New Adoption Issues

[mcgove16]

We adopted two hermit crabs a week ago. A jumbo and small, Jelly Bean & Milk Dude. We thought we had researched and had their tank set up correctly but as soon as we got them I continued reading and realized we had not been reading the correct websites and had a lot of things wrong. And the Temperature/Humidity gage I purchased was not working at all. Our substrate was all wrong, we had done half sand (the wrong kind that got hard) and half coconut core but with no moisture in it. It was cold (like 68) and not humid in there. I also don't think our tank was big enough to have a jumbo and small hermit crab, it is 10 gallons. We were planning on getting 2 small but they only had one 1 small when we went to get them and the pet store said it would be fine. I don't think my water ponds are big enough for the jumbo crab to fully submerge.

So this weekend we went and got a bigger tank, 29 gallons so we could do a proper 6 inch substrate and get bigger water sources. I got sandbox sand and the Exo Terra Plantation Soil and mixed it up. I got a overhead ceramic heater and put it in their current tank to warm them up and monitored it all night. I replaced a strip of their current substrate with the new substrate I made and took that substrate to mix in with the new for their new set-up. I thought that would be good to not shock them as much since I have only had them for a week and I have to move them again. I got a good thermometer (learned it was only 68 degrees in there). I got it up to like 77 by like 12 PM. They have been burrowing every night and by midnight they hadn't come out yet. We had not seen the smaller crab in several nights. I started to panic that I had disturbed them too much and we dug them out. We found the big one and it was fine but we could not find the little one. Anywhere. There was one night that we took the big one off of the little one. I don't know what happened and I feel awful.

I'm not sure what I should do next. Since we had the tank all messed up we mixed in a lot of their old substrate with the new and it is pretty much the right consistency now. And the temp was about 80 this morning. Jelly Bean was on the surface this morning (not even in one of the hiding spots) on the side of the tank that is not as warm. I moved the lamp up a little just in case it was too fast to warm it up? I am still waiting on my humidity gage (it will be here today) to get here so I can working on getting the humidity up. I this 10 gallon tank I only had the screen top (another mistake) so I am sure it isn't good but on the new tank I got a glass top so that I can get better humidity.

I am not sure what to do next. I feel like I am doing everything wrong.

[emayers]

A lot going on so I'll try and address each part. Overall, you are on the right track! Don't get discouraged!

First, your substrate. Play sand and eco earth with sandcastle consistancy is what you are aiming for. You mentioned you had sand that got hard, which in assuming is calcium sand. You then said you mixed that into your new sub. If so, that is not good. It gets stuck in their shells and irritates them. If that is the case, you are going to have to ditch the sub and start from scratch.

Temperature. You are going to want high 70s, low 80s. Heat bulbs can zap humidity so you need to be careful. Most people get a UTH, under tank heater, and place it on the side of the tank, above the sub. That way, it heats the air and doesn't dry out the sub. Crabs will move to wherever is most comfortable if one side is hotter than the other.

Humidity. Without a gauge, it can be difficult to keep track of. If you have a glass lid, keep it closed. If you mist the tank and humidity stays on the glass for a while, your humidity should be around 90%. Anything lower will result in dry sides. Until youe gauge comes, I suggest this method.

Water. Make sure you have treated fresh water and treated salt water. Check out the water guide for dechlorinators and salts to use. You don't need to go super deep with water dishes, just enough for your biggest crab to submerge to fill its shell (if it wants to).

Crabs underground. I know it is tempting, but never dig up a crab! They dig for a reason, whether it is to molt, destress, or for fun. They know what they are doing and will surface when they need to. Smooth out your substrate and look for disturbances in the morning. There is a chance they come up without you knowing. I got a new crab that hid for 3 days then dug under ground. That was now 3 weeks ago. I'm waiting patiently, but it is still stressful not knowing what's going on! I won't start to worry if something is wrong for at least another month or so.

Shell shaking. Sometimes crabs will shake another's shell. Sometimes it happens once and never again, sometimes more often. A dunk in freshwater sometimes washes off smells and will prevent it in the future. Since your guys are new, it should end sooner than later. I'm not an expert on this behavior.

You're doing great, better than most first time crab owners. Keep reading and improving and you new guys will be living the life of luxury.

