HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone! My name's Nicole and we adopted 4 hermit crabs last weekend because our daughter has been begging for them, and I think I'm more in love than she is! I used to have hermit crabs when I was a kid, but my mom definitely didn't do enough research and they never lived for very long I want to make sure we treat them better this time and spoil them! Reading about how they're forced out of their shells and into painted ones had me sobbing. My husband thought I was crazy, haha (he's not wrong).

The 4 we just got came from a pet store and sadly all had painted shells I was able to buy a couple decent shells from the store and more are arriving tomorrow. Ever since we got them, I've only see one consistently and it's always at night - I know they're nocturnal and this is to be expected, but I'm still eager to see the others since we only saw them for a couple hours before they buried down, and I'm pretty sure they haven't moved at all. I've been reading a ton of posts on here trying to get as much knowledge as I can but I do have a few questions. This is long so bear with me....

1. How do I know if they're molting while they're buried vs just hiding out/de-stressing? How long until I should be concerned about them staying buried? The conditions at the pet store weren't horrible but also weren't great, so I'm worried they might not have enough water/food to sustain them being buried for too long.

2. I've read they need to be able to fully submerge in their fresh and salt water pools but does "fully submerge" mean the shell and all? Or enough so that their full bodies can get in but maybe the top of the shell sticks out? The ones we got are pretty small, biggest is maybe 3". I got 2 new dishes today that are 3-4" inches deep, but after doing more research I'm seeing a lot of deep tupperware dishes being used with craft mesh and stones. I'm on board with doing that if that's what is best but I'm worried it'll take up a lot of room in their crabitat. What size tank do people have that use tupperware for the pools?

And that leads me to the crabitat....They're currently in a 10 gallon tank because before doing my research we bought a "starter kit" from Zoo Med. I just went to the store today and got a 20 gallon that is 25" long. I contemplated a 29 gallon but the space where we're keeping the tank may not be big enough. I'll upgrade later if I need to.

Some q's on the crabitat....

1. For the substrate, I got a huge block of cocofiber. I read it's ok to only use this but sometimes it's best for new crabbers to do play sand and cocofiber mixed. I know the recommended ratio is 5:1 sand to cocofiber, but most of the crabitats I've seen on here look mostly brown and I would think if it were 5:1 with sand being the majority it wouldn't be that color? What are the cons to only using cocofiber? Also, what is best to wet and expand the cocofiber - Salt water or fresh water? I bought both Instant Ocean and Prime today so am ready to use those for their water sources.

2. I bought a couple new hiding places today, along with a few things they can climb on plus some fake plants. For the fake plant, and also the pools, is it best if those are somewhat buried in the substrate? Or does that take up too much room for digging and molting?

3. Once the 20 gallon is ready, what's the recommendation for moving them.... especially since 3 haven't been to the surface in a while? I know not to mess with them and will leave them be for as long as they're down there, but I'd hate to move the single active one to the new crabitat and he be alone for who knows how long. What should I do?

4. I also bought some calcium powder today. What's the best way to 'serve' that? Should I mix it in with the food I give them? Add it to the cocofiber?

5. I have a temperature and humidity gauge in the tank. I was having trouble with the humidity at the beginning, but just covered the mesh lid with some plastic wrap two days ago and now it sits around the 85% range. Temperature varies though depending on our AC. We live in Georgia so we definitely need it. The lowest I've seen the temp in their tank is 70 degrees. Is that too low? During the day it's closer to 75.

6. Placement of the crabitat: Right now they're not very close to a window at all. I know they don't need direct sunlight, but the room they're in doesn't have very big windows and they're probably 20 feet away from that. I have another place where the tank would fit, but it's right next to a window. This window typically doesn't get direct sunlight so I'm thinking it would be ok? Which is the better place?

Phew... I think that's all my questions (for now, ha!). If you've made it this far, THANK YOU! I want to do right by these little guys and I'm so so glad I found HCA! Thanks in advance!!

