HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Leo is doing well, eating like a piggy and growing.

He/She has taken to eating bits of carrot and romaine lettuce when offered and gets a pinch of Zoo-Med organic turtle food once every other day, I try to alternate between veggies and the pellets to ensure a broader and more stable diet.

I keep a hunk of cuddle bone in the water at all times so that the turtle has a constant source of calcium available to consume at its leisure which helps to maintain the health of its shell.

I just replaced the uv-a/b bulb with a new 310MM Iguana UV light by Zoo-med and the turtle has been loving the stronger light and I've noticed an increase in basking as well.

The previous UV bulb was a desert reptile bulb using 300MM wavelength light and didnt seem to encourage any kind of increase in basking even when the bulb was new.

Leo has been shedding twice a month since June but with the addition of the new UV bulb seems to be shedding more than what was previously typical.

If it has long nails relative to its size, it's a male. If the nails are short, it's a female.

I feed my red eared slider (another subspecies of the slider) turtle "jello shots" in addition to a quality pellet and fresh produce. The recipe for the shots is as follows:

-1 bag kale
-2 medium carrots
-1 medium tomato
-skin off large apple
-1/2 sweet potato
-1/2 cup blueberries
-1 can tuna in water
-1/2 cup calcium supplement
-1 cup boiling water
-2 packets Knox gelatin

Puree the vegetables, fruits, tuna, and calcium in a blender with water sufficient for processing. Pour 1 cup of the pureed veggie mix in a large bowl. Sprinkle the 2 packets of gelatin evenly over the puree and stir it in. Add one cup of boiling water and mix until gelatin is dissolved. Spoon into molds (silicone ice cube trays). If desired, sprinkle turtle pellets onto the tops of the molds. let set for 2-3 hours.
gelatin is good for about a week, freeze any unused portions.

My turtle l-l-LOVES this stuff.

Thanks for the recipe.

Leo isnt quite big enough to accurately sex yet but Im starting to think it might be a female due to claw length, head shape and cloacal position.

I want to give it something very new.