HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone I've been interested in hermies for quite a long time now, and I think at this point in my life I think I can finally invest in them, but I have a few questions to make sure this is the right pet for me

Just to set the scene, I've wanted hermit crabs since about the 4th grade, when one of my close friends at the time took me and another friend to Petsmart to pick out her crabs. She assigned me the duty of seeing if they were friendly - if they pinched me or not. Lucky me. And if you're curious, no, I will not be asking her advice or getting hand-me-downs, because after doing the slightest bit of research, I discovered her crabitat was as bad as possible

Anyways, I'm 16 now, and really want some crabs of my own. I'll be getting a job soon, so I'll have some money to invest on the crabbies, but please keep in mind as you read the questions that I have sort of a conservative approach to spending money on these animals. I really want crabs, and having a great crabitat is a huge priority, but please understand I'm also saving for a car (and eventually college) so I can't shell out full paychecks for the little guys (also note the pun ) I hope to spend $250 or less on the crabs altogether, and I hope to get them in the early summer

1. After all the initial set-up of the tank and humidity and such, is it relatively little maintenance to keep crabs?
I'm well aware of daily feeding and water changes and spot cleaning, but are there any other huge, regular tasks I should know of? I know that next year I'm going to be getting lots of homework, and I want to make sure I'm not too overwhelmed between crabs and school
2. I plan on purchasing a 15 gallon tank for 3 hermit crabs. Will this tank be big enough to sustain them until I'm making more money and able to buy them a bigger tank?
I know buying hermies from Petsmart is like the enemy, but this is the most accessible outlet for me. As much as I would love to adopt, I don't have a car at my disposal
3. I just want reassurance that the place in my room I will put the tank is okay for them
So basically I have a little shelf unit on the north wall of my room, about a foot away from the corner. On the west wall I have a window, and with the blinds open, the crabs will be getting indirect sunlight all day, every day (except when it's cloudy ) Will this be a good environment for them?
4. The aforementioned area does get a little drafty, so obviously I will be purchasing heating pads, but with all the sunlight, will they need a lamp still as well?
5. Substrate: where can I buy EcoEarth?
(That is the stuff mixed 1:5 with ordinary play sand, correct?)
6. I was also reading something about isopods, and that they are really great for the hermies... what are isopods and where can I get them?

I think that's it for my questions for now Thank you in advance for any help regarding these questions! (any other helpful hints you share will be greatly appreciated as well, of course ) I'm really looking forward to the day I can bring some hermies of my own home (I was stalking the whole HCA website yesterday looking at everyone's tanks and crab pics... I was supposed to be writing an essay )

Thank you sooo much!!
-alypin

Hi! I wrote E for HeyItsEggs

alypin wrote:Hi everyone I've been interested in hermies for quite a long time now, and I think at this point in my life I think I can finally invest in them, but I have a few questions to make sure this is the right pet for me

Just to set the scene, I've wanted hermit crabs since about the 4th grade, when one of my close friends at the time took me and another friend to Petsmart to pick out her crabs. She assigned me the duty of seeing if they were friendly - if they pinched me or not. Lucky me. And if you're curious, no, I will not be asking her advice or getting hand-me-downs, because after doing the slightest bit of research, I discovered her crabitat was as bad as possible

Anyways, I'm 16 now, and really want some crabs of my own. I'll be getting a job soon, so I'll have some money to invest on the crabbies, but please keep in mind as you read the questions that I have sort of a conservative approach to spending money on these animals. I really want crabs, and having a great crabitat is a huge priority, but please understand I'm also saving for a car (and eventually college) so I can't shell out full paychecks for the little guys (also note the pun ) I hope to spend $250 or less on the crabs altogether, and I hope to get them in the early summer

