Hermie Help

[laurabooz2006]

Hi everyone. About three weeks ago I purchased two hermit crabs while on vacation at a New Jersey beach and the sales person assured me that they are extremely easy to take care of. Being the pet lover that I am I did a lot of research and I found out quickly, that of course was not true. Since bringing them home, I have quickly gone out and bought them a 10 gallon tank, I know 20 would be better but 10 is all I could afford right now because I don’t have a job. I filled the tank with a sand and soil mix about 4 inches , I spray them with salt water every day and I missed the tank. They have freshwater and saltwater pools. I got them a climbing tree and a coconut hut. They have a heat mat on the back of the tank. The tank is usually around 75 to 80° And it has a mesh lid. I give them fresh food and they have pallets but honestly, the hermit crabs are extremely inactive. We rarely ever see them. They spend most of their time underneath the sand. When and if they do come out they just hide in the coconut. They’re not even active at night as far as I can really tell. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m dropping a small fortune on all of this stuff and no matter what I do. It never seems to make them comfortable or happy. I really don’t want them to die but I can’t afford to keep going out and buying more and more stuff for them, someone please help.

[KyMart]

Hi everyone. About three weeks ago I purchased two hermit crabs while on vacation at a New Jersey beach and the sales person assured me that they are extremely easy to take care of. Being the pet lover that I am I did a lot of research and I found out quickly, that of course was not true. Since bringing them home, I have quickly gone out and bought them a 10 gallon tank, I know 20 would be better but 10 is all I could afford right now because I don’t have a job. I filled the tank with a sand and soil mix about 4 inches , I spray them with salt water every day and I missed the tank. They have freshwater and saltwater pools. I got them a climbing tree and a coconut hut. They have a heat mat on the back of the tank. The tank is usually around 75 to 80° And it has a mesh lid. I give them fresh food and they have pallets but honestly, the hermit crabs are extremely inactive. We rarely ever see them. They spend most of their time underneath the sand. When and if they do come out they just hide in the coconut. They’re not even active at night as far as I can really tell. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m dropping a small fortune on all of this stuff and no matter what I do. It never seems to make them comfortable or happy. I really don’t want them to die but I can’t afford to keep going out and buying more and more stuff for them, someone please help.

Hi, welcome to crabbing! Starting out crabbing can be very stressful, seeing all of the huge amazing beautiful dream tanks people have built online can make you feel like your not doing enough, but remember everyone starts somewhere! It sounds to me like you have a pretty good basic setup, and your crabs are new so them digging and hiding a lot is not uncommon, they can be digging to destress, or because they are getting ready to molt. One of the thing that stands out to me is that you have a screen lid, while your heat is fine in your tank, you don't mention the humidity, do you have a hydrometer? If you simply cover your screen lid in saran wrap (cling wrap) it will help keep humidity in! Here is a link to the hydrometer/thermometer I use in my crabitat, it is very inexpensive and seems to be accurate! https://a.co/d/byPwKJK If your humidity is low, a good way to boost it is to add some moss into your tank, you can do this by adding a moss pit, which is just a container of moist moss! Here is a link to the HCA Moss Info Sheet! https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/p ... hp?t=92533 Another big thing that stands out about your tank is that you only have 4 inches of substrate, HCA recommends 6 inches or 2-3x your biggest crab (whichever is bigger)! You also said sand and soil mix, soil should not be used in crabitat substate as prestisides are commonly found in soils, which can be toxic to crabs. Many crabbers use some Eco Earth coconut fiber in their tanks with sand, some just use EE, and some just use sand! You don't have to go out and buy expensive aquarium sand, you can go to a hardware store and buy 50 lbs of *play* sand for around $5! EE will help keep your humidity up, but again you don't have to use it! Here is a link to a bag loos bag of EE! https://a.co/d/c4A6HB6 You can also use bricks of EE, but you have to rehydrate them, here is a link to a single brick of EE! https://a.co/d/i7jS1yj Please note that you will need to remove all of your current substrate (due to the soil), and rinse/wipe down your tank before adding the new substrate, all crabs have to be up to do this, and since the soil is toxic to your crabs, I would say that in this situation digging them up is the best thing you can do.

[KyMart]

Is you do all of the changes I talked about above, it will only cost you $23-$26! Which is inexpensive and will improve your crabs healthy, happiness, and hopefully activity levels!

How else can you have more active crabs? Well, I have a solution, but don't worry, it's not going to cost you a fortune!

Adding climbing options is a great way to not only make your tank look good, but also add some enrichment to your tank! Boxwood climbing walls look great in the tank, and your crabs will love climbing them! Here are some links to Boxwood climbing walls I recommend!

