Urgent questions about my new crabs

Please post here if you are a new crab owner and someone will be along shortly to welcome you to the HCA! This is also the place to welcome new crabbies to your clan!

Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:43 pm

Heyy
I got my hermit crabs 3 days ago and I need your help
I have 4 purple pinchers.
I have a few questions and I'd be very thankful if you'l answer them 🥰

My terrarium is about 80cm length × 30cm width × 60cm height (in inches : about 32 length ×12width ×24 height)
Is that enough space for my crabs?
Will I need to upgrade it one day?

One of my crabs doesn't act active... I got him 3 days ago and he hasn't moved since...but I do know that he's alive. He's hanging onto the back "wall" of the tank.
Is he okay? What should I do? Will he die?

Sorry for my bad English btw, it's not my first language

How warm is the warmest area and the coldest area in your tank? I'm a bit unsure about the temperature zones .

Also I do have a problem with my humidity , it's often 50%, at night sometimes 75%.
I've tried a lot (spraying water,more wet eco earth, sphagnum moss,...) do you have any tips?

How big (and how old) are your purple pinchers and how long does it take for them to get big? Mine are very tiny and cute at the moment.

Do your crabs fight? I hope mine won't.

Has cannibalism appeared in your tank? Do I need to be careful with that?

Are your crabs loud at night?

Another question: does mold appear easily ?

Thanks for reading all of that and I'm looking forward to your answer🥰 I hope somebody will answer fast because I'm worried about my crab that doesn't move.. 🙁


I<3mycrabbies
Posts: 73
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:34 am
Location: Merrimack new hampshire

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by I<3mycrabbies » Sat Sep 28, 2024 7:40 am

Julie and her crabs wrote:
Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:43 pm
Heyy
I got my hermit crabs 3 days ago and I need your help
I have 4 purple pinchers.
I have a few questions and I'd be very thankful if you'l answer them 🥰

My terrarium is about 80cm length × 30cm width × 60cm height (in inches : about 32 length ×12width ×24 height)
Is that enough space for my crabs?
Will I need to upgrade it one day?

That sounds like a 30 gallon and if they are tiny you should be fine for now but make sure your substrate at least 6 inches deep.

One of my crabs doesn't act active... I got him 3 days ago and he hasn't moved since...but I do know that he's alive. He's hanging onto the back "wall" of the tank.
Is he okay? What should I do? Will he die?

Make sure you are feeding them everything they need. You can find lots of things to feed them off this website. And try to keep the right conditions in the tank because even if the humidity is a little off it can really affect the crabs sometimes.
There are also really good stores on etsy (HermitGrub and Naturally Crabby are m favorites)
He could also just be destressing I wouldn't worry about it too much because you just got him but definitely keep an eye on him

Sorry for my bad English btw, it's not my first language

Your English is actually really good!

How warm is the warmest area and the coldest area in your tank? I'm a bit unsure about the temperature zones

If you have your thermometer in the middle of the tank and it reads high 70's to mid 80's (°F) you should be fine.

Also I do have a problem with my humidity , it's often 50%, at night sometimes 75%.
I've tried a lot (spraying water,more wet eco earth, sphagnum moss,...) do you have any tips?

You can put a pool with bubbles by a heating pad that I found can help.
You can also out a towel over the lid of your tank even if it's a glass lid. ( I've had to do this for my tank)
And it would be ideal to keep humidity at 80% or 85%

How big (and how old) are your purple pinchers and how long does it take for them to get big? Mine are very tiny and cute at the moment.

Do your crabs fight? I hope mine won't.

They will only become aggressive of they aren't fed right or if there's not enough protein or resources for them in the tank. So just make sure you have good size pools for them and enough food.

Has cannibalism appeared in your tank? Do I need to be careful with that?

That has never happened with me and they normally won't fight with eachother unless they don't have enough resources to thrive in their tank.

Are your crabs loud at night?

They can be with their shells going on the glassware of the tank but not too obnoxious!

Another question: does mold appear easily ?

It depends.
If you have a certain kind of wood or twine in your tank that can mold sometimes and if you don't replace food or moss then yes it can come easily.

Thanks for reading all of that and I'm looking forward to your answer🥰 I hope somebody will answer fast because I'm worried about my crab that doesn't move.. 🙁


Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Sat Sep 28, 2024 8:25 am

Thanks for your answer, Ill try your humidity tips 😇
Right now they're having banana, coconut, pumpkin seeds, dried meal worms, sepia and fish flakes.
Is that enough variety for now or do I need to add some more? If I do need to add more, what would you suggest?

