HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I can't find a thread about this, and I was hoping to have a large thread that people can refer to that lists any possible dangers that can lurk within the crabitat. For instance, these are the things that have happened to my crabs over the years that could have been tragic (but thankfully weren't!):Crab got stuck inside cholla tube (will never use large cholla again!)Crab got leg trapped in small hole of plastic aquarium cave (threw cave out!)Crab crawled up humidity gauge wire and got legs trapped in screen lid, while hanging upside down (replaced with standing gauge!)Crab got trapped in grapevine crevice (broke grapevine in half to prevent reoccurrence!)Crab(s) got trapped under packed sand after molting Does anyone have any other warnings that could be helpful to others? Please post what happened, and what you did to help your crabs, if anything. Thanks!

I remember a few people that had crabs get their legs caught on the velcro adhesive tabs that hold up some gauges.And also about the mold that forms on the back side of the coconut fiber backgrounds-although that's not really dangerous LOL-more of a nuisance.

Hmm, I had a crab get stuck in a sort of loop in a grapevine piece I had, got halfway thru and his shell wedged, I had a heck of a time getting him out of there. I took that piece out and have since made sure that anytime there's an opening in any wood or other decorations that it's big enough for my biggest shell (which is about tennis ball size, it'll be a few years before anyone is big enough to wear it) to fit thru easily, or that I could block access to the opening entirely. I've always blocked off the openings in any cholla wood I use, so I've never had a crab stuck inside a piece of that. I also use a lot of aquarium decorations made out of resin and plastic which cuts down a LOT on mold problems. I've got a HUGE "driftwood" branch that looks real, but is actually plastic that the crabs love to climb on. I've always made sure I used dishes that are shallow enough to be easily escapable, and the dishes I have now actually have steps on the inside of the dish. My gauges are stuck directly to the glass of my tank, far enough away from anything climable that I don't *think* the crabs can reach them, but nothing would surprise me from my little acrobats. One thing people might not think of in a crabitat- always make sure there's something soft directly under a raised level, like sand or EE. My crabs have gone charging over the edge numerous times, and a fall of as little as 6 or 7 inches may not seem like much even for a hermit crab, but if the LZ is something solid and hard, even that short a distance could injure, or chip or crack a shell.

Fortunately I've not had any of these happen but I've seen them on the boards:Absence of a berry crate over the UTH to prevent hermie's from digging too close.Random running of heat so a hermie may dig down to molt in a comfortable area only to get baked when you unknowingly turn it on.

quote:I remember a few people that had crabs get their legs caught on the velcro adhesive tabs that hold up some gauges. Duh! Add my crab Ocean to that list as well. I forgot about that. And it was really, really difficult getting her off the adhesive; I should have remembered that.

More than once I've lifted a large peice of decoration like the Shellter I made, or a piece of Cholla, out of the tank, and found that Peanut had hitchhiked. Careful when changing scenery; small crabs can be easily overlooked.

UTH on the bottom of my tank dried out the sand and my molter (Baxter) got stuck and died I side mount now

Many people suggest burying an upside down berry basket to prevent crabs from digging close to UTH's. Sorry you lost a crabbie that way. I lost one before I found this site when I used a heating pad set to low to warm my tank.

I really won't be so worried about holes or gaps in the furniture.I have three large cholla with hollow tunnels going all the way through them.The crabs go in them all the time. Every day there will be 1 to 3 crabs inside of them. They absolutely love it.If you try to get the crabs out on your own, you'll find it near impossible, because they grip on with their claws fairly well, and they know how to wedge themselves in.But you would be suprised that they have no problem de-wedging themselves when they want to. In 13 years I've never had a crab go into a cholla tunnel that couldn't get himself out on his own. I've even had crabs I was sure were stuck-solid, and sure enough the next day they'd gotten out no problem.For the same reason I wouldn't worry about getting legs stuck in small openings. My crabs stick their legs in small stuff all the time climbing around, and they always manage to get themselves out. If you try to force a crab off of something, you'll usually fail, or rip the crabs legs off trying. He may seem "stuck", but he's just holding on for dear life because some mystical force is trying to pry him away from his favorite spot!I also have crabs that climbed up and wedged their legs inbetween the top glass and the tank (similar to getting stuck on the top mesh). I'm suprised at how well their feet are wedged in. But they can get out when they want to. But I usually dislodge them myself because otherwise when they decide to get off, they plummet to the ground below.The only worry that I'd worry about is the bricking sand above UTHs. That's one of the reasons I recommend moon-glo and overhead lighting instead.I haven't had a velcro encounter yet to comment on that. Velco or other adhesives might be a different story.