Santa brought my son Crabbies!

[SpearmintConure]

Ah! Sorry just one more point I wanted to add! Substrate is recommended to be a 1:5 mix of safe play sand and eco earth. This way its safer and easier for them to moult! I find having just eco earth tends to collapse some burrows sometimes and it holds mould in there really well, I had this trouble when I used all eco earth. It should be 'sandcastle' consistency, so it wont crumble when your crabbies try to make burrows. I recommend getting a temp and humidity gauge to monitor the temps and humidity level in your tank. You said you were having trouble with humidity, a great way to raise the humidity is adding a bubbler in your water dishes, and covering the mesh lid with clingwrap so it keeps it in there. If the bubbler is too pricy you can buy "Sphagnum moss" and soak it in some treated water and put it in your tank. If you want to know if your crabs are moulting or just staying under the sub in the day and coming out at night, sprinkle some sand over the top very lightly and smooth it down. If you see little claw marks in the morning them you'll know! Person above said to put water on the sides of the tanks, the only think I'd be careful about is to make sure the water doesn't 'flood' the tank, as that will collapse the crabs tunnels. Have fun!

[aussieJJDude]

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,

Handling (or not to) is highly debated depending on who is asked. It's a relatively old school method, but many crabbers still are rather hands on. Regardless, people can handle their crabs, they just have to do it in a safe manner (read my prior comment above). Hermies can handle stints out of the tank, their shell water kinda acts like a suba divers portable oxygen tank, allowing their gills to stay moist. The real issue is if the surround environment (like the room) is too cold, as they are tropical species. So if your house is cold, then best to keep your hands off the crabs.

[curlysister]

Ah! Sorry just one more point I wanted to add! Substrate is recommended to be a 1:5 mix of safe play sand and eco earth. This way its safer and easier for them to moult! I find having just eco earth tends to collapse some burrows sometimes and it holds mould in there really well, I had this trouble when I used all eco earth. It should be 'sandcastle' consistency, so it wont crumble when your crabbies try to make burrows. I recommend getting a temp and humidity gauge to monitor the temps and humidity level in your tank. You said you were having trouble with humidity, a great way to raise the humidity is adding a bubbler in your water dishes, and covering the mesh lid with clingwrap so it keeps it in there. If the bubbler is too pricy you can buy "Sphagnum moss" and soak it in some treated water and put it in your tank. If you want to know if your crabs are moulting or just staying under the sub in the day and coming out at night, sprinkle some sand over the top very lightly and smooth it down. If you see little claw marks in the morning them you'll know! Person above said to put water on the sides of the tanks, the only think I'd be careful about is to make sure the water doesn't 'flood' the tank, as that will collapse the crabs tunnels. Have fun!

HCA recognizes that there are different ways to successfully care for crabs. While a mix of play sand is common, all eco earth, all play sand, or any ratio of the two are all appropriate and safe for molting. Whatever is used, you are correct that it should be moistened with dechlorinated water so that it is 'sand castle' consistency.

[SpearmintConure]

HCA recognizes that there are different ways to successfully care for crabs. While a mix of play sand is common, all eco earth, all play sand, or any ratio of the two are all appropriate and safe for molting. Whatever is used, you are correct that it should be moistened with dechlorinated water so that it is 'sand castle' consistency.

Fully understand! I used to use all eco earth, but I just found that personally it harbours mould and stuff easier, so was simply a suggestion!