Moving with crabs

For topics relating to crab care that do not fit into the other categories.

Bubble_hermes
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Post by Bubble_hermes » Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:17 pm

I'm moving next week to a dorm. It's a two hour drive and I was wondering wether or not I should put her in her iso/ kritter karrier for the drive and then put her back in her tank after the move.

If I were to go the carrier method, I would probably take some of her substrate and put it in the bottom and then give her her cocohut to hide in. Would a damp moist paper towel at the very bottom be a good idea too? (for humidity and dampness of the substrate.

And one more quick thing. Where can I find a good, crab safe moss? I'll use it to pad the sides a bit.
Owner of three PP's,Hermes, Zephyr, and Shy!
Also the mom of four cats, a dog and several houseplants =)


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yankeecam55

Post by yankeecam55 » Tue Aug 31, 2010 12:26 pm

at petsmart in the reptile section
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=3748530
Its really great. my crabs love to burrow in it and eat it.
Good luck in college

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Rena
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Rena » Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:33 am

Thanks! I will be moving out to college in three years and I keep wondering how I am to take my crabs with me. Now I know.
Two PPs named Cameo and Peninsula, one E named Russie. and one black Mini-Rex rabbit named Midnight.


jrosler04
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by jrosler04 » Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:42 pm

I am preparing to move about 15-20 miles from my current home.. I have my crabs in a 55 gallon & I have several down for molts..what should i do with that? I don't know where they all are & I hate to dig them up..

any suggestions??

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CrabbyMom33
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by CrabbyMom33 » Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:29 pm

I don't think I would try to move a 55 that is full of substrate. It would be really heavy, plus any twisting of the tank at all with that much weight would be likely to crack it. The other issue I would see would be that any minor shifting of the tank could cause tunnels to collapse. As bad as it is to dig up molters I think that is the lesser of two evils in this situation. I'm interested to hear what others think who may have tried a move with a bigger tank.

If it were me I'd prepare a 10 gallon or a storage container into which to move the molters. I'd scoop out a place in the substrate to place each one and plan to have something like a coconut hut to put over them. You may need to also figure out a way to separate the tank so that when one molter is ready to come out it won't disturb the others.
Owner of 4 PPs

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Wary Hermit
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Wary Hermit » Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:41 am

So I'm moving from California to Oklahoma, most likely within then next month (very last minute). As of now, the plan is to drive up there, and that's a two and a half day's drive.
I have at my disposal an empty 10 gallon and was thinking I could move everyone into it temporarily. I'm honestly not too happy about that considering I have six small to medium PPs.
They're currently in a 45 gallon, but I don't want to take it with me because it has a crack in the bottom (which was sealed up with aquarium sealant well before they were placed inside) and I'm afraid to move it too much. This makes me just want to break down and purchase a 20 gallon off Craigslist for this purpose only. I don't know how long it will be before I can buy a suitable tank once I get up there (and I refuse to make their new home smaller than their old one), and that is why I would prefer not to go with the storage bin idea. This may well be a temporary home of sorts rather than just a traveling thing.

How much substrate should I be putting in there? My default was just to put in two bricks of EE, then worry about the heating. But do I want barely any, a lot, or the normal amount of substrate?
I am also confused about how water should be stored during this time to prevent spilling.
Do I want to have the usual amount of spare shells in the tank?
I imagine bottles of hot water wouldn't stay hot for this long. What are my heating alternatives?
Also... Since I'm not the one driving, should I be holding it? Or would that be unsafe? I imagine carrying a 20 gallon tank on my lap for two days wouldn't be very comfy, lol.