1. After all the initial set-up of the tank and humidity and such, is it relatively little maintenance to keep crabs?
I'm well aware of daily feeding and water changes and spot cleaning, but are there any other huge, regular tasks I should know of? I know that next year I'm going to be getting lots of homework, and I want to make sure I'm not too overwhelmed between crabs and school
E- Dechlorinating the water, salt water and fresh water. At least 6 inches of sub, you should find the rest here.
2. I plan on purchasing a 15 gallon tank for 3 hermit crabs. Will this tank be big enough to sustain them until I'm making more money and able to buy them a bigger tank?
I know buying hermies from Petsmart is like the enemy, but this is the most accessible outlet for me. As much as I would love to adopt, I don't have a car at my disposal
E- Yes that should be fine, but I do suggest a 20 gal because they will grow
3. I just want reassurance that the place in my room I will put the tank is okay for them
So basically I have a little shelf unit on the north wall of my room, about a foot away from the corner. On the west wall I have a window, and with the blinds open, the crabs will be getting indirect sunlight all day, every day (except when it's cloudy ) Will this be a good environment for them?
E-Yes it should be fine.
4. The aforementioned area does get a little drafty, so obviously I will be purchasing heating pads, but with all the sunlight, will they need a lamp still as well?
E- Lamps do slightly increase the heat, but they zap humidity so just spray a lot.
5. Substrate: where can I buy EcoEarth?
(That is the stuff mixed 1:5 with ordinary play sand, correct?)
E- Yes, you can find it at pet stores and hardware stores
6. I was also reading something about isopods, and that they are really great for the hermies... what are isopods and where can I get them?
E-They are roly polys, or potato bugs what ever you call them!

I think that's it for my questions for now Thank you in advance for any help regarding these questions! (any other helpful hints you share will be greatly appreciated as well, of course ) I'm really looking forward to the day I can bring some hermies of my own home (I was stalking the whole HCA website yesterday looking at everyone's tanks and crab pics... I was supposed to be writing an essay )

Thank you sooo much!!
-alypin

HeyItsEggs wrote:Hi! I wrote E for HeyItsEggs

alypin wrote:1. After all the initial set-up of the tank and humidity and such, is it relatively little maintenance to keep crabs?
I'm well aware of daily feeding and water changes and spot cleaning, but are there any other huge, regular tasks I should know of? I know that next year I'm going to be getting lots of homework, and I want to make sure I'm not too overwhelmed between crabs and school
E- Dechlorinating the water, salt water and fresh water. At least 6 inches of sub, you should find the rest here.
2. I plan on purchasing a 15 gallon tank for 3 hermit crabs. Will this tank be big enough to sustain them until I'm making more money and able to buy them a bigger tank?
I know buying hermies from Petsmart is like the enemy, but this is the most accessible outlet for me. As much as I would love to adopt, I don't have a car at my disposal
E- Yes that should be fine, but I do suggest a 20 gal because they will grow
3. I just want reassurance that the place in my room I will put the tank is okay for them
So basically I have a little shelf unit on the north wall of my room, about a foot away from the corner. On the west wall I have a window, and with the blinds open, the crabs will be getting indirect sunlight all day, every day (except when it's cloudy ) Will this be a good environment for them?
E-Yes it should be fine.
4. The aforementioned area does get a little drafty, so obviously I will be purchasing heating pads, but with all the sunlight, will they need a lamp still as well?
E- Lamps do slightly increase the heat, but they zap humidity so just spray a lot.
5. Substrate: where can I buy EcoEarth?
(That is the stuff mixed 1:5 with ordinary play sand, correct?)
E- Yes, you can find it at pet stores and hardware stores
6. I was also reading something about isopods, and that they are really great for the hermies... what are isopods and where can I get them?
E-They are roly polys, or potato bugs what ever you call them!

Thank you so much, HeyItsEggs! I'm looking into 20 gallon tanks right now. Do you think if I were to purchase a 20gal with a lid/hood it would retain humidity better? I'm looking at this one: http://www.petsmart.com/fish/supplies/a ... gid=300065
It's more expensive than I would like but it fits on the table top a little better

Welcome to HCA! Have you tried CraigsList, LetGo, or OfferUp for used tanks? Search reptile, aquarium, terrarium, tank, etc... You can often find them with accessories and at a fraction of the cost. Remember, they don't have to hold water. Also, glass tops are better IMO.

