My crabbies have been considerably less active the past few weeks as the weather has begun changing. They very rarely stray from the mossy areas except in the middle of the night. Nothing has changed except that I am finally rid of the fruit flies for now.
Should I have more light on them? Right now the UTHs keep the heat right so I don't turn on the overhead light - do you think they would benefit from it?
Any other ideas/tricks to getting them more excited? I already change shells around...
Fall activity level related to lights?
Fall activity level related to lights?
25 PPs, 13 Es
3 Pink Indos, 2 Indos, 8 Strawberries, 4 Blueberries, 2 Violas
<b>As well as....</b>
6 Cats; 2 Dogs; 4 Horses; 4 African Dwarf Frogs
3 Pink Indos, 2 Indos, 8 Strawberries, 4 Blueberries, 2 Violas
<b>As well as....</b>
6 Cats; 2 Dogs; 4 Horses; 4 African Dwarf Frogs
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wodesorel
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- Location: Leetonia, Ohio
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I keep mine on a day/night cycle with florescent tank lights and haven't seen any change in activity level, so lights may help. Crabs do have a tendency to cycle through active/non-active phases though. Last winter when I had only a few crabs there were days upon days where no one was out. The more crabs, the more likely it is there will be more that are active, which may be what's happening in my tanks.
Making sure they're warm enough always help - sometimes just an increase of a degree or two is what they're waiting for. Mixing up their diet and giving them new types of food to explore can sometimes get them to come running as well.
Making sure they're warm enough always help - sometimes just an increase of a degree or two is what they're waiting for. Mixing up their diet and giving them new types of food to explore can sometimes get them to come running as well.
Want to see all my crazy pets? @waywardwaifs on Instagram
Do your hermies prefer a pretty consistent 72? 75? or?? and humidity?
My tank generally tends to run the high end of "preferred" to just in the "red" of my stats - I have PPs, Es, Indos, Pink Indos, Straws, Violas, and Blueberries - what would you say is a good range (if other than recommended) to keep as many as possible happy?
By the way - 34 Cats? I love kitties lol
My tank generally tends to run the high end of "preferred" to just in the "red" of my stats - I have PPs, Es, Indos, Pink Indos, Straws, Violas, and Blueberries - what would you say is a good range (if other than recommended) to keep as many as possible happy?
By the way - 34 Cats? I love kitties lol
25 PPs, 13 Es
3 Pink Indos, 2 Indos, 8 Strawberries, 4 Blueberries, 2 Violas
<b>As well as....</b>
6 Cats; 2 Dogs; 4 Horses; 4 African Dwarf Frogs
3 Pink Indos, 2 Indos, 8 Strawberries, 4 Blueberries, 2 Violas
<b>As well as....</b>
6 Cats; 2 Dogs; 4 Horses; 4 African Dwarf Frogs
-
wodesorel
- Tech Support
- Posts: 10594
- Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:49 am
- Location: Leetonia, Ohio
- Contact:
I don't have mixed tanks, but I wish I did!
The PPs I keep between 78 and 82 degrees, but with the cats sometimes the heat gets knocked down a bit lower or goes up a bit higher. I think the crabs actually enjoy the variations in temp though, so I've never tried to stop the cats from having access to to the rheostat. I figure keep it completely random, like in nature.
The Es I try to keep between 80 and 85. Any less then that and they spend all of their time underground for me. They definitely like it warm and will often sunbathe under the heat lamps where it's even hotter.
Humidity for both tanks stays between 78 and 86. Over the summer I did notice that higher the humidity, the more active they seem to become. There were a few stretches of 99% humidity readings in the tank when our house got up to 80%. (Gotta love Ohio weather! :roll: ) I'm not sure of the long-term safety of such high humidity, so it's not something I ever recreate in winter. But in the summer there's no alternative and they seemed to be excited by all of it.
(Yep, 34 little terror claws - all fixed and indoors. It's..... a lifestyle choice. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for it anymore, but I am proud of all our furbabies for defying the odds and getting along. Most are rejects from the shelter, others are strays who showed up, still more were kittens that I took in who really should have died because they were so ill when I got my hands on them. But they're all healthy, happy, and spoiled now!
)
The PPs I keep between 78 and 82 degrees, but with the cats sometimes the heat gets knocked down a bit lower or goes up a bit higher. I think the crabs actually enjoy the variations in temp though, so I've never tried to stop the cats from having access to to the rheostat. I figure keep it completely random, like in nature.
The Es I try to keep between 80 and 85. Any less then that and they spend all of their time underground for me. They definitely like it warm and will often sunbathe under the heat lamps where it's even hotter.
Humidity for both tanks stays between 78 and 86. Over the summer I did notice that higher the humidity, the more active they seem to become. There were a few stretches of 99% humidity readings in the tank when our house got up to 80%. (Gotta love Ohio weather! :roll: ) I'm not sure of the long-term safety of such high humidity, so it's not something I ever recreate in winter. But in the summer there's no alternative and they seemed to be excited by all of it.
(Yep, 34 little terror claws - all fixed and indoors. It's..... a lifestyle choice. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for it anymore, but I am proud of all our furbabies for defying the odds and getting along. Most are rejects from the shelter, others are strays who showed up, still more were kittens that I took in who really should have died because they were so ill when I got my hands on them. But they're all healthy, happy, and spoiled now!
)Want to see all my crazy pets? @waywardwaifs on Instagram
Also, does anyone know of a way to gently make them more active? Other than bathing that is, because I don't bathe them, they can do that themselves.
I have 50 crabs, only about 7 are dug under, but the tank looks empty most of the time because they are in one of the 6 moss beds/hides lol.
I love this forum....
I have 50 crabs, only about 7 are dug under, but the tank looks empty most of the time because they are in one of the 6 moss beds/hides lol.
I love this forum....
25 PPs, 13 Es
3 Pink Indos, 2 Indos, 8 Strawberries, 4 Blueberries, 2 Violas
<b>As well as....</b>
6 Cats; 2 Dogs; 4 Horses; 4 African Dwarf Frogs
3 Pink Indos, 2 Indos, 8 Strawberries, 4 Blueberries, 2 Violas
<b>As well as....</b>
6 Cats; 2 Dogs; 4 Horses; 4 African Dwarf Frogs
I just started a similar thread about this a day or so back...crabby was going ape in his tank about a week and a half ago or so..as active as I'd ever seen him..even when Mr. Anderson was alive and palling around with him (I haven't gotten a chance to get a replacement), I'd never seen crabby as consistently active as abotu ten days ago..now with the change in weather he's pretty much hanging out in one spot...he's eating and he's reacting so I don't think he's sick or anything...
just not sure if it's a normal cycle or if the weather has something to do with it..I'm sure he's ok, but sometimes their consistently inconsistent behavior can be worrisome =)
just not sure if it's a normal cycle or if the weather has something to do with it..I'm sure he's ok, but sometimes their consistently inconsistent behavior can be worrisome =)