Substrate Problem

[Jcat]

Just a tip for storage on the rest of the ecco earth, under the bed plastic storage containers or the long skinny ones for holding bird seed/pet food work great as they can fit in smaller/awkward spaces.

[sweetpea51]

I'm sorry!!! I have about 40 pounds of sand in the tank. The tank is a 20" long. I put in about 2 cups of coconut fiber. Is this enough? Didn't want to make it too strong. The odor from the coconut fiber while soaking is really strong! I love the phrase 'slightly cooked choya' LOL! All of my food turns out like that, but usually very crisp, like burnt! LOL. Everytime I want to make a new recipe, the kids talk me into eating out. Thank you so much for the help. I did get the plexiglass cut to fit the top of the tank w/a 1/2" opening at one end. Hope this helps humidity. Dropped to 45 by 6 am. Sprayed moss & it went up. Feels like I'm crabsitting, but well worth it til we level the tank out. She spent most of last evening by the salt water dish. Climbed the grid. Now is hanging out by the hanging vine. Seems pretty happy. What type of hermies would you suggest we look for when the time comes to bring home a few more?
We're still looking at the links. Are they beautiful! Especially the violet one! Susie was so excited! Thank you again for the input and hope your day is good. Take care.

[sweetpea51]

Hi Jcat. Thank you for the tip on ecco earth storage. Hadn't even thought of plastic containers! We have a small area in the front closet that hasn't been designated for anything yet. If we get the ones for bird seed, the square ones, will fit in that corner just right! Thank you for the suggestion. One more problem solved! Yesss!

[suebee]

sorry, been out of commission for a few days. Yes that is enough of EE. Lots of people use all sand with no EE at all. I usually start with About a 5 to one ration 5 cups of sand to 1 cup of EE. as time goes by i keep adding more sand so that gets to be alot less EE but my substrate gets worm castings added each day. I feed worm castings and what ever is left over i dump into my substrate. With a bunch of tanks my substrate is always a work in progress. I do not do deep cleans like most. i consider my substrate gold! good bacteria all working to make up my little environment for my crabs.

[sweetpea51]

Thank you for your response. I appreciate the input, alot. I'm going to add more sand this weekend. I have almost 4" now, but maybe need a bit more to make it 5. Need to add instant ocean & water to sand. Its getting a bit dry. Do you re-water every so often? Ok, tell me what are worm castings? Do I want to know? I'm the one that started with white calci-sand w/pink streaks! What a difference with sand & EE!! I'm learning so much about crabs & what it takes to keep them healthy! Who do I order new hermies from in your personal opinion? I have one now, Godzilla, so how many should I add at one time? Will they overwhelm her? Or introduce one at a time? ISO them for about 2 weeks or put them in right away? Oh boy, more questions!!! Thank you for all of your help. I look forward to any response. Take care & have a good evening.

[suebee]

This best describes worm castings- viewtopic.php?t=79091&highlight=
Yes you will need to rewet your substrate often but you will only need to use declorinated water not salt water, the water evaporated but the salt stays in the sand.

As for adding crabs i think is ok to add more then one at a time the crabs even though they are called hermit crabs are not really hermits at all, they actually travel in packs. They would rather not be alone. They like to be in groups and seem to do better when not alone. If you are going to buy more Purple pincer crabs i can suggest The Hermit crab patch http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com/Live-Pet ... bs-s/6.htm but they are currently closed for the winter. As for exotics My opinion is get a good grip on Purple pincers first and know that your keeping them well before you move on to exotics. Others have moved on quickly with much luck and may suggest differently? When you do decide to go to exotics my suggestion would be brevimanus also known as indos. Indos seem to be the closest to Purple pincers in care and they seem to be very hardy. Indos are my favorite crabs, they seem to have so may colors and the best personality in my opinion. They have a Very larg Big Pincer but they use it more as a shield then a pincer, they will sooner push you or another crab away with it then pinch.
The place that I would suggest to buy Exotics from is not selling at this time but others on here have bought from other places that they may be able to suggest?
As for ISOing crabs.. If i were to get them from the hermit crab patch Id say no need. If you dont know the place you get them from Very Very well, most defiantly Set up a iso tank and bath the crabs in warm fresh declorinated water when you get them then give them a good look under a magnifying glass and a good light if you can to check for any kind of mites. Id keep them in a iso tank for at least two weeks to make sure the crabs do not have any mites that could come in to and contaminate your tank. Ive never had mites my self but i know that they can be heart breaking.
Keep the questions coming remember they could be helping more then just you! If i dont know the answer, someone here will!

