New With Questions

[All_Smiles]

Hi everyone!
I've really found so much helpful information here since joining several weeks ago, thank you. My son bought a poor NC beach shop hermie in August. Apparently he was with many, many other crabs in a bowl and they were all hiding in their shells. That just broke my heart. I've fallen in love with this little crabbie now. My son named him Gilligan.
I built him a roomy crabitat with plenty of substrate, shells, climbing sticks, 2 tank-side heaters, a food dish, fresh water & a salt water pool, hydrometer & thermometer.
As soon as we gave Gilligan his own habitat & shells, he switched shells immediately- twice in three days. He must have been miserable for who knows how long!
This morning he is buried under a mound of his own making, presumably molting. I know not to disturb him and that he will probably be down for a long time, maybe even months.
Q1. While molting, do we need to continue daily changing of food, water & salt water?
Q2. Where can I find a friend for him? I live in Montgomery County, MD which isn't near the shore and the pet stores here don't carry hermit crabs. Is there a reputable company that sends them in the mail? That sounds so traumatic to me.
Q3. Is there a way to purchase 5-6 new shells without breaking the bank? My husband already thinks I've gone round the bend spending $ on poor little Gilligan.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I look forward to your answers!

[mool]

Kudos for setting Gilligan up for success!

1. I would change the food as/before it gets moldy. You never know when the are molting or just digging for fun or to de-stress. He could be coming up when you aren't looking. The water probably needs to be changed weekly at least.

2. Stay away from online shippers. Most are not reputable. You could have one shipped from a fellow crabber, temperatures permitting. Otherwise, check your local Craigslist and other similar sources. Maybe put out your own ad asking to take unwanted crabs.

3. I like Naples and Richards Seashells, both online. I believe the both offer bulk assortments for a fair price. You can also buy a bag of assorted shells at craft stores that often contain a few useable turbos. The clam shells can be used as food dishes. The rest in the assortment are junk for your purposes.

Good luck with Gillian and your new found obsession! We've all been where you are (or more likely in worse shape).

[PinchersAndShells]

Seems like he's getting a pretty good setup! You can order shells online, Richards Seashells and Naples are ones I've heard plenty of good reviews about. Another good one I've heard of is that Joann's Fabric sells a bag of assorted sizes of green turbos (I think they said this is around $6).

[Crabinski]

First of all, a really big Thank You for, as @mool said, setting Gilligan up for success! Everything you've done so far will give him a good chance at not only surviving but thriving.

While Gilligan is underground, molting, destressing or just chilling, just keep a small amount of dry food in his dish (they should always have access to food 24/7). If you keep the substrate smooth, you'll be able to tell if he's coming up in the "wee hours" to nibble. As @mool noted, changing the FW/SW weekly until Gilligan becomes active again is fine.

Craigslist is an excellent source for hermit crabs as all too many folks get them (or are given them) as easy to care for "first pets" for children and then learn the truth down the line. My last two additions were craigslist rescues from two adults who had no idea of the level of care they were facing when they impulsively bought the crabs.

As @PinchersandShells mentioned, craft stores like Jo-Ann, Michael's, Hobby Lobby and even Walmart carry mesh bags of shells in the $5-10 range. These are a terrific source of usable shells for the crab and the flat scallop shells are excellent for offering bits of fresh food.

When you have a chance, post some pics of Gilligan and his crabitat -- we all love to see new crabs and crabitat decor ideas!

[All_Smiles]

Thank you all so much for your great advice! I'm definitely going to take care of his food/water as you suggested. Also, the tips on shells are terrific and a big relief lol, especially once Gilligan has a friend. I will search CL and the like to see if there are any soon to be homeless crabbies around me. I'll try to post a better pic asap. Hope this works!
Pic of Gilligan, Day 1.
https://goo.gl/photos/gJvLHj21oPEruHmy5

[All_Smiles]

UPDATE: Gilligan is still buried. I purchased some shells online from Joann Fabrics and am waiting for them to arrive, fingers X'd! Hopefully once they arrive I will be able to add more housing options for him. As far as a friend for Gilligan, my "local" Craigslist seems to have one person dominating the Hermit Crab ads and that person is pretty far away from me. I did find an aquarium store that's pretty close which carries Ecuadorian crabs (the same as Gilligan), and hope to visit soon. I know that Gilligan is vulnerable while molting, so maybe I should wait until he's done?

I also have a new issue. Gilligan's crabitat now has a crack in the bottom of it. It's not a big crack, but I do need to replace it. I think it can wait until Gilligan resurfaces as it doesn't really lose anything right now. Will a basic 10 gal. glass aquarium will be okay for two hermit crabs? I remember reading something about lids, but can no longer remember what it was... Is a glass lid the best option?

Thanks again for all of your help!
-All Smiles

[DarthCrabber]

Hello and welcome to the crabbing community! Thank you for saving little Gilligan's life

I would monitor the crack and see if you can wait until he resurfaces. I would also definitely wait until after the molt to introduce a friend. Since you're looking to set up another tank, perhaps setting that up, adding a friend, and then moving Gilligan into the new tank once he surfaces would work? As far as tank sizes go, always get the largest one you can fit/afford. If the crabs are on the smaller side, you would be able to get away with 10 gallons for a while. But keep in mind you'll probably have to upgrade sooner than later! I moved my crabbies from my 10g to my built-in unit pretty quickly (and then bought more...) I use the Aqueon hinged glass lid, and I love that one. I got mine off of Amazon for fairly cheap and it's given me no problems.

