The other crab is slightly larger. She just likes large shells. It's not four inches deep but long from point to point. Sorry for the misinterpretation. They are roughly the same size.DragonsFly wrote:Okay, I just saw your crabitat pic, and it's a good design for very small crabs--but it sounds like the one that is having trouble is much larger, right?
You say she "molts twice a year"--has she been able to dig under that EE and molt? Or has she been surface molting every time?
Thanks. I just posted the questionnaire. The bedding is very dry because I actually just did a changing because I was worried about my other little guy. It's all sprayed down now!DragonsFly wrote:Yes, moving is always stressful, on people and animals. But, just in case, it would still be great, if you don't mind taking the time, to go ahead and fill out the emergency template, so we can make sure your other crab isn't heading for a similar situation. And if you just can't imagine expanding their home to a larger size at this point, I would still recommend at least making the substrate deeper. It also looks really dry, to me (but it's hard to tell from pics). Anyway, if you want to fill out the template, it's always a good idea to review everything whenever anything goes wrong, to see what, if anything, we can improve.
ancrylu wrote:
What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Calcium sand and coconut fiber. 5 inches.
Calcium sand is NOT recommended for substrate. Regular "play sand" is much, much cheaper (it comes in 50 pound bags at your local Lowes or Home Depot, for like 4 dollars a bag), and better. Just make sure the bag is not broken and the sand is clean and isn't wet when you buy it. You can offer the calcium sand for a supplement, but should not use it for hermit crab substrate. This is because when it gets moist, it has a tendency to harden. You want the substrate MOIST--to a "sand castle building" consistency. You should be able to stick your finger down in the substrate and have the hole stay firmly formed, but no water pooling at the bottom. The cocofiber is fine to use, but again, it should be moistened so that they can dig burrows that hold their shape. Most of the long-term crabbers here use some combination of the cocofiber and play sand; like you, I like to give them a "beach side" and a "jungle side," so I start with one end all play sand (and that's where the salt water source is) and two thirds all cocofiber (and that's where the fresh water source is), and let them gradually mix it over time with their digging (although I'm thinking after my next deep clean I'll at least mix some sand into the "jungle side," because I'm worried about the cocofiber getting too acidic). I've mentioned already they would probably like deeper substrate, so they can have plenty of room for individual molting burrows.
Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. The humidity gauge is located to the left of the tank over the water dishes and reads between 60-80 (80 after I spray the tank down which I do daily). The temp gauge is to the right of the tank where the heat source is it reads 75-80 F.
If your substrate is properly moist, and you cover your mesh lid, and I would recommend adding bubblers to your pools, your humidity situation should get much better. 60% is definitely too low; you want it 75% or higher at all times, for PP's. And if your water sources are both on one side of the tank, and the humidity gauge is right over them, then you are reading the HIGHEST humidity in the tank there, so on the other end (especially since the heat source is there), it is likely far lower. Also, if the temp gauge is near the heat source, that probably means that the rest of the tank is cooler than 75 degrees. PP's would prefer it to be about 75 degrees to 85 degrees at all times. It's a good idea, instead of affixing the gauges to the sides of the tank, to stick them on popsicle sticks or chopsticks, so you can put them in different places around the tank and see how conditions vary (yes, even in a 10g, conditions can vary considerably in different places in the tank). Also, since temp and humidity are so critical for these animals, I usually have two or three gauges (especially humidity gauges) in different places, to have a better idea what's going on and insure against one gauge going wrong at any time.
Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
The heating source is a heating pad stuck to the bottom of the outside of the right half of the tank.
What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
There is both fresh and salt water. Reptisafe is used for the fresh, All Things Living is used for the salt (very recently switched to this)
I don't know these brands; I'll let somebody else address this.
What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed a hermit crab pellet from All Things Living and supplement it with various raw vegetables, freeze dried shrimp and meal worms, oatmeal, etc. It is changed about twice a week (rarely finished)
Again, I don't know "All Things Living," but check the safe foods list and make sure it's okay; some of the foods made specifically for hermit crabs are actually bad for them. It is good that you supplement with real foods; that's really what they need, more than some pre-programmed "diet"--remember these are wild animals.
How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have had Mormo for two years and Baba Yaga for four. They are both Caribbeans, or "purple claw crabs"
Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
It molted about two weeks ago.
What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are in a ten gallon glass tank with a mesh wire lid.
I can hear them calling to you, "Please, please, get us a bigger apartment. . . !" Again, remember they are wild animals. Before they were abused into captivity and ended up in your tank, they had an entire island to wander over every night. In the wild, they have been known for travel for miles.