When will I need to upgrade my tank? I currently don't have enough space for a bigger one 😬 I hope it'll be fine for a few years


I<3mycrabbies
Posts: 73
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:34 am
Location: Merrimack new hampshire

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by I<3mycrabbies » Sun Sep 29, 2024 3:41 pm

It sounds like your feeding them very well!

https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... hp?t=92541

This can help you kind of gauge how big of a tank your crabs will need.

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 4249
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by curlysister » Sun Sep 29, 2024 11:02 pm

Your variety sounds good. Keep offering different things as you go forward. Be sure they have animal protein daily, as well as a calcium source (egg shells, cuttle bone).
Crabs can also fight over shells, so ensure you are offering enough extra shells for them to choose from, and that the shells are the correct types. There is a care sheet about shells.
What do you have for a lid on your tank?
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers


Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Mon Sep 30, 2024 5:15 am

Thank you 😇 I have a glass lid and a tiny bit of mesh


Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Mon Sep 30, 2024 5:21 am

I have another question 😅
I read that Purple pinchers wouldn't get that big but yesterday I found an article that says that they will get quite big.
How big will they get (tennisball size?) And how long does it take for a small or medium crab to grow that big?


Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Mon Sep 30, 2024 5:44 am

Oh and can you take a look if all 4 of them are really purple pinchers please?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oHTFwbHynU8guVSk8
1. Newton
2. (With white shell) Shelly
3. (On the back wall) Octavia
4. Greeny


I<3mycrabbies
Posts: 73
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2023 10:34 am
Location: Merrimack new hampshire

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by I<3mycrabbies » Mon Sep 30, 2024 1:59 pm

Shelly is but I can't tell for the others

If their big claw is purple then they are purple pinchers


Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Mon Sep 30, 2024 5:47 pm

Thank you!😇

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 4249
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by curlysister » Mon Sep 30, 2024 11:19 pm

I have had my crab Sonny for 14 years, he is pretty big LOL. Probably close to tennis ball size.
I had my two crabs in a ten gallon for 2 or 3 years, then upgraded to a 20 gallon for 2 or 3 years, then a 45 gallon until earlier this year when I got a 65 gallon.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers


Topic author
Julie and her crabs
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2024 7:15 pm

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by Julie and her crabs » Tue Oct 01, 2024 4:18 am

Aww 14 years is awsome!

User avatar

CrabbyLover77
Posts: 3282
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:30 pm
Location: PA
Contact:

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Tue Oct 01, 2024 5:21 am

curlysister wrote:I have had my crab Sonny for 14 years, he is pretty big LOL. Probably close to tennis ball size.
I had my two crabs in a ten gallon for 2 or 3 years, then upgraded to a 20 gallon for 2 or 3 years, then a 45 gallon until earlier this year when I got a 65 gallon.
Did Cher ever resurface?

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

"Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game." -Paul Rodriguez-
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigBeausBouti ... form-mcnav

User avatar

curlysister
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 4249
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by curlysister » Tue Oct 01, 2024 11:21 pm

CrabbyLover77 wrote:
Tue Oct 01, 2024 5:21 am
Did Cher ever resurface?

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
Aw, thank you for remembering. Sadly, she did not. I found her underground when I upgraded tanks, she was mummified in her shell. I believe she simply ran out of energy, and passed way peacefully - kind of like when a person dies of natural causes in old age because there body is simply tired and they fall asleep and don't wake up again.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers

User avatar

CrabbyLover77
Posts: 3282
Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2019 11:30 pm
Location: PA
Contact:

Re: Urgent questions about my new crabs

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Tue Oct 01, 2024 11:58 pm


curlysister wrote: Aw, thank you for remembering. Sadly, she did not. I found her underground when I upgraded tanks, she was mummified in her shell. I believe she simply ran out of energy, and passed way peacefully - kind of like when a person dies of natural causes in old age because there body is simply tired and they fall asleep and don't wake up again.
Aw I'm so very sorry. I'm sure you gave her a full and happy life that she wouldn't have had otherwise. Big hugs for you. Image

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

"Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game." -Paul Rodriguez-
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BigBeausBouti ... form-mcnav

Post Reply