Sent from my HTC6515LVW using Tapatalk

Welcome the the HCA I will tell you this...and it is very true...crabbing is addicting!! It is like having a saltwater fish tank. You will always wish that you had a bigger tank! So, I would recommend that you get the biggest that you can afford with your budget I agree with Daws about buying a used one! I love OfferUp & Craigslist, Bookoo & VarageSale are a couple of other ones to check out. Someone on here mentioned that Petco was going to be having their $1/gallon sale starting April 1st, but I don't know if that is reliable or not. Good luck!

I wrote GB for GotButterflies

HeyItsEggs wrote:Hi! I wrote E for HeyItsEggs

alypin wrote:Hi everyone I've been interested in hermies for quite a long time now, and I think at this point in my life I think I can finally invest in them, but I have a few questions to make sure this is the right pet for me

Just to set the scene, I've wanted hermit crabs since about the 4th grade, when one of my close friends at the time took me and another friend to Petsmart to pick out her crabs. She assigned me the duty of seeing if they were friendly - if they pinched me or not. Lucky me. And if you're curious, no, I will not be asking her advice or getting hand-me-downs, because after doing the slightest bit of research, I discovered her crabitat was as bad as possible

Anyways, I'm 16 now, and really want some crabs of my own. I'll be getting a job soon, so I'll have some money to invest on the crabbies, but please keep in mind as you read the questions that I have sort of a conservative approach to spending money on these animals. I really want crabs, and having a great crabitat is a huge priority, but please understand I'm also saving for a car (and eventually college) so I can't shell out full paychecks for the little guys (also note the pun ) I hope to spend $250 or less on the crabs altogether, and I hope to get them in the early summer

1. After all the initial set-up of the tank and humidity and such, is it relatively little maintenance to keep crabs?
I'm well aware of daily feeding and water changes and spot cleaning, but are there any other huge, regular tasks I should know of? I know that next year I'm going to be getting lots of homework, and I want to make sure I'm not too overwhelmed between crabs and school
E- Dechlorinating the water, salt water and fresh water. At least 6 inches of sub, you should find the rest here.
2. I plan on purchasing a 15 gallon tank for 3 hermit crabs. Will this tank be big enough to sustain them until I'm making more money and able to buy them a bigger tank?
I know buying hermies from Petsmart is like the enemy, but this is the most accessible outlet for me. As much as I would love to adopt, I don't have a car at my disposal
E- Yes that should be fine, but I do suggest a 20 gal because they will grow

GB: I would recommend going with as big as you can with your budget. You will see very quickly how addicting crabs are. You will always want a larger tank I recommend 1 crab per 5 gallons (minimum).

3. I just want reassurance that the place in my room I will put the tank is okay for them
So basically I have a little shelf unit on the north wall of my room, about a foot away from the corner. On the west wall I have a window, and with the blinds open, the crabs will be getting indirect sunlight all day, every day (except when it's cloudy ) Will this be a good environment for them?
E-Yes it should be fine.

GB: That should be fine. I have one of my crabitats by a window too. My crabs love the view! Just keep in mind their temp and humidity INSIDE the tank need to be 80/80 minimum

4. The aforementioned area does get a little drafty, so obviously I will be purchasing heating pads, but with all the sunlight, will they need a lamp still as well?
E- Lamps do slightly increase the heat, but they zap humidity so just spray a lot.

GB: I personally do not like heat lamps. I prefer UTH's for heat. Us crabbers use them to heat the air vs the floor of the crabitat. We place them on the back or the side of the tank above the substrate. You can purchase them from www.beanfarm.com or www.reptilebasics.com I disagree about spritzing more in the tank to boost humidity. That is a temporary fix that can lead to issues like bacterial blooms and flooding. It is not recommended.

5. Substrate: where can I buy EcoEarth?
(That is the stuff mixed 1:5 with ordinary play sand, correct?)
E- Yes, you can find it at pet stores and hardware stores

GB: Eco earth can be purchased at petstores, or online. Playsand can be purchased at hardware stores.