CrabMom925 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 23, 2020 4:23 pm

1. How do I know if they're molting while they're buried vs just hiding out/de-stressing? How long until I should be concerned about them staying buried? The conditions at the pet store weren't horrible but also weren't great, so I'm worried they might not have enough water/food to sustain them being buried for too long.

This is the difficult part, You don't know, they can dig for fun, or to molt or destress. There are several different ways to introduce new crabs into good conditions.

2. I've read they need to be able to fully submerge in their fresh and salt water pools but does "fully submerge" mean the shell and all? Or enough so that their full bodies can get in but maybe the top of the shell sticks out? The ones we got are pretty small, biggest is maybe 3". I got 2 new dishes today that are 3-4" inches deep, but after doing more research I'm seeing a lot of deep tupperware dishes being used with craft mesh and stones. I'm on board with doing that if that's what is best but I'm worried it'll take up a lot of room in their crabitat. What size tank do people have that use tupperware for the pools?

Tupperware containers are the cheapest way to go. We used them in a 10 gallon tank before. It's also helpful to double each pool. Put one container in the substrate and add a few stones at the bottom. it will add a barrier for digging crabs and make it easier to pull it out to do water changes!

And that leads me to the crabitat....They're currently in a 10 gallon tank because before doing my research we bought a "starter kit" from Zoo Med. I just went to the store today and got a 20 gallon that is 25" long. I contemplated a 29 gallon but the space where we're keeping the tank may not be big enough. I'll upgrade later if I need to.

I really like 29 gallon tanks! I honestly thing they are a great size for first crabitat. They have a decent amount of floor space and have height to add climbing too! They don't take up a lot of room compared a 55 or 75 gallon!


Some q's on the crabitat....

1. For the substrate, I got a huge block of cocofiber. I read it's ok to only use this but sometimes it's best for new crabbers to do play sand and cocofiber mixed. I know the recommended ratio is 5:1 sand to cocofiber, but most of the crabitats I've seen on here look mostly brown and I would think if it were 5:1 with sand being the majority it wouldn't be that color? What are the cons to only using cocofiber? Also, what is best to wet and expand the cocofiber - Salt water or fresh water? I bought both Instant Ocean and Prime today so am ready to use those for their water sources.

The cocofiber holds a lot of moisture, with it being natural it can break down and become moldy if it is too moist. It is ok to use just coco fiber or just playsand or any mix. Mixing the substrate with fresh or saltwater is a personal choice. I mix my tanks with saltwater because I believe it helps control mold and possibility of bacterial blooms. I mix all my sub in a 5 gallon bucket, then add a little water, then dump it between buckets, then repeat until it is just the right consistency.

2. I bought a couple new hiding places today, along with a few things they can climb on plus some fake plants. For the fake plant, and also the pools, is it best if those are somewhat buried in the substrate? Or does that take up too much room for digging and molting?

The crabs will bury everything on their own! I like to add vertical climbing in my tanks. We see our crabs in the air as much as on the substrate!

3. Once the 20 gallon is ready, what's the recommendation for moving them.... especially since 3 haven't been to the surface in a while? I know not to mess with them and will leave them be for as long as they're down there, but I'd hate to move the single active one to the new crabitat and he be alone for who knows how long. What should I do?

I would move the one over otherwise he will bury before you plan to change him over. He will be ok without his buddies!

4. I also bought some calcium powder today. What's the best way to 'serve' that? Should I mix it in with the food I give them? Add it to the cocofiber?

You can sprinkle it on other foods like proteins, or just offer it as is in a small shell or cap.

5. I have a temperature and humidity gauge in the tank. I was having trouble with the humidity at the beginning, but just covered the mesh lid with some plastic wrap two days ago and now it sits around the 85% range. Temperature varies though depending on our AC. We live in Georgia so we definitely need it. The lowest I've seen the temp in their tank is 70 degrees. Is that too low? During the day it's closer to 75.