9x9 Regular Boxwood:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/781987811/

9x19 Regular Boxwood:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1360927114

9x9 Lavender Boxwood:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1251065510

9x19 Lavender Boxwood:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1265070683

20x20 Lavender Boxwood:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1519311497

10x10 Purple Boxwood:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1016873466

Hermit crabs are used to traveling miles with hundreds of others on the beach every night, so when we keep them in captivity, many of them lack the exercise they are used to getting in the wild. Many crabbers, including myself use hamster wheels and saucers for our crabs, I recommend this wheel that has been modified to make it easier for crabs to use! Please keep in mind that you will only need the 5.5" wheel for your size tank, the other wheel won't fit with 6 inches of substrate in your tank, and jumbos can still use this size wheel, barely, but they been seen doing so! https://www.etsy.com/listing/1031908567 ... for-hermit

Lastly, arguably my little guys favorite enrichment you in the tank, the curiosity cube! The curiosity cube is made out of plastic craft mesh and zip ties, which have been proved safe to use with hermit crabs for years! They are designed to hold popcorn for your hermit crabs to pick at/eat, and provide great enrichment. Here is a direct quote from the curiosity cube product description, this was written by the shop owners, "Hermit crabs spend their entire evenings searching for food in the wild. In captivity, everything is handed to them making feeding time boring. Why not make them work a little for their food, especially treats? Our cubes offer your hermit crabs foraging stimulation and allows them to scavenge safely in the confines of their crabitat. As always, we offer various Flavored Organic Popcorn sample free with the purchase of each cube purchase! Simply fill the cubes with a favorite snack like popcorn, millet, fresh apple or carrot. tie the lid closed and wait for your crabs pick and roll the cube in order to get the treats!". I have many of these cubes, and my crabs love them! Here is a link to the curiosity cube!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/798643069/ ... osity-cube

One of my favorite hermit crab shops on Esty, CrabPax also sells a popcorn pack, you can use this popcorn to let your crabs try new flavors, and refill the cubes once they devour all of the popcorn that comes with them!

Regular Popcorn:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/870900627/ ... od-crabpax

Flavored Popcorn:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1175019457 ... ermit-crab

CrabPax also offers a variety of great hermit crab food, which my crabs love! Here are links to a few of mine, and my crabs favorites, just in case your looking to spruce of your crabs diets!

Honey Bunny:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1155724848 ... od-crabpax

Color Me Happy:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/772323905/ ... cer-hermit

Fabulous Foraging Mix:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1310467410 ... -crab-food

Berry Pie:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1120392959 ... od-crabpax

Dreamy Berry:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/854456692/ ... -crab-food

CrabPax also offers amazing food dishes, which look great in the tank! They are low in stock right now, but more colors should be back in stock soon!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1274889810 ... leaf-heart

[curlysister]

Hi everyone. About three weeks ago I purchased two hermit crabs while on vacation at a New Jersey beach and the sales person assured me that they are extremely easy to take care of. Being the pet lover that I am I did a lot of research and I found out quickly, that of course was not true. Since bringing them home, I have quickly gone out and bought them a 10 gallon tank, I know 20 would be better but 10 is all I could afford right now because I don’t have a job. I filled the tank with a sand and soil mix about 4 inches , I spray them with salt water every day and I missed the tank. They have freshwater and saltwater pools. I got them a climbing tree and a coconut hut. They have a heat mat on the back of the tank. The tank is usually around 75 to 80° And it has a mesh lid. I give them fresh food and they have pallets but honestly, the hermit crabs are extremely inactive. We rarely ever see them. They spend most of their time underneath the sand. When and if they do come out they just hide in the coconut. They’re not even active at night as far as I can really tell. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’m dropping a small fortune on all of this stuff and no matter what I do. It never seems to make them comfortable or happy. I really don’t want them to die but I can’t afford to keep going out and buying more and more stuff for them, someone please help.

Welcome to crabbing and to the site! It sounds like you are off to a great start!
I had a ten gallon for my two crabs for the first few years. If it has a screen lid, you can tape plastic wrap (aka- Saran Wrap) over the top to hold in the humidity. As already mentioned, you will need a hygrometer to measure the humidity (they have modified gills and need the higher humidity to breathe).
I am a thrifty crabber - you don't have to spend a bunch of money if you don't want to! Take a look at the 'basics' care sheet if you haven't already - it's actually a ten gallon tank set up with all the basics you need. I have had my crabs for almost 13 years, and my tank looks much like the basic one still!
The pellets aren't great nutrition, but you can feed them scraps of what you are eating - they need a varied diet, and really don't eat much at all. They need animal protein, veggies, fruits, greens, grains much like we do. They also like eggs (the shells are a good source of calcium), nuts, seeds, leaves, popcorn. You don't have to buy anything special for them, you can find everything needed in your own diet.
Happy crabs aren't really very active. You might see them out now and then, but at the start they will likely spend quite a bit of time underground or hiding - this is actually a good thing, as they are de-stressing.
One small correction for you - you are providing both types of water that they need, so you don't need to spray them with salt water. And once you have your humidity reading, be careful with the misting as adding too much water can lead to a flood.

[laurabooz2006]

I appreciate all the feedback! I can say I definitely started covering the top to the tank and when I did this the temp would rise to closer to 85/87 degrees in there and it felt like I was cooking them. That’s when they both buried themselves in the sand and I haven’t seen them since and everything read said that’s too high for them. I have no way of regulating the heat when it’s covered so I stopped doing that. The tank would get really steamy and I’d have to wipe it down 3x a day, I was afraid I was hurting them. I will check out the curiosity cube thank you and my tank has a heat and humidity gauge on the back. The humidity always seems good.

