Hello everyone

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:08 pm

Haha! Im a reptilian owner/ breeder, and I got (well, someone gave us) some WC hermits from some lake. . .

They are realy cute. And funney.

But, I have no clue on health, and caresheets and me dont mix well, but me and forums love eachother!

Ok, enclosure:

One half log thing for hiding
One hollow cholla climbing stick
An oister shell thing
A couple of extra shells
A rock
A water dish
Bed-a-beast/playsand mix substraight
UTH
10 gallon tank

The crabs:

2 large
3 medium
1 small

Anything I need to add/ take away? They are not all very active. . .

Also, I gave them a bath to clean them out, so they are kinda stressed from that

Thanks for taking time to view this post!

annopia · Post by **annopia** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:20 pm

Tank gauges for humidity and temperature are a must have for hermies, and both need to stay between 75 and 80. since you raise reptiles, I figure you probably know to dechlorinate their water, but did you know that all hermies need salt water made from a marine salt mix?

It sounds like you've got a good hidey there with the half log...maybe add some netting? they love climbing. also, plastic plants that they can climb on are good.

but the gauges would be the things I would get first, as getting those levels correct is the basic layer for health and care.

welcome to the HCA!

Caroline

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:21 pm

Do you have a lid on the tank, if so what kind? Do you have a humidty and temperature guage, if so what do they read? If you don't have these you need to get some. Is the water in the water dish dechlornated and did you put salt in it (not table salt)? http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/pa ... cklist.doc here is a check list of all the things you need and here is a basic care sheet http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/pa ... abCare.doc

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:33 pm

I don't have anything to add, just wanted to say welcome.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:58 pm

Thanks everyone!

Quick replies!

No, I dont have any gaugese, need to get some.

Yes, I have a SCREEN top. Will that be ok?

I have a saltwater fish tank, that kind of salt?

I have some netting I could use. They wont get cought in there and tangle themselfs will they?

I dont know the inteligence of them yet

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:13 pm

You'll want a lid that's good for holding in the humidity. You can buy a glass top, you could make or have one made out of plexiglass, or you could put suran wrap over the screen lid (you may want to do that immediatly, with a slight opening for air circulation).

Sea salt brand I could recommend would be Oceanic, Red Sea, Doc Wellfish.

Many people use the netting. Is it possible for them to be tangled in it? Yes, it's possilbe. It's happened, but it was more of a freak accident than something commonplace. Usually there's no problems....it's one of those things, you know, what are you comfortable risking.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:24 pm

crabber wrote:it's one of those things, you know, what are you comfortable risking.

At least you guys like taking risks unlike the reptilian world!

Say one word about calci-sand and leos and everyone goes mantal thinking your leo is gonna die!

Ohh, and how do I tell the species of crab? I am completly clueless on all of these different name!

And the people that gave them to use painted the crabs shells, do I remove the paint? It could be poisonous. . .

And they still have the fish smell from there "home" on the lake, or ocean or whatever. Is that ok?

Last question: How do I appropriatly bath them?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:48 pm

Here is a link to a thread where I asked on how to tell the species, this should help viewtopic.php?t=36666

If the crabs are in painted shells offer them plenty of shells that are of similar size and alittle bigger and they will most likley change shells soon as they don't like painted shells.

The smell should go away on its own if it doesn't then you can give them a bath.

You don't have to bathe the crabs except when you get new crabs and all you do is take a bowl that has dechlornated water and put the new crab in the water for 2 minutes then remove it and put it in a container with a paper towel on the bottom and then bathe the other crabs in the same water. And thats the only time that you should bathe a crab because its stressful. You can give the crabs a bath if the smell doesn't go away in a day or two. But as long as the water dish is big and deep enough for them to be covered they will bathe themselves as they feel needed.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:09 pm

docszoo wrote: At least you guys like taking risks unlike the reptilian world! Say one word about calci-sand and leos and everyone goes mantal thinking your leo is gonna die!

I'm a diplomat, aren't I? Or a fence rider, whichever way you want to look at it (I'm doing it again, aren't I?)

There's certain things I feel strongly about based on my and others expereince, but there's alot we don't know about HCs in capitivity, and so I'm not going to act like an expert or that my way is the only right way on everything.

Durbkat gave good info, I just bathe new crabs a little differently. I just dunk them in the community bathing pools, I would use the method Durbkat described only if a crab had mites, and then I'd bathe in diltued sea salt water and pick off any mites remaining after that. Never had any aggression tward a new crab in my tank.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:10 pm

Thanks everyone!!!!

Ohh, one crab died

Prolly from a sickness, so in that case it would be good that he is gone b/c desiese wont spred to the others.

And, they have tons of the substraight in there shell, or there legs ann the time. . . should I change the substraight?

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:49 pm

So sorry for your loss!

The first month after purchase is the most critical time for crabs and most crab deaths during this time period can be attributed to "Post Purchase Stress" or PPS. It's not catchable like a disease, but its more that the hermies just succumb to the shock of being taken from the wild, shipped to the pet store, and finally taken home by you and put in their new environment. Sometimes people have tried to ease the chances of PPS by matching the pet store conditions and then bringing the crabs up to ideal conditions (80% humidity/80 degrees) over several days to a week to lesson one more shock the crabs have to go through.

Your substrate is fine. The crabs will dig and bury themselves and get it all over themselves and in their shells. When they feel like it, they will bathe themselves.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:55 pm

I'm sorry you lost one.

I was thinking the same thing as stairmaiden, PPS! How I HATE PPS! Number one crab killer IMO.

Crabs are not that susceptible to disease, like some other critters. Not that they never get sick, but PPS is more likely during this time period. One of the reasons crabs make great pets is that they don't really carry diseases.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:02 pm

I see a flaw with what you all said about matching pet store conditions, what if they don't have a humidty and temperature guage? Then how can you match it? My lps has these guages but they are sitting on the floor of the tank with toys in front of them so its hard to see them, but next time I get a crab, after I get the crab I want I'm going to pick those guages up and see what they read then lay them against the back wall so it can be read.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:02 pm

Ok thanks.

Mine are pure Wild Caught (WC) and never came from a pet store, so that is why I thought it had a desies. If I went to a pet store, I would have chosen healthy ones, but htese guys were taken from the wild and gave to me.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:09 pm

Do you know what kind they are and where they were taken from? No land hermit crabs are native to the United States except in the very southern part of Florida. If they weren't taken from there, you probably have marine hermit crabs which cannot survive without the Ocean.