New Member: Introducing Bertrand, Matilda, and Gertrude!

[ABCDogs+]

Good afternoon!

I converted my son's Betta tank into a crabitat earlier this week. We now have three Caribbean hermit crabs! I've used lots and lots of the information provided here in the forum's care sheets as well as using previous questions and answers to guide me. I think we're pretty well set up! I did use some hemp rope in the crabitat, which seems to be controversial due to the possibility if bacterial growth due to high humidity. I plan to replace it as needed if/when it starts to smell or visibly degrade, or every couple of months.



So far the major issue I've had is keeping the temperature up. It likes to hover just below 75, and I would prefer it closer to 80. I bought a UTH for a 20-30 gallon tank and applied it to the side of the tank above the substrate.

I'm thinking of adding some insulation to the aquarium hood to help hold in the heat. There is a section of the hood that has been cut away for the filter (when it was a fish tank), so right now I have that covered with cardboard. That got the temperature up from 70 to just below 75. I think a layer of material cut from an insulated grocery bag will help raise the temperature a few more degrees. The humidity in the tank has not been a problem, because my son likes spritzing the crabs when he wakes up in the morning, when he wake up from his nap, and we have made it part of the bedtime routine as well. Humidity stays between 85% and 90%, remaining pretty stable at 86% most of the day.


I was really surprised to see one of the crabs actually sleeping in the artificial fern I added! I knew they could climb, but I didn't know that meant they would climb! I plan to add some more climbing accessories when I get a chance.

I do wonder how long it will be before they eat. So far they have not touched their food. I give them access to the "kibble" from the pet store all the time, and we feed them a variety diet in the evenings, including a frozen fish mix that I thaw and add to the dish. Nothing seems to be touched in the morning, so I discard the food, wash the dish, and return it to the tank with the kibble for the day. They also have oak leaves, since I know they might want vegetation. But I haven't seen any of them nibbling anything. I also sprinkled chia seeds on the substrate because I read here that it's something they might like to munch on. Is there somewhere (like Etsy) where I can purchase a balanced crab diet to help me while I get used to providing a good, healthy diet myself?

Another concern I have is that one of the three crabs looks significantly paler than the others. It seems just as active, but the color is more washed out. I don't know if this means it will molt soon, or if it isn't healthy. They all came from the same pet store at the same time. I got the last three they had.


Here are the other two, for comparison.



Here are my questions:
1 (Most Important). What are some tips for getting the temperature up?
2 (Important). Is the crab that's lighter in color than the other two okay?
3. Is the rope okay to use in the tank long-term?
4. Is there somewhere (like Etsy) where I can purchase a balanced crab diet to help me while I get used to providing a good, healthy diet myself?

[ABCDogs+]

I am not sure how to do photos on this forum, here is a link to where they are on Imgur. https://imgur.com/a/hca-post-photos-Kt6hYjc

[curlysister]

Good afternoon!

I converted my son's Betta tank into a crabitat earlier this week. We now have three Caribbean hermit crabs! I've used lots and lots of the information provided here in the forum's care sheets as well as using previous questions and answers to guide me. I think we're pretty well set up! I did use some hemp rope in the crabitat, which seems to be controversial due to the possibility if bacterial growth due to high humidity. I plan to replace it as needed if/when it starts to smell or visibly degrade, or every couple of months.
Curly - Welcome to the site and to crabbing! Your tank is looking great! It would be mold, not bacteria, that could grow on the hemp (and other non-plastic items). It isn't harmful to the crabs, you can just remove it when you see it.

Image

So far the major issue I've had is keeping the temperature up. It likes to hover just below 75, and I would prefer it closer to 80. I bought a UTH for a 20-30 gallon tank and applied it to the side of the tank above the substrate.
Image
I'm thinking of adding some insulation to the aquarium hood to help hold in the heat. There is a section of the hood that has been cut away for the filter (when it was a fish tank), so right now I have that covered with cardboard. That got the temperature up from 70 to just below 75. I think a layer of material cut from an insulated grocery bag will help raise the temperature a few more degrees. The humidity in the tank has not been a problem, because my son likes spritzing the crabs when he wakes up in the morning, when he wake up from his nap, and we have made it part of the bedtime routine as well. Humidity stays between 85% and 90%, remaining pretty stable at 86% most of the day.
Curly - Insulating the tank is a great idea to increase the temp. With the type of UTH you have, you cannot put the insulation over top of it - so put it on the sides of the tank where there are not UTH present, as well as around the one on the back. Be careful with misting, that you don't add too much water to the tank and accidentally cause a flood.
Image

I was really surprised to see one of the crabs actually sleeping in the artificial fern I added! I knew they could climb, but I didn't know that meant they would climb! I plan to add some more climbing accessories when I get a chance.
Curly - Great idea!

I do wonder how long it will be before they eat. So far they have not touched their food. I give them access to the "kibble" from the pet store all the time, and we feed them a variety diet in the evenings, including a frozen fish mix that I thaw and add to the dish. Nothing seems to be touched in the morning, so I discard the food, wash the dish, and return it to the tank with the kibble for the day. They also have oak leaves, since I know they might want vegetation. But I haven't seen any of them nibbling anything. I also sprinkled chia seeds on the substrate because I read here that it's something they might like to munch on. Is there somewhere (like Etsy) where I can purchase a balanced crab diet to help me while I get used to providing a good, healthy diet myself?
Curly - I swear that for the first couple of years when my crabs were tiny, the only way that I knew they must be eating is that they were still alive - and there was poop LOL. I swear I put in and took out the exact same amount of food. Most commercial foods (pellets) have preservatives that aren't safe long term. There are a number of Etsy stores that sell crab food - but the sellers don't necessarily know any more than you do about crab nutrition. Hermit Crab Patch is one of the original stores that has sold crab food. Some people feed only from their own kitchen - you can give bits of whatever you are eating. Have you had a look at our 'nutrition' care sheet? Crabs do best with variety. They do need animal protein (meat or seafood) daily, as well as a source of calcium (egg shells, cuttle bone). Then a variety of veggies, fruits, greens, leaves, nuts, seeds, eggs, flowers, grains, etc. I feed a combo of fresh and dried foods - I leave the dry food in until it's fuzzy with mold, which is usually a few days. Fresh food will go bad faster, so usually needs to be changed after a day.

