Why are our crabs not eating or moving around?

[danandcalvin]

Hi everyone,

We just got two hermit crabs around the end of April. Their temp and humidity is good, they have plain distilled water and a sea salt bath (also chlorine free). We got them a small UVB bulb. They are on coconut substrate. We set out food for them -- store pellets, walnuts, raisins, bananas, kale, peanut butter, popcorn that we read were okay for them. In the very beginning they were more curious and they were obviously eating the raisins and walnuts. Now I don't feel like they are eating anything -- for weeks. I feel like we haven't done any of the major no-no's. Some things I'm wondering:
1) are they molting?
2) is the substrate wrong (should we do deeper -- ours is only about an inch or less -- and should it be a mix with sand, and should the substrate be damp, not dry?)
3) would they like different foods?
4) Is the habitat not exciting enough? They do have a great log they sit under all the time and various plastic plants.

[AwesomeHermit]

I usually have at least 3 toys, 2 hides, and a moss pit. You will want them to eat different foods so they get enough variety. You will want at least 6 inches of substrate so they can molt with a lesser chance of being dug up by other crabs. Do you know if they are coming up at night?

[piratetoothgir]

Hello! Welcome to the HCA!
Even though this really isn't an emergency, could you complete this template for us?
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 27&t=46102

It'll allow members and staff here to help you and see what's going on.

[GotButterflies]

Hello! Please check out the basic care guides under the forum section Hermit crabs definitely need a variety of foods. Are you providing them with the necessary minimum heat and humidity? I know you said it is good, but where are the gauges located, and what do they say? What kind of salt do you use? Are you providing them with calcium?

Yes, substrate needs to be a minimum of 6 inches or three times the height of your largest crab. Whichever is deeper wins. It should also be mixed with dechlorinated msw or dechlorinated fw to be sandcastle consistency.

Pellet food is not safe for them. Commercial food isn't recommended. They can actually eat a lot of the foods that we eat. Please check out the safe food list.

Hopefully you will get a chance to fill out the template so we can help you further!

[danandcalvin]

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Mix of coconut and sand both made by All Living Things, about 2-3 inches deep. Could I buy cheaper sand at the hardware store, since I am told it should be deeper?

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? Yes, we have a temp/humidity gauge sitting inside the tank on the sand. It says the humidity is about 84% and the temp is 72 currently (But goes up to about 78 if the house is that warm).

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I have a heating pad sticker from All Living Things under the tank but it's off right now since the weather is warm.

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)? We have distilled or spring water from a bottle, one dish with the All Living Things salt liquid mixed into it, one plain. The salt is 1 tsp to 8 oz water as the bottle instructs.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Walnut pieces, peanut butter, raisins, popcorn, banana, kale, carrot, red bell pepper, sometimes the All Living Things hermit crab pellets. Vegetables and fruit switched out daily, nuts more like every other day.

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? One is purplish and one is more reddish. We got them about the third week in April from a carnival.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? No molting yet.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10 gallon terrarium with a screen lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? Two crabs. One is a little smaller than the other but they both came in shells smaller than a walnut.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Right now they have three extra shells because we realized some of the ones we had were the wrong shape or too big.

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I have never cleaned the tank. I have seen maybe six poops so far so I didn't think it was necessary yet.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? We did have sponges in the water dishes but never cleaned them except to ring them out when we changed the water. I took out the sponges because I read that they should be able to submerge halfway up their shells and the little dishes were so shallow with a sponge they couldn't do that.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? I just added a bag of sand yesterday and the crabs have been really active since then. Calvin, the bigger, purple crab got into a new shell (switched three times until he was happy). Dan got out of his shell this morning, got into Calvin's old shell which turned out to be the exact same size so he took it off again and got in his old shell! There is a new shell we got yesterday that looks perfect but he checked it out and decided to stay in his old shell which he clearly didn't think was big enough because he moved into Calvin's briefly. I don't know what he's thinking!