Also, is your mesh lid covered in any way? Depending upon the level of humidity in your house (most human houses are not nearly humid enough for crabs), you probably need to cover it, to help with humidity. I also highly, highly recommend bubble pools; can't beat them, for introducing fresh, humidified air, keeping your water sources fresher, and keeping humidity high.
How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Two crabs, both fairly small.
Two is a good "buddy system," for captive crabs. The longest-living crabs in captivity were Carol Ormes' pair, who lived together with her for over 30 years. Although they live in larger colonies in the wild, captive animals do better in much smaller numbers, to offset the crowding effects of small living quarters.
How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Around 5
That's probably plenty for two, as long as they are appropriate sizes and shell types. They aren't in your pics, so we can't tell what kind they are; but I know that PetCo (for example) sells shells for hermit crabs that hermit crabs cannot use (just one more thing sold "for hermit crabs" that is a stupid waste of money!)--so it's a good idea to check the "shells" forum for the kinds of shells they actually like and can use, and make sure that you have two or three extra shells per crab--it's a good idea to have one the same size as the one the crab is wearing, one a tad bigger, and one a tad smaller, for EACH crab; and note that the "size" of the shell, for hermit crab purposes, means the size of the OPENING, which does NOT correlate directly with the overall size of the shell.
How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean it about once a month. All substrate is replaced. All dishes, extra shells, and toys are soaked in sclading water. Hot water is used to wipe down the tank. The crabs get a salt bath during the cleaning process.
You probably are over-cleaning. With a small tank, you do have to clean more often, but our 90g has not had a "deep clean" (all substrate changed out, tank wiped down, etc.) for two years. I probably will do that this summer, if and when the jumbo surfaces (he's been down molting for almost a year now). But some of the long-term crabbers here with very large tanks basically never do a deep clean.
Also, if your water sources are kept fresh and are deep enough for the crabs to submerge, then you don't need to "bathe" them; they are better off regulating their own shell water (they know more about that than we do, for sure!). And if the water sources are not deep enough for them to submerge, it would be good to look for replacements that are. You don't have to buy the expensive, pre-made things--look around here for ideas (for example, my salt-water dish is a glass dish from the dollar store with a plastic mesh climb-out affixed via aquarium silicone).
Thank you for all the time put into this! I will definitely keep your recommendations in mind and try to make their habitat as best suited as possible. All these changes seem easy enough.DragonsFly wrote:Okay, I'm going to respond to some of this, and others will probably respond to other bits.
ancrylu wrote:
What kind of substrate is used in your tank and how deep is it?
Calcium sand and coconut fiber. 5 inches.
Calcium sand is NOT recommended for substrate. Regular "play sand" is much, much cheaper (it comes in 50 pound bags at your local Lowes or Home Depot, for like 4 dollars a bag), and better. Just make sure the bag is not broken and the sand is clean and isn't wet when you buy it. You can offer the calcium sand for a supplement, but should not use it for hermit crab substrate. This is because when it gets moist, it has a tendency to harden. You want the substrate MOIST--to a "sand castle building" consistency. You should be able to stick your finger down in the substrate and have the hole stay firmly formed, but no water pooling at the bottom. The cocofiber is fine to use, but again, it should be moistened so that they can dig burrows that hold their shape. Most of the long-term crabbers here use some combination of the cocofiber and play sand; like you, I like to give them a "beach side" and a "jungle side," so I start with one end all play sand (and that's where the salt water source is) and two thirds all cocofiber (and that's where the fresh water source is), and let them gradually mix it over time with their digging (although I'm thinking after my next deep clean I'll at least mix some sand into the "jungle side," because I'm worried about the cocofiber getting too acidic). I've mentioned already they would probably like deeper substrate, so they can have plenty of room for individual molting burrows.
Do you have gauges in the tank to measure temperature and humidity? If so, where are they located and what temperature and humidity do they usually read?
Yes. The humidity gauge is located to the left of the tank over the water dishes and reads between 60-80 (80 after I spray the tank down which I do daily). The temp gauge is to the right of the tank where the heat source is it reads 75-80 F.
