Completely New to Hermit Crabs

[S.C.]

Hello. I apologize ahead of time for the long post, but I'm very new to learning about hermit crabs. This forum has been a wonderful resource. About a week ago, I began pet sitting for a hermit crab. It was purchased as a pet for kids and the crabs who were with it had already died. This crab had been with them for about a year and had never molted. I was told by the owners not to be too concerned if he passed as well. Since I didn't want him dying on my watch and I knew very little about hermit crabs, I started researching online and realized they need a whole lot of care. I bought him a slightly larger, closed-in tank, got him both salt and dechlorinated water, a thermometer for the tank and a spray bottle. I was only supposed to watch him for a week, but I knew that he really needed a lot more for his care than what was given to me when they went on vacation. Anyway, I have since asked the owners if I could keep him and they have agreed.

Yesterday I bought a 20 gallon tank, a 50 pound bag of play sand, echo earth, moss, a box of Instant Ocean, a heating pad, and a combo hygrometer/thermometer, which I calibrated using the salt test. I spent most of the day setting up the tank to get him out of the smaller one. Right now I'm very anxious and hope that this guy will survive and hopefully molt at some point. Today the tank stayed between 70 and 77 percent humidity and 70 - 78 degrees. That seems kind of low to me for both? I think it should be more like 80 for both? I have two fairly large bowls of water (one salt and one fresh) and a bowl of sphagnum moss (I'm not wild about the smell of it, but I guess hermits like it). I've covered most of the wire tank cover with plastic wrap, but I'm planning to get a plexi-glass cover and a light. (At the moment I'm broke from the rest of the stuff. I had in no way planned on getting a hermit crab, especially not so suddenly).

I've been feeding him the food the owners gave to me with the crab, but it has copper sulfate, which I've read is not good for him. I got him some dried shrimp hermit crab food that has no other ingredients. I've also been feeding him strawberries, grapes, celery leaves, peanut butter, and walnuts. I don't have a lot for him to climb around on right now, except for the moss bowl and a little cave I made out of jar lids underneath a small rock-style water bowl.

He isn't very active, though he does move his antennae and legs, wiggles around and retracts when picked up. He also inspected the new shells I got for him (I'm going to get more as well). Today he has been hiding under the overhang of one of his water bowls and I thought he might be dead, but his antennae were moving around when I took a closer look. I'm afraid that being moved to different tanks so much over the past week or maybe a lack of humidity over the past year might be the reason. I also think he's probably lonely and I will be getting 2 friends for him.

Do you guys have any feedback about the humidity or the conditions of his new tank? Like I said, I am completely new to hermit crabs and have been trying to learn as much as I can in a little time. I've attached some pictures of the tank and would be grateful for any advice or suggestions. The sand/eco earth mix is about 6 inches on the deeper end. He's not very large (I drew a red circle around him in the picture so you can see him) and even the lower end would completely cover him. In the photos, the hygrometer reads 79, but it's actually 75 (during the calibration test, it was 71 instead of 75).

Thank you!

[HermitHound]

Hello. I apologize ahead of time for the long post, but I'm very new to learning about hermit crabs. This forum has been a wonderful resource. About a week ago, I began pet sitting for a hermit crab. It was purchased as a pet for kids and the crabs who were with it had already died. This crab had been with them for about a year and had never molted. I was told by the owners not to be too concerned if he passed as well. Since I didn't want him dying on my watch and I knew very little about hermit crabs, I started researching online and realized they need a whole lot of care. I bought him a slightly larger, closed-in tank, got him both salt and dechlorinated water, a thermometer for the tank and a spray bottle. I was only supposed to watch him for a week, but I knew that he really needed a lot more for his care than what was given to me when they went on vacation. Anyway, I have since asked the owners if I could keep him and they have agreed.

Yesterday I bought a 20 gallon tank, a 50 pound bag of play sand, echo earth, moss, a box of Instant Ocean, a heating pad, and a combo hygrometer/thermometer, which I calibrated using the salt test. I spent most of the day setting up the tank to get him out of the smaller one. Right now I'm very anxious and hope that this guy will survive and hopefully molt at some point. Today the tank stayed between 70 and 77 percent humidity and 70 - 78 degrees. That seems kind of low to me for both? I think it should be more like 80 for both? I have two fairly large bowls of water (one salt and one fresh) and a bowl of sphagnum moss (I'm not wild about the smell of it, but I guess hermits like it). I've covered most of the wire tank cover with plastic wrap, but I'm planning to get a plexi-glass cover and a light. (At the moment I'm broke from the rest of the stuff. I had in no way planned on getting a hermit crab, especially not so suddenly).

