Turbo's digging adventure!

[StayLoki]

this is Turbo! hehe
free image host
upload a picture

the other day I found him digging by the cali-sand beach against the glass and I thought I'd share!

free screen capture software

here's video if you really have the time, its slow.. as hermys can be.. but right around :30s in he really starts hunkering in and 'mixing' the soil! overall like a min long?/no sound
https://vid.me/7G5X

after while he hit a sand wall, and turned around.
image post

after work, found him snacking a broken sand dollar piece he must have packed for provisions
gif hosting

after some hard pondering about what to do to get rid of me
image hosting without registration

he decided to act like a spider and scare me off :X
how to capture screen
image post

[JulesRolyCrab]

Aw, he's adorable!! Really cute picture.
Just in case he is molting, though, I would reccomend covering the window up with a piece of paper or something so he is in the dark and unstressed.

Below is some advice for your 'tat. I was totally out of the blue with this, so if you don't want me to, don't keep reading!
Calci sand is not safe for the crabs, especially for molting. From the substrate guide:

Hermit crab sands and reptile sands are actually a very fine calcium sand. While this may sound helpful, the sand used by itself is dangerous. This type of sand cannot be kept moist without a large risk of it developing bacterial growth, and as it starts to dry it can harden like a rock and trap or harm hermit crabs. Even when wet it clings to hermit crabs and causes them discomfort. Most of these sands have also been dyed, which can stain a hermit crab until the following molt. While this sand should never ever be used by itself, some crab keepers have reported success with using a bit mixed in with cocofiber or regular playsand.

Check out some of the care sheets and substrate guide, here: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92542

No but the pictures are so cute and the captions made me laugh so hard!!

Good luck!!

[StayLoki]

yes...I'm due for a remodel soon and Ive been meaning to stop by home depot and shop around bc I've read I can buy huge bags for the same price I keep buying the stupid little baggies for. its really just been for convenience the last 2 clean ups... I bake any cf I I'm keeping and instead of baking or worrying about the sand, ive been scooping out the whole beach and just replacing with a new bag. (always mixed to sandcastle consistency, and as far as collasping its always in the back of my mind, all critters, snakes, lizards can have that happen so I always try to think like them tunneling and make sure things arent going to slip crush etc) ... I always stirr the sand up to make sure its not compacting and keeping consistency. .

but yeeesss I would say just since he was exploring down there in the blue this time he's bluerrrr... that its deff effected his color! and while I was watching him I noticed him stopping to clean himself, as if the sand was clinging and annoying him... so yea I've gotta get on that cuz I think he'll be a lot happier if I finally just invest in a well chosen playsand bag. .

so i hope you dont mind me asking? what do u use to blast calcium resources in there then?

i offer fresh egg/eggshell every few days (plus egg and calcium alts. are in most of the hermy kitchen foods) they have access to cuttlebone peices and sand dollar chunks and a brain coral to pick at, hermy grade from seashellcity..
skip calcium fortified sand and those things will be enough?

[StayLoki]

oh yea, I thought he was gonna molt there too and I worried I didn't notice quick enough to catch it and move him so I was gonna cover the window and roll with it, but he popped up and out by the next morning... I truely think he just felt like digging and checking out the 'new beach' lol

[JulesRolyCrab]

so i hope you dont mind me asking? what do u use to blast calcium resources in there then?

Of course I don't mind!! I sprinkle crushed oyster shell (from Hermit Crab Patch) onto the substrate and into a shell. I'd also use eggshells as a bowl and put hard to clean up food in it; honey, peanut butter, meat, etc. so I can throw it away when their done, and they eat the shell too. They also got cuttlebone. Really, they should be fine w/ what your giving them, but eggshells are easy calcium. You could even put some hermit-safe scrambled eggs inside (I add some of their favorite protein or greens, even crushed eggshell into a piece or two of my breakfast egg before adding what I like on it, and give it to them; be creative) or keep a bit of the raw albumin (the clear part in). Take it out in a day or so if anything's fresh or whatever, but it should be fine.

oh yea, I thought he was gonna molt there too and I worried I didn't notice quick enough to catch it and move him so I was gonna cover the window and roll with it, but he popped up and out by the next morning... I truely think he just felt like digging and checking out the 'new beach' lol

\
He sounds so cute!!