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)? We try to leave them alone as much as possible because they're pretty shy.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. It sounds like I need even more sand, but mostly concerned that they aren't interested in food right now. I also wonder what Dan really needs since he moved out and then moved right back into his old shell when there is a nice shell that appears to be just a little bigger and perfect for him.

[Hermiesguardian]

The most important thing about the substrate is that it is sandcastle consistancy. They dig and tunnel and make caves, so it has to hold. You can purchase 50lb bags for very cheap at a hardware store. Home Depot, Lowes. If you mix it with eco earth, that will help keep the humidity up. If you have a screen lid, you can cover it wihh plastic taped down. It will hold in the humidity. Those dial guages usually don't work. Many of us use a digital guage from Walmart. The heating pad goes on the back or side (outside) of the tank, above the substrate. If it's under the tank, the crabs can overheat and cook. Under the tank is more for reptiles. As for changing shells, they sometimes just like doing it. You may be able to find shells at a hobby store. Boil them for 5 minutes in dechlorinated fresh water. Since they are currently both above ground, you may consider getting a larger tank. Also the larger the tank the easier to maintain heat and humidity. You can find good deals on used ones on craigslist, OfferUp, Letgo. Or some pet stores will have dollar per gallon tank sales. Crabs can grow quickly. And as you will find, everything they need takes up a lot of room. I know it may seem overwhelming but once you have a good set up, it gets much easier.

[curlysister]

I believe that All Living Things sand is actually calcium sand, which is NOT good for crabs. Definately want to use play sand, mixed with EE, and 'sand castle' consistency, at least 6 inches (or three times as deep as your larges crab, whichvever is deeper).

I am also not sure if the All Living Things salt is Marine salt or Sea salt (needs to be Marine salt for crabs). Many of us use Instant Ocean brand.

As already stated, commercial food pellets are not good, even tho they say they are for hermit crabs. And the heater doesn't go under the tank for crabs, even tho it is called an 'under tank' heater. Confusing to say the least, which is why it's great that you came here for help!

[danandcalvin]

The bag the sand came in has a photo of a hermit crab on it, and the salt water also has a photo of a hermit crab on it, so I'm assuming they aren't deadly for hermit crabs, plus certainly there is plenty of calcium sand on beaches where some hermit crabs live. But I'll get a big bag of normal sand plus the eco earth and put that on top of the calcium sand so it's just at the very bottom and not really accessible. You read so many different things about what to do -- no sand, sand, heating pad on the side, heating pad on the bottom, UVA light, UVB light... So many contradictions! I appreciate the advice.

Thanks for the explanation about why Dan might be changing shells. It felt like Calvin was encouraging him, sitting and watching!

The temperature/humidity detector is digital -- seems pretty fancy. We got it before we got the crabs and it has a lot of features so I think it's effective. I did put some plastic over the wire mesh on top and humidity has risen to 87%.

[curlysister]

Please do not assume that just because there is a photo of a hermit crab or that the product , the product is not deadly - it definately can be. Calcium sand can kill hermit crabs, from my understanding, and should be removed from the tank. Sea salt may not kill hermit crabs quickly, but it lacks all the minerals that are needed and that are present in marine salt.

Here is the care sheet on basics, which includes essential information (and confirms the above advice):

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 51&t=92457

Here is the care sheet that explains which commercial foods are safe and which are not, with rationale:

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92555

Yes, there is conflicting advice on the internet on various sources. But the information on this site has been proven, with much research. There is a TON of really good information in the 'care sheet' section.

[Hermiesguardian]

Calcium sand can turn to cement in their shells. And even if it's on the bottom, they are diggers and often dig to the bottom even in 12 inches of substrate.

[piratetoothgir]

Hello! I have put my name under each one of your questions

1. What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it? Mix of coconut and sand both made by All Living Things, about 2-3 inches deep. Could I buy cheaper sand at the hardware store, since I am told it should be deeper?

