New mom and questions

[Mzlisa]

I’ve been reading through a lot of posts here and still can’t find exactly what I need answered. Hopefully y’all can help!

We just got a few new hermies thanks to our visit to the beach we came home and went to the pet stores here for a couple.

1. I have a tiny hermit crab who haven’t moved much at least not when we look. I’ve picked it up about 3 times to make sure it wasn’t dead. It’s not. I haven’t seen it dig like the others. It’s always on the surface and inside its shell. I never see it eat or get into the water. Normally I put him/her down next to the food enticing it to come out. Nothing has worked. Is this normal? I thought maybe it’s distressing but don’t they normally dig for that?

2. I feel like I’m too low on my substrate. Since most of them are under the sand would I need to wait for them to get out for me to add more? If I start digging for them and they are molting do I just put back the substrate and the crab?

3. For whatever reason my temperature won’t go beyond 65-70 degrees! My humidity is always 70-80% sometimes it has dropped in the 60s but I spray dechlorinated water on the glass to help. I have 2 uth one small I got one from the pet store and another I picked from Amazon that is supposed to work good for 10-20 gallon tanks. They are both located on the side of the tank and the thermometer/hygrometer is next to them and it still won’t show a temperature higher then 65-70. I want to get a new heating source but not sure which one since the UTH is not working. Is this why the crabs aren’t coming out often?

4. I used prime to dechlorinate the water. I used the cap and it said .1 ML do I filled it up to the very first line which was about 2-3 drops. Any feedback on this? What have you used? I’ve read pros and cons on distilled water so please lmk

5. If I leave on vacation what is your go to as far as food and water etc? How do you prep the tank for your vacation?

Thanks so much everybody!!! My family and I are excited!

[Enson]

I'm not a crab expert. I'm new here myself, but your heating issue is likely caused by one of 3 things.
1. Do you have a lid? You'll never trap heat and humidity without a solid tight fitting lid.
2. Your heaters are likely undersized. Most of the time that 10-20 gal number is intended for reptiles. The UTH's add a warm spot for reptiles on the bottom of their enclosure, not heat the whole tank. They can work for heating whole tanks from the side, but you have to way oversize them. Certain heaters are safe to insulate and certain ones aren't, so do some research there and you might be able to insulate your heaters to get a little more help. I also recommend a thermostat for any animal heaters since they will prevent thermal runaway due to a dead short if the heater fails at some point.
3. Is your thermometer calibrated? You should check it against a known temperature. This also applies to your humidity gage. You should check it against the salt test. Moist salt in a lid/shot glass/other small cup in a sealed container will normalize at 75% humidity at room temperature.

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[CrabbyLover77]

I'll put my responses under your questions. Hope it helps!

I’ve been reading through a lot of posts here and still can’t find exactly what I need answered. Hopefully y’all can help!

We just got a few new hermies thanks to our visit to the beach we came home and went to the pet stores here for a couple.

1. I have a tiny hermit crab who haven’t moved much at least not when we look. I’ve picked it up about 3 times to make sure it wasn’t dead. It’s not. I haven’t seen it dig like the others. It’s always on the surface and inside its shell. I never see it eat or get into the water. Normally I put him/her down next to the food enticing it to come out. Nothing has worked. Is this normal? I thought maybe it’s distressing but don’t they normally dig for that?

CL77- Frequent handling of crabbies, especially new crabbies can really stress them out. So for the time being, until they acclimate to their new surroundings, I'd try to be as hands off as possible. If the crab is alive, it's eating and drinking. Sometimes they eat such small amounts you can't even tell.

2. I feel like I’m too low on my substrate. Since most of them are under the sand would I need to wait for them to get out for me to add more? If I start digging for them and they are molting do I just put back the substrate and the crab?

CL77- How deep is your substrate? It should be 6", or 3x the height of your biggest crabby. If you have any crabs under, you can add 1" of substrate per day. Just don't pack it down or move around any decor (that could potentially collapse tunnels). It should be moistened to sand castle consistency with dechlor fresh or salt water.

