HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So here I am a first time mom and already upgraded to a 20L for my two hermies Marco and Polo. Good thing i did since the nat. environment of coco fiber, log, and cork hiding spots were starting to mold after only 9 days of setup which freaked me out of course. I now have 2 inches calci sand on top of 2 bricks of fresh coco and if I read the faq on subrate correctly i have bungled again. crabs seem happy as heck but have i set myself up for another disaster? I use 60w heat lamp and 3 water dishes with clean sponges but should I mix the subrates? humidity is my greatest concern since the locking top is mesh and I don't want to cook my dear little friends!

Hello,
I personally use heaters instead of light bulbs, you can stick them on the sides or under the tank. I also don't recommend calci sand since it can be dangerous for crabs if they molt. I have heard it hardens when wet. The sponges are not necessary, but of you prefer them, then I would recommend cleaning and changing them often.

Why do you have 3 water dishes?

I keep a damp towel over my mesh lid and I find it helps the humidity A LOT!

Hope I answered your questions, post again if you have anymore

Bonnie

Calci sand doesn't make a good substrate because it clumps and hardens when moistened making digging difficult. Play sand is not only safer but much cheaper. You can pick up a 50 pound bag from home improvement stores for under $5. It would be best to remove the calci sand but, as long as it isn't dyed, you could offer it in a dish as a calcium supplement.

Sponges tend to harbor bad bacteria so aren't really recommended, especially in the water dishes. You can use shells, smooth pebbles, plastic needlepoint canvas, or fake plants to help the crabs out instead. If you do decide to continue using the sponges they'll need to be cleaned often. Every couple days replace with clean ones, rinse the dirty well with dechlor water, allow to dry completely, then microwave for 1 minute.

I'm curious about the 3 water dishes too?

You can cover your mesh lid most of the way with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep heat and humidity in. I use heat lamps myself but many crabbers prefer Under Tank Heaters. UTH should always be placed on the outside back or side of the tank, never underneath. Hermit crabs require very deep substrate and UTH are not designed to heat through more than a couple inches. It also dries out the substrate when placed there which can be disastrous for molters and it may become a fire hazard. Always on the outside back or side of crabitats.

What is the temperature of your crabitat? PPs need 75-85F. But as long as there are cooler areas (within the required range), it's ok if there's some spots that are a little hotter than 85F.

Welcome to the HCA!

A damp towel... Now that sounds simply perfect. As for the water dishes, one of them is going to be put in the isolation tank to be made next payday. The other two are for fresh water with the larger under my heat lamp which is on a timer. Basically this is another case of me trying maybe a little too hard to be the perfect owner. I should probably clarify they are both PPs and very active. I work nights so they're usually up and about when i get home. I did notice Polo's shell has a crack in his shell. They have 9 shells to choose from between the two of them. Should i be worried he hasn't changed shells yet?

Maximum temp recored so far was 82. Humitidy fluctuates from 50 - 70% on a digital hygrometer. I assume that's what actual and not relative but since I changed from the ten gallon I've put in a dual combo temp/hum and it seems to like around 60-70. My home is very dry, hence my worry the boys will dry out.

So how it stands so far is get some playsand and mix it with the coco fiber? Switch to just sand?

With the sponges i thought they would help humidity levels since only the largest dish under the light being deep enough for them to maybe I have trouble getting out.

Whew! Thanks for the welcome and for the help! I'm just trying to be a good mom!

You'll want 2 water dishes, one for fresh, one for salt. For saltwater you'll want to pick up a good salt mix sold for saltwater aquariums like Instant Ocean. Saltwater is vital to healthy molts and overall well-being. Both pools should be deep enough for your largest crab to submerge but with easy ways in and out for all crabs.

Just provide them with plenty of shell choices of appropriate sizes and they'll change when they're ready.

You'll want to calibrate your hygrometer to make sure you're getting an accurate reading. I'll add links in a few...

Mixing some cocofiber in with the play sand really makes for better tunneling than just sand or cocofiber alone. Make sure it's moistened to sand castle consistency and at least 3x as deep as your largest crab is tall but no less than 6 inches.