The plastic wrap helps a lot. You can also add a towel on top of the lid to get the temperature up a little. I think if you could bump your low temperature a little bit it would be better. You are right on the border line at 70 as a minimum for purple pinchers. The change in temperature is good because it replicates natural temperature drops!

6. Placement of the crabitat: Right now they're not very close to a window at all. I know they don't need direct sunlight, but the room they're in doesn't have very big windows and they're probably 20 feet away from that. I have another place where the tank would fit, but it's right next to a window. This window typically doesn't get direct sunlight so I'm thinking it would be ok? Which is the better place?

I have one tank that is next to a north facing window. I haven't had any issues with mine and keep the blinds closed so it doesn't get direct light. Direct sunlight can really increase the inside temperature of the tank so be to keep an eye on that!

Phew... I think that's all my questions (for now, ha!). If you've made it this far, THANK YOU! I want to do right by these little guys and I'm so so glad I found HCA! Thanks in advance!!

Welcome to the HCA! Be sure to check out our care guides! There is a lot of helpful information in our care guides! They cover just about everything related to hermit crabs. viewforum.php?f=120

For tank ideas check out the picture section. There are a ton of pictures to give you lots of ideas!

Welcome again, and happy crabbing!

Motörcrab wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:14 pm

Welcome to the HCA! Be sure to check out our care guides! There is a lot of helpful information in our care guides! They cover just about everything related to hermit crabs. viewforum.php?f=120

For tank ideas check out the picture section. There are a ton of pictures to give you lots of ideas!

Welcome again, and happy crabbing!

Thank you for the warm welcome and answering all of my questions!!

You sold me on the 29g tank. I'm going to go today to exchange the 20g I got yesterday. After looking at a bunch of crabitat pictures I know I can do so much more with a 29g!

A few more questions since my initial post if you don't mind answering

1. How big a bag of play sand do you think I'd need for a 29g if I'm going to try to do a 5:1 ratio?

2. I'm going to return the dishes I got yesterday and go with tupperware for the water pools. What size do you think would be best for a 29g? Long enough for at least 2 to be able to get in and fully submerge?

3. For the craft mesh on the pools - the craft store near me doesn't appear to have any but I found this on Amazon and they can be here tomorrow: https://www.amazon.com/Clear-Plastic-Ca ... 61&sr=8-11 Do these look ok? Plastic is the right material, correct?

4. I love the crabitats that have created a second level with rope or a net. What type of material is best for those so that they don't get gross with the humidity? Any particular places you recommend shopping for these? Also, to get those up high - is the best approach a suction cup? Typically those hooks are metal which I know isn't good for the hermies. Or are plastic hooks better (the type that have the double sided tape on the backside)? I might also get a little shower caddy thing and make a moss pit higher up too.

5. For plants - are silk ok? That's what our local pet store had the most of but I know those are for fish aquariums. I wasn't sure if hermit crabs would be able to rip those and try to eat it?

6. I've seen quite a few little hamster wheels in the crabitats and LOVE that idea. It looks like I should cover them in the craft mesh as well, right? Also how are the wheels being adhered to the back of the glass to ensure it doesn't fall?

I think that's all for now I'm sure more will come up haha. Thank you!!!!

You are welcome!

1. Two 50 lbs bags of playsand will be enough to get you around 6" of substrate, about another half of bag will give you more depth. Go to a home improvement store. You can get playsand for less than $5 a bag!

2. I believe we use 1/2 quart round containers. Something around 5" x 5" x 4" deep should work. Dollar Tree has a great selection.

3. That appears to be the correct craft mesh. For some reason Michael's does not carry it anymore. Luckily we have an old five and dime store near us that has a great selection of colors! We buy a lot of it for our shop.

4. Walmart you can buy shower caddies with suction cups. We also use natural hemp and jute rope from there too. Be sure to smell it. It should have an earthy smell. If it smells like chemicals don't buy it! We never had much luck with suction cups or command hooks. With a new clean tank you may have better luck. On here people say the indoor outdoor command hooks work the best.

