I'm new to hermit carbs and want to make sure I'm doing everything right

[Horsejazz34]

I'm at the jersey shore with my family and want to get a set of hermit crabs for me and my sister. I've done some research and know that the kits the sell you with them are only good as temporary homes. Bottom line I don't want to get one unless I can care for it properly. What is the bare minimum supplies I need to take care of my hermits when I get home, how much does it cost, is there a way to softly transport them to my home 3 hours away, and do I definitely need a 10 gallon tank and heater? Thank you I've looked a lot of this up but I need a straight forward answer and want to be able to take really good care of these guys.

[Crabber85]

First let me welcome you to the community here at LHC.com on behalf of the staff and members, Welcome. Secondly yes ten gallons is the smallest size aquarium that you can house hermitcrabs in because they need to have constant access to both dechlorinated fresh and salt water and need to have plenty of climbing decor, hiding space and roaming space besides having plenty of extra shells.You need at least five spare shells to one crab with a couple being a bit smaller than the one the crab is currently wearing, a couple the same size and a couple one or two sizes larger to give the crab plenty of variety.You'll need to have a good dechlorinating product to treat the crabs water like API, Top Fin, Stress Coat basically any dechlorinator that specifically says that it will remove chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals which are all present in tap water and most bottled waters.For the salt water your going to want either API or Jungle fresh water salt if you have Purple Pinchers or if you have exotics as well you'll need to have something like Instant Ocean or Oceanic's because the exotics need actual sea water to survive.For the water and food dishes you can easily use tupperware containers or pretty much any kind of plastic container as long as the water dishes are at least half the hight of your largest crab at rest so that they can submerge enough to fill their shells and bathe themselves properly.For substrate there are only two choices that are safe for hermitcrabs regular play sand which is pretty cheap about $4 for a 50lb bag, or you can use EE(Eco Earth) which is ground up coconut husk and is an excellent molting medium.You'll need a substrate depth of at least six inches to start and the substrate needs to be hydrated to sandcastle consistency so that it will hold shape so that the crabs can tunnel and create molt pockets.You'll need a uth pad rated for a thirty gallon tank to get the right heat output and never bottom mount uth pads as they were never designed to work under the depth that we have to keep our substrate at the sub tend to make an effective barrier trapping the heat generated by the pad right at the glass which causes the temp in that area to rise to well in excess of 90 degrees and has been known to kill burrowed or molting hermits as they can not feel heat they way we do they will burrow down and sit right over the heat until they cook themselves.The other problem with bottom mounting a uth pad is that the heat that gets trapped and builds up tends to cause the glass where the pad is mounted to expand and if any cooler water should suddenly migrate to the bottom say from an accidental spill the sudden drop in temp will cause the glass to react by attempting to shrink while its still expanding which will result in a fracturing or shattering of the glass so side or back mounting the pad is necessary to protect the crabs and the tank.Since side or back mounting is a less efficient means of using the pad the general rule of thumb is you will need a pad rated for a tank three times the size of the one you want to use it on because these pads are only designed to get the tank temp up seven to ten degrees from room temp when properly mounted the increase in pad size is a must to achieve this seven to ten degree boost in tank temp.You will need a good humidity retaining lid you can accomplish this by using a screen lid and cover the top portion to about 90% with Glads Press and Seal which will trap the humidity in the tank and a humidity level between 75 and 80% is vital to keeping the crabs alive as they don't have lungs like mammals instead they have rigid or fixed gills that kind of act like lungs that only function when kept moist hence the need the need to keep the humidity up.You will also need a dual thermometer and hydrometer to keep track of both values as the tank needs to be kept at a temp between 75 and 85 degrees and a humidity level of 75 to 85%. Here is a link to our new crabber cost cutter guide. Here is a link to our guide to setting up a ten gallon tank on a budget.The last thing I want to mention is the need for an isolation period which is a four week time where you only disturb the crabs to change out their food and water this is a common practice to improve the odds of survival past the first six months during the one month iso time you will need to keep the enclosure dimly lit and the noise levels down this will help keep the stress levels down will also prompt the crab to burrow down to molt which is very common as these poor crabs have had to post pone molting upwards of six months because they haven't been able to find suitable conditions conducive to that activity and if they have to keep postponing molt the molt inhibiting hormone they make in their eyes will build up in their systems until it becomes toxic and either forces them into a surface molt or outright kills them either way the odds are not in their favor at that point.I'll let you digest this bit of information and then either I or someone else will get back to you.

[Horsejazz34]

Thank you so much for the info love the help

[Geranium]

How about in shopping list form?Glass Aquarium Tank 10 gallons or larger (look for free ones on freecycle or Craigslist)Lid for tank (aquarium lid or mesh or glass or plexi)Glad Press & Seal or Saran WrapSubstrate: playsand/EcoEarth or both ( hardware store for the playsand)Temperature and Humidity Gauges UTH rated for a 30 gallon (3x's the size of your tank)Food dish, preferably 22 deep water dishes (plastic storage dishes good)River rocks or needlepoint canvas to help small crabs out of water dishesSponge (not for water dish, food)Food: Unseasoned real foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats especially seafood, unsalted nuts, seeds, grains like oatmeal, egg shells - see safe food list Dry foods from The Hermit Crab Patch and/or The Hermit Crab Addiction Store Worm castings, organicCuttle bone (bird section)Crushed oyster shellsInstant Ocean (or other marine grade salt, fish section)Dechlorinator (Top Fin or API, no slime coat or aloe) Spare shells (No painted shells)Decoration/Entertainment ideashuts leafy plastic plants tipped plastic or glass bowls sticks of safe woods, maple or oak or chollaCork woodCoconut fiber climbing matVinesSuction cup soap dishes/shelves (to make 2nd level)Stuff to climb onZipties to attach stuff togetherCrabs: I would suggest starting with PPs, they are the ones with the big purple claw and small round eyesMaximum number for 10g: 2 large OR 4 medium OR 6 small OR 8 teenie(Large are about ping pong ball to tennis ball size. Teeny are marble size). There is a post in the archived of recommendations for different size tanks.

[Horsejazz34]

Hi guys since you seem to be knowledgable I have a few more questions for you guys. I brought two crabs yesterday and they are staying in the carrier here just untill I can take them home tomorrow. My sister however after the storm that happened found some crabs washed up on the beach and unknown to me brought them home so I took them in and put them in the carrier with full intention of going home and getting a big enough home and enough supplies for all of them. She only brought home two and the largest one is sick and I'm considering driving fifteen minities and putting him back in the water. He has been named jersey after the jersey shore. Would this even be good for him he smells like dishing fish and is still moveing but not tons. Also their is another smaller crab that appears to be the same kind but is not yet as sick should I put her back too? I included a picture of the bigger one what kind are they and can they even be kept as pets? Is he even hermits? Thanks need an answer ASAP worried about these guys.

[Horsejazz34]

I can't get there pictures up and my moms in the car waiting I'm just worried the files to large. He's tan/whitish

[Geranium]

I would put them back where you found them. Since if I understood correctly that they were found in NJ, they are most likely marine hermit crabs who need very different conditions. They may not survive even then but that is the best chance they have.

[Horsejazz34]

They were put back thanks for your help.