HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hello! I just purchased 3 crabs from Petco on Friday for my 5 year old son. They are the ones with the purple pinchers. We went to a carnival and they had a game to try to win one (which makes me sad now that I looked into what all they need for proper care). He wanted one so bad but couldn't win. So, we went to the pet store to purchase a few and the proper equipment. Almost $170 later, we have 3 of them in a 10 gallon tank. I purchased the kit Petco sells that comes with the tank, lid, sand, etc. then purchased some additional items. I think I need to add more sand after researching this forum. It came with a bag of sand so I used that plus a little of the brick substrate it came with...not a lot, just sprinkled some over some of the sand. It's probably only around an inch deep. I'm thinking I should hold off on adding more sand for the 4 weeks they need to be left alone? Or is it important that I add more now? I'm also thinking of taking the "brick" material out and having it just sand. Is that ok to do? It just has a smell that's not very pleasant. We have been leaving them alone except to watch every now and then. Haven't handled them at all. I have a UTH mounted to one side of the tank and had to tape up some of the screen cover with packing tape to keep the humidity and temp higher than it was running. I do have the gauges mounted to the opposite side of the UTH and in that area the temp is running around 74 and humidity 80-85. One of the crabs is hiding out in that far corner opposite the UTH and has been since we brought them home. He dug himself a hole (but didn't cover up) and just sits there. I know he hasn't moved because the sand around him isn't disturbed. I see his antennae move sometimes though. I hope he will be ok! I keep salt water in a big very shallow dish that came with the kit which I think was supposed to be a food dish (I bought two shells to use as food dishes) and then fresh water (both dechlorinated) in the deeper bowl that came with the kit. I keep them on opposite sides of the tank (is that ok?), then the food shells are next to the fresh water. I currently have some coconut shavings I bought at the pet store along with some of the food that came with the kit and today I put some cut up baby carrot in there. I've seen two of them eating the coconut. Have never seen the third one who is hiding in the corner eat.They came with painted shells, but I purchased natural shells and put them in there. None have yet to switch. When they do, I plan to take the painted shells out. I also have a little cabana for them to hide in, which I've seen two of them use at times; a little lounge chair, which the one with the painted lady shell sits on sometimes...it's quite humorous; and I have the "climbing wall" against the back wall of the tank...haven't seen them climb on it, but there is some sand on it, so maybe at night they've tried that out.Any advice or recommendations are welcome! I'm so glad I have this community to come to!

Welcome! You came to the right place. These people taught me everything I know.You should add more sand asap because part of what they will want to do during the month of destressing is bury and molt. If you are using the sand it came with it's probably calci sand which is bad. You will want to get coconut fiber bedding (like Eco Earth) which you can get at the pet store and/or play sand which you can buy in bulk at the hardware store. You can do a mix of both or just pick one. General rule is to make the substrate 2.5 times deeper than the height of your biggest crab. You will need to get the temp above 75. May need another UTH mounted next to the one you already have - or move to a warmer spot in the house? Or cover with a blanket...They will be wanting some much-needed nutrients. Most commercial hermit crab foods are no good but luckily they can eat a lot of what we do! Organic fruits and veggies are good. They will be wanting some protein. Frozen shrimp (tails on please!) are great as well as nuts and seeds. Some egg shells for calcium is a good idea.Food list:http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...510198 ... 049897Info on substrate and depth:http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...510198 ... -a/133.htm

Wanted to add that HBH Variety Bites are a commercial crab food considered ok. Here is the link to that post: http://landhermitcrabs.com/eve...5100321/m/7884064338If you post the ingredients of the crab food you got we can tell you if it's ok or not!

Thank you! I'll get some play sand tomorrow. Already planning to relocate the tank. The food is Zoo Med hermit crab food. It also came with Zoo Med hermit crab mineral blocks. Should I put one of those in there?

Welcome to the forum! The Zoo Med HC food has ingredients that make it unsuitable. The mineral had so many ingredients and I don't have them all memorized yet so I'm not sure. I get my dry foods at two online stores The Hermit Crab Patch and The Hermit Crab Addiction Store, both fabulous! Fresh organic foods are also fabulous. I get some dehydrated, dried things at whole foods, like coconut, peanutbutter with nothing but peanuts, etc.Peg

Don't use the food. It has ethoxyquin in it which is bad. Sorry I wouldn't use the mineral blocks, either. Looks like some questionable ingredients. You will find this unfortunately in a lot of things that say "hermit crab." It totally sucks. Want some great pre-prepared foods? Check out:http://www.hermitcrabaddictionstore.com ... panel=true#

