Learning as I go new owner

[PeekaBoo2013]

Thank you motorcrab, yes, I didn't realize when I told her I would take the crab how much they need! Thank you for the links, I'll bookmark them and take a look.

[PeekaBoo2013]

So I welcomed a new edition from my co-worker. She had a Hermit from the fair that she no longer wanted and my big guy needed a buddy. So her little guy and my big guy that I got on Friday met today. I dipped him in fresh water from the tank first. And it seemed to go well . When I left today they were sleeping next to each other near the heater. I added a little bit more to my tank after taking in some of your suggestions and reading some more. I added a shell shop, deeper pools,and I have some more turbo shells and food on the way in the mail.

The little bits of food that I've been giving them in the evening don't seem to eaten in the morning. I've tried mushroom scrambled egg spinach and shrimp.

I've decided to name them Bagel and Schmear

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[Hermiesguardian]

Andy is beautiful! Some of those shells are incorrect for pp's. They prefer round openings, turbos. Although of course they've been known to use others. They eat such a tiny amount it's hard to tell if they've actually eaten anything. Is the food disturbed at all?

[Maddamay32]

The tank looks awesome, no space wasted! The names are adorable too. I'm jealous of how creative you are, my tanks never looked that nice when I was a brand new crab mom!

How have the crabs been interacting with each other?

[PeekaBoo2013]

Andy is beautiful! Some of those shells are incorrect for pp's. They prefer round openings, turbos. Although of course they've been known to use others. They eat such a tiny amount it's hard to tell if they've actually eaten anything. Is the food disturbed at all?

Thanks! Andy was a typo actually named them bagel and schmear LOL. Yes I have some turbos that I ordered on the way but I didn't know what size the little guy was so I just put a bunch of shells in there in case he needed to switch right away. The girl who had him said that he was too big for his shell but he looks okay to me. It just looks like the food has been walked over I don't really notice anything gone. But I've also only had a crab for 5 days. So I am going to try some different foods also.

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[PeekaBoo2013]

The tank looks awesome, no space wasted! The names are adorable too. I'm jealous of how creative you are, my tanks never looked that nice when I was a brand new crab mom!

How have the crabs been interacting with each other?

Thank you. I really love crafts and so doing some of the DIY stuff is right up my alley.

So when I first dip the little one, Schmear, he just put himself underneath some moss as soon as I set him down. About an hour later the two crabs noticed each other and walked up to each other. They each touched each other all over with their antennas. Then they went their separate ways again. A few hours later they were sitting/ sleeping next to each other when I left.

[Maddamay32]

Thank you. I really love crafts and so doing some of the DIY stuff is right up my alley.

So when I first dip the little one, Schmear, he just put himself underneath some moss as soon as I set him down. About an hour later the two crabs noticed each other and walked up to each other. They each touched each other all over with their antennas. Then they went their separate ways again. A few hours later they were sitting/ sleeping next to each other when I left.

Aww. Now you'll have to get yourself some crab cams to watch them while you're gone. They're sort of a class pet at this point right? Have you had any interesting convos with your students about them?

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[PeekaBoo2013]

Yes I'll be bringing them home over breaks. And I have been stopping in at night to check if I pass by work. Just been sharing information with my students. They didn't realize how much work they require! The little one changed shells so he's out of the painted one he came in now

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[Motörcrab]

Awesome you are on the right track! If you have similar sized shells to the one the little guy switched into pull the painted shell out.

I just want to warn you with the fish netting. It is safe for crabs but be sure it is secured in a way so they can't get tangled up in it. If there is a place you don't want them to go, that's where they go first! Smalll 4" zip ties work really good for that kind of stuff. I generally have 2 packs at any given moment. Zip ties are the hermit crab equivalent to duct tape!

[DinkDonk]

Wow, it sounds like you're doing a great job with your hermit crabs and being so inquisitive about them and their health! I'm sure they're happy to have you look over them!

It's good that the little guy changed his shell! That would've been bad news if he ate the possibly toxic paint! I think that's all I can provide with for now, but I'm looking forward to your hermit crabs' health! I'm jealous of how good your tank looks, mine is a barren wasteland in comparison!

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[Maddamay32]

Yes I'll be bringing them home over breaks. And I have been stopping in at night to check if I pass by work. Just been sharing information with my students. They didn't realize how much work they require! The little one changed shells so he's out of the painted one he came in now

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It's so wonderful that you're a resource to young kids on hermit crab education! (Even if you're just starting out) Most people don't learn proper care until adulthood! Hopefully your position will help save many crab lives.

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[PeekaBoo2013]

Awesome you are on the right track! If you have similar sized shells to the one the little guy switched into pull the painted shell out.

I just want to warn you with the fish netting. It is safe for crabs but be sure it is secured in a way so they can't get tangled up in it. If there is a place you don't want them to go, that's where they go first! Smalll 4" zip ties work really good for that kind of stuff. I generally have 2 packs at any given moment. Zip ties are the hermit crab equivalent to duct tape!

Thank you I'll double check to make sure it's all secure! Yes I had a few around the same size so I trashed the painted one.

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[PeekaBoo2013]

[/quote]It's so wonderful that you're a resource to young kids on hermit crab education! (Even if you're just starting out) Most people don't learn proper care until adulthood! Hopefully your position will help save many crab lives.

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I had lots of different furry pets when I was little. But never had any sort of reptile or anything like that. So this is a completely new learning experience for me. Some of my students have actually been really helpful too, bringing in some old items from when they had hermit crabs or lizards. And some of them know a lot about hermit crabs and they're sharing what they know with me. I have high school students so it's nice to find something that they'll talk about with me lol

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[Motörcrab]

Since you are a teacher I wanted to mention that The Crab Street Journal has a school program, "Claws In The Classroom". They offer some free supplies depending on what has been donated. They also offer some worksheets and guides class room lessons. I believe it is geared more for elementary schools. It still may be worth checking out for some foods.

https://crabstreetjournal.org/teachers-pet/

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[PeekaBoo2013]

Since you are a teacher I wanted to mention that The Crab Street Journal has a school program, "Claws In The Classroom". They offer some free supplies depending on what has been donated. They also offer some worksheets and guides class room lessons. I believe it is geared more for elementary schools. It still may be worth checking out for some foods.

https://crabstreetjournal.org/teachers-pet/

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Thank you so much I will have to check that out. Even some of the lessons that are geared toward younger kids I do a five-minute warm-up at the beginning of my class and I can always probably adjust those to use as a learning opportunity.

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