emergency evacuation

Sarasobo · Post by **Sarasobo** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 1:25 pm

Hello today I am doing an emergency evacuation of my hermit crabs large plastic Rubbermaid home. In the past few months I am embarrassed to say that I have not been caring for for my hermitcrab as well as I normally would do to extreme stress in my life. The evacuation is mostly due to an over abundance of mold spores in the habitat. I have a large piece of driftwood I have been using for a few years now is it possible to bake the wood to kill the mold? I don't want to keep it unless I can be sure that it is 100% clean before giving it back to them.
My next question is regarding glass 10 gallons tanks. I have an old jumbo size pp that I plan on transferring to a 10 gallon tank. It it to my understanding that he will need at least 7 inches of substrate. My question is if I have to move and take my hermitcrab with me in his 10 gallon do I have to worry about the amount of sand in his home cracking the glass while packing him up and moving him? Should they be moved in plastic enclosures?

7dwarfs · Post by **7dwarfs** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 3:53 pm

I wouldnt trust the wood if it's moldy, even if you bake it, but thats just me. Im not sure how it will actually affect it. Jumbos shouldn't live in a ten gallon tank. They need much more sand,deeper water bowls, more climbing space, molting space, and moving space than a ten gallon will allow, and should be housed with at least one other crab, which they can't be in a ten gallon. Please refer to this chart to see how much room and sand each size crab needs. The water bowls should be deep e nj Pugh the largest crab can fully submerge in it.

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soilentgringa · Post by **soilentgringa** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:03 pm

Mold spores are always going to be present, and mold itself is not harmful to your crabs. You can bake the wood at 250° for a couple of hours to kill anything on it and soak it in salt water afterwards to inhibit mold growth.
Your jumbo should have, IMO, 12" of sub. They also need to be in tanks large enough to offer a decent width as well as height. Do you have pics? How many inches across are his legs? If you could put him next to a dollar bill or hot wheels car or something for size reference and take a pic that would be a huge help.
Also please take a moment and fill out the emergency template.

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soilentgringa · Post by **soilentgringa** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:04 pm

viewtopic.php?t=46102

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Sarasobo · Post by **Sarasobo** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:40 pm

Thankyou for the advice on baking the wood. I will fill out the emergency template as soon as I can. My largest may not be jumbo I will take his pic as soon as I can, I will have to keep him in a 10 gallon until I can get out to buy him something bigger to live in this Wednesday. I had to call it quits with the Rubbermaid because it's an absolute nightmare to move and I have been doing a lot of moving. My crabs were so easy to care for untill they grew up now they all need sooo much space and sand I am down to four hermitcrabs and they have all gotten so hefty! Cleaning the tat was not easy. I live in an apartment so I had to carry boxes of dirty sand down the stairs about 6 times. This is especially hard when you have nosey neighbors staring at you while you do it on a 90 Degree day. Any good ideas on what I can keep my krabbies in that is a little bit easier to move if I myself have to move again,preferably something with a handle.

soilentgringa · Post by **soilentgringa** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:12 pm

Well, there's never any reason to dump all your substrate unless you have a bacterial bloom or flood so you shouldn't have to go through that again. As far as portability goes, a tote is going to be your best bet. A 10 gallon tank just is not enough space for a jumbo. You may want to look into fostering or rehoming until you are able to provide them with a permanent home (I noticed you said you've been moving a lot). There is no shame in doing so, it honestly is a very responsible thing to do if you can't provide adequate care for right now.
I don't know of anything with a handle that will support the space your crabs need plus moist substrate. In the event of an emergency (like our apartment fire) we took the crabs out in a tote that had a clip on lid and handles on the side for carrying.
If you can get one of those clear plastic rubbermaid or sterlite totes from WalMart they are fairly large for less than $10 and you could always put the crabs in a small critter keeper or tupperware tub while you drag the tote tat down the stairs. Not ideal but you do what you have to.
If anyone else has any better ideas please chime in. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Hang in there!

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7dwarfs · Post by **7dwarfs** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:55 pm

If the crab is a true jumbo, I can't think of anything big enough that would make it easy to move down stairs in an apartment. If the stairs weren't an issue, I'd say maybe put it on a stand that has wheels, but that's no help when it comes to steps. Moving even a ten gal with 7 inches of sand is a 2 person job IMHO and experiance, because 7 inches of substrate is basically a 50lb bag. Energy upgrade =more sand=more weight. Adoption might be a good call here, or maybe you have a family member who can foster until you're living someplace more permanent

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HCA: Hermit Crab Association

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