This will be my first time away from home, so if I appear nervous and somewhat panicked, it's because I am. :confused2:
Happy mum of 6 PPs in a 45 gallon.:)

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Lyn Penn
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Lyn Penn » Mon Feb 06, 2012 10:30 am

It's really no big thing to be concerned about. I do it twice a year from Ohio to the Florida Keys. They're in the back seat with my Lab mix. I put them all together (8) in a tat that is round with screening on it. I give them food and water at night in the motel room. The bottom is gravel, like it said, not premium conditions, but it's only for 2 days. To keep them from getting too cold, if needed, I have a large pink tote bag I bought in Aruba. It even has a pocket attached to it for their food and dishes. They do beautifully and soon after I arrive in either house, I set up their proper tat. They are never the worse for wear. No big deal.
Proud Mom to Princess (lab) PP's , , Humphrey ,Heloise. andHershey my Crabbie Angels Hercules, Hanry VIII, Henry the 9th, Harry, Hymes Hermione, Harriet, Hanibal and Heidi,and Helen and special Horatio and Herman,and Harvey Huckleberry and Happy and Humberto Hulio Herkimer and precious Hubert


Topic author
Tetra4CClyPtus

Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Tetra4CClyPtus » Thu Dec 06, 2012 9:28 am

Thank you sooo much, for this thread!!! Soon I will be going on vacation to Florida and it's a 13 hour drive up there from Virginia and they cannot come with me.. and also will be staying in a hotel while up there
I am leaving them with someone to care for them for the entire week..
I will be putting them 4 in a 10 gal , with 3 inch of sub, just to lighten up the heaviness , and their UTH and heat lamp will go with them..

But what I really worry about is the separation anxiety , shocked by being in a different tank , the rockiness of the ride, the drastic temp/ humidity changes , and with different people , but they shouldn't be too shocked since their decor has my scent on it , and they have their hides and sand to dig under..

But while I am on vacation , I will be on call to check up on them , and will be thinking of them and will bring back stuff for them..

Pray for us y'all

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Shawn
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Shawn » Sun Dec 29, 2013 4:49 pm

When I moved from MA to WY it took us four days of driving. Other than the 38gal they live in I have a small plastic fish tank that is maybe 1~2 gals and a larger bird cage. I chose to use the bird cage since I was driving cross-country in August and didn't want them to over-heat in the plastic tank if the sun was shining through the window on it. I put in about an inch of moist eco-earth, a wet sponge, a cocohut and small food & water bowls. Whenever we stopped I put the cage in the shade and misted them. They all made the trip fine and I think they really enjoyed the breezes when the cage was outside in the shade. Must have been the natural smells of the outdoors they haven't had in a long time.

This was fine since it was in summer but I can imagine that traveling in the winter with them would be extremely difficult maintaining their temp and humidity. I would recommend to anyone moving with their crabs in the winter to take their crabs in a small 10 gal tank with a couple of inches of moist eco-earth and a few cocohuts and small food and water dishes. Eco isn't very heavy and won't break your tank or back transferring it between car and house or hotel room. As for heat, you can buy a small power inverter at an auto parts store to plug into your car's cigarette lighter port that will power a large UTH on the tank. Tape a thick blanket or some styrofoam around the tank for insulation and you're all set. These would surely be much better travel conditions for them than the ones they endured when they were shipped from their native lands to your local pet shop.


dukeofwellington
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by dukeofwellington » Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:03 pm

There has not been much mention in this thread about what everyone does with there molters while moving. I am moving two hours away in about a week and have been worried sick about what to do about the molters. Normally I have a plastic tub with substrate that I transport them in, but I have never moved with any of them underground. I have two underground currently and one up. I can't move the tank as it is now with so much sand (only a 10g). Should I dig up the molters and move them in seperate little containers and take the substrate out of the tank? My other question is what do I do with them once I get the tank set up again after the move? Do I need to keep the molters isolated from each other somehow?
Any suggestions would be appreciated! :)

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Knibitz
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Knibitz » Mon Dec 01, 2014 11:58 am

