HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi, everyone. Happy to be here at the HCA.

I was a serious crabber around 8-10 years ago (I was probably between 13 and 16 at the time). Had several large 'tats set up and over 50 crabs. I quickly became overwhelmed and failed to take proper care of them after a few years. I found another crabber locally who took my remaining crabs into his care.

Flash-forward to adulthood: I finally got crabbos again - after years of wanting to! I am keeping the hobby MUCH smaller this go-round though. Spent a few weeks gathering supplies and setting up a stable 10 gallon aquarium. And then I got crabs! 2 small PPs, lovingly named 'Scuttles the Shadow Crab of Disparity and Darkness' and 'Beacon the Two Pound Crab of Light and Purity'. The names are subject to getting longer as I learn their personalities more, haha.

No real point to this post other than to just be ecstatic about crabs with people. My roommate has been laughing at me a ton for sitting, all hunkered down & still, watching them at night. They've both been dipping into the salt water a lot, as well as eating plenty. I am anticipating them to dig down for a molt soon as they both are missing the tips of several legs. Honestly am surprised that they haven't dug at all yet as I have had them for almost a week.

But yeah! Hi everyone!

Hi! You're gonna soon remember how addicting they are and upgrade. A 10gal gets sung with all their stuff. Lol.

Hermiesguardian wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:44 am

Hi! You're gonna soon remember how addicting they are and upgrade. A 10gal gets sung with all their stuff. Lol.

Oh, I know! Current living situation calls for no more than a 10 gallon, am looking to buy a home sometime in the next year or so. Figure I'll give the crabs an upgrade at the same time. Gonna have to try and be content with what I can swing for now. I had the hardest time setting it up, the smallest I had ever worked with before was a 20 gallon (long) aquarium. It was difficult making a 10 gallon functional and appealing, but I am happy with how it turned out.

Welcome to the board!

A 10g is a good way to get back into the swing of things without biting off more than you can chew type of thing. A burnout is never fun, I've experienced similar at times and it's hard to make things work.

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While I already have a thread going, can someone double-check the foods I've offered them for just general OK-ness?

Sunday: dried mealworms, pineapple, steamed cauliflower
Monday: same food as Sunday + plus raw chicken
Tuesday: raw turkey, olive oil, honey, steamed brussel sprout, and clementine
Wednesday: same food as Tuesday
Thursday: dried mealworms, blueberry, quinoa, red lentils, corn
Friday: same food as Thursday

This weekend I intend to pick up some small quantities of shrimp/fish (I don't eat seafood, so it isn't something that I often have on hand) for a little more variety in protein choice. Otherwise - I'm just trying to stick to a basic plan of protein + fruit + veg + occasional other & trust that the crabbos can figure it out from there. Seem solid?

craboloading wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:24 am

While I already have a thread going, can someone double-check the foods I've offered them for just general OK-ness?

Sunday: dried mealworms, pineapple, steamed cauliflower
Monday: same food as Sunday + plus raw chicken
Tuesday: raw turkey, olive oil, honey, steamed brussel sprout, and clementine
Wednesday: same food as Tuesday
Thursday: dried mealworms, blueberry, quinoa, red lentils, corn
Friday: same food as Thursday

This weekend I intend to pick up some small quantities of shrimp/fish (I don't eat seafood, so it isn't something that I often have on hand) for a little more variety in protein choice. Otherwise - I'm just trying to stick to a basic plan of protein + fruit + veg + occasional other & trust that the crabbos can figure it out from there. Seem solid?

You may want to throw in some eggshells for calcium. I also suggest some cuttlebone in your tank so they can munch on that.

teachincrabbie wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:52 am

You may want to throw in some eggshells for calcium. I also suggest some cuttlebone in your tank so they can munch on that.

There is cuttlebone in there! Just didn't think to mention it with the rotating foods. Thanks - will make a note to boil some eggs this weekend.

Don't forget leaf litter. And worm castings.

I keep greensand, egg shells, and cuttlebone stuck into the substrate for easy use.

Hermiesguardian wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 16, 2019 6:45 pm

Don't forget leaf litter. And worm castings.

Not exactly "leaf litter" but I do have a ton of organic dried calendula I could give to them. I need to get some worm castings, that is something I'd forgotten - thank you!

odelayheehoo wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 16, 2019 7:05 pm

I keep greensand, egg shells, and cuttlebone stuck into the substrate for easy use.

Do the eggshells not get icky over time? More so in terms of smell. I put some in with their dinner tonight and there is a definite egg-smell.

Welcome back to the addicting world of crabbing!

Make sure you cover all aspects of food pyramid Foods should be organic when possible. Hermit crabs are sensitive to pesticides and fertilizers.
Safe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557
Unsafe food list: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92556
Food pyramid: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554
Provide calcium too - cuttlebone, eggshells, coral, oyster shell, exoskeleton

I didn't like raw eggshells either. So I keep the shells from hard cooked eggs, and use those instead. No smell, no goo, no ick factor for me! LOL.

My crabs love raw eggshell. Especially with a bit of egg still inside. I had one recently that dragged it into the pool. That was a mess. But just like other foods I remove it after a couple of days.

Just wanted to give a little update since my original post, Scuttles has returned from his very first molt with me! Within probably the first 2 weeks he dug underground and he just came back up yesterday. He is visibly larger as his formerly well-fitting shell seems a bit small now & his nails are nice and sharp. I am so stoked that he has already successfully molted in my care. Beacon went underground on Tuesday, so hopefully in a few weeks I can report that he has also completed a molt.

Loading Scuttles up with some post-molt nutrients. Mineral supplement, worm castings, & the basic diet from THCP in the dry foods dish. Eggshell, scrambled egg, frozen brine shrimp, blackberry, a single piece of air-popped popcorn, and calendula flower in the fresh food dish.

Congrats on successful molt! Always so exciting when they come back!