Santa brought my son Crabbies!

[JettsCrabs]

Hopefully my topic title didn’t cause too many groans! Lol

Hi! My name is Alycia and my son Jett (8) just got three crabs for Christmas from me (don’t tell him that though). He did some basic research prior to asking for them as a pet and I spent many weeks pouring over much of this groups forums to get ready for them. Most of the upkeep will be done by me with my so. Shadowing/helping out so he learns about them with me. They live in his bedroom.

So, here goes! As I said we bought 3 crabs. They are currently living in a 45 gallon tank with sliding metal mesh top. It’s about 18” tall and I think the substrate is about 5-6” deep. It’s pure coco fibre soil as I read that it’s personal preference. I thought I’d try that first and buy play sand later on if needed. I have two water dishes (one for salt and one for fresh) that are doubled up Tupperware with rocks in between for east changing. I do have plastic craft mesh for ladders. I also have a large moss pit in there as well about 6-8 extra shells. One of the crabs we bought actually switched shells the first night we had them in their new tank. It has a 20”x10” seedling heat mat on the side but due to cold weather where we live that wasn’t doing the job so we have a heat lamp on the top as well. My hot side seems to be hovering around 27celcius and my cold side is around 19celcius. So far we are having trouble keeping a consistent humidity so we are trying to mist twice a day (in the morning before the light goes on at 7am and after the light goes off at 7pm).

So far I think the biggest mistake I made was buying a “variety diet” hermit crab food thinking I could combine this with fresh. We started feeding them fresh food tonight (hempseed, quaker Oats, orange, beets, green beans, and a giant stalk of broccoli) with some calcium +d3 powder.

I’m not sure how to post pics from my phone, if anyone knows how of if it’s possible, please let me know.
Also, questions!

Is it safe to handle them?
If yes, do they get more accustomed to their humans and therefore less afraid when we’re around? (I watched a video of a guy giving on of his crabs a broccoli leaf and the crab basically took it right from him). One of our crabs seems nearly fearless, my son calls him Hercules, but the other two are very shy. I just wonder if with enough handling or acclimation they’ll get used to my son so he can enjoy seeing them move around more and/or handle them more (if it’s safe for him to do so without stressing the crabs).

Thanks in advance! So glad to be able to start posting, he is absolutely head over heels for his crabbies and I’m right there with him!

[JettsCrabs]

Hercules


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[JettsCrabs]

Hercules doesn’t seem shy at all. He comfortably walked all over my hands. (We won’t hold him again if it’s mentioned that this is an unsafe practice)


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[aussieJJDude]

Welcome!

In regards to the humidity and heat, does the mesh screen have anything on top to trap in moisture. For example, many crabbers with mesh screens use materials like saran wrap, plexiglass cut to size or glass cut to size as a way to trap in moisture. With the lamp, you may need to cut out around the lamp especially if its positioned right on the screen. Doing so, you're likely to see an improvement with both the heat and humidity!

As for handling, generally, crabbers will state to keep hands off. However, a small minority do handle their crabs, so its entirely up to the owner. We do recommend if you do want to handle them, not to do so until they have finished their first moult in captivity as by then, they should be close to well adjusted to captive life. However, if you do keep an hands off approach, many argue that it's better as it ensures one keeps stress to a minimum and allows them to stay in the optimal environment.

[JTKermie]

Nice looking setup! I can see from the size of that heat mat that it likely won't cut it to get that size tank up to ~80F. I did the same exact thing with my first 29gal setup. It came with a nice digital temperature controller as well, but the pad just wound't cut it for temps. I wound up ordering an ultratherm 11"x23" and used the temperature controller off the seed mat setup.

I got back into hermit crab keeping because my youngest, a then 9yr/old boy showed an interest in it. I do the maintenance and he helps. Hermies can be a little rough to hold an active young child's interest, because they tend to remain hidden during the day, most of the time.

If I can suggest one thing for your setup, get some climbing branches in there. Check the lists here for crab safe wood. I have oak branches in my 2 setups and it seems the crabs spend most of their time climbing on them during the night and sometimes during the day. They like to climb as high as they can get as much as staying on or below the ground.

[JettsCrabs]

Welcome!

In regards to the humidity and heat, does the mesh screen have anything on top to trap in moisture. For example, many crabbers with mesh screens use materials like saran wrap, plexiglass cut to size or glass cut to size as a way to trap in moisture. With the lamp, you may need to cut out around the lamp especially if its positioned right on the screen. Doing so, you're likely to see an improvement with both the heat and humidity!

As for handling, generally, crabbers will state to keep hands off. However, a small minority do handle their crabs, so its entirely up to the owner. We do recommend if you do want to handle them, not to do so until they have finished their first moult in captivity as by then, they should be close to well adjusted to captive life. However, if you do keep an hands off approach, many argue that it's better as it ensures one keeps stress to a minimum and allows them to stay in the optimal environment.

I don’t have anything on the screen top but I can definitely add some type of barrier, thanks for the advice!


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[JettsCrabs]

Nice looking setup! I can see from the size of that heat mat that it likely won't cut it to get that size tank up to ~80F. I did the same exact thing with my first 29gal setup. It came with a nice digital temperature controller as well, but the pad just wound't cut it for temps. I wound up ordering an ultratherm 11"x23" and used the temperature controller off the seed mat setup.