[sweetpea51]

Thank you for responding to my question. I seem to have alot of them lately. Thank you for the threads! Will look that up in a little bit. Talked to a really nice lady at hermitcrabpatch.com Friday. She was so nice, patient and helpful. Even called me when she found that I had double-ordered on a few products. I hadn't expected that, but she wanted to make sure that I was aware of it. How nice!! Great customer service! So, this is where I will order crabs when they start selling again.
Also, thank you for the input about ISO. Godzilla is alone as Munchkin died a couple of weeks ago. I know she needs a friend, but I'm really scared to get another one because of the mites. I've read some really bad things about mites & would rather wait until hermitcrabpatch is sending them out. It will be about 3 mths or so. Will she be okay until then or should I get another one or two now? If so, where should I get a few? I'm not happy about Petland or PetSmart. I've seen alot of negative things in the pet stores. Every employee has their own opinion about taking care of hermies. Petco may be an option as they seem to take care of their crabs. There's food & water, temp & humidity gauges...this doesn't mean they KNOW what those things are for.
Thank you for the encouragement to ask questions! I was beginning to think that I was asking way too many questions! I appreciate all the answers and opinions. I'd rather be told I'm doing something wrong & then fix it, than have a hermie hurt or die!
Thanks to everyone! Have great evening & take care!

[suebee]

You got to talk to Tammy, she is the owner of the Hermit crab Patch..A Gem of a person..Her knowledge is worth paying just to talk to her. Many crabs have lived by them self for long periods of time even if they are more happy in groups.. I would say visit the places and if you see a place that has healthy looking crabs ask them when they get them in and look at the tanks good. Look over the crabs good. Some people and i have to say that i have been one of them find it hard not to "save" a crab that might not be bought by someone else because he is missing legs or not quite right knowing he will molt and grow them back. Ive learned to bypass those crabs with the idea that the next person that comes in might buy that healthy crab and not care for it right not giving him the chance he had when the possibly ill crab might not make it in the best of care. Look for crabs that have nice pointy toes showing that they have molted recently.. (the hermit crab patch only sells crabs that have been recently molted with them) You want a crab that will come out of the shell so you can count the legs and see that he isnt missing any. Of course look for one that isnt in a painted shell (sometimes they can be painted into the shell stuck) Try to look into the shell and see if you see any mites and look around the food dishes or water dishes for mites. They often clean the tanks daily so it maybe hard to tell. Ask questions to the people "i heard the crabs sometimes get little bugs in the tanks?" just to see the reaction and see what kind of answer you get. In places like petco and petsmart what they do is set and there is no changing it through the workers we have tried many times.. they have to do what they are told. They even sell books that tell you to do different from the instructions that they keep in the stores..
So my advise is visit the stores if you find one you feel comfortable with and you find a crab you feel is clean then get one. If it doesnt happen i can tell you the hermit crab patch crabs will be well worth the wait.

Im sorry to hear about munchkin.. Im sure you did all you could. sometimes its out of our hands.. At least you got a taste of what to do if such a thing comes up again. Im sure your daughter is even more upset then you.. We do get attached to these little ones. Sometimes when they do pull through tough times they end up being so very friendly to us its all well worth the worry.
Your doing a great job.. and we never ever mind the questions!
Blessings, Suebee..

[sweetpea51]

Thank you so much for the kind words about Munchkin! Yes, my daughter was so upset! She just sobbed & kept asking what SHE did wrong! All I could do was comfort her & hold her. We talked a LONG time. She stayed upset for quite awhile as it was her first pet. Thank you so much for your kindness. I appreciate it very much.
Yes, Tammy was so nice. Willing to answer questions & just felt like you were talking with an old friend. I will look around here to see if we can find a friend for Godzilla. I'll watch the crabitats for bugs or anything that doesn't look right. Thank you for all the information. I understand that the store doesn't change its policies. Its the way things are done nowadays. If not, I will gladly wait for Hermit Crab Patch. Then I wouldn't have to have an iso tank & with your reference, I would feel comfortable with that.
ANOTHER QUESTION! When the sand at the bottom gets dry, do you take out the removable things, add dechlorinated water to the sand & mix it up again? Then level it out and put everything back? Like I said, another question!
They are so easy to fall for. I was at Petco the other day & they had alot of little, little ones. They were in painted shells, of course. I have a bunch of tiny shells & felt like donating them. I felt bad for them. The tank looked nice, but I think it was just cleaned. You want to save them all!
Time for dinner....Thank you again. Very nice to know we can ask SOOOO many questions & know its okay. Have a great evening & take care.

[samurai_crab]

The best advice I can offer you for getting a pet store crab is, look for the active ones. Find the store with the best conditions possible and then find the most active ones. The ones that are first to go running after the employee brings them out of hiding are usually the ones that are the healthiest. I've had amazing luck with getting crabs missing a limb, but I think part of it was that they were active guys.

I'd love to order a Jumbo from the HCP this summer but I don't have the room and I really don't have the cash either. The HCP sells amazing crabs from what I've heard and read but keep in mind, they will not be cheap and neither will the overnight shipping but when you factor in all the care provided to the crabs between harvesting and being sold, the price starts to make a bit of sense. I can't say anything bad about the HCP.