If you have calcium sand, then it’ll need to be removed. Here, we recommend a 5:1 ratio of PlaySand and EcoEarth, but many people go off their own measurements The substrate needs to be at least six inches deep, or three times the depth of your largest crab. You can get sand at Home Depot or any hardware store for a few dollars a bag. Please make sure to mix you’re substrate with dechlorinated freshwater or dechlorinated msw

2. Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read? Yes, we have a temp/humidity gauge sitting inside the tank on the sand. It says the humidity is about 84% and the temp is 72 currently (But goes up to about 78 if the house is that warm).

I am noticing that your temperature is not high enough, so that’ll definitely make them less active. Caribbean crabs (Purple Pincher) do well at a temperature within 75 - 89 and will enjoy a small fluctuation durning the night. Humidity is good

3. Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what? I have a heating pad sticker from All Living Things under the tank but it's off right now since the weather is warm.

Okay, great. Please make sure that it is on the back on your tank, not underneath.

4. What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)? We have distilled or spring water from a bottle, one dish with the All Living Things salt liquid mixed into it, one plain. The salt is 1 tsp to 8 oz water as the bottle instructs.

You need to get a different salt, that isn’t a good choice. We recommend Instant Ocean or Red Sea for marine saltwater. You also should treat the water with Prime to remove heavyweight metals and ammonia.

5. What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced? Walnut pieces, peanut butter, raisins, popcorn, banana, kale, carrot, red bell pepper, sometimes the All Living Things hermit crab pellets. Vegetables and fruit switched out daily, nuts more like every other day.

Be sure to cover all the aspects of the food pyramid, and proper nutrition.
You can find the guide here: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92554

6. How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known? One is purplish and one is more reddish. We got them about the third week in April from a carnival.

7. Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen? No molting yet.

8. What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing? 10 gallon terrarium with a screen lid.

9. How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they? Two crabs. One is a little smaller than the other but they both came in shells smaller than a walnut.

10. How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any? Right now they have three extra shells because we realized some of the ones we had were the wrong shape or too big.

The recommended number is three per crab, but more shells are never disapproved of, and will be appreciated!

11. Have there been any fumes or chemicals near the crabitat recently? No

12. How often do you clean the tank and how? I have never cleaned the tank. I have seen maybe six poops so far so I didn't think it was necessary yet.

13. Are sponges used in the water dish? If so, how are they cleaned? We did have sponges in the water dishes but never cleaned them except to ring them out when we changed the water. I took out the sponges because I read that they should be able to submerge halfway up their shells and the little dishes were so shallow with a sponge they couldn't do that.

14. Has anything new been added to your crabitat recently? I just added a bag of sand yesterday and the crabs have been really active since then. Calvin, the bigger, purple crab got into a new shell (switched three times until he was happy). Dan got out of his shell this morning, got into Calvin's old shell which turned out to be the exact same size so he took it off again and got in his old shell! There is a new shell we got yesterday that looks perfect but he checked it out and decided to stay in his old shell which he clearly didn't think was big enough because he moved into Calvin's briefly. I don't know what he's thinking!

15. Is there any other information you would like to share that might be helpful (anything that is regularly part of your crab care, playtime, bathing, etc.)? We try to leave them alone as much as possible because they're pretty shy.

16. Please describe the emergency situation in detail. It sounds like I need even more sand, but mostly concerned that they aren't interested in food right now. I also wonder what Dan really needs since he moved out and then moved right back into his old shell when there is a nice shell that appears to be just a little bigger and perfect for him.

[wodesorel]

Beach sand is not calcium sand! Calcium sand is an unnatural product made to be of uniform grainsize, it sticks together when wet and hardens into a solid mass as it dries. We aren't even sure what it is made of or where it is from. Beach sand is either crushed up silica (playsand) or crushed up coral and shells which is made of calcium but has a completely different consistancy and makeup and is sold as aragonite.