HCA: Hermit Crab Association

We got hit with a horrible snow storm that has knocked our power out for 24 straight hours. They said it could be another 2 days before we get it back. I'm worried sick about our hermit crabs. We have 7 in our 40 gallon and 6 molting in our 20. We've covered them with warm blankets but don't know what else to do. Any suggestions?

I'm assuming you are unable to relocate the tanks and that theyre in a place you cant use a gas burning element at.
However you're warming the blankets, keep doing it. Get a rotation of warm blankets going.


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I have a square shaped glass storage container that has a sealing lid, and on the lid is a ventilation opening. I would boil water using gas, fill the container, open the vent and apply the lid, wrap the whole thing tightly with layers and layers of foil, and put the whole pack on top of the tank. Then i'd insulate to fuse the pack together with the tank.


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I also have very long, aluminum party trays that can probably sit completely across a 40g tank. I'd strap one of those sturdily on top of the tank with some packaging straps, then pour boiling water into it, like halfway full, and then foil everything.


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This thread may also help. viewtopic.php?t=81726#p750543


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Just be careful if you try to use boiling water near cold aquarium glass - the rapid change in temperature could cause it to shatter. It's not the same type of glass that is used for cooking.

Any way you can move them to place that has heat? They can handle around 60 degrees for about 24 hours, and can stay at 68 for probably a week without damage. Anything under that or longer than that and they tend to not make it. If you think you'll be without power for a while, this is one of those emergency situations where digging for the molters is probably the right choice. Separate all the crabs that are down into individual containers (used margarine containers) and get them anywhere that's warm enough. They'll be unhappy and stressed, but they should be okay for several days in the containers.

Thank you guys for all your help. Really appreciate it.

Good news is, the power is back on! Thank goodness.

All the crabs on the surface are alright, everyone has moved around. The 6 molters we have are our only concern.

Do you think if the others made it that they will too? Is it warmer in the sand?

Yay!

Sand is a natural insulator, so while it takes a while to warm up when you first put it in a tank and add heat, the bonus is that it also takes a while to cool off once it is warm.

I usually keep a ton of hand warmers on hand just incase. You can get them at a pharmacy or sporting stores. Usually come two in a pack. You can tape them to the tank and wrap a security blanket around the whole tank. Use warm towels on the lid. I'm glad your Power is back on. But this is a good back up plan to. I usually will also use these when transporting or rescuing crabs in colder weather.

I heat up water on the woodstove and keep a constant rotation of hot water bottles in the crabitat, 4 regular sized water bottles at a time, with a thick comforter blanket over the entire crabitat. They need to be replaced every couple hours, but it kept my crabitat above 75 degrees when we lost power for 24 hours around Thanksgiving and the house dropped to below 60!

I have heard that you can insulate your crab cage with Styrofoam from your local hardware store. When you pick out Styrofoam, the better R value the better it holds heat.