HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi All!

My daughter acquired two crabs a few weeks ago... Man has THIS been a time of learning (and expense)!

We've created a nice Crabitat, read tons about humidity levels, temps, and food. But I'm still not satisfied with their home. I know the temp must be off, because they've dug a little nest right in beside the heating pad and refuse to move! Fall has finally decided to arrive here in Alabama, so our AC isn't running as much and the ambient house temp has been between 72-75°F.

Can someone please help me determine what KIND of crabs we have so that we can improve their tank?

Current tank conditions: 10 gal, eco earth substrate that ranges from 2" to 6" deep, 78-80% humidity (towel over mesh top until I can afford better), temp 75°F using a "mini" UTH attached to the back right side of the tank (nearest the fresh water). I'm having a hard time bringing up the temp in the tank. Suggestions welcome.

Thanks!

aw, they are so cute! I'm not sure of the species. you could try covering the UTH with tinfoil for insulation; that's what I do in the winter. best of luck!

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The only uth's that can be insulated are Ultratherms. Otherwise it's a fire hazard. I also don't know the species but I can point put a couple of other issues. The depth throughout the tank has to be a minimum of 6" or 3x the height of your largest crab. Whichever is deeper wins. Honestly a 10 gallon is too small for 3 crabs. You can try a find a good deal on a larger tank on Craigslist or the apps Letgo and Offerup. The bigger the better. Lol. You can cover the mesh lid with saran wrap and taping it down. That will hold in the humidity. What kind of gauge do you have? I know the initial set up is a bit costly but once it's set up it's really not a lot of money to care for them. Is your substrate sandcastle consistancy? The pools need to be large enough for them to totally submerge. And the HCA recommends 3-5 shells per crzb for them to choose from. But since you don't know yet what type they are, you really can't get the best shells they prefer.

Sorry, to answer your other question about the heat. You can insulate around the tank, not covering the uth, with cardboard wrapped in tinfoil. Shiny side out. And you can put a towel on top. But over the saran wrap.

I’m not sure of species but from the pics they don’t look like Purple Pinchers...but again I’m a newbie myself lol.

Also from your pictures it looks like the UTH you have is a small ZooMed and those cannot be insulated over them but as Hermiesguardian said, you CAN insulate around it. I’d definitely recommend something a little bigger and a different brand that you CAN insulate. Www.reptilebasics.com and beanfarm.com are both excellent sites to order from.

I’d also recommend deeper substrate...for a 10 gallon it needs to at least be half full to the top or 3x the height of your largest crab.

I also noticed sponges in your dishes...I used to use them too until I found this site...they aren’t needed and eventually will just start harboring bacteria. Pools definitely need to be deeper also There’s a TON of useful info to be found on this site...it’s a one stop crab learning experience haha!

BTW your crabs are cute and welcome!

Welcome to the board. Unfortunately the pics aint working for me, so I cant see what they may be... but they sound cute.

Agree with everyone above, UTH by ultratherms seem to be amazing and work fantastically. Most members I know swear by them.

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The pictures aren't working for me

I suggest adding seran wrap over the lid of your tank to keep humidity. I used a towel over the top for quite a while, but i kept having to mist.

If you're having trouble with heat, try a larger heat mat. Most people swear by ultratherms. I haven't personally used them, but i haven't heard a single negative thing about them. I use heat tape, but it's a little more tricky than just buying an ultratherm. reptilebasics.com is great! i ordered my heat tape from them. Fast shipping and excellent customer service!

Good luck

I’m sorry, I can’t tell what species they are either, I’m still a newbie. I will repost your pictures to try and help whoever can’t see them, I see them so I wonder what’s going on. As for heat, I swear by my ultratherm, that’s what everyone here recommended. If you order from reptilebasics they are cheaper, they’re also cheaper than the ones you can buy in the pet store. They’re way better quality, you can reuse them bc they don’t have the sticky backing, and you can insulate over them to hold in more heat. You can use duct tape or gorilla tape around the edges to hold it on. I used a clear gorilla tape to try and make it look a little better, but who’s really going to say “Hey, your heater looks awful!”. Welcome to the HCA! Everyone here is amazing! I don’t know what I would have done without this site.

Reposting your pictures for those who couldn’t see them. I hope this works so we can have someone identify what kind they are for you.







♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

I can't tell what the one in the orange shell is, I would need a better picture, but the other one is an Ecuadorian. Also known as coenobita compressus.

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PinchersAndShells wrote:I can't tell what the one in the orange shell is, I would need a better picture, but the other one is an Ecuadorian. Also known as coenobita compressus.

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Agreed. Looks like an E to me as well!

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E's need deeper sub and more room than PP's. According to some on here.

I found this post on specific substrate mixtures for different crab species. Of course I just found this yesterday, I couldn’t have found it before I set my tank up. Here is the post and I cropped the one part out.

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... p?t=106450




For any of you that have been here awhile please correct me if this has been found to not be true.

♡ Rod ♡ Salty ♡ Bob ♡ Squirt ♡ Crabina ♡
»-♡-> Our Purple Pinchers »-♡->

Hi there! Welcome to the HCA!

I'm a little late to the party - been busy lately, but you have two Es. I recommend the following for them:

At least 10"-12" of substrate throughout the entire length of the tank.
At least 10 gallons PER crab
At least two proteins and a few calcium choices daily.

By following these guidelines, I have never had an issue with them digging up crabs.

A few things I noticed (I know you just started, but you have sponges - not necessary, you need deeper pools - you can use cheap tupperware containers, you need more shells, etc) Please check out our care guides

Thank you, everyone, for your advice and the warm welcome!

I was pretty sure I had EEs, but I'm glad to have it confirmed. Im making some adjustments to the tank this week, to see if I can make my crabbies happier.

Feel free to keep the advice coming! I'll post a follow-up pic once improvments are complete.