HH: what uve got right now should do well for a long time by the sounds of it! Just make sure ur using a dechlorinator for both salt and freshwater (most people use Prime) this is urgent so you can get a small bottle for relatively cheap. Also you can cover the entire tank with plastic wrap, the daily food changes will be enough of an oxygen change for the little guy

I've been feeding him the food the owners gave to me with the crab, but it has copper sulfate, which I've read is not good for him. I got him some dried shrimp hermit crab food that has no other ingredients. I've also been feeding him strawberries, grapes, celery leaves, peanut butter, and walnuts. I don't have a lot for him to climb around on right now, except for the moss bowl and a little cave I made out of jar lids underneath a small rock-style water bowl.

HH: Don't feed him the pellets with copper sulfate. Instead substitute in your own kitchen food. There is a safe and unsafe food list as well as a food pyramid on this forum, I don't know how to link them but you should check them out!

He isn't very active, though he does move his antennae and legs, wiggles around and retracts when picked up. He also inspected the new shells I got for him (I'm going to get more as well). Today he has been hiding under the overhang of one of his water bowls and I thought he might be dead, but his antennae were moving around when I took a closer look. I'm afraid that being moved to different tanks so much over the past week or maybe a lack of humidity over the past year might be the reason. I also think he's probably lonely and I will be getting 2 friends for him.

HH: He would do better with friends but he will be fine for now, I'd suggest instead raising the humidity and temp to a minimum of 80/80 to ensure they have right conditions and then go adopt happy as long as you aren't overcrowding! For small crabs 5 gallons each is appropriate.

Do you guys have any feedback about the humidity or the conditions of his new tank? Like I said, I am completely new to hermit crabs and have been trying to learn as much as I can in a little time. I've attached some pictures of the tank and would be grateful for any advice or suggestions. The sand/eco earth mix is about 6 inches on the deeper end. He's not very large (I drew a red circle around him in the picture so you can see him) and even the lower end would completely cover him. In the photos, the hygrometer reads 79, but it's actually 75 (during the calibration test, it was 71 instead of 75).

HH: I can't see the photos of the tank but you should make sure your substrate is a MINIMUM of 6" or 3x the size of your largest crab, whichever is greater. This is especially important in small tank with multiple hermit crabs!

Thank you!

My replies are posted as HH after each paragraph feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like


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[C_fiesta]

Hello. I apologize ahead of time for the long post, but I'm very new to learning about hermit crabs. This forum has been a wonderful resource. About a week ago, I began pet sitting for a hermit crab. It was purchased as a pet for kids and the crabs who were with it had already died. This crab had been with them for about a year and had never molted. I was told by the owners not to be too concerned if he passed as well. Since I didn't want him dying on my watch and I knew very little about hermit crabs, I started researching online and realized they need a whole lot of care. I bought him a slightly larger, closed-in tank, got him both salt and dechlorinated water, a thermometer for the tank and a spray bottle. I was only supposed to watch him for a week, but I knew that he really needed a lot more for his care than what was given to me when they went on vacation. Anyway, I have since asked the owners if I could keep him and they have agreed.

Yesterday I bought a 20 gallon tank, a 50 pound bag of play sand, echo earth, moss, a box of Instant Ocean, a heating pad, and a combo hygrometer/thermometer, which I calibrated using the salt test. I spent most of the day setting up the tank to get him out of the smaller one. Right now I'm very anxious and hope that this guy will survive and hopefully molt at some point. Today the tank stayed between 70 and 77 percent humidity and 70 - 78 degrees. That seems kind of low to me for both? I think it should be more like 80 for both? I have two fairly large bowls of water (one salt and one fresh) and a bowl of sphagnum moss (I'm not wild about the smell of it, but I guess hermits like it). I've covered most of the wire tank cover with plastic wrap, but I'm planning to get a plexi-glass cover and a light. (At the moment I'm broke from the rest of the stuff. I had in no way planned on getting a hermit crab, especially not so suddenly).

I've been feeding him the food the owners gave to me with the crab, but it has copper sulfate, which I've read is not good for him. I got him some dried shrimp hermit crab food that has no other ingredients. I've also been feeding him strawberries, grapes, celery leaves, peanut butter, and walnuts. I don't have a lot for him to climb around on right now, except for the moss bowl and a little cave I made out of jar lids underneath a small rock-style water bowl.

He isn't very active, though he does move his antennae and legs, wiggles around and retracts when picked up. He also inspected the new shells I got for him (I'm going to get more as well). Today he has been hiding under the overhang of one of his water bowls and I thought he might be dead, but his antennae were moving around when I took a closer look. I'm afraid that being moved to different tanks so much over the past week or maybe a lack of humidity over the past year might be the reason. I also think he's probably lonely and I will be getting 2 friends for him.

