HCA: Hermit Crab Association

TheKeroseneKid wrote:Curiouser and curiouser: I kept peeking in the tank during the last hour, and Naughty (the potential aggressor) has partially reemerged. During the class, I could see him tunneling, and I fear it was in the direction that I expect Sassy to have gone when she went under.

The template:
1. For substrate, I have 3 inches of play sand, more damp on one end of the tank and slightly less damp on the end closer to the undertank heater.

Crabs need at least 6 inches of sub. With less, they can smell each other and find each other more easily, which can lead to the problem you're having. I recommend gently adding more a handful at a time ASAP.

2. Yes to gauges; temp is holding steady at 75-80 degrees and humidity hovers around 80, though I do mist throughout the day and dampen the sand before I leave for the night.

Good.

3. I have an undertank heater, a day light, and a moon light.

Where is the heater located? Just concerned because you say it is drying your sub.

4. Fresh dechlorinated water is always available. I occasionally provide some salt water for which I use Instant Ocean.

Both are important to have available at all times in dishes they can each completely submerge in.

5. I feed All Living Things pellet food (changed every couple days) and the occasional piece of fruit, which I remove before I go home at night.

This food is likely loaded with bad ingredients Check out the food articles on the care sheets board. A fresh diet is best, but since you need convenience, check out the food mixes at hermitcrabgarden.com and hermitcrabpatch.com Both are great choices. The lack of protein and calcium in their diet could cause the behavior you are seeing. The lack of essential nutrients can lead to cannibalism.

6 & 8. I have two PPs that I've had since 9/6/14. They're mini-to-small. The pet store assistant had to help me find a suitable array of shells that were small enough.

7. Tank is glass, measuring 8x10X15 inches. I have a mesh lid that is partially covered in plastic to keep in the humidity.

Is this smaller than a 10 gallon? Being cramped can also lead to disturbed molts because of the small footprint of the tank. Might look into upgrading. It's probably hard to fit everything you need into such a small tank.

9. 4 extra shells.

Usually you need at least 3 per crab.

10. No fumes or chemicals.

11. I scoop weekly and clean dishes weekly or more often. I was going to do a deep clean at the one-month mark, but that was before Sassy went down for molting (I assume).

You probably don't need to deep clean so soon anyway. Once per year is the most frequent that's needed. The sub will build up good bacteria that you don't want to disturb.

12. One sponge in the water dish, cleaned weekly under very hot water. (No chemicals.)

Probably don't need the sponge. It just harbors bacteria. If you want to keep it, start microwaving it every time you change water.

13. No new additions to crabitat.

14. Sometimes the classroom gets a little noisy during group activities. This seemed to make the crabs hide at first, but now they're out and about most of the day (except for molting behavior, of course).

Thanks for any help/advice you can provide!