HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Good call. Thanks.

My set-up has a built in freshwater pool with filtration and a few aquatic plants. I'd added some Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) to the pond to help clean any algae that might start growing, and now I can't find a single one of them. I am guessing that the hermit crabs are able to catch and eat them...

Here's a silly thought, but do you have enough hides and humidity? If they're coming out from a molt only to dig back down, they might just be looking for somewhere to hide or keep their humidity up. I thought I'd mention it in case it was an easy fix in the tank.

I had a leftover seed mix from my budgie that I feed the crabs, and the seeds start sprouting when knocked out of the bowl. You can look at those commercial seed mixes. They're mostly millet, maybe some flax seed... pretty much the same stuff on their approved foods list.

I'm glad he's none the worse for the wear.

Stay patient. Wodesorel is right that there will be many Christmas Crabs going up for adoption once people start realizing how much work the little guys take. All of my crabs were adopted through HCA or through craigslist, and I greatly appreciated the adoptions. Aside from feeling better without fu...

I just saw "Terrarium Top - Glass Inserts For Exo Terra® Terrariums" for sale through NE herp supplies. (About half way down the page here - http://www.neherpetoculture.com/enclosures ) If you don't have somewhere nearby to custom size a glass/plexiglass panel, you might be able to use one of these ...

Beautiful set up and beautiful crabs. Well done! I am quite jealous, as are my crabs.

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm curious about people putting their crabs' iso tanks into the main tank. Wouldn't that still run a risk of transferring parasites if present?

What a cute little colony.

Hi there. I'm glad you've been reading up. It sounds like you're doing the best that you can with these guys to become informed. You're right that they'll often appear immobile, but I hate to say it, if the crab smells fishy, then he's probably not alive. Double check that he is the source of the sm...

Tanins would stain it a tea color. Others are right that it would smell like rotten eggs if it were an anaerobic bacterial bloom. If you don't have the odor, you're probably clear of that. Be careful, though. Anaerobic bacteria releases methane and other (potentially lethal) gasses. Everyone's right...

I'm sure it's thought about, but I'm not sure whether it's 100% safe or a calculated risk. I know that amphibian owners are often more concerned with bleaches (such as in most white paper towels) than newsprint. My guess is that the worms don't really ingest too much of the paper; it's there for the...

I think that, if you're looking to use the castings (rather than the worms themselves), then you're absolutely right; it would be extra important to use crab-friendly materials in the compost. My thinking is that, in collecting the castings, you're likely to pick up small particulates of other thing...