Do you guys have any feedback about the humidity or the conditions of his new tank? Like I said, I am completely new to hermit crabs and have been trying to learn as much as I can in a little time. I've attached some pictures of the tank and would be grateful for any advice or suggestions. The sand/eco earth mix is about 6 inches on the deeper end. He's not very large (I drew a red circle around him in the picture so you can see him) and even the lower end would completely cover him. In the photos, the hygrometer reads 79, but it's actually 75 (during the calibration test, it was 71 instead of 75).

Thank you!

Welcome to the forum!
Congratulations on adopting (and honestly rescuing) the little guy! I commend you for doing so much research and deciding to care for him!

HH did a good job of hitting the basics. I'll just elaborate a touch. You can definitely cover the whole lid with seran wrap. The daily air flow from opening up the tank to change out water and food will be enough. This will help with humidity and heat. An eventual plexi glass lid will help a lot too. You do want your humidity to be at least 80 and your heat a degree or two from 80 as well. Be careful of over spraying, as it will sink to the bottom and possibly flood the substrate. Just be weary of how much water you're adding to the tank. Did you mix your sub to sand castle consistency with declorinated salt water before adding it?

Is your heat mat attached to the back of the tank on the outside, above the substrate? What brand and size did you get? This will be a big factor.

I would stop giving him the hermit crab pellet food immediately. You probably have foods in your kitchen you can substitute it with. I highly recommend these two posts: Safe foods list http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92557

And a post on nutrition
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92554

Having one crab is fine. He might like a buddy. But I would wait until he adjusts more (changes shells, eats, molts, etc). If he does die on your watch, of course it will be sad! But know you did your best to give him a good end of life. And since you have all the new knowledge and supplies, you will be in a great condition to adopt some unwanted hermits in your area.

Let us know if you have any other questions! Welcome to crabbing! It's a fun addictive and rewarding hobby!

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[C_fiesta]

P.s. I also could not see your pictures!

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[S.C.]

Thank you very much for the feedback! It's good to know I can cover more of the lid with plastic wrap than I have been. I do change his food and water daily, so as long as that's enough air circulation, I should be okay until I get some plexi-glass. I did mix the sand and eco earth combo with some dechlorinated salt water. The dechlorinator was one of the first things I bought when I found out they shouldn't have tap water. I've got well water, but I still use the dechlorinator. I've also been using distilled water with the Instant Ocean (hopefully that's okay, but if it's not, please let me know). I mixed the substrate to what I hope is sand castle consistency (tried forming some shapes and they stayed and I also poked my finger into it pretty deep and the shape held). I made sure it was 6 inches on the deepest side, but I did slant some on the opposite side for the bigger water bowl. He's small enough to completely bury himself and then some on the lowest side. I've stopped feeding him the food that has the copper sulfate and have just been sticking to the shrimp and fruits/nuts/veggies. The heating pad is a Zoo Med under tank heater (I've stuck it to the side above the substrate line. It's the one for a 10 -20 gallon tank, but it doesn't seem to heat the tank all that much. Maybe now that I've covered more of the top with plastic wrap it will work better. I will keep in mind not to go crazy with the misting. I've been misting no more than 3 times a day and only maybe 3 or 4 sprays. I have no condensation or anything on the glass and the sand has remained at the same consistency. Today I got the humidity between 80 and 85.

Thank you guys again! I feel a lot better knowing I'm on the right track. He will be getting some friends, but no more than 2 because my tank is only 20 gallons and I want them to have extra room to wander.

[HermitHound]

Sounds good! Yes you actually NEED to be using your dechlorinator with instant ocean as the instant ocean doesn't get rid of chlorines and chloramines, and just adds salt so good job! 2 more small friends should be just fine if you've got your humidity and temperature about correct. When I was trying to increase my humidity I ended up adding a moss pit in my tank and now I have a constant 99% humidity lol. Just make sure the moss doesn't have chemicals or fertilisers in it. I also have problems with temperature :/ so somebody else can chime in there . Also I think spraying that many times a day is a bit excessive, sounds like it might end up flooding but then again I might be wrong. Another thing you could try for increased humidity is increasing the surface area of opening on your water bowls, increased surface area = increased evaporation


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[C_fiesta]

I mist once (about 3 sprays) about 3 times a week and I have a 55gal. Just for comparison.

Use the declorinator and then use the Instant Ocean to make salt water. it's better than distilled and then you don't need to buy distilled water!

Most people recommend Ultratherm UTH (I have one) because they can be safely insulated and they put out better heat. Get the one that will fit on the back of the tank without bending.

The lowest end of your sub should be no lower than 6 inches or 3X the height of your biggest crab.

Sounds like you're doing good and will be a great crab mom!

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[daws409]

Looks like they have you covered... Just wanted to say welcome to HCA!

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[Hermias_mom]

Welcome to HCA!!! Everyone has given you some good advice, so I don't really have much to add. Just welcome

If you want your pictures to work, you'll have to download the tapatalk app, then open HCA website using Tapatalk, and then upload pics using the tapatalk app. Most of the time, when you do it this way, it works. Or you can put links in your post to online photo viewing sites with open permissions. (Imagr might be one?).