[laurabooz2006]

Just bought the curiosity cube

[curlysister]

I appreciate all the feedback! I can say I definitely started covering the top to the tank and when I did this the temp would rise to closer to 85/87 degrees in there and it felt like I was cooking them. That’s when they both buried themselves in the sand and I haven’t seen them since and everything read said that’s too high for them. I have no way of regulating the heat when it’s covered so I stopped doing that. The tank would get really steamy and I’d have to wipe it down 3x a day, I was afraid I was hurting them. I will check out the curiosity cube thank you and my tank has a heat and humidity gauge on the back. The humidity always seems good.

It's a bit of a balancing act....having the top covered enough to hold in the humidity, but venting enough that it doesn't get too hot. Do you have a heater on the tank?
The steam on the inside is a product of the difference in air temp between inside the tank and outside the tank. As long as you aren't adding more water to the tank, it's not a problem - for example, if you are misting or have a humidifier or bubbler, you could be adding more water to the tank and risking a flood. If you aren't adding more water to the tank, the condensation won't harm them.

[laurabooz2006]

I do have a heater but I switched it off because the temp was always closer to 83/85 anymore and even their shells felt too warm when I’d pick them up. I have a salt water pool and a fresh water bowl. I will stop misting as now understand that’s no longer necessary if they have a pool. I never see them eat or voluntarily use the pool or water bowl. They somehow did manage to dump out their heavy duty salt water pool a few days ago and soaked the sand. I didn’t have the time it would have taken to bake the sand but I did grab more while I was out and added it in later so it wasn’t as wet in there. They immediately buried themselves in that new sand and we haven’t seen either one since. It’s been days. I ordered a lot of food from hermies kitchen on Etsy and it should be here tomorrow.

[laurabooz2006]

Should I only use the heater in the fall/winter? I live in NJ and it’s been very warm here and my daughters room is the warmest of the whole house

[laurabooz2006]

The temp in the tank right now with no heater and mesh top is 78 and the hygrometer says 78 as well. I’m so sorry for all the questions, I realize I’m being annoying. I’d just rather get real answers then waste all my time on the internet being told so many different contradictory things.

[myllkti]

The temp in the tank right now with no heater and mesh top is 78 and the hygrometer says 78 as well. I’m so sorry for all the questions, I realize I’m being annoying. I’d just rather get real answers then waste all my time on the internet being told so many different contradictory things.

I'm also in NJ! I am not using a heater currently either, although I do have one. My AC is being kept at 78 and the tank therm is usually about 76-80 depending on weather, so yeah you are good to go tempwise! If its warm enough, its warm enough, the heater is just a tool

[curlysister]

I actually have 4 UTH - two on the back and one on each side. The room where my tank is, varies greatly in temperature depending on the season so I can plug/ unplug as needed to keep the temp in a good range.
As for eating and drinking - I swear that for the first couple of years, the only way I knew my crabs were eating and drinking is that they were still alive! They eat and drink very small amounts when they are small.
If you have a flood in the future - you don't need to bake the sand, you can just open the tank (assuming nobody is underground, and move the crabs to a temp holding containter) and put a fan blowing on it for a few hours, and mix up the sub a few times. You'd be surprised how much that can dry it out!

[laurabooz2006]

Thanks everyone this has all made me feel a little better

[KyMart]

I appreciate all the feedback! I can say I definitely started covering the top to the tank and when I did this the temp would rise to closer to 85/87 degrees in there and it felt like I was cooking them. That’s when they both buried themselves in the sand and I haven’t seen them since and everything read said that’s too high for them. I have no way of regulating the heat when it’s covered so I stopped doing that. The tank would get really steamy and I’d have to wipe it down 3x a day, I was afraid I was hurting them. I will check out the curiosity cube thank you and my tank has a heat and humidity gauge on the back. The humidity always seems good.

I'm so glad I could help! You could try covering part of the lid (like the sides), and see if that helps keep the heat up but also down? I'm glad that your humidity is good, humidity is super important! I love my curiosity cubes, and I hope you and your crabs love your new cubes as well!

[KyMart]

I actually have 4 UTH - two on the back and one on each side. The room where my tank is, varies greatly in temperature depending on the season so I can plug/ unplug as needed to keep the temp in a good range.
As for eating and drinking - I swear that for the first couple of years, the only way I knew my crabs were eating and drinking is that they were still alive! They eat and drink very small amounts when they are small.
If you have a flood in the future - you don't need to bake the sand, you can just open the tank (assuming nobody is underground, and move the crabs to a temp holding containter) and put a fan blowing on it for a few hours, and mix up the sub a few times. You'd be surprised how much that can dry it out!

My crabs devour CrabPax's food mixes! Honey Bunny is always gone the fastest! I give them two mini spoons every two days, and when it's time to add more, it's all gone!