HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My parents got back from Jamaica this weekend, as usual with a little ziploc of sand and shells. One of the shells, that my mom claims she found on their way out of the resort, far from the beach, ended up having a live crab inside, which wasn't discovered until they got home.

I rushed to read as much as I could on here (thank goodness for this site by the way!!!) and have created a crabitat to the best of my abilities: 10 gallon tank, crab sand mixed with coco fiber (yes deep enough), coco fiber sheet hanging on the back, behind it on the side of the glass a heating sticky pad, coconut shell to hide, driftwood (boiled) to climb and hide, salt and fresh water pools, food dish with all sorts of foods (approved by yall on this site lol), his native shells and rocks (from the ziploc bag my mom collected on the beach), an LED plant grow lamp (i read its ok to use, but please tell me if thats wrong), thermometer and humidity level thing too, and even a cuttlebone (i read somewhere they like those).

On the first day I saw him munching on an apple, and get into the fresh water dish, but i haven't seen him come out day or night (I've got a camera setup) to eat or drink since. He's just been hiding inside the coconut shell. I picked him up last night just to make sure he was still alive, he was holding on to a little peice of walnut, but he's alive. I read here that it's ok that he hides for a while to distress. I can't even imagine, this poor crab was just minding his business and now he's a prisoner.

Any other suggestions to make him feel comfortable? I feel so bad for him being trapped like this but I dont know what else to do. Would it be better to try to find him another accommodation? I wish I could send him back to Jamaica but that's obviously not realistic? Or is there some kind of a crab rescue that can help arrange transportation?

Im of course happy to provide him a home, i just hope I'm doing it correctly. Should I get another crab to keep him company? And if yes, how do I find another jamaican crab, or how do I know what crab species he'll be able to communicate with?

I know this is a lot, any advice is greatly appreciated.

First if all, have you calibrated your hygrometer? What is the temp and humidity? Are you using an analog or digital for temp/humidity? Second, you need to make sure that the shells are the right size for him. He sounds like a purple pincher so make sure to look at the "shells" care sheet for the right type and you can place an order online. Please do not pick up your crabs, especially when they are destressing. If you do end up getting another crab( you do not need one) first him, please look at adopting instead of a pet store, because the pet trade is terrible. Also make sure that the tank can accommodate both if them. Lastly, please do not take shells from the beach next time you go anywhere. The hermit crabs in the wild need these shells and tourists taking them off beaches is the #1 reason that hermits in the wild have to use trash to protect themselves. I know that you might want to take some home for your crab, however the crabs in the wild need them a lot more than the one at home. Overall it seems like you are doing pretty well. Also, hermit crabs in the Caribbean can travel very far inland, so that is probably how your mother found it so far inland.

I wonder if you would be able to post a photo, so that we could ensure that you have a land crab and not a marine crab - the care is quite different between them.
You either need to use a photo sharing website and post a link to the photo, or use the TapaTalk app.

The thermometer and humidity are not digital, the humidity is at about 80 and the temp is 75. I've ordered another heating pad to stick to the back of the tank to hopefully bring the temp up. Will this make it too hot? These heating pads seem so odd that they don't have a control of how warm they get. This is the heating pad "Aiicioo Reptile Heating Pad - Hermit Crab Heater Heat Mat for Reptiles Snake Lizard Terrarium 8 Watt" please let me know if theres somwthing better thats decently priced.

Just picked him up to take some pix, here's my Google drive, I hope that works! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... 9o5y8t4IOi

He was scared but when I set him back down on top of the new food (snout and shell, blue wave ocean blend, a mix Krill, Bloodworms, Seaweed, Algae and flower petals) he immediately grabbed one of the krill and started munching on it. I left him in the food dish and when I set everything back and turned lights of, he wobbled back into the coconut shell.

Thanks again yall for any advice!

For the heat pad, most people like to use a Ultratherm or a Flukers heat pad, because they are not sticky and you can move them freely plus insulate over them. You also should get a digital thermometer/ hygrometer be cause analog are usually inaccurate. A good brand is called acurite. If the heat pad is making it too hot, you can just unplug it fir a little. I think the range is 75-85 F.

Unfortunately, the link says I am not authorized, so can't see your photo. Can you try something else?

That heat mat is small, and not very powerful. It won't add much heat to your tank. Many people aim to have the heat around 80F, to give a bit of wiggle room in case it cools off or warms up. But 75F is a totally safe temperature.

Hermit crabs aren't really super active little pets, so don't panic if he doesn't seem to be moving around too much.