[S.C.]

Another thing you could try for increased humidity is increasing the surface area of opening on your water bowls, increased surface area = increased evaporation

I think I've finally gotten to a good place with the humidity. Today it stayed between 80-85 without spraying. I think the original problem was a stupid mistake on my part because I had my air opening on the side of the tank with the heat and moss. I turned the cover around so the open portion was at the other end and I also added more plastic wrap.

I mist once (about 3 sprays) about 3 times a week and I have a 55gal. Just for comparison.

Use the declorinator and then use the Instant Ocean to make salt water. it's better than distilled and then you don't need to buy distilled water!

Sounds like you're doing good and will be a great crab mom!

Thank you! Just to be sure, though, the distilled water won't do any harm, will it? I used it to mix the sand and echo earth and also their salt water bath, but I'll change it all if I need to.

Looks like they have you covered... Just wanted to say welcome to HCA!

Thank you!

Welcome to HCA!!! Everyone has given you some good advice, so I don't really have much to add. Just welcome

If you want your pictures to work, you'll have to download the tapatalk app, then open HCA website using Tapatalk, and then upload pics using the tapatalk app. Most of the time, when you do it this way, it works. Or you can put links in your post to online photo viewing sites with open permissions. (Imagr might be one?).

Thank you! That's probably the problem. I uploaded them to my google photo account, but it looks like they don't show up at all outside of the site. I'll have to check out tapatalk.

[C_fiesta]

Another thing you could try for increased humidity is increasing the surface area of opening on your water bowls, increased surface area = increased evaporation

I think I've finally gotten to a good place with the humidity. Today it stayed between 80-85 without spraying. I think the original problem was a stupid mistake on my part because I had my air opening on the side of the tank with the heat and moss. I turned the cover around so the open portion was at the other end and I also added more plastic wrap.

I mist once (about 3 sprays) about 3 times a week and I have a 55gal. Just for comparison.

Use the declorinator and then use the Instant Ocean to make salt water. it's better than distilled and then you don't need to buy distilled water!

Sounds like you're doing good and will be a great crab mom!

Thank you! Just to be sure, though, the distilled water won't do any harm, will it? I used it to mix the sand and echo earth and also their salt water bath, but I'll change it all if I need to.

Looks like they have you covered... Just wanted to say welcome to HCA!

Thank you!

Welcome to HCA!!! Everyone has given you some good advice, so I don't really have much to add. Just welcome

If you want your pictures to work, you'll have to download the tapatalk app, then open HCA website using Tapatalk, and then upload pics using the tapatalk app. Most of the time, when you do it this way, it works. Or you can put links in your post to online photo viewing sites with open permissions. (Imagr might be one?).

Thank you! That's probably the problem. I uploaded them to my google photo account, but it looks like they don't show up at all outside of the site. I'll have to check out tapatalk.

You don't have to redo anything. It's okay. In the future I'd declorinate regular water.

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[S.C.]

Just wanted to give an update about my tank and crab(s). I have had no more problems at all with humidity. It consistently stays 85-88 and that includes cutting down spraying to about every other day. I think the bigger baths and more plastic wrap did the job. My crab was still hiding a lot and not very active, so I did get him 2 friends. Within a short time, the original crab was out and about, exploring and eating (I don't think he had eaten in a couple of days). The next morning all three were sleeping together in the moss pit. They've been active at night (spend most of their days in the moss, though) and love peanut butter. I think the original was a really lonely crab. They are getting along great and I'm going to do my best for them. Hopefully they will be well. Also swapped the water bowls I had for some reptile bowls with little steps/ramp built into them because the bowls I had were too smooth for them to climb easily. Added a house for them to hide in (they still prefer the moss), and a cork post for them to climb.

I really appreciate all the help from you guys here.

[Hermias_mom]

Just wanted to give an update about my tank and crab(s). I have had no more problems at all with humidity. It consistently stays 85-88 and that includes cutting down spraying to about every other day. I think the bigger baths and more plastic wrap did the job. My crab was still hiding a lot and not very active, so I did get him 2 friends. Within a short time, the original crab was out and about, exploring and eating (I don't think he had eaten in a couple of days). The next morning all three were sleeping together in the moss pit. They've been active at night (spend most of their days in the moss, though) and love peanut butter. I think the original was a really lonely crab. They are getting along great and I'm going to do my best for them. Hopefully they will be well. Also swapped the water bowls I had for some reptile bowls with little steps/ramp built into them because the bowls I had were too smooth for them to climb easily. Added a house for them to hide in (they still prefer the moss), and a cork post for them to climb.

I really appreciate all the help from you guys here.

Yea! Glad things are going well for you guys!