5. We avoid silk in our crabitats because of shredding like you mentioned. Other people use them so it's a personal preference. We get lots of plastic plants from Hobby Lobby. We avoid anything with glitter, tiny pellets, or anything that appears can be picked off.

6.We use the Kaytee Silent Spinner wheels. The Craft mesh allows you to make the wheel wider to make it easier for the crabs to use and pile it. 5/32 drill bit is perfect for the zip ties. Buy 200 4" zip ties to start! We go through zip ties like crazy.
We attach the wheels and other items to egg crate (lighting diffuser). It's found in the ceiling tile section of home improvement stores. It's like a heavy duty craft mesh. We will trim it to fit the entire back of the crabitat, attach everything then fill with substrate.

I think I covered everything. I would recommend getting a glass top for the 29! They hold in heat a little better than screen tops. It may be around $25-$30 for it. I also think Petco has their $1 a gallon sale going on now too! A 29 gallon for $29 is a good deal!

Welcome

Sounds like you have most your answers.

Mold
Soak all your furniture that can hold moisture (wood, bark, twine, coconut hut ect) in salt water. I use cheap salt grinders that contain no iodine. Soak, dry, moisten (spray), put in tank. Since I did I dont get mold. I'm not sure about salt in the substrate. I'd think no.

It's ok to use your dechlorinated saltwater to mix your substate the first time. Once it's mixed in you don't want to use anymore salt for misting. The salt will keep building up and become caustic to the crabs. The salt mimics a sandy ocean Beach. Just be aware if you ever plan to add plants to the substrate they will not grow due to the salt.

Motörcrab wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:53 am

You are welcome!

1. Two 50 lbs bags of playsand will be enough to get you around 6" of substrate, about another half of bag will give you more depth. Go to a home improvement store. You can get playsand for less than $5 a bag!

2. I believe we use 1/2 quart round containers. Something around 5" x 5" x 4" deep should work. Dollar Tree has a great selection.

3. That appears to be the correct craft mesh. For some reason Michael's does not carry it anymore. Luckily we have an old five and dime store near us that has a great selection of colors! We buy a lot of it for our shop.

4. Walmart you can buy shower caddies with suction cups. We also use natural hemp and jute rope from there too. Be sure to smell it. It should have an earthy smell. If it smells like chemicals don't buy it! We never had much luck with suction cups or command hooks. With a new clean tank you may have better luck. On here people say the indoor outdoor command hooks work the best.

5. We avoid silk in our crabitats because of shredding like you mentioned. Other people use them so it's a personal preference. We get lots of plastic plants from Hobby Lobby. We avoid anything with glitter, tiny pellets, or anything that appears can be picked off.

6.We use the Kaytee Silent Spinner wheels. The Craft mesh allows you to make the wheel wider to make it easier for the crabs to use and pile it. 5/32 drill bit is perfect for the zip ties. Buy 200 4" zip ties to start! We go through zip ties like crazy.
We attach the wheels and other items to egg crate (lighting diffuser). It's found in the ceiling tile section of home improvement stores. It's like a heavy duty craft mesh. We will trim it to fit the entire back of the crabitat, attach everything then fill with substrate.

I think I covered everything. I would recommend getting a glass top for the 29! They hold in heat a little better than screen tops. It may be around $25-$30 for it. I also think Petco has their $1 a gallon sale going on now too! A 29 gallon for $29 is a good deal!

Thank you!! I went and got the 29g today but still need to get some playsand before I can start putting it all together. My daughter's 5th birthday party is this weekend, but besides that my weekend project will be starting to set up this tank so I can hopefully get the single above ground crab in there early next week.

I went to WalMart and found some caddies (one will be for a shell shop and got a corner one where I'm going to set up a moss pit). I also found jute rope and twine and I'm going to attempt to make a little bridge for them with the rope - I'm not super crafty so this will be interesting haha. Also got some tupperware today but ordered the craft mesh off Amazon and it won't get here until Monday, so I'll be saving the pool project until then.

