Crabitat Help

[Freckles24]

Just remember that painted shells are a big no no. The forum recommends 5 shell option available but more is always better. Also make sure your substrate is deep enough for your crabs to molt safely.

[piratetoothgir]

I agree with soilentgringa on this one.

My suggestion would be that you rehome the crabs to a better home, and choose a different class pet.
I recommend easy pets for classrooms and ones that aren't going to be potentially injured by a student if they weren't being watched.

Hermit crabs aren't the most kid-friendly pet, they can pinch younger kids and make them upset.
Maybe you should try a rodent of some sort or even an aquarium. Those are always big hits with children.

[aussieJJDude]

A few members have had class room crabs with success, it just depends on what the individual experience and will IMO.

A few things to keep in mind:
- they are nocturnal, so not exactly the most interesting animal for children.... And you must keep in mind that you won't see them a lot, since they will hide during the day. If possible, I would suggest adding a UVB lightsource to the tank, a lot of crabbers including myself have noted that crabs are more likely to come out during the daylight hours with a UVB lightsource....
- they moult and pinch... this means that you must ensure that everyone keeps their hands out of the tank so they don't run into harm, or potentially harm the crabs. This can vary from only you being the only one that can place hands in the tank; but the children can help out with activities - like misting for example, or organising the food, mixing salt, adding declorinator for example
- It may be worth having two enclosures, one at home and then one at school. When it comes to the extended breaks, you may have to dig up crabs - have ISO handy, this can be small kritter keepers or small plastic bins - and transport them home. If you come across a moulting crab, it may have to do a surface moult in the ISO that you set up that you transported to the home tank.... It will be much easier transporting the crabs (and things like shells, salt, dechlorinator and decorations... aka something that can be transported in a small tub) then the entire enclosure which will be extremely heavy due to the weight of the substrate...
- consider using EE as the sole substrate, its lighter than sand - so if you do decide to transport the entire tank from home to school, it won't be as heavy on you!

[Superbug06]

I agree with soilentgringa on this one.

My suggestion would be that you rehome the crabs to a better home, and choose a different class pet.
I recommend easy pets for classrooms and ones that aren't going to be potentially injured by a student if they weren't being watched.

Hermit crabs aren't the most kid-friendly pet, they can pinch younger kids and make them upset.
Maybe you should try a rodent of some sort or even an aquarium. Those are always big hits with children.

Thank you, but I have tried rodents (I'm allergic to them) and i cant do an aquarium because one of my requirements is it has to be able to be moved easily and i need to be able to move it myself. Last time I tried an aquarium, it was a disaster.

Again, thank you for your input!

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[Superbug06]

A few members have had class room crabs with success, it just depends on what the individual experience and will IMO.

A few things to keep in mind:
- they are nocturnal, so not exactly the most interesting animal for children.... And you must keep in mind that you won't see them a lot, since they will hide during the day. If possible, I would suggest adding a UVB lightsource to the tank, a lot of crabbers including myself have noted that crabs are more likely to come out during the daylight hours with a UVB lightsource....
- they moult and pinch... this means that you must ensure that everyone keeps their hands out of the tank so they don't run into harm, or potentially harm the crabs. This can vary from only you being the only one that can place hands in the tank; but the children can help out with activities - like misting for example, or organising the food, mixing salt, adding declorinator for example
- It may be worth having two enclosures, one at home and then one at school. When it comes to the extended breaks, you may have to dig up crabs - have ISO handy, this can be small kritter keepers or small plastic bins - and transport them home. If you come across a moulting crab, it may have to do a surface moult in the ISO that you set up that you transported to the home tank.... It will be much easier transporting the crabs (and things like shells, salt, dechlorinator and decorations... aka something that can be transported in a small tub) then the entire enclosure which will be extremely heavy due to the weight of the substrate...
- consider using EE as the sole substrate, its lighter than sand - so if you do decide to transport the entire tank from home to school, it won't be as heavy on you!

The kids like to see the hermit crabs even if they are sleeping. I have them help me mist them and feed them daily. I teach high school students, so they know not to touch the hermit crabs unless I give them permission and they are holding them with a flat hand and I'm right there to catch them if the decide to have a burst of speed.
As far as having a second home, im going to give having one a try for a few weeks to see how it goes. I will have to try the uvb light! Should i shine it through the lid our through the side?

I am finding i dont care for the sand so ill be removing it over spring break which is in 8 days!

Thank you for the input!

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[piratetoothgir]

A few members have had class room crabs with success, it just depends on what the individual experience and will IMO.