6. I was also reading something about isopods, and that they are really great for the hermies... what are isopods and where can I get them?
E-They are roly polys, or potato bugs what ever you call them!

GB: Isopods are great! They help keep the crabitat clean by eating crab poo and by eating left over food. www.isopodconnection.tictail.com

I think that's it for my questions for now Thank you in advance for any help regarding these questions! (any other helpful hints you share will be greatly appreciated as well, of course ) I'm really looking forward to the day I can bring some hermies of my own home (I was stalking the whole HCA website yesterday looking at everyone's tanks and crab pics... I was supposed to be writing an essay )

Thank you sooo much!!
-alypin

GotButterflies wrote:Someone on here mentioned that Petco was going to be having their $1/gallon sale starting April 1st, but I don't know if that is reliable or not.

It was I that mentioned Petco's next $/gallon sale. This image was on Petco's FaceBook page.



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daws409 wrote:Welcome to HCA! Have you tried CraigsList, LetGo, or OfferUp for used tanks? Search reptile, aquarium, terrarium, tank, etc... You can often find them with accessories and at a fraction of the cost. Remember, they don't have to hold water. Also, glass tops are better IMO.

Sent from my HTC6515LVW using Tapatalk

Thank you for the welcome and the suggestions! I think I'll check out Petco's dollar/gallon sale that you mentioned is starting soon. All of the 20 gallon tanks are too far for me to feel comfortable getting, lol (I live in a suburb of Chicago and some of the areas are kind of sketchy ) Thank you so much!

GotButterflies wrote:Welcome the the HCA I will tell you this...and it is very true...crabbing is addicting!! It is like having a saltwater fish tank. You will always wish that you had a bigger tank! So, I would recommend that you get the biggest that you can afford with your budget I agree with Daws about buying a used one! I love OfferUp & Craigslist, Bookoo & VarageSale are a couple of other ones to check out. Someone on here mentioned that Petco was going to be having their $1/gallon sale starting April 1st, but I don't know if that is reliable or not. Good luck!

Thank you so much for all of your advice! I'll try to not get addicted too quickly on this budget, lol. You did mention spritzing isn't a good idea for humidity control, what's the best way to go about doing that then? And do you think isopods straight from my backyard will work as well?

(Just like a small anecdote, when I first found the HCA website, the first topic I clicked on was your recent photos of your 75g & 100g crabitats, and that was the kick in the pants for me, like "woah, this is a really serious thing" Your crabitats are really awesome and inspiring! )

Thanks again for all the ideas

Humidity - moss pitts, coco fiber/climbing background (when sprayed of course), and bubblers in the pools.

Here's a DIY for Bubblers: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... p?t=113691

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For humidity you can add moss pits, glass tops, if substrate is eco earth and sand mixed with dechlorinated marine salt water that helps tremendously, air stones in the water bowls (pools should be deep enough for crabs to fully submerge, and safe enough for them to get out of). Misting is a good temporary fix, but only helps temporarily, and the crabs tend to not care for it.


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Thank you for the compliment


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Thank you both, again!

Hi alypin,

Just wanted to say, good for you for doing research first!!! Read all you can on this forum, and research everything you can think of. Crab care sheets, postings, everything!

Don't be like me starting out. I did everything backwards (i.e. buy the crab, then realize I was totally unprepared to care for it and almost everything the pet store had told me was wrong and almost everything I bought that they recommended was actually bad for crabs). Doing things backwards is stressful and can cost loads of money. So totally, go for the research!!!

Here's a few useful tips that took me a while to find out (from other crabbers, on this forum, etc.). I've only been at this for a few months, but these really helped me get things set up.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Zip ties and plastic craft mesh are your friends. And they are super cheap. You can rinse them in dechlorinated water and use them for everything, from building ramps into and out of your water bowls to stabilizing cholla and wood in the tank. You can use the craft mesh to modify a hampster wheel or put a climbable surface on the outside of a hide, or just give them something to climb. CrabMater uses 3M hooks to hang her nets - I plan to try that soon.

