HCA: Hermit Crab Association

This is a bit silly, but I've been reading up isopods and am really interested in adding them to my 10G crabitat. The problem is I don't really have the space/time to commit to raising them, so I was wondering if anyone had any, uh... "spares" they would be interested in selling/giving so I can try them out? If I/my crabs like them then I'll look into breeding/keeping them separately, but for a trial I don't really want to commit to them, if that makes sense. I'm in Austin, TX and of course wouldn't mind paying at least shipping to someone's Paypal! Closer is probably better with the weather we've had off and on. I know I can snag them out of my backyard (most likely), but I'd still need to quarantine them for awhile, from what I've read, and that's the commitment I'm trying to avoid with just trying them out.

Thanks for any info/suggestions in advance! Y'all are the best!

Ok so I gotta warn you, I am totally biased. I LOVE my isopods lol.

With that being said they're pretty easy to care for IMO. If you have any Tupperware containers (large, think shoebox size) you can poke holes in the lid for ventilation and use that as their set up. I just threw mine in an old KK I have and used left over eco earth as substrate (they only need 1-3 inches so it doesn't take a lot). If you do end up harvesting them yourself (or even if someone sends them to you) you can go outside and find bark, branches and leaves for their set up. I also use moss in mine just because they seem to enjoy it but I don't think its essential. They don't need water dishes because they will drown so that's awesome lol. I just use the same spray bottle I use for the crabs to spray the pods every day (they do need dechlorinated water just like crabs). They don't need 80% humidity like the crabs, just somewhere in their habitat that is humid all the time. For food, I just dump the leftovers from the crabs. My crabs poop in their food dish so it works out perfectly because what you feed the crabs is basically the same as the pods and they'll eat the crab poop. Also, they don't necessarily need a heat source. You can use one if you want but its not a necessity.

When I first harvested my pods I was nail-biting nervous because I felt like I wasn't doing enough to take care of them. After learning crab care, its like anything else is just... easier lol. Once I had them set up, its just spraying them once a day and when I change out the crab food, I just dump it in with the pods and I'm done. They really are a lot of fun to watch and I enjoy them almost as much as I do the crabs sometimes. They're just as goofy as crabs

I would offer to send you some of my pods but since you're looking for tank ready pods I'm not sure that I am the best option as I have only had mine for about a month. My pods still need sometime to get the pesticides out of their systems (if there are any pesticides, we just moved out here a few months ago and I have no clue if the previous owner used pesticides or not) and to of course populate If you're still interested in a few months I can send some your way then. I collected over 150 pods (I thought it was like 60, boy was I wrong) so I will have plenty in the coming months.

Thanks moon! I just have serious space restrictions. I rent a roughly 12'x12' room from a family and already have two 10G (fish and hermies) and a cat, so it's obviously tight, haha. I do have a SMALL KK. I know they're pretty similar to hermies, so if you think that isn't too small, I'm all for harvesting and raising myself, I just figured it wouldn't be big enough. I am really interested in keeping them, though!

Wow! That is a bit cramped for space! I see what you mean now lol.

Well from what I've read for a 10 gallon tank you'd need to add about 50 or so. I think collecting 15-20 in a small KK would be fine. Let them breed for a few months and throw them in and just so you know, harvesting was one of my favorite parts! So much so that I did it...3 times. The first time I definitely had enough. The second and third time were more because it was just fun... But I've always been a tomboy at heart good luck and let me know if I can help you with anything else!


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Thanks so much! I think I'll give it a shot if they're still around my backyard right now.

Maybe a dumb question but what are Isopods?


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Amiller2850 wrote:Maybe a dumb question but what are Isopods?


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rolly pollies, potato bugs, ect

What are they good for in the crabitat?


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Clean up crew....or occasional snack.

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