First off - the most important decision to make is - can you honestly SAFELY move with your hermit crabs?
In my move across the country, I had determined that I could not safely move with the crabs and opted to rehome them at that time. This was a case of a several day long travel with no place to fit a large rubbermaid tub to use as a temporary tank - except the uhaul - and you don't want to put your crabs in the back of a uhaul :P

I've moved with crabs several times now, and I've always used the same tactics.
A week or so before the move, I start doing headcounts and keep close track of who's up, who's down and if anyone's down, where they are (searching the sides of the glass, not digging anyone up)
I first take out all of the toys/hides/plants and rinse pack them the morning of the move. I leave the crabs in the tank as long as possible with standard sized food/water dishes, then the tank is usually the last thing to be packed.When the time comes - I grab a rubbermaid tub with holes punched along the sides, scoop out some substrate from the tank and make a shallow later in the rubbermaid, then load up the "surface" crabs.
I then carefully comb through the substrate with my fingers to locate anyone "down". When I do I carefully roll the crab back to check at what state it's in - the only time I've done this, I've only ever encountered molters who seem ready to surface (most of the exo is gone, the crab is back to being hard, sharp, and hairy) when I'm moving - so I tend to scoop them up with their parts, and put them in a sour cream container or something similar with some of the substrate - then put that in the rubbermaid with the rest of the crabs.

Once everyone is packed, the rest of the substrate is removed and tossed, and the tank is moved to the new location.

The move is simple, keep the crabs with me (or in whatever car has heat :hlol: as my car currently doesn't) and make the move as quick as possible.

Upon arrival to my new location, I put the rubbermaid in a quiet space - usually on a shelf in the closet that won't be disturbed and is dark/warm.

When moving is over, then I start setting up the crab tank. Fresh substrate. Give all of the extra shells/toys/etc a good wash if they weren't washed prior to packing, and then set everything up. Because I tend to use 100% EE, I usually let the tank "cycle" for a few hours so I can watch for any mites or anything that may come from the EE. Usually 12h or so after they were packed up, the crabs are back in the tank. I will usually put the crabs in another container briefly, dump the substrate they traveled with into the tank, and then place the crabs on top and then stand back and watch them explore.
The molters I, honestly, will usually just drop in the tank as well, but that's because every crab I've encountered has been in, what appears to be "healthy post molt".
better option could be either a quarantine corner of the tank, put them in first to see what happens (if they go about life, if they dig down again, etc), or to set up an iso for them - but I've never had any problems just plopping them in while they're in "late healthy post molt"

Please seek other's advice, however, if you're dealing with a mid-molt or bad/problem molt situation as I've not had to handle that yet *counts lucky stars*
7 PPs: Vinny, Thomas, Tink, Theo, Thumbelina, Fudge, and Midge
1 E: Noel


meg_and_the_zoo
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by meg_and_the_zoo » Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:35 am

I'm going to be moving in about 2 months. I've got a 40gallon newly established and expect I'll have at least a few down when the time comes. My move is only about 2 hours and I'll be driving my own car. The tank will fit in the back seat and I'm wondering if anyone has just moved the whole tank. My biggest concern is if the tank bottom is strong enough to withstand the weight of the sub while being carried.


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 4 crabs (Balla, Spot, Twitch & Big Shug)


devdev24
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by devdev24 » Mon May 01, 2017 2:57 pm

I'm going to be moving in 3 weeks I currently have two crabs down, one up and one that surfaces at night. I'm only moving 20 minutes down the road. My main worry is the molt tunnel potentially collapsing from moving the tank. I have a 10 gallon and I plan on moving it in the first car trip and storing it in the closet until we're all moved in. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Lephantome92
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by Lephantome92 » Thu Jul 27, 2017 7:30 pm

I have a 20 gallon long filled 3/4 of the way with damp ee. How empty should i get it before moving?

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aussieJJDude
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Re: Moving with crabs

Post by aussieJJDude » Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:35 am

Its EE, so at least it is light. I would personally remove all of it, but it should be fine with a couple of inches lining the bottom.
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