2. A lot of folks use plain GE silicone/aquarium silicone to glue things together. Look on this forum for details. Be sure there's no mold killing additive or other stuff in it and let it cure until all hint of smell is gone before putting it in your tank. It could take longer than the tube recommends, and cures from the outside in. Up to a week is reasonable, depending on how thick the silicone is.

3. I recommend you measure everything. Maybe that's just me. I like to measure. But the more you measure the more you know. For instance, before you get your habitat, you can measure the temperature range of the room you plan to put them in and the relative humidity range of the room over time. This can help you decide what tank components to get, if you need to increase humidity and temperature a little or a lot. Once you set up your habitat, things you can measure include temperature of your substrate, relative humidity throughout the tank, and temperature near and far from your UTHs. Things that I personally do think are worth the money - ultratherm UTHs, a Zilla thermostat, and a good RH/Temperature gage, or gages. Digital is recommended - lots of info on this forum about this topic.

4.Nested tupperware containers are a good idea for a water bowl. Lots of good info on this site on how to do that best. Almost any plastic container can be used for a hide or a water bowl if it has the right dimensions - you may already have much of what you need in your own home, or a nearby thrift store.

5. Press n seal works great to seal up a reptile mesh lid, or anywhere you don't want the humidity escaping from.

6. You might have to use more insulation than you expect depending on how cold it gets in your house/where you live, and the insulation amount changes with the seasons. You can get styrofoam panels or Reflectix from the hardware store. I use both, with the Reflectix on the inside, and a towel over the crabitat at night. There may be better ways, but that worked for me.

7. Don't use pine. Or cedar, or any evergreen tree, because they're toxic to crabs. You probably know this already from reading the care sheets, but pine almost slipped past me, and in Alabama at least it's everywhere.

8. The recommendation is always boil new shells for 5 minutes before giving them to your crabs. I boil mine for 10 minutes. You can use treated freshwater or treated marine saltwater. If you plan on boiling your shells and stuff in saltwater (my crabs really like that - they eat the dried salt out of them before they try them on), I recommend getting a glass pot with a lid and a large sturdy plastic spoon to stir it. And a pair of clamshell tongs for picking up shells in boiling water and moving them about to get the air out. Think thrift store. A ceramic coated pot and lid might work too - I haven't tried that yet. After a while, stainless steel corrodes with the marine saltwater and it will tear your pans up. And of course the stuff that corrodes off of your pans goes into the saltwater solution, which is probably not so great for the crabs. The saltwater is also not so nice on hands. I really should wear gloves...

EDIT: So, apparently I am overdoing it (wouldn't be the first time ). The post from PinchersandShellls(sp?) where I thought it said boil shells in saltwater - apparently it was actually dip shells in saltwater while still warm after boiling in freshwater, and then let them dry and give to crabs while still slightly warm. You may not need to boil anything in saltwater, ever. I need to do some more research on that...

9. A gravel vacuum!!! For changing water and cleaning rocks in deep water bowls. This is next on my list of must haves. GotButterflies says hers is a time saver.

10. You'll probably want some space to store your treated water and crab supplies. I put my water in 1L bottles, but you could use gallon jugs or something similar. Marine saltwater should sit for 24 hrs before using to help the salt dissolve according to the manufacturer of my Instant Ocean. A medium plastic funnel with a handle will probably make life easier when filling water containers or adding salt. Prime treats 2 L (~ half a gallon) per drop, and the Instant Ocean makes 1L per 1/8 c salt. It's okay to make less than 2 liters of water with 1 drop of Prime. I bought a salinity meter, but it checked out fine the first few times I measured my saltwater, so I don't use it much now. Crabs regulate their own salinity, so you may not need to buy a salinity meter when using a product folks on the forum recommend (Instant Ocean and others).