A few things to keep in mind:
- they are nocturnal, so not exactly the most interesting animal for children.... And you must keep in mind that you won't see them a lot, since they will hide during the day. If possible, I would suggest adding a UVB lightsource to the tank, a lot of crabbers including myself have noted that crabs are more likely to come out during the daylight hours with a UVB lightsource....
- they moult and pinch... this means that you must ensure that everyone keeps their hands out of the tank so they don't run into harm, or potentially harm the crabs. This can vary from only you being the only one that can place hands in the tank; but the children can help out with activities - like misting for example, or organising the food, mixing salt, adding declorinator for example
- It may be worth having two enclosures, one at home and then one at school. When it comes to the extended breaks, you may have to dig up crabs - have ISO handy, this can be small kritter keepers or small plastic bins - and transport them home. If you come across a moulting crab, it may have to do a surface moult in the ISO that you set up that you transported to the home tank.... It will be much easier transporting the crabs (and things like shells, salt, dechlorinator and decorations... aka something that can be transported in a small tub) then the entire enclosure which will be extremely heavy due to the weight of the substrate...
- consider using EE as the sole substrate, its lighter than sand - so if you do decide to transport the entire tank from home to school, it won't be as heavy on you!

The kids like to see the hermit crabs even if they are sleeping. I have them help me mist them and feed them daily. I teach high school students, so they know not to touch the hermit crabs unless I give them permission and they are holding them with a flat hand and I'm right there to catch them if the decide to have a burst of speed.
As far as having a second home, im going to give having one a try for a few weeks to see how it goes. I will have to try the uvb light! Should i shine it through the lid our through the side?

I am finding i dont care for the sand so ill be removing it over spring break which is in 8 days!

Thank you for the input!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Hermit crabs aren’t pets that should be handled, if I pick up one of my crabs, then I can’t touch that crab for another few weeks.

I only handle crabs when it really should be necessary.

[aussieJJDude]

The kids like to see the hermit crabs even if they are sleeping. I have them help me mist them and feed them daily. I teach high school students, so they know not to touch the hermit crabs unless I give them permission and they are holding them with a flat hand and I'm right there to catch them if the decide to have a burst of speed.
As far as having a second home, im going to give having one a try for a few weeks to see how it goes. I will have to try the uvb light! Should i shine it through the lid our through the side?

I am finding i dont care for the sand so ill be removing it over spring break which is in 8 days!

Thank you for the input!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Hermit crabs aren’t pets that should be handled, if I pick up one of my crabs, then I can’t touch that crab for another few weeks.

I only handle crabs when it really should be necessary.

Stemming from above, crabs aren't exactly the type of pet that enjoys being handled. They are a prey animal in the wild, and us picking up the crabs and handling them is very similar to what would happen in the wild if a predator found them. Hence why we encourage all members to have a hands off policy, it helps reduce stress.
If your still wanting to handle them, we reccomend waiting until they finish their first moult - since the first moult is the most crucial if they adjust well to captivity.

In a proper environment, its common that they will dig, which can result in your students not seeing them... So it can result in days/weeks that your students simply don't see them.

UVB does not penetrate glass, and mesh will filter it out. If you decide to use it, in most cases the bulb will have to be inside the tank. Likwise UV is harmful to the human eyes - even though the bulbs aren't strong enough to cause major damages, it can still cause damage regardless - so ensure that its used correctly. Its an expensive venture, since after a year (approx) the light stops emmiting UV and has to be tossed - otherwise its just a normal light - and can get costly to replace constantly.


Some animals that may work?
- A betta in a 2.5-5g tank.... I know you mentioned no tanks, but a tank that small can easily ve moved (drain the water, put be the in a small bag or sealed container with filter media... once home, fill (you can even use a 5g bucket to transport the water, fish and media) plug in heater and filter wait 20 mins, acclimatise and add fish. All you need to do is feed (daily is fine, and fasted over the weekend) and a 25 - 30% weekly waterchange (if its a 5g, you could push it to fortnightly waterchange, as long as nitrate stays under 40ppm, ideally 20ppm in a established tank). A lot more active than crabs, and still very friendly!
- fiddler crabs (this would require a 10g for roughly 2-3). You need marine salt since they are brackish water animals, but due to the tank being half filled all thats required is to drain and move the tank, which will have roughly 2.5-5g of water max. Still as interesting as hermit crabs, but normally a lot more active and easier to move - their moulting process is in a matter of hours, not weeks like hermit crabs
- freshwater shrimp/snails, freshwater shrimp dont require a lot of room and can be kept in areas as small as the volume of a wineglass - not ideal, but you get the picture... many reccomend a min of 1-2.5g, the bigger the easier it is for you to control/maintain. All they need is a mature filter, some moss/aquatic plants (they eat micro organisms) and potentually a heater and they all good. You just feed a pellet or so a day - as much as they can consume in 30 mins so they dont foul the water - and due to having such a small bioload, produce very little waste! (I had a colony of 500iah shrimp in a 25g, which I changed the water monthly... so im 2.5g and under, could be every week or so, removing/changing half a gallon of water. They also breed in freshwater, producing live young that pretty much is a self sustaining colony (a male and a female will produce up to 50 babies at a time) and are extremely fun to watch - and a good way to introduce your students to the world of small!


All 3 choices are very easy to care for - IMO, fiddlers probably are the most challenging since they require brackish water.... which is basically half the manufacturer instructions and its brackish - any still very entertaining for both you and students!

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[AwesomeHermit]

crabs living in these containers often die within months.




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Or days.

[Freckles24]

crabs living in these containers often die within months.




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Or days.

Agreed