Edit for links: calibrating your hygrometer: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 26&t=92540

And one to the Caresheet section in case you haven't found it yet: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... b53c479971. There's loads of great info there that is worth taking the time to read through.

Thank you so much. I had been led to believe purple pinchers only needed a salt water bath once a week. So I already have a bottle of premixed salt solution for crabs so it's a small thing to change dishes. But i really appreciate the links. I intend to go through them once I get home. heck, I had no idea I have to calibrate them let alone how. I wonder if that right there was why the tenG went moldy so fast. Live and learn i guess, and at least the boys are alright!

You're welcome. I'm glad to help. Unfortunately pet stores and beach shops mostly give outdated or down right wrong care info. All species of land hermit crabs need access to both fresh and salt water and should be allowed to bathe themselves. They keep a mix of fresh and salt water in their shells. Bathing them disrupts that mix so it's best to let them regulate that on their own. Here's a link to an article all about freshwater, saltwater, and dechlorinators. http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... 25&t=92553. You'll also find that the saltwater "glubs" or mixes sold specifically for hermit crabs are inadequate. They lack many elements found in sea water and are often not salty enough or filled with possibly harmful dyes or preservatives. A mix sold for saltwater aquariums like Instant Ocean is what you're looking for.

Trust me, I know just how overwhelming all this can be. I had no idea what I was getting into 6+ years ago. Thankfully I found hermit-crab.com and through there, this great place!

Alright, so. Home at last, tomorrow I will pick up a 50lb bag of playsand to clean up and mix with the eco earth I already have. Plus, the zoo med salt water mix is apparently a no go, so I will be picking up some Instant Ocean or similar product to make my own. After calibration looks like I am sitting just above 70% humidity so still doing okay there thankfully.

.....And then I check on my boys. Marco? Happy to see me , active happy and exploring the new digs. Where's Polo? Remember I said I have calci sand sitting on top of the coco fiber? I was going to fix that problem tomorrow..... but Polo is gone. Smooth white sand now has a turned up patch in it. I think my crabling has gone into hiding, for a molt or for fun I don't know. So... yet another question.

Do I dig him out to change the substrate, since now I'm worried the Calcium sand is going to clump and crust and the poor guy won't be able to get out again, or let it lie until he pops back up?

Oooh, tough call.
I think rule of thumb around here is never dig up a crab. Especially if you've recently purchased them -- have they under gone their first molts already? They're at a higher fatality risk until they do.

The calcium sand makes me worry though if he'd get stuck in a molt. Maybe a more experienced crabber could offer more advice?

You can always wait a bit and see if he comes back up if he's just playing.

Oh, and I wanted to throw in a humidity suggestion -- Saran Wrap 90% of your mesh lid ( leave a few holes for air flow ) and that should really bring it up to a steady 80% especially when the coco fiber is added!

I've literally had them 8 days, I just checked the receipt, so no, no molt yet. The book and the knowledgable people around here all seem to say do not dig do not dig... so.. here's my current solution. I have these chunks of moss that I bought for them and I've rearranged them so they are sheltering the dig site but of course not pushed down. Maybe if I just keep that area very carefully dry on top, things won't crust and cause a crabtastrophe.

As an aside I think I'm about ready to write of Petsmart for my needs, forgot to mention when I went to feed them tonight, [it's all living things variety diet].... only -now- did I notice teeny tiny living things in the food. So. Some of my problems I can easily mark up to inexperience and gullibility. Now it's just insult to injury. lol

Here's what Wodesorel had to say in another thread where a crabber found bugs in another food:

They are harmless - just a type of mealieworm bug. Same thing you can find in old pasta. If you freeze the jar for a few days it will kill off anything left in it and then you can feed the rest to the crabs. Once they're dead they're just another source of protein. I haven't bought a jar of medley in about a year, because the last 6 jars I bought had those bugs in it, even though they were from different stores and were still sealed. Something is up with their quality lately. The crabs will eat the affected food though, if you feel comfortable enough. Mine got all of the stuff I bought and enjoyed every last shrimp from it.

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