Introducing me and my crabbies!
Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 2:12 pm
Hello, I have had hermit crabs for about a year now. We got our first crab in June 2014. My daughter won a hermit crab at a fair. They gave us a tiny kritter keeper with a sponge, less than an inch of dry sand, a hermit hut, a shell food/water bowl (tiny), a small cup of pellet food, and a large painted extra shell. The first thing the lady did when she gave it to us was drop him on the ground. She said he would be fine, they are tough :/. She said I had everything I would need to keep a hermit crab.
"Crabby" lived in that container for about a week, when I got curious about hermit crabs. I did some research and found out I most certainly did not have everything I would need. At the time I wasnt working so I got a 5gal tank I think and playsand, some water dishes for salt and freshwater (at the time I just bought the petco bottled hermit crab water) and a larger rock hut. Also temp and humidity gauges, and an UTH. Then I found out they like friends so we went to petco and purchased a PP in a spongebob shell (didnt know at the time that those were bad). He didnt last a full day in the tank. Found him with his legs and claws strewn about the tank. So Crabby was alone again. We decided to buy another crab from a local pet store. He is a PP we named Scuttles. Scuttles and Crabby lived happily (or I thought happily) together until last month. One day I looked in to find Crabby naked hanging off the side of the saltwater dish. I panicked and read some forums and dipped him in the saltwater and tried to scoop him into a shell. He was limp and not moving. Not even his feelers. I was so sad I just kept hoping he would be OK and I kept his body in that shell until it molded. (I tried to play the fishy smell off as not really being there, that it was just moist sand or some food somewhere in the cage). Just to be 100% sure he was gone before I buried him in the flower bed, I placed him in the freezer for 20 minutes. I was waiting for any sign of life from him but I never saw any
So it was just Scuttles. Now, Crabby had one successful molt with me. The substrate wasnt as deep as I learned it should be, but I found him in a hole under the saltwater dish molting. He ate his exo and returned as normal. He was climbing, eating, drinking, everything right before he died unexpectedly. My tank is always around 80-85 degrees and about 80% humidity. So I'm not sure why he died. Him and Scuttles were never near each other. Scuttles hung out next to the UTH and Crabby (who I think was an E) was anywhere and everywhere in the tank.
I recently upgraded to a 20g long crabitat, make my own saltwater using distilled water and instant ocean, have zoomeds fresh water dechlorinator in distilled water, plenty of extra shells, a moss pit, and the food they eat is from the Hermit Crab Patch (also the shells) and occasionally fruit, veggies, and meat from meals. There is a cuttlebone in there as well. About two weeks ago we brought home 2 new PPs from the same local pet shop we got Scuttles. So far they are all seeming to do great. One even switched to the new shells I bought! I have about 6 inches of substrate in the tank, about a 5:1 mix of play sand and EE. As far as I know though, Scuttles has never molted. I have never seen him under the sand, or acting strange above the sand. Im less worried about the new 3 molting, because I just got them and conditions were not terrible at the pet shop. But I think Scuttles is long overdue and Im getting worried. I know this post is superlong (sorry about that!) but just wanted to give an intro to my crabbing and maybe some answers about Scuttles not molting. Thanks!
"Crabby" lived in that container for about a week, when I got curious about hermit crabs. I did some research and found out I most certainly did not have everything I would need. At the time I wasnt working so I got a 5gal tank I think and playsand, some water dishes for salt and freshwater (at the time I just bought the petco bottled hermit crab water) and a larger rock hut. Also temp and humidity gauges, and an UTH. Then I found out they like friends so we went to petco and purchased a PP in a spongebob shell (didnt know at the time that those were bad). He didnt last a full day in the tank. Found him with his legs and claws strewn about the tank. So Crabby was alone again. We decided to buy another crab from a local pet store. He is a PP we named Scuttles. Scuttles and Crabby lived happily (or I thought happily) together until last month. One day I looked in to find Crabby naked hanging off the side of the saltwater dish. I panicked and read some forums and dipped him in the saltwater and tried to scoop him into a shell. He was limp and not moving. Not even his feelers. I was so sad I just kept hoping he would be OK and I kept his body in that shell until it molded. (I tried to play the fishy smell off as not really being there, that it was just moist sand or some food somewhere in the cage). Just to be 100% sure he was gone before I buried him in the flower bed, I placed him in the freezer for 20 minutes. I was waiting for any sign of life from him but I never saw any
So it was just Scuttles. Now, Crabby had one successful molt with me. The substrate wasnt as deep as I learned it should be, but I found him in a hole under the saltwater dish molting. He ate his exo and returned as normal. He was climbing, eating, drinking, everything right before he died unexpectedly. My tank is always around 80-85 degrees and about 80% humidity. So I'm not sure why he died. Him and Scuttles were never near each other. Scuttles hung out next to the UTH and Crabby (who I think was an E) was anywhere and everywhere in the tank.
I recently upgraded to a 20g long crabitat, make my own saltwater using distilled water and instant ocean, have zoomeds fresh water dechlorinator in distilled water, plenty of extra shells, a moss pit, and the food they eat is from the Hermit Crab Patch (also the shells) and occasionally fruit, veggies, and meat from meals. There is a cuttlebone in there as well. About two weeks ago we brought home 2 new PPs from the same local pet shop we got Scuttles. So far they are all seeming to do great. One even switched to the new shells I bought! I have about 6 inches of substrate in the tank, about a 5:1 mix of play sand and EE. As far as I know though, Scuttles has never molted. I have never seen him under the sand, or acting strange above the sand. Im less worried about the new 3 molting, because I just got them and conditions were not terrible at the pet shop. But I think Scuttles is long overdue and Im getting worried. I know this post is superlong (sorry about that!) but just wanted to give an intro to my crabbing and maybe some answers about Scuttles not molting. Thanks!