If your substrate is properly moist, and you cover your mesh lid, and I would recommend adding bubblers to your pools, your humidity situation should get much better. 60% is definitely too low; you want it 75% or higher at all times, for PP's. And if your water sources are both on one side of the tank, and the humidity gauge is right over them, then you are reading the HIGHEST humidity in the tank there, so on the other end (especially since the heat source is there), it is likely far lower. Also, if the temp gauge is near the heat source, that probably means that the rest of the tank is cooler than 75 degrees. PP's would prefer it to be about 75 degrees to 85 degrees at all times. It's a good idea, instead of affixing the gauges to the sides of the tank, to stick them on popsicle sticks or chopsticks, so you can put them in different places around the tank and see how conditions vary (yes, even in a 10g, conditions can vary considerably in different places in the tank). Also, since temp and humidity are so critical for these animals, I usually have two or three gauges (especially humidity gauges) in different places, to have a better idea what's going on and insure against one gauge going wrong at any time.
Is a heat source used in the tank? If so, what?
The heating source is a heating pad stuck to the bottom of the outside of the right half of the tank.
What types of water are available (fresh or salt) and how is the water treated (what brands of dechlorinator or salt mix and what ratio is used to mix it)?
There is both fresh and salt water. Reptisafe is used for the fresh, All Things Living is used for the salt (very recently switched to this)
I don't know these brands; I'll let somebody else address this.
What kinds of food do you feed and how often is it replaced?
I feed a hermit crab pellet from All Things Living and supplement it with various raw vegetables, freeze dried shrimp and meal worms, oatmeal, etc. It is changed about twice a week (rarely finished)
Again, I don't know "All Things Living," but check the safe foods list and make sure it's okay; some of the foods made specifically for hermit crabs are actually bad for them. It is good that you supplement with real foods; that's really what they need, more than some pre-programmed "diet"--remember these are wild animals.
How long have you had the crab and what species is it, if known?
I have had Mormo for two years and Baba Yaga for four. They are both Caribbeans, or "purple claw crabs"
Has your crab molted, and how long ago did it happen?
It molted about two weeks ago.
What type of housing are the crabs kept in, what size is it and what kind of lid is on the housing?
They are in a ten gallon glass tank with a mesh wire lid.
I can hear them calling to you, "Please, please, get us a bigger apartment. . . !" Again, remember they are wild animals. Before they were abused into captivity and ended up in your tank, they had an entire island to wander over every night. In the wild, they have been known for travel for miles.
Also, is your mesh lid covered in any way? Depending upon the level of humidity in your house (most human houses are not nearly humid enough for crabs), you probably need to cover it, to help with humidity. I also highly, highly recommend bubble pools; can't beat them, for introducing fresh, humidified air, keeping your water sources fresher, and keeping humidity high.
How many crabs are in the tank and about how large are they?
Two crabs, both fairly small.
Two is a good "buddy system," for captive crabs. The longest-living crabs in captivity were Carol Ormes' pair, who lived together with her for over 30 years. Although they live in larger colonies in the wild, captive animals do better in much smaller numbers, to offset the crowding effects of small living quarters.
How many extra shells are usually kept in the tank, if any?
Around 5
That's probably plenty for two, as long as they are appropriate sizes and shell types. They aren't in your pics, so we can't tell what kind they are; but I know that PetCo (for example) sells shells for hermit crabs that hermit crabs cannot use (just one more thing sold "for hermit crabs" that is a stupid waste of money!)--so it's a good idea to check the "shells" forum for the kinds of shells they actually like and can use, and make sure that you have two or three extra shells per crab--it's a good idea to have one the same size as the one the crab is wearing, one a tad bigger, and one a tad smaller, for EACH crab; and note that the "size" of the shell, for hermit crab purposes, means the size of the OPENING, which does NOT correlate directly with the overall size of the shell.
How often do you clean the tank and how?
I clean it about once a month. All substrate is replaced. All dishes, extra shells, and toys are soaked in sclading water. Hot water is used to wipe down the tank. The crabs get a salt bath during the cleaning process.
You probably are over-cleaning. With a small tank, you do have to clean more often, but our 90g has not had a "deep clean" (all substrate changed out, tank wiped down, etc.) for two years. I probably will do that this summer, if and when the jumbo surfaces (he's been down molting for almost a year now). But some of the long-term crabbers here with very large tanks basically never do a deep clean.
Also, if your water sources are kept fresh and are deep enough for the crabs to submerge, then you don't need to "bathe" them; they are better off regulating their own shell water (they know more about that than we do, for sure!). And if the water sources are not deep enough for them to submerge, it would be good to look for replacements that are. You don't have to buy the expensive, pre-made things--look around here for ideas (for example, my salt-water dish is a glass dish from the dollar store with a plastic mesh climb-out affixed via aquarium silicone).