11. If you buy canned anything (river shrimp, crickets, etc.), open the can and spread everything out on a piece of aluminum foil or plastic on top of a cookie sheet and freeze it. Then you can put it all in one bag in the freezer without it sticking together, and it doesn't go bad. Depending on how many you have, the crabs eat a miniscule amount, and those cans go bad in your fridge after a week or two. Or use freeze dried food, but be really careful of the preservatives. Love that safe foods list!!!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Best of luck!!! Keep us posted!!! (do you like my pun?? )

Hermias_mom wrote:Hi alypin,

Just wanted to say, good for you for doing research first!!! Read all you can on this forum, and research everything you can think of. Crab care sheets, postings, everything!

Don't be like me starting out. I did everything backwards (i.e. buy the crab, then realize I was totally unprepared to care for it and almost everything the pet store had told me was wrong and almost everything I bought that they recommended was actually bad for crabs). Doing things backwards is stressful and can cost loads of money. So totally, go for the research!!!

Here's a few useful tips that took me a while to find out (from other crabbers, on this forum, etc.). I've only been at this for a few months, but these really helped me get things set up.

Tips and Tricks:

1. Zip ties and plastic craft mesh are your friends. And they are super cheap. You can rinse them in dechlorinated water and use them for everything, from building ramps into and out of your water bowls to stabilizing cholla and wood in the tank. You can use the craft mesh to modify a hampster wheel or put a climbable surface on the outside of a hide, or just give them something to climb. CrabMater uses 3M hooks to hang her nets - I plan to try that soon.

2. A lot of folks use plain GE silicone/aquarium silicone to glue things together. Look on this forum for details. Be sure there's no mold killing additive or other stuff in it and let it cure until all hint of smell is gone before putting it in your tank. It could take longer than the tube recommends, and cures from the outside in. Up to a week is reasonable, depending on how thick the silicone is.

3. I recommend you measure everything. Maybe that's just me. I like to measure. But the more you measure the more you know. For instance, before you get your habitat, you can measure the temperature range of the room you plan to put them in and the relative humidity range of the room over time. This can help you decide what tank components to get, if you need to increase humidity and temperature a little or a lot. Once you set up your habitat, things you can measure include temperature of your substrate, relative humidity throughout the tank, and temperature near and far from your UTHs. Things that I personally do think are worth the money - ultratherm UTHs, a Zilla thermostat, and a good RH/Temperature gage, or gages. Digital is recommended - lots of info on this forum about this topic.

4.Nested tupperware containers are a good idea for a water bowl. Lots of good info on this site on how to do that best. Almost any plastic container can be used for a hide or a water bowl if it has the right dimensions - you may already have much of what you need in your own home, or a nearby thrift store.

5. Press n seal works great to seal up a reptile mesh lid, or anywhere you don't want the humidity escaping from.

6. You might have to use more insulation than you expect depending on how cold it gets in your house/where you live, and the insulation amount changes with the seasons. You can get styrofoam panels or Reflectix from the hardware store. I use both, with the Reflectix on the inside, and a towel over the crabitat at night. There may be better ways, but that worked for me.

7. Don't use pine. Or cedar, or any evergreen tree, because they're toxic to crabs. You probably know this already from reading the care sheets, but pine almost slipped past me, and in Alabama at least it's everywhere.

8. The recommendation is always boil new shells for 5 minutes before giving them to your crabs. I boil mine for 10 minutes. You can use treated freshwater or treated marine saltwater. If you plan on boiling your shells and stuff in saltwater (my crabs really like that - they eat the dried salt out of them before they try them on), I recommend getting a glass pot with a lid and a large sturdy plastic spoon to stir it. And a pair of clamshell tongs for picking up shells in boiling water and moving them about to get the air out. Think thrift store. A ceramic coated pot and lid might work too - I haven't tried that yet. After a while, stainless steel corrodes with the marine saltwater and it will tear your pans up. And of course the stuff that corrodes off of your pans goes into the saltwater solution, which is probably not so great for the crabs. The saltwater is also not so nice on hands. I really should wear gloves...

EDIT: So, apparently I am overdoing it (wouldn't be the first time ). The post from PinchersandShellls(sp?) where I thought it said boil shells in saltwater - apparently it was actually dip shells in saltwater while still warm after boiling in freshwater, and then let them dry and give to crabs while still slightly warm. You may not need to boil anything in saltwater, ever. I need to do some more research on that...