Never dig for a crab. It can stress them to the point of death. The only time you dig is in an emergency, like a bacterial bloom or flood.

3. For whatever reason my temperature won’t go beyond 65-70 degrees! My humidity is always 70-80% sometimes it has dropped in the 60s but I spray dechlorinated water on the glass to help. I have 2 uth one small I got one from the pet store and another I picked from Amazon that is supposed to work good for 10-20 gallon tanks. They are both located on the side of the tank and the thermometer/hygrometer is next to them and it still won’t show a temperature higher then 65-70. I want to get a new heating source but not sure which one since the UTH is not working. Is this why the crabs aren’t coming out often?

CL77- That temp is def too cold, which could be why your crabs aren't active. Purple Pinchers should have temps 75-85°F, and exotics should be 80-85°F. Zoo Med uth aren't very good, which could be your issue. You also cannot insulate over them. Ultratherm is the best brand and can be insulated. You can get them for a good price on reptilebasics.com. Get one that will cover the entire back of your tank. You can attach it to your tank using duct tape. Make sure you buy a thermostat to go with it. It will regulate the temperature of the mat so it doesn't overheat. I'll find the links for the uth, how to insulate them, and the thermostat and post them asap.

Humidity is best kept at 80% or higher. It should never drop below 70%. What type of lid do you have? If it's mesh, you can wrap saran wrap over the entire thing to hold moisture in. Your crabbies will get air when you do your tank maintenance every day. Make sure your substrate is sand castle consistency. It will help with the humidity as well.

4. I used prime to dechlorinate the water. I used the cap and it said .1 ML do I filled it up to the very first line which was about 2-3 drops. Any feedback on this? What have you used? I’ve read pros and cons on distilled water so please lmk

CL77- Prime is great. I just add 3 drops with an eye dropper to a gallon. Distilled water is ok for the salt water, because the salt adds the trace minerals the crabbies need. However, the fresh water will be void of these minerals if you use distilled. It's perfectly fine to use tap water with Prime for both the salt and fresh water. Are you using a marine salt like Instant Ocean for your salt water? Are your pools big enough they can submerge but have easy access out?

5. If I leave on vacation what is your go to as far as food and water etc? How do you prep the tank for your vacation?

CL77- If you're leaving for vacation, you can leave out plenty of dry food, and fill up their water pools/dishes. They should be ok. I've only went somewhere twice in the last 5 years, but had my Mom taking care of them and my other critters. Maybe someone who's left them alone before can jump in with their suggestions.

Thanks so much everybody!!! My family and I are excited!

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[CrabbyLover77]

https://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I15 ... asin_title

viewtopic.php?t=119297

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[Mzlisa]

https://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I15 ... asin_title

viewtopic.php?t=119297

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Do you think if I were to make it warmer the crabs will come out and then I can reset my tank? I want to redo it with a good crabitat makeover. @CrabbyLover77

[CrabbyLover77]

Do you think if I were to make it warmer the crabs will come out and then I can reset my tank? I want to redo it with a good crabitat makeover. @CrabbyLover77

I couldn't guarantee it, but it's likely. If they've already went under to molt, they won't come back up, and you can't dig or move ornaments around. You can only add 1" of sub per day, and not pack it down. The heat still needs to be raised even if they are molting or under to destress.
Hope this helps.

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[hermit_crab_mommy]

Also do you have a glass tank? They hold in heat and humidity much better than plastic.

[Mzlisa]

Also do you have a glass tank? They hold in heat and humidity much better than plastic.

Yes I have a 10 gallon glass tank.

[Mzlisa]

I couldn't guarantee it, but it's likely. If they've already went under to molt, they won't come back up, and you can't dig or move ornaments around. You can only add 1" of sub per day, and not pack it down. The heat still needs to be raised even if they are molting or under to destress.
Hope this helps.