I got back into hermit crab keeping because my youngest, a then 9yr/old boy showed an interest in it. I do the maintenance and he helps. Hermies can be a little rough to hold an active young child's interest, because they tend to remain hidden during the day, most of the time.

If I can suggest one thing for your setup, get some climbing branches in there. Check the lists here for crab safe wood. I have oak branches in my 2 setups and it seems the crabs spend most of their time climbing on them during the night and sometimes during the day. They like to climb as high as they can get as much as staying on or below the ground.

Was it just that the seedling mat isn’t strong enough?
The light is helping a lot with temp, but it makes me nervous misting around it when the bulb is hot. Usually I help by holding it away from the tank while my son mists. I do like that it lights up the tank but truth be told I’d like to get away from the heat bulb altogether and replace it with an LED light source for the day so he can see the tank.

I was also wondering about a night light for the tank. Wondering if the crabs see blue or red light and that maybe I could get something that helps my son see into the tank after dark when they’re most active without having to turn his bedroom light on or disrupt the crabs natural internal clock.

More climbs are definitely on the list. I thought they might climb the cork as a start but I’ll add in some grape vine or something else soon!


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[JTKermie]

Yep, for me I just used the small-ish seedling mat and it wasn't enough. I use a 30" LED strip light on my tanks. Same as what you'd use on a fish tank. I got them from eBay for around $25 IIRC. I use lamp timers on them to keep them on for 12hrs, off for 12hrs. I don't think it's recommended to keep blue or any type of night lights on as they're used to and probably need a period of total darkness.

I've not used heat lamps on my setups. The standard recommendation is just the heat pads/strips on the outside back and if needed, the sides of the tank.

[JettsCrabs]

Yep, for me I just used the small-ish seedling mat and it wasn't enough. I use a 30" LED strip light on my tanks. Same as what you'd use on a fish tank. I got them from eBay for around $25 IIRC. I use lamp timers on them to keep them on for 12hrs, off for 12hrs. I don't think it's recommended to keep blue or any type of night lights on as they're used to and probably need a period of total darkness.

I've not used heat lamps on my setups. The standard recommendation is just the heat pads/strips on the outside back and if needed, the sides of the tank.

Where did you get your heat pad?
The seedling mat I bought is 10”x20”. Sucks that it’s not strong enough to heat the tank. Guess that’s what I get for trying to save a few dollars lol


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[JTKermie]

Where did you get your heat pad?
The seedling mat I bought is 10”x20”. Sucks that it’s not strong enough to heat the tank. Guess that’s what I get for trying to save a few dollars lol


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I got my ultratherms off eBay, but you can also order them through reptilebasics or beanfarms. Ultratherms are just one example of heaters that work well. I mention them because it's what works for me.

[JettsCrabs]

I got my ultratherms off eBay, but you can also order them through reptilebasics or beanfarms. Ultratherms are just one example of heaters that work well. I mention them because it's what works for me.

Thanks I’ll have a look


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[aussieJJDude]

*snip* I don't think it's recommended to keep blue or any type of night lights on as they're used to and probably need a period of total darkness.

That is correct, the crabs can still see in the blue and red parts of the spectrum. However, it is fine to use a blue or red light for night viewing to allow one to view the crabs at night. However, once you're finished, it's best to turn off the light to allow some period of darkness to maining some level of 'circadian rhythm'.

Where did you get your heat pad?
The seedling mat I bought is 10”x20”. Sucks that it’s not strong enough to heat the tank. Guess that’s what I get for trying to save a few dollars lol


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You may find, insulating the sides of the tank (many like to use cardboard, Styrofoam, reflectix, tinfoil ect) to direct heat back into the tank, by covering the sides and back (if your mat can't be insulated, cover around but not on the mat!). This will help a little with heat as well!

[JettsCrabs]

So I managed to get a huge piece of grapevine and some large shallow food dishes to replace the corner dish I bought.

I want to get in the tank to re-do it because I feel like the substrate is too dry and I’d like to plant some chia for them because i read they love the sprouts and the seeds so I thought this would be fun for them but all three crabs have buried themselves so now I’m stuck waiting to see if they’re mooting, distressing, or other…


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[aussieJJDude]

As long as it holds tunnels with digging, the substrate is perfect. If it does get dry, adding a little cup of water along the walls (avoid the wall with the UTH, cold water can make the glass crack!) Will help moisten the substrate. Just remember, it's easier to add water then remove, so a little bit at a time goes a long way!

[SpearmintConure]

Hiya! Just wanted to put a little input on the handling part. Now from what I understand, crabs are a hands-off pet, especially with kids as if they nip there's a chance of the crab being flung. I don't exactly see why a hermit crab would need to be accustomed to humans, as you don't need to hold them for anything, because they'll usually start to like their home with the right conditions. Another reason I would recommend not to handle them, is because of their modified gills that can only breathe humidity, and taking them out is a sudden change of the air around them, which I can imagine would be quite stressful! A good YouTube channel for some really great care tips, is "Crab Central Station" I look to their account for everything and things have only gotten better from there on! Best of luck,