9. A gravel vacuum!!! For changing water and cleaning rocks in deep water bowls. This is next on my list of must haves. GotButterflies says hers is a time saver.

10. You'll probably want some space to store your treated water and crab supplies. I put my water in 1L bottles, but you could use gallon jugs or something similar. Marine saltwater should sit for 24 hrs before using to help the salt dissolve according to the manufacturer of my Instant Ocean. A medium plastic funnel with a handle will probably make life easier when filling water containers or adding salt. Prime treats 2 L (~ half a gallon) per drop, and the Instant Ocean makes 1L per 1/8 c salt. It's okay to make less than 2 liters of water with 1 drop of Prime. I bought a salinity meter, but it checked out fine the first few times I measured my saltwater, so I don't use it much now. Crabs regulate their own salinity, so you may not need to buy a salinity meter when using a product folks on the forum recommend (Instant Ocean and others).

11. If you buy canned anything (river shrimp, crickets, etc.), open the can and spread everything out on a piece of aluminum foil or plastic on top of a cookie sheet and freeze it. Then you can put it all in one bag in the freezer without it sticking together, and it doesn't go bad. Depending on how many you have, the crabs eat a miniscule amount, and those cans go bad in your fridge after a week or two. Or use freeze dried food, but be really careful of the preservatives. Love that safe foods list!!!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. Best of luck!!! Keep us posted!!! (do you like my pun?? )

Thank you for all your advice! Haha in my family, I have to do my research - in fact, I still have to put together a PowerPoint to convince my parents to even let me get crabs (My dad came in my room with totally inaccurate info and we started debating, then I found this super old thread http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 7&t=102278 and he's saying "that's fake" and I hope he's joking ) I asked my dad why he was so opposed and he said it seemed like a "waste of time and effort," so Operation Prove Dad Wrong is a go

I have no idea exactly what I'll be putting in the tank yet, I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty long project. I'm hoping to do a lot of DIY stuff to save moolah. The temperature in the room the crabs will be (aka my bedroom) is the most unstable room (temperature-wise) in the whole house, so I'm just going to buy 1 large-ish pad and hope for the best. My room is the coldest in the winter, but it's been so long since the summer I don't remember how it is then I checked a thermometer/hygrometer we have in another room and it says that the house is about 67 degrees Fahrenheit and about 35% humidity, however I'm wrapped in a blanket right now. Maybe the UTH will help warm up the rest of my room too Thanks for the point about the insulation!

Yes, I've read about the stacked Tupperware thing before! I think that's the route I'm going to go, but I'm still deciding about how I want to make it more shallow for the crabs. I don't really want to use gravel though, even though you suggested the vacuum. I remember my mom did that with our old fish tank (I wish we still had the tank!) and that seemed like the worst chore. I just saw another crabber do steps into their water containers, so maybe I'll do something like that I think I'm going to keep my salt water in another Tupperware, it's making sense in my head. Whenever I change out the water I can like alternate between Tupperware containers Easy storage. I don't think my parents would like an extra gallon jug hanging around

Oops, I'm a bad person - I didn't read all the care guides I started to, but then got really overwhelmed so I just looked at people's photos instead I'll definitely read the care guides thoroughly soon I wasn't planning on using anything from my yard as it is, because I don't feel 100% safe giving that stuff to my *future* crabs, I don't know what the stuff is exposed to.

Okay your saying that the crabs eat a minuscule amount somewhat frightens me (As I was looking for this one I discovered there's a lot of smilies!!! Mind = blown. Anyways, back to your regularly scheduled question...) I'm scared I'll prepare too much for them! Just for reference, if I were to make a whole, unseasoned chicken breast, how many days would it take for my hermit crabs to eat it all? (Obviously I'll be portioning it out, but how long would until the whole breast used) Would a chopped up baby carrot be enough for more than 1 day portions?? I don't want to prepare excess food for the little guys

Thank you for all your other information though! It's going to help a ton