New Owner

[dolphinlover]

Hi my name is Laura and I just became a new crab owner...I was in Myrtle Beach and bought a cage and received two free crabs...I was excited...I've had them since Sunday May 16th, 2021....They do not give you much information when you get these little critters...they are in sand that I got from the beach (as the owner of the store suggested I do)..

I have lots of questions and want to make sure that I take care of my crabs...One is Sponge Bob, and not sure on a name for the other little one...And they are little..Right now I have them in a round cage with wire mesh (think that is what you call it), I have a water dish with a sponge in it, another thing i call a log with holes, and food dish. Also, thing that I do not remember the name of, but helps with their elcosystem (probably spelt wrong) hanging on the side. The guy recommended this and hung it in the cage. I know the temp needs to be between 70-80, and right off hand without looking it up the humidity needs to be at a certain percentage. I had a BIG scare last night thinking one had passed because I went to change their food and Sponge Bob didnt move and his shell felt cold...I changed their food and put them in a safe place. My boyfriend kept checking them for me and they ended up being okay..Today I went and bought a 10 gallon fish tank and got a cover for it that has mesh wire..Not sure if this is the correct lid I should have got or not.. . I have a starter kit that i am going to be ordering to help me put items in there tank and it comes with a lot of items.

Questions:

Do I need an under the tank heater? (Room they will be kept in will be slightly cooler due to hot weather and an AC will be running

Do I need any type of lighting for them? ( Room they will be in does not have natural light because of AC...)

How often do they need to be bathed? (Heard once a day, once every 2-3 months, and once a week)

How often should I change their food? (Paper I received with them says every 2 days)

Thank you

[Pumpkincrab]

Hi! I recommend you look at our care guides as most pet stores and stores like that give you the worst information out there.
1. Yes, but it needs to be put on the back wall of the tank. Putting it actually under the tank can burn everything or make it get way overheated.
2. Some people say no but I say yes, I find lighting to be helpful.
3. They don't. They bathe themselves as needed. Manually bathing them just causes stress and should not be done unless 100% needed in a few cases.
4. A lot of people let it sit there and get moldy then change it. Assuming you're feeding them pellets, I'd recommend you look into making your own mixes or buying mixes and foods from Etsy. Pellets have harmful preservatives and additives in them.

[mool]

Do I need an under the tank heater? (Room they will be kept in will be slightly cooler due to hot weather and an AC will be running
Mool-Yes, you will. Most people like to use Fluker's brand or Ultratherm as they can be insulated and seem to last longer than the peel-and-stick types. They go on the tank side or back above the substrate.

Do I need any type of lighting for them? ( Room they will be in does not have natural light because of AC...) Mool: I use an LED aquarium light set on a timer.

How often do they need to be bathed? (Heard once a day, once every 2-3 months, and once a week) Mool: They do NOT need to be bathed. This stresses them out and is completely unnecessary--it also disrupts/dilutes their own formula for shell water salinity. They can take care of their own hygiene.

How often should I change their food? (Paper I received with them says every 2 days)
Mool: Once every 48-ish hours is good.

I'm going to attach the basic care and safe foods sheets for your perusal. Start with the basics and work your way up from there.

viewtopic.php?f=120&t=119273
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557

[dolphinlover]

mool and pumpkincrab,

Thank you both for responding to my post. I actually used the shopping list that i found after making this post. I just put my babies into their new crabitate..they are loving it. The smaller one already buried him/herself into the sand in the corner of the cage...I used the thermometer that they sent in the beginner kit that i ordered. It is reading that it is 75* degrees inside the tank. I do have one coming that reads the temp and humidity, but wont be here till Friday. I will take a picture and get it uploaded so everyone can see my babies and what i have done so far. I know that i need more climbing things for them, but have to do it in stages to get this stuff...

I have not bathed them since i got them and after reading what you all posted i won't be bathing them and let them do it on their own...Thank you for the information on the heater. I will be attaching that to the side of the tank and not under it. The one i ordered is Fluker's brand so i'm good there..Most everything that i ordered i got off of Amazon. Amazing that they had so much stuff on there...SpongeBob is exploring like crazy in there..Mmost active ive seen him since getting him.Probably because I had such a small cage for them..He is hiding under the coconut hut i put in there...Im super happy that they are happy..


pumpkincrab: how do i make my own mixes...i got a bottle of food with the kit i got, and i have another one coming as well..Dont remember the name of it right off hand without looking it up..

[Pumpkincrab]

You can buy your own food materials off of the safe food list.
I just recommend buying pre made mixes. What brand of food do you currently have?