Question on shells and sizing.... Since 3 of the crabs burrowed almost immediately and the 4th guy (girl?) hides for the most part when I'm awake, I have zero clue what size shells they need. I found an etsy shop and, as a guess, bought some 5/8 opening and 1/2 opening turbo shells. They got here today but they look tiny. I've gone ahead and boiled them and will put them in the tank tonight just in case, but I'm pretty confident they're too small for these crabs. What's a good mix of sizes I can get? Is there a particular place you suggest buying good shells from? I saw some on Amazon but not sure if they're any good.

Thank you again and again. This has been SO helpful! I thought I was prepared with my 10g, but quickly realized they deserve better and your advice is so appreciated!!

CombatMist wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 2:22 pm

Welcome

Sounds like you have most your answers.

Mold
Soak all your furniture that can hold moisture (wood, bark, twine, coconut hut ect) in salt water. I use cheap salt grinders that contain no iodine. Soak, dry, moisten (spray), put in tank. Since I did I dont get mold. I'm not sure about salt in the substrate. I'd think no.

Thank you! Good to know about combating the mold. I bought some jute twine and rope today - so I should even be soak that in the salt water before using? How long should I let them soak?

CrabMom925 wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:56 pm

Question on shells and sizing.... Since 3 of the crabs burrowed almost immediately and the 4th guy (girl?) hides for the most part when I'm awake, I have zero clue what size shells they need. I found an etsy shop and, as a guess, bought some 5/8 opening and 1/2 opening turbo shells. They got here today but they look tiny. I've gone ahead and boiled them and will put them in the tank tonight just in case, but I'm pretty confident they're too small for these crabs. What's a good mix of sizes I can get? Is there a particular place you suggest buying good shells from? I saw some on Amazon but not sure if they're any good.

Shells are probably the most difficult things with keeping crabs. Even when "you" think you have everything correct in sizing the crabs know otherwise! Your best bet is to wait until they resurface and try to measure the shell opening.

When I order shells for 1" opening crabs I order up between 1/8 and 1/4" in size. For crabs in shells above 1-1/8" I order shells 1/4" larger in size.

Here is a link to our list of stores and vendors selling hermit crab related products and shells. Shops that are run by members here are also noted!

viewtopic.php?f=122&t=119315

Motörcrab wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 25, 2020 10:02 am

Shells are probably the most difficult things with keeping crabs. Even when "you" think you have everything correct in sizing the crabs know otherwise! Your best bet is to wait until they resurface and try to measure the shell opening.

When I order shells for 1" opening crabs I order up between 1/8 and 1/4" in size. For crabs in shells above 1-1/8" I order shells 1/4" larger in size.

Here is a link to our list of stores and vendors selling hermit crab related products and shells. Shops that are run by members here are also noted!

viewtopic.php?f=122&t=119315

Awesome - thank you! Luckily the one who is above ground has changed out of his painted shell into one of the ones I originally got from the pet store. How would I go about measuring the shell opening once the 3 others resurface? Just pick them up and try to measure as quickly as possible? I know I shouldn't be handling them much, especially at the beginning. I'm wondering if the ones underground are molting. Will there be a way for me to tell if they have once they come above ground?

I might go ahead and just buy an assortment of sizes as I find them just in case. Never hurts to have too many I suppose! Thanks again

This link to Naples Shell Company best describes how to measure shells. Most of the time crabs don't want to cooperate with being measured. They send to grab and move the ruler!

http://naplesseashellcompany.com/sizematters.html

The easiest tell tale signs of a great molt are hairy legs, and black tips on their legs!

Motörcrab wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:37 pm

The easiest tell tale signs of a great molt are hairy legs, and black tips on their legs!

Glad we like hairly legs here lol.

Mold
I soak my jute twine. It should be fairly quick absorbing into twine and quick dry. May soak a few minutes.

