New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

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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Wegotazoo
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New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Wegotazoo » Sun Aug 11, 2019 2:34 pm

New to crabbing and there’s so much to learn! I have been looking through the forum but haven’t found answers to these questions yet-not to say they aren’t there, but haven’t seen them, so if someone could point me in the right direction...we got our setup from a young lady going off to college...there wasn’t enough substrate, so we are fixing that, but she used a mix of sand and mulch. I have read that the mulch is bad, but there may be a crab alive beneath the substrate (she said there used to be one more crab in the enclosure, but we haven’t seen it and it has only been about a month), so I don’t want to switch it out. I am slowly adding coconut fiber to deepen the substrate, but don’t know what to do about the mulch...? Second question is I’m having trouble keeping the temp above 75...we have a hermit crab heater on one of the outside walls of the tank, but the temp any distance away from the heater is registering anywhere from 73-75. Our humidity keeps reading in the 90’s and the crabs don’t seem too lethargic, but I’m concerned about the temp. Should we get another under tank heater or is it fine to have just one warm spot in the tank? Last question is how can I tell what kind of crabs we have? Thanks!

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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by curlysister » Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:58 pm

What is the mulch made of?

You can add some insulation to help with the temp. Depending on the brand of the UTH as to whether you can insulate over top or if you need to insulate around it. I have multiple heaters, one on each side and two on the back - because the temp in the room varies so greatly depending on the seasons, I can keep one, all or some plugged in.

If you past a photo, we can help ID your crabs!
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Wegotazoo
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New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Wegotazoo » Sun Aug 11, 2019 6:24 pm

The mulch is wood chips, but I have no idea what kind. I do know that the previous “owner” had them in this setup so they aren’t new to the chips. Image

I know they need out of the painted shells too-I have some new ones on order that I hope will work.Image


Also, thanks for the advice on insulating...I’ll try that.

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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Hermiesguardian » Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:23 pm

It looks like the top pic is an E. The wood chips aren't good. They can't dig tunnels and caves. I would remove all of that and replace with playsand and eco earth. Mixed with dechlorinated water to sandcastle consistancy. I know you think there may be another crab buried but it may be better to gently search for him. Someone with more experience may have different advice.
raising son's dog, Dante. Husky/hound.
Raising daughter's hermit crabs, Shelder, Paras and Derek. Added 2 more of my own (of course) Pete and Stryper. Former mommy to 2 guinea pigs and beloved cat, Nissi

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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Motörcrab » Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:00 pm

It's hard to say what type of mulch or wood chips are in there. Some types like oak and birch are safe and some love snacking on them. There are also unsafe woods too, cedar and pine.

Digging for crabs is usually not recommend unless you have a tank emergency like a flood or bacterial bloom since both can be fatal. I would hold off on digging since disturbing a molter can cause deformities then also require additional care until the process is complete.

Do you know if the two that are up recently molted? If they have molted recently they probably won't molt for a month or two. Once the crab that's down resurfaces I would place them in another enclosure temporarily while redoing their tank. Playsand from a home improvement store is generally used. It's around $5 for a 50lb bag. Mix it with some dechlorinated water to sand castle consistency and EcoEarth and you are good to go. You can start purchasing supplies now so you are ready when the one resurfaces.

Your temperature is a bit low for your E. They need a temperature of 80 or higher. There are many Under Tank Heater (UTH) sizes avaliable. Ultratherm brand is probably the go to type on this forum.

If you didn't check out the caresheets and guidelines that's is a great crash course of everything crabby.

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... .php?f=120
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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Motörcrab » Sun Aug 11, 2019 10:06 pm

curlysister wrote:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 4:58 pm
You can add some insulation to help with the temp. Depending on the brand of the UTH as to whether you can insulate over top or if you need to insulate around it. I have multiple heaters, one on each side and two on the back - because the temp in the room varies so greatly depending on the seasons, I can keep one, all or some plugged in.
Be sure you know what type of heater you have first. Not all can be insulated such as ZooMeds. Insulation over them can cause overheating and possibly cause a fire.

Flukers and Ultratherm heaters can safely be insulated.

If you don't know for sure don't insulate. You can also post a pic and I'm sure someone can probably ID it.

Heating the tank greatly varies by region. I have seen tiny heat pads work on some crabitats while others have the back and sides completely covered. My heating set up changes with the seasons.
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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by curlysister » Sun Aug 11, 2019 11:22 pm

Thanks for clarifying Motor, I was hoping that Wegotazoo would post what brand, then we can help with whether it can be insulated or not.

If that's an E, don't they need deeper sub than PP's? I only have PP's, but seem to recall reading that E's need like 11 or 12 inches?
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Wegotazoo
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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Wegotazoo » Sun Aug 11, 2019 11:24 pm

It is a ZooMed heater, so thanks for the caution regarding that.


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Re: New to crabbing-got a set-up and crabs from someone getting rid of them

Post by Motörcrab » Mon Aug 12, 2019 1:34 am

curlysister wrote:
Sun Aug 11, 2019 11:22 pm
Thanks for clarifying Motor, I was hoping that Wegotazoo would post what brand, then we can help with whether it can be insulated or not.

If that's an E, don't they need deeper sub than PP's? I only have PP's, but seem to recall reading that E's need like 11 or 12 inches?
No problem. Yes, it is recommended to have deeper substrate with E's and other exocitcs. E's also require a ton of additional proteins too.
Coenobita Curiosities offering crabby decor
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