Solitary Crab

[Ashay321]

I came into a family that had a hermit crab and I've become the person who takes care of the little guy...he is about sixteen years old and has been a solitary hermit crab his whole life. Would it be a mistake to bring in another crab now? I know they are social animals but I am worried he may attack after being alone so long!

[CrabbyLover77]

I came into a family that had a hermit crab and I've become the person who takes care of the little guy...he is about sixteen years old and has been a solitary hermit crab his whole life. Would it be a mistake to bring in another crab now? I know they are social animals but I am worried he may attack after being alone so long!

Hi!

That's so nice of you to take over caring for him! I've heard of some stories where hermit crabs did fine, or were even better off alone. However, more often than not, they seem to prefer the company of other crabbies. If you decided to bring in a new friend, just be prepared to have a plan b if you would need to separate them (like another setup).
What is the current setup? (Tank size, fresh/salt water available, food available, substrate, etc).
Definitely make sure to check out all the care sheets on here. There's a lot of good info in them.

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[wodesorel]

The longest lived crabs that we've seen have been in singles or pairs, so it's not too surprising he's lived this long. There is a risk in bringing in another crab - not just behaviourally with fights, but also with pathogens since he hasn't been exposed to anything in so very long. If you wanted to try, I would suggest a long quarentine to make sure the new crab survives his first molt and seems healthy afterwards. I don't think there is anything wrong with him staying by himself though!

[Ashay321]

Thank you for the advice. His tank is L18"xW18"xH24"...it is glass on the sides and screen at the top. His substrate is just coconut fiber and moss, which I mist every day but it seems a bit dry...should I add anything like sand to it? I read some horror stories about certain sand killing crabs just a few days after it was added so I am scared. He has fresh water and another little water bowl that I add a small amount of salt water conditioner to.. and he eats a variety of fruits, veggies, plain chicken and hard boiled eggs, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut..etc seems to be doing ok! Worried a little about the moisture of the substrate. I was also worried about his mineral intake, and I saw they sell mineral blocks and pellets but I opted for organic hermit crab food on amazon: 8 Pack: Includes 1 oz plastic jars of the following items: crushed Dungeness crab exoskeleton, dehydrated Icelandic kelp, crushed cottonseed, dehydrated alfalfa, free-range cattle blood powder, dried & ground wild-caught menhaden, sardine, anchovy, and herring fish mix, golden flaxseed meal, dried and crushed organic free-range chicken feather. My thought was that he will get essential minerals through this food versus risking processed ingredients/additives in a typical zoo med tablet/pellet..

[Crabby7Crabber]

Thank you for the advice. His tank is L18"xW18"xH24"...it is glass on the sides and screen at the top. His substrate is just coconut fiber and moss, which I mist every day but it seems a bit dry...should I add anything like sand to it? I read some horror stories about certain sand killing crabs just a few days after it was added so I am scared. He has fresh water and another little water bowl that I add a small amount of salt water conditioner to.. and he eats a variety of fruits, veggies, plain chicken and hard boiled eggs, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut..etc seems to be doing ok! Worried a little about the moisture of the substrate. I was also worried about his mineral intake, and I saw they sell mineral blocks and pellets but I opted for organic hermit crab food on amazon: 8 Pack: Includes 1 oz plastic jars of the following items: crushed Dungeness crab exoskeleton, dehydrated Icelandic kelp, crushed cottonseed, dehydrated alfalfa, free-range cattle blood powder, dried & ground wild-caught menhaden, sardine, anchovy, and herring fish mix, golden flaxseed meal, dried and crushed organic free-range chicken feather. My thought was that he will get essential minerals through this food versus risking processed ingredients/additives in a typical zoo med tablet/pellet..

Calcium sand is the evil-doer. Not only is most of it outrageously overpriced, but it can harden on a crab and kill them. But regular play sand that is safe and you can get from Lowes is, what, $5 for 50 lbs? A good amount of people on here use and suggest the Quikrete brand. A lot of us also use the ratio 1:5 (Eco Earth (coconut fiber to the play sand) for substrate. Adding dechlorinated water and getting the substrate at a sand castle consistency allows crabs to easily tunnel while molting. However, some people also don't have sand and get along fine. Not sure what size your tank is. For the water, does the conditioner dechlorinate the water as well? What type is it? As for the food, I know exactly what you're referring to, and the food is sold by a person called Cholla Queen. She is satisfactory to, I'm pretty sure, all people on here! She's definitely a better choice then commercial pellets and those mineral blocks. Hopefully this helps, and that some people more experienced can share their insight/advice/ideas, especially on the tank size and salt water!

[curlysister]

Wow! 16 years old, he must be pretty big. It will be ten years in fall that I have had my two. Be sure to check out the care sheets - start with the 'basic crab care' and then go from there:

viewforum.php?f=120

The sand that is potentially harmful is calcium sand - often sold as 'crab sand' and often colored. The correct sand is play sand, the stuff you get by the 50 pound bag for cheap at a hard ware store.

Do you have a thermometer/ hygrometer?