[mcgove16]

Thank you so much for the kind reply. I have been fretting all day. I will get the sand out of the mix tonight. I didn't realize it was the hard kind until last night at midnight when we were digging and at that point I wasn't making great decisions. I knew I shouldn't dig and I did it anyway. I really don't think the other crab is in there but we didn't find anything or any part of her either so I just don't know what to think. I feel like we looked everywhere so I am just baffled. I think I will move forward with setting up the new tank and get the bigger hermit crab in there and then I can try patting down the surface and just see if she somehow evaded us and is coming out at night. At what point would I need to be concerned about them being alone though if I try this? Or would this not be a good idea because of them being alone?

I had only gone to the overhead light because UTH didn't seem to be keeping them warm enough (the temperature said it was only 68 when I got one that worked) in the substrate but maybe I didn't have a big enough one. And I do only have a wire top right now. Maybe once I have the glass top on the new one that won't be a problem. I have been misting a lot today when I check the temperature. It has been saying 80/81 today with the overhead heat on. My gage for the humidity will finally be here today. I have been using a water conditioner for both and instant ocean for the salt water so I think I have that good at least.

[mcgove16]

Update: I went to remove the bad sand from the tank and found the small hermit crab. As soon as I realized I covered her back up and tried not to disturb her but I know I did. And she's in the bad sand. And I didn't think I should risk removing any more of it?? So I'll just wait and see if she comes out?? Not sure if I should move forward with moving the other crab to the new bigger tank. She is also sitting in the bad sand right now.

[curlysister]

If the crab was buried underground, and you came across her while you were digging - you can't cover them back up again. They make a little cave underground when they dig down, and you can't replicate that cave when you re-cover them. So I would go and dig her back up so she does not suffocate. If she is molting, you will see her exoskeleton right close to her - it will look like crab parts (legs and claws) but will be hollow. If that is there, put it with her in a small container so she is isolated from the other crabs. You can use something like an empty margarine container with holes poked in the lid - that way she has the same temp and humidity as the tank, but is protected from the other crabs while she is vulnerable.

A crab is fine alone.

Depending on the brand of UTH you have, some can be insulated over top. Does it have a sticky side, or did you attach it to the outside of the tank with tape?

[mcgove16]

Oh no, I did not see this in time. I only lightly covered her back up and it was with light sand. This morning it was all dug out so I am really hoping she is okay. I didn't see any signs that she was molting. Now they are both underground again. I heard at least one of them making noises this morning. I am guessing that this point it is best to just leave them alone and wait for them to come out. I am thinking about trying to record them all night long for piece of mind.

And I am working on getting my humidity up, it is only at 35%. I have a UTH on the side, it was sticky (but it does keep coming off). I had been trying saran wrap on top to but I didn't have it over the whole top so maybe if I had it would have been better? I've been trying tin foil since I got the overhead heat but not over the whole thing because I need light during the day. Now that I have the heat up, I'm afraid to remove the overhead light. I did buy another UTH though so I could add that instead if I can't get the humidity up.

At this point, I am hoping if I can get the conditions better in the tank and they will come out and I can get them moved to the bigger tank where I have the glass lid and it will be easier to keep the conditions right.

[curlysister]

If you put both UTH on the tank, and not use the heat lamp, you can put plastic wrap on the whole top. 35% is much too low. If the UTH are sticky, you can't insulate over top of them - and you also can't un-stick and move them. You can insulate the rest of the tank around where the UTH's are. And you can add something over top for insulation as well.

[emayers]

As posted above, if the crab is not molting it is best to get them into proper conditions without the calcium sand.

Overhead lamps zap humidity. UTH are the way to go. I use a combination of both only because my tank was too humid and the lamp helps cut that. Look into getting an ultratherm UTH, ones without the sticky side. You can add insulation to then and move them around without issue. Then you don't have to worry about the humidity so much and wrap the entire top in plastic wrap.

[wodesorel]

Is your substrate moistened enough so that it holds shape when squeezed, but doesn't drip? 35% is insanely low even with a ventilated lid, thats like normal house humidity without anything damp being nearby. If your substrate is moist, then I strongly suggest calibrating your humidity gauge because it probably isn't reading accurately. It's really easy and instructions are here https://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB ... 26&t=92540

[mcgove16]

Thank you so much so all the advice, I will work on getting moved into the new tank today then. No more calcium sand and I can get the conditions corrected with a glass top so that I can get ride of the overhead light. I am up to 60 percent humidity now that I have mostly all the right substrate in the tank. When I started I didn't have the right substrate in there (at all) and it wasn't moist so that was why it was so low.