I know you mentioned you live in MD. I live in NJ, and one of the things I do when we go on vacation is hit a few of the hermit-crab hotspots on the way down to NC. I love the Sea Shell Shop in Rehoboth Beach, DE. They have a good shell selection and their crabs are awesome. They're cramped in a small tank, but the two I've gotten from them have literally been the heartiest crabs I've ever owned. I also like Sea Shell City in Feniwick Island, DE. I bought three crabs from them about a year ago, one is still alive, one died almost instantly, and one died a few days after getting home. Take that as it is, but there shell selection is awesome. They also ship from their website (shells, not crabs) so you can pick up a pack if you want. Hopefully you go up around Delaware sometimes, but if not, it could be a fun little trip for your son!

[colliercl]

Montgomery County MD may not carry crabs, but Prince George County does. Call before, they are not always in stock, but the stores are equipped to carry them and often do. If you really are in it to win it, the petco (or petsmart) by National Harbor/Tanger Outlets carries them always

[All_Smiles]

Thank you for the info. I will check out PG, etc.
Gilligan is still underground. Hoping he'll emerge soon, we miss him!

[Just Jay]

congrats and great job so far on all your hard work! i bet Gilligan loves it as well! im pretty lucky and all my hermits seem to love air plants (the air plants also like the same environment as your tank so its great!) so when they are molting i make sure to put a few in there (which are cheap and easy to care for and grow your own outside of the tat). i also then just put in some dehydrated animal protein (i use dog/cat/reptile/bird treats/food...i work for a pet store so ive found some great stuff works for my crabs!), calcium powder or bird egg protein with calcium and honey. it seems to last the longest for me anyway.

with the stores listed i have even found shells at the dollar store along with other great crab tank accessories. its where i got suction cups with and without hooks, shower soap caddy (i use for a shell shop and moss pit), tuppy containers i use for crab iso's (they fit in my tank so the temp/hum are easy to maintain) and so much more.

i like to get weird creative for my crabbies lol.

[Kellie]

Hi! I just want to put some crab buying input in as I live in Montgomery County Maryland too!

You can get crabs at the Petco on Rockville Pike (by Michael's and HH Gregg), however these guys are pretty darn large.
There is an Aquarium (Congressional Aquarium) in the strip right across from this Petco! If you are walking towards Bed Bath and Beyond from Michael's you continue out the shopping section and across the street, and there you are!
They sell hermies there too, which is where I plan to get mine in a week. They aren't in the best conditions though (wire cage! ): ) but they have strawberries and a bigger range of sizes.

Hope that helps! Nice to hear of another Moco-er crabbing!

[Rawrgeous]

Hi! I just want to put some crab buying input in as I live in Montgomery County Maryland too!

You can get crabs at the Petco on Rockville Pike (by Michael's and HH Gregg), however these guys are pretty darn large.
There is an Aquarium (Congressional Aquarium) in the strip right across from this Petco! If you are walking towards Bed Bath and Beyond from Michael's you continue out the shopping section and across the street, and there you are!
They sell hermies there too, which is where I plan to get mine in a week. They aren't in the best conditions though (wire cage! ): ) but they have strawberries and a bigger range of sizes.

Hope that helps! Nice to hear of another Moco-er crabbing!

If you do decide to get an exotic I suggest checking out our species guide, as straws require large tanks, (40 breeder or larger), require 10-12 inches of substrate, and a minimum of 80-80 conditions. Many start with purple pinchers as exotics tend to be more fragile. I also would consider checking out craigslist as well as our adoptions section to see if there are any crabs available for adoption as all hermits are wild caught. Just something to consider. Happy crabbing!

[Kellie]

If you do decide to get an exotic I suggest checking out our species guide, as straws require large tanks, (40 breeder or larger), require 10-12 inches of substrate, and a minimum of 80-80 conditions. Many start with purple pinchers as exotics tend to be more fragile. I also would consider checking out craigslist as well as our adoptions section to see if there are any crabs available for adoption as all hermits are wild caught. Just something to consider. Happy crabbing!

Yup! Very aware of straws being a bit more advanced. Because of this, and their 25 dollar price tag, I'm definitely going with PPs. Maybe in the future when I'm more experienced!
Also I checked Craigslist and recently doesn't seem to be any close enough to me, although it's always worth checking back.

[Rawrgeous]

If you do decide to get an exotic I suggest checking out our species guide, as straws require large tanks, (40 breeder or larger), require 10-12 inches of substrate, and a minimum of 80-80 conditions. Many start with purple pinchers as exotics tend to be more fragile. I also would consider checking out craigslist as well as our adoptions section to see if there are any crabs available for adoption as all hermits are wild caught. Just something to consider. Happy crabbing!

Yup! Very aware of straws being a bit more advanced. Because of this, and their 25 dollar price tag, I'm definitely going with PPs. Maybe in the future when I'm more experienced!
Also I checked Craigslist and recently doesn't seem to be any close enough to me, although it's always worth checking back.

Perfect- good choice. I just always have to make sure. I didn't want you to come home with them and find out the hard way that they require such huge set-ups, and intricate care or anyone else to decide to go get straws and go through that!