Long time lurker, first time poster

[Kodosc]

Hi everyone, I've been owned by Australian land hermit crabs since December last year, and found these forums very helpful in understanding their behaviour and setting up their crabitat, so I thought I should properly join the community and introduce myself.

My boyfriend and I have four crabbies, Hermie, Flume, Zapp, and Kai. Hermie was actually a gift to my boyfriend from a work colleague, so we had to learn very quickly how to take care of hermit crabs, but I think we're doing pretty okay. Currently, Hermie and Kai are underground, and Zapp and Flume just recently came back up. I suspect that they were moulting due to the length of time underground, and they look like they have little black needle tips on their legs.

The humidity sits at between 75%-80%, I have a DIY humidifier set up, plus heaps of moss. The temperature sits at around 30 degrees celsius, and that's without a heat mat because it's summer here in Australia. I plan on getting a heat mat before the temperature starts to droop, but that's at least a couple of months away.

Diet consists of a homemade crushed seed/grain/nut mix with calcium powder, a little Hikari Crab Cuisine, some bits of fresh veg, dried tropical fruit (papaya, coconut, mango), freeze dried bloodworms, and either cocktail prawn, sardines, tuna, or plain cooked red meat/chicken.

Substrate is play sand, but I couldn't find anywhere that stocked coconut fibre when I set up the tank. I've since found that I can get it at Bunnings, and plan on adding it when everyone comes back up from underground. As well as that, I have a suction soap dish with sphagnum moss, a terracotta pot with sphagnum moss that doubles as a shell shop, a saltwater pool, a shell insert which acts as a second level, a climbing tree, a fake plant, and a coconut shell for a hideaway. I think that's everything in the tank. The tank is about 18 gallons, and I'm looking into getting a bigger one so they have more space.

And I think that's all the essential info about my crabitat!

[aussieJJDude]

Welcome to the board.

Bunnings sells peat fiber, not coconut fiber... so keep that in mind when shopping around for it. Same thing pretty much, but if you happen to ask an employee (as i did since it wasn't on the shelf at the time) you may get a lost look.

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[mjjluver]

love their names! post some pictures!

[leah610]

Welcome! My smallest crab is actually named Kai- what a coincidence


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[GotButterflies]

Hello and welcome to the HCA!

[LadyJinglyJones]

Welcome welcome!

Good to meet ya!

[Moonlightdreams]

Hello! Welcome to the HCA! We're glad to have you.