I haven't noticed a recommended amount of salt to water ratio or time to soak. I grind up in the like 8 inch tall grinder pure sea salt. I do about 60 turns for about 1 table spoon and put in a 1 gallon zipper bag with about 1-2 quarts of water. Swish it around and put the dry items to soak. Let soak a few hours. Dump out water and let air dry on a cookie sheet outside for a few hours.

I was getting mold on the woody objects where they touched the substrate. It couldn't dry enough on the bottom edges. Now I dont get the white wispy mold on base of my woods. I'd reboil it and partly dry and put back in. A few days later it would start white wispy mold. After a few weeks I salted it. Not a problem now.

Also the crabs nibble on everything. I like to think since they lived near ocean the salt air would be on many things and the woods ect having traces of salt on them is probably fairly normal. I'm trying just enough salt to not mold. Not enough to make a coating of white salt. The crabs nibble on all the woods and getting some trace salts from it is probably normal for them.

Motörcrab wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:37 pm

This link to Naples Shell Company best describes how to measure shells. Most of the time crabs don't want to cooperate with being measured. They send to grab and move the ruler!

http://naplesseashellcompany.com/sizematters.html

The easiest tell tale signs of a great molt are hairy legs, and black tips on their legs!

As always, thank you!! A couple more questions as I'm getting further along in my 29g tank build. I got some egg crate but am trying to figure out the best way to attach it to the back of the tank. I saw some people mention they just let the substrate hold it up. How many inches of substrate should it be behind to ensure it stays stable? The egg crate I got isn't super tall so I don't want to waste a ton of space behind the sub. Would it be better to try velcro or command strips? The egg crate doesn't have to cover the entire length of the tank, right? For instance, I could use it on the areas closest to the corners to help hang things along the side of the tank?

Also, when I go to attach things to the actual egg crate itself (plants, a moss pit container, a potential hamster wheel, etc) how should I go about attaching it? Zip ties? Hooks?

Thank you!

CombatMist wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 27, 2020 12:38 pm

Glad we like hairly legs here lol.

Mold
I soak my jute twine. It should be fairly quick absorbing into twine and quick dry. May soak a few minutes.

I haven't noticed a recommended amount of salt to water ratio or time to soak. I grind up in the like 8 inch tall grinder pure sea salt. I do about 60 turns for about 1 table spoon and put in a 1 gallon zipper bag with about 1-2 quarts of water. Swish it around and put the dry items to soak. Let soak a few hours. Dump out water and let air dry on a cookie sheet outside for a few hours.

I was getting mold on the woody objects where they touched the substrate. It couldn't dry enough on the bottom edges. Now I dont get the white wispy mold on base of my woods. I'd reboil it and partly dry and put back in. A few days later it would start white wispy mold. After a few weeks I salted it. Not a problem now.

Also the crabs nibble on everything. I like to think since they lived near ocean the salt air would be on many things and the woods ect having traces of salt on them is probably fairly normal. I'm trying just enough salt to not mold. Not enough to make a coating of white salt. The crabs nibble on all the woods and getting some trace salts from it is probably normal for them.

LOL i'm glad hairy leggs are acceptable somewhere

I got some jute and burlap that i'm going to attempt to build a rope bridge out of, so I'll plan to soak it for a bit. I ordered some cholla pieces today - should I go through the same process you mention above? I've seen some people recommend baking it too. Is that a good idea after letting it soak in salt water for a few hours?

When we start with a new crabitat with egg crate we have it go all the way to the bottom. We predetermine how much substrate we are going to add and decorate from there up. We attach everything before placing the background in the tank. Make sure you test fit so everything fits. We also support the top with Flukers tension rods.

For Cholla, we purchase ours from BioActiveFX1 on Etsy. In my opinion they have the best cholla. We put theirs in the crabitat right out of the box. We have had no issues of mold with their cholla. Store bought cholla we have had grow mold so soaking that in salt water for a few hours and letting it dry would be a good idea. Our crabs seem to really prefer the naturally harvested cholla from BioActiveFX1 over stuff sold in pet stores.

Baking wood is generally done for items harvested yourself in order to kill and bugs that may be living in the wood.