HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey y'all, I'm about to dig up 6 crabs and I need to make sure I've got this correct before I start. I'll go from one side to the other, slowly digging and removing as I go. Here's the ISO tote they're moving in, and potentially staying in until they're ready for the big tank again. I don't know if they're all MOLTING, but they've all been down a while so I'm preparing.
I have about an inch to inch and a half of eco earth and play sand. Sandcastle consistency, all soaked with fresh water treated with prime.
Sphagnum moss soaked in fresh water treated with prime.
Crushed oyster shells scattered.
The small shell has organic bee pollen. The larger shell is empty, I'm wondering if I should add fresh water or not???
Let me know what y'all think!! I'm freaking out because I'm potentially losing all my babies. I'm so nervous. Thank you!

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Sounds scary... good luck and best wishes. Why do you have to dig? Is there a bacterial bloom or flood?

BlookittiePC wrote:Sounds scary... good luck and best wishes. Why do you have to dig? Is there a bacterial bloom or flood?

We are moving tomorrow and I have to get them into ISO and the tank emptied before morning. I actually called out of work (I work graves) so that I can work on this and monitor them all night to make sure the temps don't drop. We don't have Central heat. I'm putting all 6 totes into one big tote with 2 strips of heat tape and an ultratherm, and I'll keep them in the bedroom where it's warm.

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Praying for you, Ciara! I hope everything turns out ok! I know I’m going to have to do the same thing soon. Take your time, you’ve got a good plan.


♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

Good luck and please give us the play-by-play of how you did it and how it went!!!


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Man, it must be so annoying that the crabbies had to molt right before you had to move. We love them but sometimes they just have to drive us crazy.

So I've finished sifting through all of the substrate. I found 5 of my 6. I'm missing a baby E..... I didn't find any empty shells.... I think I have an escapee?? Has anyone had this happen???


*I'll go into detail in a bit. I have a little more work to get them settled into ISO before I can take a real break

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Okay, so 2 hours later, I'm done for the night.
I found 5 of my 6 crabs... So there's a baby E wandering around this house somewhere. I'm hoping to find him sometime tonight while I'm packing. I'll check the kitchen and bathroom first, I've read they go to the most humid places.

So basically, I would sift my fingers thru the top layer and work my way down. I wondered how people kept saying "I knew Everytime I found a tunnel" because my first thought was "how!? Wouldn't you collapse it!?" But I see what they mean now. It's a very packed, hard area and once you catch that first piece, you KNOW there's a crab coming up. I was freaking out, but every crab I found my worries subsided a little.
So, 4 were actually molting. They were mostly done, just had a little exo to finish eating. I added it with them into their iso totes. My smallest PP has BEAUTIFUL colors, his pincher is SO PURPLE! Also one of my bigger ones is a deep deep red. It's amazing.
The bottom half inch of my substrate was SOAKED. Almost to the point of having pooling water. I'm surprised I didn't have an algae or bacterial bloom honestly. But it was just that bottom half inch, the rest was great. Any advice to avoid that in the future? I used mostly EE but I'm adding 2 more bags of playsand next time.... Will that help?

Here's some pictures from the process. My phone kept dying throughout so I didn't get the perfect tunnel, but I tried to get what i could.

The moss I'm using in their iso totes. It was $3.19 at home Depot.



All 6 iso totes ready to go. Sure wish I could find that last baby E.....


The first E, the only one that I collapsed the tunnel.


I worked at an angle. It helped me find the tunnels easier without collapsing them.


Here's their set up tonight. 5 iso totes and 1 KK with isopods. There's an ultratherm on the back, heat tape acrose the front and one over the top. I'll be keeping the sides, but the one on the top is only for tonight to hold heat.




Thank y'all for the support. Hopefully this helped someone for future.

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Thank you for sharing! I know this will be very helpful for me when I move. I hope you find your baby E while your packing.


♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

RiNiKy506 wrote:Thank you for sharing! I know this will be very helpful for me when I move.


♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

Most people use Tupperware bowls but those totes are cheap at Walmart. A 10 pack was $8. And once I finish I can use them for whatever, crab related or not.
I sure hope this helps you!!!

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You don't realize how much knowledge and experience you just dropped on us in this stressful situation. Good luck finding your baby E and good luck on the move!! Thank you for sharing!!!

ciaraalston wrote:Most people use Tupperware bowls but those totes are cheap at Walmart. A 10 pack was $8. And once I finish I can use them for whatever, crab related or not.
I sure hope this helps you!!!

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Thank you so, so much! Like LeeHasCrabs said, you’ve really given us some very valuable information. I really appreciate you sharing your experience, it will be so helpful, I can’t thank you enough. How did everything go? Did you find your missing baby E? Still sending prayers, I hope everything is going well.


♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

The tupperware are better at keeping the humidity in, and the lids are typically more secure.

As far as mixing substrate, it always boils down to personal preference. I prefer dechlorinated msw, and more sand than ee. I do recommend adding dechlorinated fw and msw for them to drink, especially since you dug them up.

Good luck finding your E! They are little escape artists! I duct tape my lids down!!!

Best wishes with your move!

GotButterflies wrote:The tupperware are better at keeping the humidity in, and the lids are typically more secure.

As far as mixing substrate, it always boils down to personal preference. I prefer dechlorinated msw, and more sand than ee. I do recommend adding dechlorinated fw and msw for them to drink, especially since you dug them up.

Good luck finding your E! They are little escape artists! I duct tape my lids down!!!

Best wishes with your move!

YES! The tupperware containers would be a better option, the lids are far more secure than the tote lids. i only used the totes because i knew they would be in another tote that was secure. Thanks for adding that @GB!

More sand makes tunnelling easier for the crabs, it holds better. i'm actually adding a lot more sand to the mixture this time around, because i've previously used more EE and i just don't like the way it holds up.

Thanks! I've got A LOT to do in a very little amount of time, but hopefully i'll get it all done!

RiNiKy506 wrote:

ciaraalston wrote:Most people use Tupperware bowls but those totes are cheap at Walmart. A 10 pack was $8. And once I finish I can use them for whatever, crab related or not.
I sure hope this helps you!!!

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Thank you so, so much! Like LeeHasCrabs said, you’ve really given us some very valuable information. I really appreciate you sharing your experience, it will be so helpful, I can’t thank you enough. How did everything go? Did you find your missing baby E? Still sending prayers, I hope everything is going well.


♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

i haven't found him yet...
i'm sure once we get everything out of the house, he will be easier to find. i have a hunch that he might be around my dryer. See, i've read that they usually go to the most humid places in the house, like the kitchen or bathroom. Well, it's been REALLY cold here, and we don't have central so my house is freezing. Since my dryer is in my kitchen, and we do lots of laundry, i'm thinking he might be in that area... i could be wrong, but i'm anxious to get that washer and dryer moved so i can check!