Questions..???

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:50 pm

hey. I have two hermit crabs. I bought Peter first, then tonight I just bought Cherry. I also just bought a 5 gallon tank and some new stuff to put in it. Peter was living in a small plastic crabitat and i think that he is now enjoying his new bigger one. I have a few questions for those of you out there who know what you are doing. I love my crabs, but I'm definitely not an expert on how to take care of them!!

Is it bad to have a heat lamp on them? My lamp can get pretty hot and i'm afraid they will get too hot. So as of right now, I am just leaving thier tank at room temp. (which is around 70 degrees.)

I'm also worried about them getting moisture. I have a sponge in their tank, but i don't know if it is enough.

Tonight is Peter and Cherry's first night together. They aren't from the same store and i've had peter about 1 week longer than cherry. Is it bad to put two hermit crabs together when they don't know each other. How do i know that they won't fight in the middle of the night? They have been touching their feelers together like they are saying hello...??...is that a good thing?...

hhmm...what else! I have SO many questions!

What is the correct way to give them a bath, I've been doing some research, but some places say different things.

How do i know if their water in the crabitat is enough?..how do i know if it is ok for them? I've been using Safe Soak and Spray made by aquapure. It says taht it makes tap water safe for hermit crabs.

How do i know if they like their food. I can't tell if they are eating.

wow...I am just so clueless and i really want to to good care of my hermit crabs!

Please help me!!...?? [smilie=huh.gif]

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 11:03 pm

First off, calm down.

My best advice when it comes to crabbing is read like it's your job.

I've probably read this entire site over the past month or so. I lurked here as a visitor before I registered.

A 5 gallon tank is a good start, especially if your crabs are smaller. If they are larger, you'll need a bigger tat in the future. I have mine in a 10 gallon right now with two seperate second levels. I'll be upgrading soon though.

For questions regarding heat and humidity, do you have a way to measure them? You MUST go out and buy guages if you don't already have them. It's the only way to be sure what temp/saturation your tank is at. 70 degrees is a little cool for hermies. Perhaps you can turn on the heat lamp, but back it up away from the top of the tank some?

Sponges lasted about a week with me until I threw them in the trash. They were a pain.

Instead, I put in a fresh and salt water pool, and built a humidifier (you can find the directions in the crabitat conditions secion). My sand is also moist, so that keeps the humidity up as well.

To condition my water, I use API Tap Water Conditioner. I've been using it for years with fish and really don't have any advice on that matter. All I know is it works well.

I also use Instant Ocean to make their salt water.

As for food, keep trying fresh stuff until you find what they like. Everybody's crabs are different and prefer different things. The Food section has as lot of good posts going on right now about what different crabbers feed their crabs. Check it out.

Perhaps you could fill out one of the help templates to help us get an even better idea of your tank conditions? That way we can give you additional pointers and advice on how to love your little guys as much as possible. I hope this helps just a little!

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:12 am

I would watch how Peter and Cherry interact for at least a day before you put them together overnight. the feeler interaction is the crabs getting to know each other, and is perfectly normal and no-agressive. here are some things that signal agression (and if you see them you should seperate the crabs):

-if either crab is using their big pincher
-if one crab is rocking the shell of the other back and forth-this signifies a shell fight.

welcome to the HCA!

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 12:59 pm

Heat lamps are a-ok to use, as long as you keep your sand and sponges moist for humidity purposes. Having humidity and temperature gauges will help you monitor these levels. 70 degrees is low for hermies... so I would get some heat source. If the lamp gets too hot, just try using a lower wattage.

Contrary to what pet stores tell you, just having a spoonge for hermies won't do the trick. Aside form moist sand, you should have tow water dishes - one for salt water and one for fresh water. they should both be at least as deep as your largest crab and have a way out.

I'm pretty sure that your crabs will get along just fine - most crabs do, but there is instances where they don't. If they don't get along, there are some steps that can be taken, but no point in crossing thet bridge until you get there.

Bathing is essential for crabs, so that they can store salt water in their shells, but when humans bathe them we mess up salinity levels. This and other reasons are why I choose not to bathe my crabs, but I let them do it themselves. By having deep dishes, they do the job and maintain the correct salinity level.

Go to www.epicureanhermit.com for feeding ideas.... and please look under hte crab care FAQ drop down bar at the right and go to the section labeled "safe commercial foods?" and read that.

hope this helps!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:39 pm

2 Sponges coupled with moist sand and 2 water dishes gets the humidity to a perfect level for me. (10 gallon, 2 hermies.) Its all about testing new things to get the humidity right. A bendy lamp is what I use. too hot, I "stretch" it taller and away from the tank, closer to warm it up. A UTH is recommended.