HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I have two moss pits made from halves of a gallon jug. This was new to me with my latest upgrade/redecorate, as I'd previously just given them more areas to climb/walk, but after having read how much many crabs enjoy these, and that they'll typically chill in moss IRL, I figured I'd give them some.

But they completely ignore them, moving across/around like it's just anything else in their way.



I wss lamenting this and going to take a pic when I spotted one in one (of course), but he's already out and gone about his exploring.

The one pictured is up kind of high, about 5 inches from the glass top and a further 4 inches to the heat bulb. I can understand their dislike of that particular spot, but the other is lower, on the "red" side so less bright and much (4-5 more inches) further down. It's also mostly hidden by a plastic climbing vine.

Can I do anything to make them more appealing? I practically dump water into them to keep them moist (not really, but I do take care that they're more-wet than elsewhere), but as it stands now they're just "in the way" and could be swapped with more hides or climbs.

My two didn't pay any attention to the moss pit when I put one in....so I took it out, LOL.

Maybe remove the one that's close to the light?

If you put a cover over the other one it may be more enticing. And just be patient. Crabs are fickle. They're prone to munching on moss, and may be using the pits at time when you aren't looking.

I have 1 moss pit high up. I've seen more than one crab in there at a time. Mostly during the day. Then they come out at night.

I always had 21 crabs in my moss pit when I would go to clean it. It was so weird! Always exactly 21, even years apart. I guess they respect their own fire codes.

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wodesorel wrote:I always had 21 crabs in my moss pit when I would go to clean it. It was so weird! Always exactly 21, even years apart. I guess they respect their own fire codes.

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My moss pits are covered by cork bark or by a basket, and are directly on the substrate - they are constantly a hit.

I kept doing moss pits for ages, but my crabs preferred to just sit in the mist from the airstones instead....now that I have a willow tunnel just stuffed with moss down on the sub, I find my biggest two crabs in there almost constantly! Not so much the little crabs, though? Crabs are weird.

I've put moss in the two coconut hides - the little turkeys take it out, so I have to replace it - and in a glass vase I buried & siliconed pebbles to, to make a dark tunnel. Both of these approaches are popular (well, one coconut hide is popular at least).

My crabs prefer to eat the moss in my tank rather than hide in it. They prefer the cork log I have in there.

I believe my son and I may try some redecorating tomorrow, the severity of which depends on how many crabs I have up and if my substrate feels like it'll hold up moving one of my 2.5 gal water tanks.

My logic behind the "pits" not really being pits stemmed from crabs' behaviors to "climb into trees and rest in the moss during the day." Naturally I pictured the Spanish Moss and other lichens all over Florida.

Never once did I think about my moss, which are actual moss species, growing on the ground and along the bases of trees. Don't ask me why!

I believe I'll take the tall one down and manufacture some sort of moss cave like in several of y'all's examples.

Two things every pet owner knows but science hasn't caught up with: all animals are psychic, and they're also jerks.


Here's a crab, in the tall moss hole, with a spare shell.


This was no easy feat to accomplish.

Jerk.