Another concern I have is that one of the three crabs looks significantly paler than the others. It seems just as active, but the color is more washed out. I don't know if this means it will molt soon, or if it isn't healthy. They all came from the same pet store at the same time. I got the last three they had.
Curly - Crabs vary in color, often they are paler when younger. He looks okay.
Image

Here are the other two, for comparison.
Image
Image

Here are my questions:
1 (Most Important). What are some tips for getting the temperature up?
2 (Important). Is the crab that's lighter in color than the other two okay?
3. Is the rope okay to use in the tank long-term?
4. Is there somewhere (like Etsy) where I can purchase a balanced crab diet to help me while I get used to providing a good, healthy diet myself?

[ABCDogs+]

“Curly - Insulating the tank is a great idea to increase the temp. With the type of UTH you have, you cannot put the insulation over top of it - so put it on the sides of the tank where there are not UTH present, as well as around the one on the back.”

Thanks so much for your reply. It’s good to know a lot of what I’m doing is correct.

When you say I can’t put insulation “over top of it” do you mean insulating the hood of the tank would not be effective? Or do you mean not to put insulation where it would touch the UTH?

Thanks!

[curlysister]

I meant that the insulating material cannot cover the UTH. Sorry if I wasn't clear!
There are some types that you can put the reflectix or whatever over the UTH, so you could for example cover the entire back including the UTH. But not the Zoo Med, it becomes a fire hazard.
I put a folded up wool blanket on the plexi glass lid of my tank (I don't have lights), it brings up the temp a couple of degrees.

[ABCDogs+]

Hiya! Things have been going well with the crabs. Here’s a link to some pictures. https://imgur.com/a/BjssJm5 One pic shows how I was able to insulate the lid. It had helped immensely! The crabs seem to be more active now and the temperature is more stable.

One crab (Bertrand) has dug himself a hole and I assume he is molting. This is a good sign, right? From what I understand when they molt in their new home it means the parameters are correct and they’re comfortable. My only concern is that it looks VERY wet inside the hole. I know humidity is important but should it look that wet? Does that mean I added too much water to start with? Is Bertrand going to be okay?

Thanks for everything!

[HermitGuy3]

You should check exactly how wet it is. You can take a pinch of sub off the top and squeeze it between your fingers. If it is the right amount of wetness, it will clump, but if it is too wet, it will drip water. You can also stick down a chopstick or something like that down into the substrate. If it is right, it will not fill with substrate, but If it is too wet, it will fill with water. If it drips/ fills then this probably means a flood. If it is a flood, you should take out all the crabs including the one underground and put them into a temporary enclosure. If it seems like the crab underground is molting, you will have to isolate that crab by itself because the others will *cough* eat him *cough*. Once you get the crabs out, you can use a fan to dry out the substrate. Once it is dry, you can spray it until it is sandcastle consistency. Then you can put everything back in.
What substrate are you using?

[ABCDogs+]

I used sand and eco earth mixed per the care guide on this forum. The top of the substrate seems appropriately wet. Sandcastle consistency. It’s just inside his little cave where it seems too wet. I tried to show the inside in the pictures. He’s about two inches down, and the sides of his hole are holding up well. He took a 90-degree turn at the bottom so I can’t see his part of his cave.

[HermitGuy3]

It is a little hard to see in the pictures, does it look like it has standing water/ soupy?

[ABCDogs+]

Yes, it’s soupy. That’s a good word to describe it. It’s not standing water, when I jiggle the table the tank is on it doesn’t move like water would.

[HermitGuy3]

If it is soupy then that seems like a flood. I would dig up your crab immediately. If they did not fill in the hole behind them, then I don't think that they are molting. Follow my instructions above.

[HermitGuy3]

Just to make sure, also use the chopstick trick.

[curlysister]

I looked at the photos, so he is underneath the sand, like under the hole somewhere?

[ABCDogs+]

Hi all! Sorry I haven’t been on, life’s been busy. Bertrand was unfortunately dead in the hole. I did what was described earlier to dry out the sand a bit. I also took the chance to clean all the items in the tank really well. Matilda and Gertrude are both doing well. They’ve been moved out of my son’s room to the living room because I wanted to keep a better eye on them. They seem happy, very active, they love climbing on the net at the back of the tank.

Should we get another crab to replace Bertrand? I read that they’re better in bigger groups because they like to be with each other, and if one is molting the remaining crab could get stressed if you only have two.

I’ve also been looking for a good source for shells. I found an Etsy seller that sells shells with exact measurements on them, but they were very expensive. I bought some at Hobby Lobby and boiled them to make sure they were clean, but none of the crabs ever changed shells. The one who was the most ill-fitted was Bertrand. He couldn’t get all the way in his shell when we got him. The other two seem to be pretty snug in theirs too, especially Matilda. Gertrude’s may fit properly. She can pull herself all the way in and cover the opening with her big claw.

Thanks for your continued help, everyone! I’ll try to keep this thread updated more often.

[HermitGuy3]

Sorry for your loss. Crabs do not need friends, that is a myth. Was the seller Happy Crabby? I would get some Mexican turbos from nessastores, they are pretty cheap. I got 20 shells for 20 dollars!