HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi so my hermit crab has just switched shells, I put the new shell in probably 2 hours ago, went away and came back to him in a new shell.

It’s winter here and quite cold, and I can’t give you a precise temperature of my room but it’s cold to the point where I have a blanket on top of my quilt and may get slightly warm overnight.

Anyway, the question is I bought a heating mat (under tank) today, because it’s way too cold for my crab, but I don’t know if it’s safe for me to change the temperature just after he’s molted.

Can I make it warmer for him? Or do I leave the temperature as is for a couple days so he can settle?

I think it would be okay to add the UTH. They are designed to slowly heat up the glass and then heat the air inside. It can take 6-12 hours

Make sure you mount the UTH at the back or side of the tank above the substrate. Never mount on the bottom because it can potentially set fire in your tank.

It’s a long story, but long story short, I’m not his first owner, I’ve adopted him off a friend who didn’t like him and kept him in a very small cage. However, I’ve since given him a bigger plastic hermit crab home as I can’t get a hold on a glass one.

I will mention that he has been much happier because this is the second time I’ve had him molt when he never had under her care. I believe he’s been between the 2 of us for 2 years but I can’t exactly pinpoint his age.

Anyway, back to the actual response. I’ve done a bit more research and obviously, the best thing is to move to a glass one, but I’m struggling to justify the price when I only have one crab, and I’m not sure I can introduce new ones as he’s been alone for so long.

ANYWAY my current plan of attack is to let the heat mat run underneath (there’s no sticker for me to put it on the sides) for probably 15/20 minutes, to warm about a quarter of the substrate at first, and overnight turn it off, so a) no melting or fire and b) to see if it warms the area enough, and go from there.

My room is set to get a little warmer soon, and I will be keeping the jumper around his crabitat for now for a little extra insulation, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Obviously it’s not ideal but it’s what I’ve got.

it won't get warm enough to actually heat it in 15-20 mins. you could just tape it to the side. facebook marketplace generally has good tanks for cheap.

Do not put the heat mat under the tank, it will be a fire hazard and will not heat the air like you need it to.
You will need to tape it to a side or back, use packing tape, duct tape, or electrical tape, etc.
You will need to get a thermometer/ hygrometer to measure the temp and humidity inside the tank.
Many people have used plastic totes with good success, as long as you have good humidity/ temp, and appropriate depth of substrate for your crab to burrow.