New Crabs and New Owner(s)

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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CombatMist
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:53 pm
Location: Utah

Re: New Crabs and New Owner(s)

Post by CombatMist » Wed Jul 22, 2020 9:15 am

Great progress and good luck

Hermit crabs love to climb as we see in your pic. They like to climb upside down. Can dig in concave between branch and ground to hide. They like high places to perch and observe.

Make sure large furniture is secure. Those stacked sea shells may fall if not secure. Crabs are not always very neat and tidy and push things around and moving, climbing, and on purpose. I just assume they will exert a few pounds of force. I've seen them push my large branch (probably 2 pounds and 1 end buried 1 inch and other end on log) 1-2 inches until it couldn't move any more being pushed against a water dish pushing against tank wall.
Craber since (december 2019)
5 pps, 1 successful molt 🥳
20 gallon long

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asiankanye
Posts: 226
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 6:00 pm
Location: North Carolina

New Crabs and New Owner(s)

Post by asiankanye » Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:36 pm

Looks like a really great tank! One thing I will say is that hermit crabs really love moss pits. You could make this by buying a small plastic shower caddy and leasing a jungle vine or a plant up to it, as long as they can get to it. This will also provide more climbing space. Another thing is that hermit crabs, especially PPs really enjoy foliage, so you can find some fake PLASTIC plants at a pet store or make a (very difficult to maintain) bioactive setup. Glad that you’re trying to give your crabs a good life!

EDIT: it also looks like you’re providing them with a lot of shells, which is great. But a lot of those shells look like a more oval opening. You may want to get some shells such as turbos or murex from online (naples sea shells are a great place, also richards seashells are great) or from a craft store. A lot of advertised hermit crab shells at stores are not safe.

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CombatMist
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:53 pm
Location: Utah

Re: New Crabs and New Owner(s)

Post by CombatMist » Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:53 pm

I'm disgusted by shells at pet shops.
Overpriced
Many oval (most species prefer o shape)
Many fancy shells with snagging hooks (most want short butted and nothing to get stuck on so they can get in smaller places)
Many damaged shells
Painted shells

I'd say buy online or look at variety packs. Pet shops variety of sea shell packs for aquariums have a few decent shells per pack. Look for opening size not shell size.
Craber since (december 2019)
5 pps, 1 successful molt 🥳
20 gallon long


Topic author
urbandruid37
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2020 10:37 pm
Location: MD

Re: New Crabs and New Owner(s)

Post by urbandruid37 » Mon Jul 27, 2020 3:14 pm

Yeah, I need to get a bit more variety. The bigger crab switched to a new shell last week but quickly swapped back.

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