Trend of dead crabs - am I doing something wrong?

[GotButterflies]

Sounds great! Good luck! Btw~ your instant ocean should be like a fine powder. Make sure to keep the bag sealed tight after use or the salt will absorb moisture. I use a pampered chef chip clip on mine ~ keeps all of the air out of the bag


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[PickYerPoison]

Sounds great! Good luck! Btw~ your instant ocean should be like a fine powder. Make sure to keep the bag sealed tight after use or the salt will absorb moisture. I use a pampered chef chip clip on mine ~ keeps all of the air out of the bag


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Actually, depending on how large the bag is, I might just empty out the existing salt bag I have, which came with a nice ziplock seal. I won't be needing the contents of that anymore, after all, so it should be fine if i wash it and dry it thoroughly beforehand!

[PickYerPoison]

Does anyone have advice on things I can use to make the second story? I can probably just buy suction cups for things, but what kind of fishnet/craft mesh is safe to use? The stuff at Walmart was decorative and had sparkles on it and stuff and I didn't feel that was safe for the crabs. My tank is shorter than the 20gal in the picture so my second story will also need to a little shorter - I'm looking to make a shell shop, mostly. What makes for a good one of those?

[Keevtara]

Does anyone have advice on things I can use to make the second story? I can probably just buy suction cups for things, but what kind of fishnet/craft mesh is safe to use? The stuff at Walmart was decorative and had sparkles on it and stuff and I didn't feel that was safe for the crabs. My tank is shorter than the 20gal in the picture so my second story will also need to a little shorter - I'm looking to make a shell shop, mostly. What makes for a good one of those?

You can use Command Hooks, made by 3M, to hang stuff off of the sides of the tank. You can use Jute twine or zip ties to attach cholla wood to the shower caddy for the crabs to climb in and out of the shell shop.

[GotButterflies]

Check Michaels, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby for fish net, cholla, shells, command hooks. You can use 40% off coupons there too . For command strips I use the kind with Velcro for 16 lbs.


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[GotButterflies]

You can hang vines, rope, etc


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[mool]

Personally, I don't bother with adding a 2nd layer, instead I opt to pile wood high in my tank.

Having said that, "back in the day" of my early crab keeping days, I used cake support columns to build my 2nd level. Cake columns are made of a safe white plastic and are usually used to make/support tiered wedding cakes. You sink these into the sub and either anchor to the bottom of the tank with silicone (before putting in the sub, obvs) or just use the sub to anchor them in place.

Once installed with whatever method you choose, you build your 2nd level onto those, like a bridge or 2nd story of a house. Some folks have also used glass candle sticks for this.

I like this method 100 times more than sticking suction cups, Velcro or Command strips onto the side of the tank.

[GotButterflies]

To each's own . The command strips work great for me.


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[PickYerPoison]

I've finished the new crabitat!




I used all-natural jute twine and burlap made from the same stuff. They have very neutral smells (if there are any chemicals, I couldn't smell them) - I made sure to check. I figured that would be okay? The top levels are shell shops, but I also put some mid-size shells on the bottom in case the new ones want a new shell but are too stressed/scared to venture up there.

[LadyJinglyJones]

Looks good!

[PickYerPoison]

Okay, I'm finding something of an issue right now - the crabitat is far too cold (70F) when yesterday it was 80F or so. This is because of the fluctuating temperature in my apartment - sometimes it's nice and warm, sometimes it's chilly. Unfortunately, I have no control over this, and all the rooms in the apartment are like this. Should I invest in more/stronger UTHs and just plug them in when it's cold and unplug them when it's warm?

[Kermie16]

Great job!! The burlap is a neat idea


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[LadyJinglyJones]

You can put a towel on top of the tat & over sides that dont have a heater (assuming your heater can't be insulated safely) to help retain heat. Especially at night. But you might want to plug one in when it's cooler, especially as we get deeper into winter. Just remember to keep a close eye on your humidity when adding heat.

I was having the same problem for a bit, and my crabs were really inactive. Now I've increased temp, they are tearing up the place.

[GotButterflies]

Cool! Some people even put their moss pits in the shower caddies. Great job!


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[PickYerPoison]

You can put a towel on top of the tat & over sides that dont have a heater (assuming your heater can't be insulated safely) to help retain heat. Especially at night. But you might want to plug one in when it's cooler, especially as we get deeper into winter. Just remember to keep a close eye on your humidity when adding heat.

I was having the same problem for a bit, and my crabs were really inactive. Now I've increased temp, they are tearing up the place.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to just grab an extra heating pad or two at my pet store when I pick up the new crabs tomorrow. I'm already assigning my bedroom power strip to the crabitat to ensure that I can power both the heaters and the lights, so I can afford the outlets to add another! I will keep a close eye on the temperature - the last thing I want is to fry the poor things. 75F to 85F, right? I'm going to try to keep it at 80F-85F, though.

Thank you SO MUCH for all the help, guys. I cannot emphasize how appreciate I am of it. You've helped me feel less guilty about the previous crabs I've failed in and helped me ensure future crabs have a better chance of survival.

So, one final question!

As I introduce the new future crabs to their new home, what behavior can I expect? Based on past experience, I know to prepare for digging (which means molting or destressing, I hope!). What else should I be prepared for? I know a crab isn't safe until its first molt, but are there danger signs to watch out for? I'm mostly looking for advice on stuff that I can help with. For example: "if the crabs seem to be crawling around the edges of the tank a lot, that means the humidity is too low!" (I've seen the crabs do this in the past, and I've wondered if that means they're dissatisfied with the existing tank's conditions, since it seems like they're trying to escape).

e: Another question! Do I need to bathe hermit crabs when I'm first introducing them to the tank, if there are no other hermit crabs currently aboveground in it? I will if I need to! But I don't want to induce additional stress unless I need to.