable thing from that kit is the ecoearth and the Part 1 dechlor. I honestly hate that thing so much! The supplies are only worth about $25. The food, suppliments and saltwater is not safe. The bowl is not deep enough either.

[Laylay23]

Thank y’all ... I have ordered two more bowls offline and plan to use the food bowl out of the set and them for water sources, the soil came to be 5 3/4 inches slopes down to 2 inches... is the uvb/uva/heat light bulb okay to use I use it with my aquatic turtle and ordered one for Skye but can’t see where the all in one is okay? My hum it’s and temp have both stayed consistent at 84 and 76 should I be worried about humidity getting too high? She so far does not eat any store food she leaves it in her bowl but loves blueberries, carrots, and eggs. I also have ordered about 5 new foods for her with really good ratings and recommendations from the research I’ve been doing to see if she will eat them. She is currently under the soil by the glass where I can see her shell not sure what’s going on but I have left her alone and have just replaced her food and water, how long can she go without salt water? I know it’s important for molting but when I was given her I was told it could kill her so I don’t want to chance mixing my own but I’m having a really hard time finding pre made salt water. Sorry for all of this but I don’t want her to die or be unhappy, she’s had a lot go on with her big move and I just want the best for her. Thank you all so much!

[curlysister]

I can't help with the lighting question.
But as for the substrate, you will need at least 6 inches through the whole tank. It's okay to have a 'slope' but the most shallow part of the slope should be 6 inches. Like Joe said, you can get a big bag of play sand and add it to the eco earth you have.
The only problem with too high humidity is that things can mold faster - but this is not harmful to the crabs at all. My humidity is often above 95%.
Mixing your own salt water is cheaper and easier than trying to find the pre-mixed. Instant Ocean is the brand that many of us use. It comes as dry salt and you can mix as much or as little as you want. The quantities are on the 'water' care sheet. Personally, I mix it up 2 cups at a time (2 cups water with 1 Tbsp Instant Ocean).

[GotButterflies]

Hello! Welcome to the HCA! Using a light that has heat can put quite the kibosh on humidity. I use UVB on my crabs and they love it!

[Laylay23]

So quick update I’m still waiting on my order to come in but I have taken Skye out and put her in a container to soak in salt water “thrive hermit crab soaking salt” today for about 30 minutes... I also bought one new shell today and she switched shells within the hour of it being put in her tank (so excited no more painted shell!!!)... She still wouldn’t eat the store bought food so I have stopped offering it... she seams to be doing great and she is very active over the last couple days I gave her a “turtle bone” the calcium log thing and she has crawled on it... I did have an issue with ants so she was relocated and I let the ants leave the tank naturally in the sun I sprayed where her tank was and I rinsed then squeezed out the coconut fiber and let it dry... I have resetup her tank and like I said she is extremely active and is doing well not in her permanent location for a few more days... she does not like to get in her water dish but it’s also not deep enough yet, thank you all for your help... Happy Skye happy life

[curlysister]

It is not recommended to put your crab into the water or bathe them. They will go into the water as they need to, and they carry a mix of salt and fresh water. If we put them in, it can disrupt the balance of water they have in their shells.
If you check out the safe/ unsafe food lists and the nutrition care sheet, you will see that they can eat much of what we eat. They need protein and calcium every day.

[Laylay23]

I don’t have a salt water dish yet and I have had her for about 2weeks and didn’t want her missing what she needs... she is eating fruits, veggies, and eggs different types from day to day, she didn’t eat the chicken so I was going to wait a little while and offer it again. I put her in the salt water today after she changed shells and I’m hoping her bowls will be here by Thursday they are still having some delays in shipping... thank you so much for a response I have egg shells and the turtle bone in her tank today for calcium and eggs in there for the protein I have some worms coming in my package also for her protein

[Laylay23]

I didn’t post my questions, should I provide salt water one day and fresh the next until I get her bowls? Is it okay that wait to offer the chicken again or should I still just put it in there?

[JoeHermits]

Fresh water is needed for hydration, so I would stick with that for now until you can provide both.

If she won't touch the chicken then you can try again later when she's in the mood for it.