HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I just read that the substrate of a crabitat should be sand-castle consistency. I took a sample out of my tank and tried to make a lump, but was unable to do so.

Looking into my tank, four of my hermits have dug under and I can see a tunnel has collapsed. My humidity is always above 80% and I mist the tank daily. However, this still doesn't seem to be enough to moisten the sand.

So how do I go about moistening the sand? Should I dig up my hermits again (it's only been a few days since my last deep clean), moisten the sand, and put them back in?

I'm currently boiling some natural sponges to put in the water dishes, hoping that will help. Oddly enough, the sand has probably been like that for years, but I've had many successful molts.

What type of sand do you use? If it is play sand it is almost impossible to get the sand moist enough for your little guys. I recommend using actual ocean sand. You can buy the already treated ocean sand from some pet stores. Play sand is ok, but it just doesn't get moist enough. If you are using calci-sand.. Don't use it anymore. It is expensive and can be harmful to hermit crabs. If you get pure ocean sand, you will see a tremendous difference!

Where does one obtain ocean sand besides pet stores? I haven't seen any in my pet stores, though I will look more closely next time I visit. Yes, I use a play sand-EE Mix.

Playsand varies from area to area, due to the fact that it's heavy and expensive to ship very far - so the playsand in one area might be really nice, in another area it might not be as good. I haven't seen real ocean sand (other than live sand, which is used for marine aquariums) either, but then, my pet stores don't have the best selection.

To moisten the substrate, I usually carefully pour water all over the substrate (not too much in any one spot, in case there is a crab under the surface). I've also heard of poking holes in the sand in the corners of the tat with your finger, and then pouring in water, but I haven't ever tried this. I would also suggest using room-temperature rather than cold water, so that if any water gets on your crabs, it won't disturb them as much.

In my old tank I used Repti Sand and Eco-Earth mixed together. It held moisture well and my crabs loved it. And unlike Calci-Sand, it doesn't spoil when wet plus it's easier to find than non-live beach sand.

I use the premixed beach sand with coconut fiber and oyster shell from crabbage patch. I LOVE that stuff. If you have the money it's worth it. I mist the surface a bit each day just to keep it ok underneath and so far its stayed perfect under the surface. Always see the little guys making holes at the front part of the glass when they come up for the night

Here's a link of it: http://www.thecrabbagepatch.com/SB030.htm

I use eco earth mixed with playsand, and I have no problem keeping it at sandcastle consistency. But I use glass lids, and actually have to fight to get my humidity DOWN, if you're using a mesh top it might be a whole different problem.

I don't wet my entire crabitat, but I do pour water on areas for digging. They will find it if they want to dig.

If I need to add a lot of moisture to my sand and I have crabs down I take the turkey baster that I bought for a $1 from the dollar store only used for the crab cage and take the salt water jug and suck it in the turkey baster and spread it around as I squeeze the water out. I usually take a bowl and fill it 1/2 way with salt water then I rinse all the shells out and then use the water to wet the tank. After I do this I need to have my lid cracked for a few hours or the humidity get way to high. I use playsand from my local hardware store and it keeps moisture just fine. I find it much easier than spraying the tank down.

I've been thinking of going along the surface of the sand with a watering can of saltwater. Kind of like the turkey baster idea, only bigger. Maybe that will help?