HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have always used heat lamps since I have owned hermit crabs, but I have noticed they always, always dry the sand so much. I constantly have to soak the sand, and I am always worrying of tunnels collapsing, and the humidity not being high enough. I was wondering if anyone used or knew of something to use or do about the sand always drying. I have 2 heat lamps on my tank since its a 75 gallon.

Thanks!

Adding ee (eco earth) to the sand will help retain some moisture.

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Yea I have eco earth mixed in the sand.

Do you have bubblers in their pools or a moss pit? A climbing background will also retain moisture when sprayed daily.

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Edit: What kind of top do you have? A glass top works best. Since you're using lights for heat, I'm assuming you have mesh top. You can take packing tape (sticky side out), seran wrap, press n seal, or tin foil to cover gaps. Also can try putting your lights on a dimmer. Sometimes they do put off too much heat.

I have a big moss pit, but I don't have a bubbler. I have been meaning to get one. I have a screen lid, may try doing that, because those heat lamps put off a lot of heat.

Most crabbers avoid using lights because they tend to zap humidity. I use lights only and haven't had any problems. If lights still cause humidity problems, I suggest switching over to an UTH. The best place would be ReptileBasics.com. You'll want to get the biggest one that will safely fit along the back and ABOVE the sub.

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My humidity isn't that bad, but I constantly have to soak the sand or spray the tank. The sand drys really fast. I covered the gaps on the screen lid, and I am going to buy a bubbler tomorrow and see if all that helps. If not, then I may do that.

Good luck

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HermitCrabAddicted wrote:My humidity isn't that bad, but I constantly have to soak the sand or spray the tank. The sand drys really fast. I covered the gaps on the screen lid, and I am going to buy a bubbler tomorrow and see if all that helps. If not, then I may do that.

What do you mean by you are having to constantly soak the sand? Do you mean by misting it with dechlorinated fresh water? That would occur because of the lights. Lights really zap humidity and dry out sand. Especially with a mesh lid. Humidity and heat are very important for the crabs, as I'm sure you know. They need the humidity to breathe because of their modified gills. Like daws said, bubblers work great! Glass lids are wonderful for trapping heat and humidity in, but don't work well with heat lights, because the glass can crack. UTH (under the tank heaters) are great if placed above the substrate on the back or the side of the tank for heating the air of the tank. www.reptilebasics.com is the website Daws mentioned. They are cheaper there, but a little costly to ship. Those UTH's are good due to the fact in the winter months they can have insulation placed over them if necessary. Eco earth can also be added to help boost humidity (I think Daws mentioned that too...I'm sorry, I'm on brain overload here ) HCA recommends mixing it with dechlorinated marine salt water, which helps prevent mold/mildew. Hope that helps

The saran wrap/press n seal would be hard to use with the heat lamps if they are shining down on the mesh lid. It depends on what kind of light you have really.