HCA: Hermit Crab Association

So I bought those two crabs about a week or so ago. They've been active, healthy, and doing great! However, I did notice something odd...I had filled both of their water dishes (salt and fresh) last night, and they were bone-dry this morning! They're too big to flip over, so I wonder if I'm doing something wrong, or if I just have thirsty crabs.

I fed banana and grape with honey yesterday, plus I've seen them eating the cork log and some of the EE.

They could be filling their shells and dumping the water just for fun. ~*shrugs*~

Are they dumping sand in the dishes? My crabs do that and the sand seems to absorb the water and dry the dish out. Not sure though, is the substrate around the water dishes wet?

I agree with Tetracolor - Almost every morning my crabs freshwater is dry as a bone with sand in the bottom! The saltwater is a different story because I have a deep dish for my straws to submerge in!

Well, I don't use sand, but I do have EE...there wasn't very much at all in the dish this morning, and it was pretty dry.

Do you happen to have a uth underneath the dishes that may be causing the water to evaporate super quickly? This is the only thing I could think of.

I don't have any heating in my tank whatsoever...now that the weather's getting warmer, my house stays around 72F, so there's no real need for that stuff.

my hermit crabs do that too, but to wet the sand cause i don't wet it for them. i have seen them do it many times, they will submerge, scoop water in their shells and dump it onto the sand. that way, they can also adjust the 'saltiness of the sand'. if they want sand that is not salty, they will pour freshwater and vice versa.

I've noticed the water in my tank disappearing quickly just the past couple of days. No sand or other reasons for it. However, I did notice that one of my large PP's was digging again. Haven't seen either one for a while, but one resurfaced a couple nights ago apparently judging by the huge trench, extra missing food, scattered shells, etc. I wonder if he has molted yet or is just now tanking up for a molt after a month of being dug down. What do you guys think?

There have been lots of great suggestions already posted, but just in case...

When I first started keeping crabs I used big seashells to keep water in because I thought they were pretty. But all of the water leaked out immediately and I had to replace it daily. If, by chance, you are using seashells, that could be your problem. Good luck!

I would say either you've got a leak (try setting the bowls of water outside the 'tat and see if you have the same issue), or at least in our neck of the woods, the air is very dry this time of year and everything dries overnight unless we have the lid on tight. Is your humidity good in the tank?

-Ci