I've not seen that last shop...one more to check out.Peg

Thank you everyone Now I need some serious help! This morning, woke up to find a crab out of the shell in that corner that one had dug up. Not sure if it was the same one that was sitting there or if another stole its shell. I don't even know if it's alive I took some pics hoping someone can help me. I don't know if it's molting or if another crab killed it for its shell Are the extra shells I have in there not suitable? The one that was in that corner had on the red shell which is now over by the lounge chair, and that's where the one who had the blue shell that is now over by the naked crab always hung out. Also, any advice you can give me about my setup is appreciated. Thanks!pics: http://s46.photobucket.com/use...melo76 ... y/CrabsETA: Also, since I have to get rid of the ZooMed food, I was looking on the Crab Patch site...what should I order? The sampler pack maybe? Would each of those provide them all they need? And do I feed all at once or rotate them daily?

One more thing: Is it ok to use fake aquarium plants in there? I have a new one I was going to dip in boiling water and put in if it's ok.

Poor baby. That doesn't look good. If he has passed he will start to smell fishy. It doesn't take long... hope he's not but they are in such a condition when we get them sometimes it is too late The sampler pack from HCP is awesome! They crab kibble is a great all around food that has most of what they need. They will not eat the same thing twice so it's best to change it up daily. Finding food for them around the house is easier than you might think, too, so you can do that to supplement - they eat very small amounts usually. Unless it's popcorn. My crabs can eat a lot of popcorn...Honey is really good for them! If you have some organic honey - it has natural antibacterial properties.I think fake aquarium plants would be fine.For your crab who fell out of the shell I'm very afraid he did not make it but if you aren't sure you can put some food near him and just leave him alone. By now you probably have figured out if he's gone or not...

Another question: are the extra shells I have in there suitable or should I get others?

Ah yes looks like you will need some different shells! PP's like round opening shells like turbos: http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com...Shell-p/sh115-02.htmand E's like oval openings like babylonians (http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com/Natural- ... 155-01.htm) and mine especially love this rice field snail shell: http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com...Shell-p/sh200-01.htmPP's will change shells all the time if you give them a lot of shells. E's don't change as much. You will want some shells in their size and bigger for them as they grow. I can tell you I've bought a ton of shells! Luckily they are pretty cheap. You can find them at Michaels for decor. You can get assorted bags or buy specific sizes at HCP. Just remember if you buy them from a shell company they usually measure the entire shell and not the opening. Us crabby crazies measure by the size of the opening (because that's how the crabs would measure it!!).You can find all kinds of places to buy them in bulk. Check the archives here for links. There's one called Daytona and one called Aquarius - I haven't tried either but have seen links on here.Info on measuring: http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com/kb_results.asp?Cat=7

Oh and don't forget to boil them when you get them... but you knew that already! I just couldn't stop myself from sayin

Thank you so much!

Got a great deal on shells today! I went to Dollar General and Dollar Tree. DG only had one bag, but it had lots of usable ones in there including the two blue/green ones for only $1! Then DT had three bags, so I bought all three, then swapped out what I can use with others from each bag and I can return two of the bags. So, I got all the shells in this pic for $2!: http://s46.photobucket.com/use...bs/100 ... tmlKrabbie Patty already tried one on! It was fun watching him/her check them out. Guess he/she decided the old one was better though b/c it changed back to the painted one right away.I did a little rearranging today to move the waters and food away from the heat source. I exchanged my 10-20 gal UTH for a 30-40 gal UTH b/c the smaller one was only keeping it around 72 most of the time, 74 occasionally. I've had this new one on for a few hours now and it's almost up to 75. I hope this one will be warm enough Not sure if it's b/c the tank isn't all glass..I think it's a plexiglass maybe? It was the ZooMed kit from Petco. I also had to put this one on the back side b/c it was too big for the side. So, I cut off half the climbing wall on the back so it wouldn't be covering the heat. Any other suggestions besides blankets if you think I need to make it warmer than 74?Here is a pic of my rearranged tank: http://s46.photobucket.com/use...bs/100_1141.jpg.htmlI have the salt water in the shallow wider dish and the drinking water in the deeper smaller dish. Should I switch that or is that good?One more question. I'm thinking of swapping out the ceramic cabana I got for a plastic small animal "climbing barn" I found at Petco. Would something like that be ok? It's just thin plastic with an opening at one end and then little steps in the back of it. Not sure if they will be able to climb since it's plastic, but it would still be a nice hideout if plastic is ok.