HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone, I'm new here and I'm a new hermit crab caregiver. I just got my hermit crab today along with most of the essentials. I've noticed tonight that the aquarium seems a bit cold for the crab despite having a heating pad and I am wondering if it is wise to place a towel over the aquarium to warm it up during the cold hours. At the time of buying everything I needed for my hermit crab, I decided not to buy a heating lamp because I didn't want to burn him/her up though I am seriously rethinking this decision now. I'm also wondering what are good ways to produce humidity in my crabitat.

Hi! Most of us use Ultratherms or UTH's designed for reptile use. They are affixed to the back of the tank with as much of the pad's surface as possible above the substrate line.

Here is a link on heating lamps/lighting:

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92543

If your heat mat can be insulated, that would help with keeping heat steady.

Also, welcome to HCA! Here is our general care guide, be sure to check it out!

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... hp?t=92457

Welcome! Glad you could join us!

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Welcome! I'm sure you'll find this forum as friendly and helpful as I did.

Make sure your substrate is sand castle consistency that will create your humidity when your tank warms up. Making sure you have the right size heat pad for your tank to. The pad warms the air in the tank so it will take a little time. What do you have for a lid on your tank now. If you have a screen type then it needs to be covered with plastic wrap leaving some air exchange or use plexiglass. I use the fish tank type lids. They do need light. Good health of a crab requirements are day light and night time..

Sounds like the pad is undersized? The gallons listed on the package is for providing a small hot spot for basking reptiles. In order to heat an entire crab tank it usually needs to cover the entire back, and if it can be insulated (not all brands can be safely!) that will boost the temp even more. Insulating the top will definitely hold the most heat in, but it can be a pain to then get in and out to change food and water daily, which is why so many crabbers choose to go with a big pad so they don't have to.

How cold is the room itself? A good quality UTH like Ultratherm can sometimes get you 15-20 degrees above room temperature when well insulated. The store bought ones can generally only do around 10 degrees if you purchase one that can be insulated.

As for humidity, is your substrate at the proper level of moistness? That usually is enough to do the trick, especially if you have the tank wrapped up tight to hold the heat in. You should calibrate your hygrometer if you haven't already, to make sure that it's reading properly. And if that still doesn't help, moist moss pits or wider water bowls near the heat source might help. There's a link to calibration and more ideas on creating humidity here: viewtopic.php?p=852647#p852647