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If I were to add an inch at a time what do I do with the items on the surface (shells, decorations etc) ? I read to not move it but want to make sure.

[CrabbyLover77]

If I were to add an inch at a time what do I do with the items on the surface (shells, decorations etc) ? I read to not move it but want to make sure.

You can move any shells or anything just laying on the surface. If there's heavy decorations, or anything pushed down in the sand, you'll want to leave those. Moving them can collapse tunnels. You can add the substrate around anything you can't move.

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[Mzlisa]

You can move any shells or anything just laying on the surface. If there's heavy decorations, or anything pushed down in the sand, you'll want to leave those. Moving them can collapse tunnels. You can add the substrate around anything you can't move.

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Thank you so much for being so responsive!!! I have one more question (for now lol) I want to add the chholla trees but I I am missing a hermit crab that haven’t been up for the last few days. I wanted the logs to kid of stand up to straight. What are your thoughts just wait? Also when should I go looking for the missing one?

[Mzlisa]

I guess that was 2 questions lol

[CrabbyLover77]

Thank you so much for being so responsive!!! I have one more question (for now lol) I want to add the chholla trees but I I am missing a hermit crab that haven’t been up for the last few days. I wanted the logs to kid of stand up to straight. What are your thoughts just wait? Also when should I go looking for the missing one?

You're welcome!
Do you mean the cholla wood pieces? You could kinda of lean them against the glass if you wanted, just don't push them down in the sand.

It can take months for crabs to molt or destress. I adopted a crabby last year that went under in Feb of this year. She was small-med sized. I was pretty sure she had passed, but I gave it 6 full months before I looked for her. Please note though, that she was in a tank by herself. I had moved my other crabbies to the newer bigger tank already. Had there been other crabs under in the same tank, I never would have dug for her, fearing I may harm another crab. I would have just assumed she passed. I use that 20 gal as my isolation tank now. So the general rule is, don't dig unless there is an emergency.

You can ask as many questions as you need too lol!

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[GotButterflies]

Hello! CrabbyLover77 did a great job answering your questions! I just wanted to mention that with smaller tanks it can be really hard to manage temps and humidity.

To help boost heat:
If you have an ultratherm, you can try to insulate over your heating pad and tank to raise the temperature of your tank. There are several ways to do this. Don't insulate over your heating pad if it is a zoomed, or any other heating pad that is insulated (padded). If your heating pad is insulated, you would insulate AROUND the heating pad.

Cheaper way: You can use aluminum foil (shiny part facing the crabitat), then cardboard. Attach using packaging tape, duct tape or Reflectix tape.

More expensive: Purchase a product called Reflectix. This product looks like car shade material. It is sold in rolls at local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot. You can also purchase it on Amazon. Cut the Reflectix to fit your tank. Attach using packaging tape, duct tape or Reflectix tape.

It can take several hours to see the difference. If doing the insulation doesn't raise your temperature, you might want to consider getting a bigger and or better heater. Most of us use ultratherms. They are great heaters. www.reptilebasics.com or www.beanfarm.com sells them.

To help boost humidity:
I personally prefer glass tops, however with glass tops you cannot set heat lamps on top of them. Heat lamps can crack glass lids.

With mesh lids you can cover them in Press-N-Seal, or cut open gallon sized Ziploc bags and tape them to the outside with packaging tape to help keep the humidity in the tank.
Humidity boosters: Bubblers definitely do help boost the humidity. Double dish bubblers: http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... r#p1030806

You can also add moss pits to help. You would use organic moss (as well as moss that is on the safe list), and moisten it with dechlorinated fresh water. Then, put the moss in a shower caddy or a glass vase laying on it's side so the hermits can walk in and out of it. Glass tops also help keep humidity in.

Deeper substrate also helps boost humidity


Also, it is better to use tap water than to use distilled.

Good luck!