HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi all, looking for a bit of advice. My crab went down around December time, and was pretty active underground for about a month (maybe came up once or twice to eat) then stopped moving around so I presume he started his molt. Then maybe February time he was up for 2 nights in a row and ate some foo...

If only I lived in a warmer/more humid climate! Roll on summer! I have to remoisten the substrate every so often already so will keep my eye out for it, thank you. I have placed the heatmat so that it's not below the substrate level so hopefully it will just be a case of just spraying the top layer ...

Thank you so much for this help! I am in the process of upgrading his home from a 15 gal to a 50 gal, and I have a long ultratherm heatmat across the whole back of the tank rather than the ceramic lamp that's in his current tank. I do need to insulate the ultratherm on his new tank still, so I will ...

I never even knew that was a thing, that they search out the perfect molting spot!

Thank you for putting my mind at ease

Oh phew! I'm not sure if he is surfacing at night though, and he used to sleep on top his log for months rather than burying during the day. He used to be out and about but I haven't seen him in weeks! His temperature is always anywhere between 75-78F (I'm in the UK so it's been very cold here latel...

Hi all, my PP has been underground for roughly 3-4 weeks now, and I thought he was moulting (he moulted around this time last year) but he's been up about 3 times in that time (I can tell because his water bowls are dirty but I don't think he's eaten) and the past few days I've heard him moving arou...

Thank you so much for that info, that's super helpful! The tank I've got have 2 heat mats underneath (it was previously used for a gecko) that can't be moved so frustratingly I can't use them! I might invest in some more uth for the winter then! Do you have them all plugged into a thermostat? I worr...

Just in response again to temp, I use a heat lamp normally so it's in the mid 25 celcius in that area but the other corner where he usually sleeps is around 22 celcius which I know is too low. I'm really at a loss as to how to keep temperature steady in all areas of the enclosure, the heat mat I bou...

His temperature is usually in the mid 25 celcius, sometimes getting up to 26 celcius (I'm from the UK so sorry for using celcius!) and his humidity is in the 80's majority of the time, sometimes drops below 80 but I make sure to always keep above 75%. Having recently moved house I did worry that it ...

He came up from his moult mid June after about a month and a half (I got him in Feb this year so this was his first moult in the time I've known him - I got him from an aquarium I used to work at and I don't think he molted whilst I worked there). He is a purple pincher, and I know most say they sho...

I have a lone crab (I know they're supposed to be in groups but he's always been alone - I worry that the addition of new crabs will cause more harm than good and I've seen success stories of lone crabs) and he just seems to be sitting on his log in the top corner of his tank and not really moving/e...

Hello all! I've been searching for somewhere to buy larger shells in the UK for when my crabby gets bigger - I've looked on etsy, a couple of seaside websites, amazon, ebay - nobody seems to be responding with how wide the openings are. Does anyone in the UK recommend somewhere that can help me?? I ...

Hello! I'm interested to know the size of my Dobby (purple pincher?). I've had a look at the size guide and various ways of measuring but I wondered if there's an easier way of doing it that's less invasive than picking him up and measuring the leg distance etc? He's quite a timid crab so doesn't li...

Once I move into my new home and have more space I will be upgrading his home so will look into getting him a buddy! Thank you

Thanks for the feedback! He definitely eats during the night, sometimes it's really obvious that he's eaten (specifically the carrot coz it is all gone!) but sometimes the bowl hasn't been touched. He must be eating something when I withhold carrot, or like you say he wouldn't be alive! I will try s...