[StayLoki]

ahhhhh crushed oyster shell, duh, that's a great solution. I'm gonna just skip the calc sand convenience and head to town in a few here and make the switch! I read about choosing a bag from the center of the pallet in the hopes it hasn't been damaged or polluted. ..no orange from homedepot, no funny smells when I open it, but just plan ol' playsand? for children? rinse it ideally, sand castle texture mixed with my saltwater sound ok? and good 2 go?

I am really concerned about the staining since I bought blue this time and he was only playing in it for a day and I'm alarmed by his color changes/staining without a molt explanation. . .thank you so much for the advice.

[JulesRolyCrab]

What I got was something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50- ... /100318476
However, multi purpose sand works too. What you said sounds good. I wouldn't do strong saltwater, I'm pretty sure some people do, if so do it not very strong. If too strong then it can cause chemical burns on your crabs, so just make sure to do the measurements correctly/less!
It was only one day, he'll be fine. The exoskeleton goes away when they molt, don't worry about it. Many, many crabbers started "incorrectly" so to speak. Crabs were fine after a remodel! Don't worry!

[StayLoki]

im gonna go check out hd in a few here, but last time I was wandering around lowes lawn n garden (I know and shame on me for not browsing playsand then haha) anyway I saw sorghum moss for like topping around potted plants... seemed like it had no chemicals or fertilizers, and as long as it doesn't, i could prob use it instead of buying highpriced moss at pet stores ??

just wanted to comment on SW and say along with scalding, a lot of people don't realise the h2o evaporates but the salt does not! adding more saltwater to a sw dish that's had evaporation only increases the salinity of the water and can cause scalding. so if there's been evaporation in ur sw dish you need to add fw OR completely change out ur dish and add new sw from ur supply (I have a gallon of sw made up always and g of fw for the fwbowl and top offs)
I'm sure you know how it works, but others may not ba aware of 'too much salt', salt scalding or FW vs SW evaporation. ..!

[StayLoki]

thank you for all your help Jules!!
I'm gonna make the switch soon and I'll post some pics in tanks or something!!!
thanks again,
amanda

[JulesRolyCrab]

I don't know about sorghum moss, I haven't heard much on it. However, most people use sphagnum moss from Home Depot or whatever, and not from the petstores like you said because it's so expensive, and some of it is dyed green, etc. Btw, that's sphagnum moss, and NOT sphagnum PEAT moss, which is unsafe. When you go to HD, you can get some for very cheap, this is what I have as well as many other crabbers:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/432-cu-in-Sp ... /202301542

About $4, the bag is enormous! It's like the size of... um... well, the length of a microwave, maybe, but less height and width. Lol, weird comparison, you get the idea. Of course, the sorghum moss is most likely completely safe, I just haven't heard of it, but you can prob use it if no fertilizer/chemicals and dyes!!! I just suggested what I use and it's from HD, but my word is most definitely not law!

Thank for the SW tips! I started washing out the bowls after I realized that about the salinity. Really, it takes quite a bit of salt for scalding, but it's something that builds up and people don't notice. Good call!
And really is is absolutely no problem, I love this site, lol. Spend too much time waiting for something to answer.

EDIT: Also, the substrate link in my first post ^^^ talks about safe mosses and what to avoid. It's if you scroll to the very bottom!

[JulesRolyCrab]

Btw, I'd love to see your "improved" crabitat when you get the sand! Or even right now, lol, I love pictures.

[Kermie16]

Omg! Love the pictures! Thanks for sharing!!

[StayLoki]

so I did some rearranging today. .
I'm trying to work on 'levels' and creating more hermy hide-a-aways.

Turbo got his name for being my biggest and most active hermy. He's always my first to check things out .. ..aka the first to collapse perfectly placed wood and rock piles.. .

I'm thinking of making his full name, Agent Double O Turbo
when he gets into situations like this: :X
https://postimage.org/


thanks for the turbo love, I like sharing his antics lol

[StayLoki]

https://postimage.org/

its dark here so my photos aren't coming out the best, I made a rock ledge in back left behind the fw pool to add a level...
https://postimage.org/

made a half log tunnel and 'stump' combo with rock ledge top .. . looks sweet at night least lol

https://postimage.org/
(Angent Double 00Turbo is scoping out what's on the menu from alllllll the way up there!!) lol

[Kermie16]

Love the pic with Turbo hanging off the rock ledge!! Like a little daredevil! Great idea on the extra hide a ways! And I love the rock border by the pools:)