[curlysister]

Welcome to crabbing!
I have had my crabs for over ten years, and have the tank in a room with a window where they get indirect light. I have never used any other light source for them.
As for food, there are many ways to get a healthy diet for your crabs. They do need a source of protein and calcium daily. And variety is the key, same as humans. Many people feed fresh food, the crabs can eat many of the same things as we do (cooked or raw, and crab safe seasonings, no sauces etc) - so setting aside a bit from your cooking every couple of days can work. Fresh food does go 'off' faster in the high temps and humidity, so it needs to be changed every 24-48 hours. Some people feed only dried foods, usually ordered online, in the form of mixes. These can get expensive, so if on a budget may not be what you want to do full time. Many people find dried foods at local pet stores - look in the bird section for cuttle bone, the turtle section for dried shrimp, etc. Foods with no preservatives is what you are looking for. Bulk food stores/ sections often have dried foods that are good too! Depending on where you live, you might find things in your yard and garden that your crabs will enjoy - leaves, flowers, vegetables, fruit. You want to be sure that no chemicals are used in the area. I do a mix of all of the above. Fresh stuff from my yard and garden, some fresh stuff when cooking, a few dried foods from the store/ online (I am a vegetarian, and worry that I wouldn't have enough protein for them, so definitely have some dried protein sources), some stuff from the bulk store, and some stuff I dry in summer for the following winter!

[dolphinlover]

I am so excited!!! Remember in my previous post yesterday I said "my smaller crab buried him or herself in the corner of the cage!! I woke up this morning to check on them and found his shell empty to find that he/she had changed to a new shell..I am super excited...I believe within the next few days SpongeBob will be doing the same thing. He hasn't buried himself as deep as the other one did, but he is under the coconut hut and buried himself a little bit in the sand...

Pumpkin thank you for the link to Etsy..I will try some of the things on there..Do i need separate dishes for different kinds of foods or can i mix with the food i have in their dish..I actually have a dish that has two seashells for a food dish..I got it when i got them..

Again thank you for all the info..it has helped a lot..

[Pumpkincrab]

You don't need separate dishes. I mean, you can if you want, but I just put it on the same little plate thing in separate scoops.
If the food you already have on the dish is pellets, you can throw it out since pellets are harmful.

[dolphinlover]

Pumpkin it came with the kit that i ordered

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... L._AC_.jpg


I also have food that i got at the store where i got my crabs...it came in a bag..i have this one coming as well...it should be here tomorrow...


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... L1266_.jpg

[Pumpkincrab]

The 1st image, the "zoo med" food- drop it. From what I've heard, it's harmful.

I've heard mixed things from the JurrasiDiet. Some say it's good, some bad. You'll have to wait for it to arrive then look at ingredients list.

I'd recommend being safer and making (As Curly mentioned!!) or buying your own mixes, that are guaranteed to be 100% safe.

[curlysister]

Here is the link to our care sheet about commercial food - it tells you what to watch for, additives and preservatives that could be harmful to your crabs long term.

http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92555

There is also a safe food list:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92557

And a care sheet that explains nutrition:
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... 25&t=92554

[dolphinlover]

They actually have a picture of the ingredients in the JurrasiDiet...Okay now i have a few questions about the safe...So I can go out in my yard and pick Dandelion flowers, leaves and roots and place them in my crabihate? Also I have some really HUGE maple trees in my yard, it is safe to pick some leaves and branches from these trees and place them in my tank?

I posted the link for both..

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... L1050_.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... L1050_.jpg

[Pumpkincrab]

I'm not familiar with dandelions. You'll need to check the safe food list. If they're on there, I'd say yes. But you'll need to make sure they are harvested from an area that is pesticide and chemical free. I also would wash them with dechlorinated water- maybe bake them, too? Not sure. Maybe somebody else can chime in on that part.
For the maple leaves, yes. What I did is I harvested them, rinsed them in dechlor. water, baked them (Not sure how long and at what temp, sorry!) Until they were really crispy, let them cooled then popped em in. So yes, maple leaves are safe.
For the JurassiDiet, I can't say. I don't know what to look for. But, some of the ingredients are new- and unfamiliar- to me. But don't take my word for it. It may or may not be safe. Again, wait for somebody more experienced with safe and unsafe ingredients chime in.

[dolphinlover]

Pumpkin,

i can use bottled spring water to dechlor them? I also got AquaSafe as well..I got that when i got my tank at walmart..I will have my boyfriend help me get some maple leaves and a few small branches for them..We dont use any pesticide or chemicals in our yard so no worries there..yes it they were on the safe food list...Maybe curlysister can help...

haha i have found a name for my other crab...Jengles...heard a commercial last night and that this is what they had said and it was actually a commercial about shingles...lol...so no i have SPongeBob and Jengles....

[Pumpkincrab]

Yes, technically, but I recommend using tap water with a dechlorinator. And LOL, shingles crab!!!