Hopefully having your daughter's first pet doesn't get to her too much, its such a sad thing when a pet dies, even if it is a hermit crab. Its easy to get attached to these guys. I hope you have good luck if you decide to get another from the pet store.

[suebee]

I leave everything where it is and spray away with a spray bottle.. you only need to use declorinated fresh water.. remember when the water evaporates the salt is left behind so anywhere you used salt water to make substrate its still salty.. you can also use a chopstick or pen and put a hole in the corners and poor a bit of water in the corners.. i like to see the plants wet and the crabs seem to love it too.. Crabs love rain.. they love the rainy season. when i want to see my crabs i turn on the fogger.. i have a repti fogger like this http://www.petco.com/product/109982/Zoo ... Redirect=1
i keep it on top of the tank and put the hose so it goes through the screen tank into the tank. the crabs love to hang out under the hose in the fall of the fog. I let the humidity rise to about 90% once a day then shut it off it quickly goes back to 80% in about 1/2 a hour but that brings out all my crabs.. they love a good rain. One thing not to do is dont go buy a expensive lizard sprayer.. not worth the money, any dollar store spray bottle works just as good if not better.. the lizard ones you have to pump up are fun for the first day or so.. lol.. at 19.99 its really a waist of money..

[sweetpea51]

Thank you for the advice about the pet shop. When we got Munchkin, nobody was moving. We picked her for size. Susie wanted her out of all the others. I think she moved a little & she saw it. We were at Petco tonight & there were only 4. The tank substrate looked very broken up. I think I will wait for HCP to start again. Susie is excited about getting another one so Godzilla will have a friend or so. She was hurt, so upset, but we think we know what happened & we'll know what not to do next time. Hard lesson for me, too. Thank you so much for responding to us.
We picked up a spray bottle from Sally's. Works really well! Susie sprayed everything and ruffled up the sand pretty well tonight. We had Godzilla out for a long time. She likes to walk across my hands, end under end. Seems very happy except no one to pal with. I hadn't thought of a chop stick! Sounds do much simpler. Thank you for the idea of the fogger! You use it once a day and does it keep the humidity up to 80 most of the time? I know, I ask way too many questions. Oh, oh, oh! Almost gave Godzilla a chicken wing the other night....but put spices on it & knew I couldn't...but....if baked, do you take off the skin before you put it into the tank? Can't believe I am so into these hermies! Thank you for all the answers and kindnesses. Have a great evening & take care!!

[suebee]

On really hot days i might use my fogger more then once a day.. If you go with a fogger id go the on line way.. In the stores you pay about 30.00 more. You might have to add a 5.00 item to your order to get the free shipping but petco online also sells instant ocean sea salt in a size that runs about that so the two together will cover the amount needed for you to get free shipping..

Many will tell you no spices.. Ive yet to figure out why that is? Mine have been eating spices for 15 years.. spices are herbs and plants, barks and seeds? Im not sure who first came up with that idea but i go by what my birds are aloud to have. Parrots are very delicate as to what they can and can not eat. I dont think it would be a problem if you took the skin off your chicken wing.. personally i would of left it on, buy that is just my opinion.

Happy crabbing! Suebee!

[sweetpea51]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will order a fogger and yes, they are less when you order online! I was surprised! Thanks for the info. Right now, for some reason, the humidity is only about 73 in an 80* tank. Need to bring it up a notch. Got the order from HCP yesterday. Godzilla hasn't come up for air since last night when we put in the soil and kibble! She was sitting in the bowl everytime we looked at her! Unbelieveable!! She's going to have a stomachache! Roll her home! OMGoodness! It really is a great place to order from! I thought spices would hurt them, but not so? And your parrots eat spices, too. WOW!! Okay, next time she gets one. With the skin on! Should be interesting. I have small square rubbermaid bowls that when we remove water dishes & food dishes from the crabitat, the sand doesn't fall on our rugs. After we empty the rubbermaid of the sand or bits of food, can we wash these in the dishwasher on sani-wash with our people dishes? Or is this NOT a good idea? And....we read your thread about worm castings. Very interesting! Especially in regard to your Grandfather. How wonderful that you can spend time with him! Keep up the good work! Even if it is all about worms. Yes, I used to fish with my dad, too. I remember putting the worm on the hook & the bobbers. So neat to have that time together. Thank you for the thread, it made things alot clearer for us. Okay, enough for now. Have a great day and thank you for all of your help. He won't know us, of course, but give him an extra hug from us.

[suebee]

My grand father will thank you im sure Yes its fine to wash the hermit crab bowls with your bowls..Just rinse them well. I put mine through the dish washer. Im glad you liked the Hermit crab Patch.. I love them.. Great people! I dont know of a single person that has ever been disappointed.. Sounds like your crab knows the good stuff!