Crabitat Build!

[Jamison]

I am finally upgrading to my forty! I plan on adding many fun features including a moss pit, China garden, second level, and climbing background. I am super excited. My only problem is that both my crabs are molting. One is almost done. I just picked up the tank today and it is huge co.pared to my temporary five gallon. I will post pictures and updates as I make progress.

[ciaraalston]

Can't wait to see the final results!!!

I say set up your tank, take your time. Hopefully by the time you're finished, they're up from a molt!

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[Jamison]

I need to order some eco earth and some other supplies but once that gets here I will start.

[Jamison]

Today I did some work. I put all of the substrate I had on hand in. It gave me about an inch. I ordered some eco earth and will grab some sand this weekend. In the morning I am going to order some prime and instant ocean. I will also get a Hampster wheel. Do I need to get something that they can grip onto? I am getting a locker shelf for their second level. I am also going to make a climbing background. This is costing more than I thought. Any tips on saving money. Luckily, my parents agreed to split the tank price and I have an amazon giftcard.

[Hermiesguardian]

Today I did some work. I put all of the substrate I had on hand in. It gave me about an inch. I ordered some eco earth and will grab some sand this weekend. In the morning I am going to order some prime and instant ocean. I will also get a Hampster wheel. Do I need to get something that they can grip onto? I am getting a locker shelf for their second level. I am also going to make a climbing background. This is costing more than I thought. Any tips on saving money. Luckily, my parents agreed to split the tank price and I have an amazon giftcard.

You attach craft mesh to the hamster wheel. Using zip ties but you have to make holes in the wheel. I know the initial setup is a bit costly but once it's set up the cost is minimal.

[Motörcrab]

The initial set up can be a bit pricey getting started. Several months ago I priced out doing a 10 G for a guy at work for his grandsons crab. I was giving him the tank but he had to buy everything else. I gave him a list of where to get certain things and basic pricing. glass top $20, Heater $30, Acurite gauge $12, Substrate $15, Instant Ocean $10, Hide $5, Moss Pit $6, Moss $8, and $25 for decorations the 10 G would have been around $130. Needless to say he never upgraded.

You main focus should start off on their main needs. Heat, Humidity, Food and Water. Be sure to get the proper heating for your tank first! It's way easier and less of a pain to do that right the first time than to find out in the middle of winter you can't get the temperature up. For this Ultratherms from Reptile Basics or The Bean Farm are your best bet. They can be insulated and heat more efficiently than ZooMed ones you can buy at most pet stores. Ultratherms are also similar in price if not cheaper comparing one to one with the ZooMeds. Plus you can insulate the Ultratherms. I found they are cheaper at Reptile Basics compared to the Bean Farm. I found the best thing at keeping the humidity in is a glass top. A Plexiglass lid will work too. Screen tops with plastic wrap work to an extent but still allow a lot of moisture to escape. Unfortunately these are two things that I have never seen on sale. For and Ultratherm and glass lid you are looking at around $50. It sounds like you already have the water and food under control.

Luckily there are some things you can do on the cheap. Food dishes can be peanut butter lids, and the water bowls can be food storage containers. You probably have plastic food containers in the kitchen that are missing lids or no one would miss them if a few disappeared! If not you can find them at just about any discount store like Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, or Dollar General. Way cheaper than paying $5 and up for a single food dish at a pet store! A margarine or butter container can also work as a hide if you cut a "U" shape into it. Big flat shells can work as dishes too!

Be sure to buy playsand at Lowes or any home improvement store. For a 40 G you will probably need a minimum of three possibly four 50 lb bags at around $5 each. It's way cheaper than the sand at pet stores and most they sell is no good for crabs anyway.

As Hermiesguardian said if you can add crafting mesh to the inside of the wheel to give them a better grip. I like using a battery powered drill to drill holes to attach the mesh. Be sure you are careful when drilling. If you get the hard plastic type if you press too hard you can crack the wheel.

You can find the crafting mesh at Hobby Lobby or Michael's for under a buck a sheet. It works great in water dishes for ladders too. Some places sell a wide variety of colors. You can make all sorts of stuff for them to climb on using it that. As long as you use your imagination the possibilities are endless. I always like having a few sheets of the mesh on hand along with several packs of zip ties.

[Jamison]

I just realized I failed to say that I already have a lot of their basic stuff like food and water dish, a hide and a lid. I can order a gauge today. What kind of craft mesh works best?
For the second level, I ordered a locker shelf. I am planning on laying a substrate may on it for a grip but would craft mesh work better?

[Hermiesguardian]

I just realized I failed to say that I already have a lot of their basic stuff like food and water dish, a hide and a lid. I can order a gauge today. What kind of craft mesh works best?
For the second level, I ordered a locker shelf. I am planning on laying a substrate may on it for a grip but would craft mesh work better?

On my 2nd level I attached burlap. But a substrate mat would be great. It might cost more. But if using burlap make sure it's natural with no chemicals added.

[scuttlecrusty22]

Don't forget to include lots of snacks in your new tank for the freshly molted hermies❤I suggest giving them lots of fresh fruit and veggies my Crabbies love it

[Motörcrab]

Did you get a larger heating pad for your new tank? You can possibly reuse your original one. If it is a ZooMed and it is stuck on the old tank when you peel it off you may damage the inner elements. Also if it heated your 5 G it more than likely not be near enough for a 40 G. I don't mean to keep bringing the heating up but it's probably the biggest error I have seen people make when building a new crabitat. Just trying to keep you from going down that road if the temperature drops and you can't keep a constant temperature.

[Jamison]

Did you get a larger heating pad for your new tank? You can possibly reuse your original one. If it is a ZooMed and it is stuck on the old tank when you peel it off you may damage the inner elements. Also if it heated your 5 G it more than likely not be near enough for a 40 G. I don't mean to keep bringing the heating up but it's probably the biggest error I have seen people make when building a new crabitat. Just trying to keep you from going down that road if the temperature drops and you can't keep a constant temperature.

Yes I am going to get a larger heating may. I live in Florida and usually during the summer the house is 80 degrees. My room is in the back of the house so even during the winter my room is about seventy five degrees. In the morning I run a space heater.
I am not going to be getting the wheel immediately. Funds are low and hopefully in about quarter month I can get it.
One of my crabs came up! He is active and got darker. Hopefully my other one comes up soon.

[Jamison]

I received my gauge and cholla! I'm still waiting on the eco earth and locker shelf to come in. They are scheduled to arrive Monday. I am going to be upgrading the water pools for the new tank. They aren't deep enough for them anymore. They could full submerge when i got them in September. I am going to either use the bottom of yogurt containers or little bowls that I got three years ago and never use. Harry came back up, but I am still waiting for Lloyd to surface. I'm staring to worry he escaped again. I thought I had escape proofed the tank but I still notified my family to be alert when walking around the house.