New Crab Owner with a few 1st week Questions

[crabswell]

Hi new friends!
My husband and I recently got our first two crabs - Dr. Samuel Crabson and James Crabswell - who are doing incredibly well! We have a 10 gallon tank, with deep coconut/sand substrate, two hiding caves, 3 dishes, lots of fake plants (for them to dig up ALL THE TIME), climbing gear, moss, plexiglass cover for humidity, heating pad at the back, etc. We just had a few starter questions from a few days of early observation:

1) Is it normal/healthy for Crabson and Crabswell to spend all their time together? It is certainly adorable. The first night they were on opposite ends of the tank and were quite isolated. Now they sleep together, follow each other everywhere. And most nights I find one of them -at one point or another- standing directly on top of the other one. I know they're social animals and this is most likely a good thing - just want to make sure.

2) What is the best time of day to take them out of the tank for a short time to get them used to us. I feel like when it's night and they're already out and active, I don't want to interrupt their routine or make them scared to do their thing. And during the day, it seems like I'd have to force them out of their happy hidey spots. Am I projecting too much? What would be ideal? What do you find works best? Also, when are they most receptive to being active outside of the crabitat for a few minutes?

3) One of my crabs is definitely too big for his shell - he's spurned the many shells we've offered (we've tried soaking them in some salt water). I feel like we aren't giving him the right ones, but we're a bit limited. Does anyone know of any good shell suppliers online (we don't have easy access to a pet or craft store at the moment)? Both crabs have shells that look like the one in this picture:


4) We were thinking of getting a heating moonlight to keep things warm and dimly lit in the evenings. I having trouble, though, figuring out a stand for the bulb - I'm looking for something simple, because our space is small. Any suggestions for the best bulb or fixture?

5) We got a piece of plexiglass cut for the top of the tank (the daytime light sits on top of it) and typically leave a very small space (a few milimeters) open for air circulation - I often worry it's not enough. How much ventilation is typical? Much more and we lose a lot of humidity quickly.

6) There is PLENTY of information everywhere that details WHAT/WHAT NOT to feed the crabbies, and I've been sticking to those rules pretty well. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find out HOW MUCH to give them every day. I feel like I may be putting out too much for two medium(?) crabs, but I don't want to underfeed. What is standard?

I think that's all for now. We are greatly enjoying our first week as crab-caregivers. They are fun and silly and the perfect pet for our situation. Hope to be in touch with you all in future!

[Crabinski]

Welcome to HCA and the Wonderful World of Crabbing! First of all, just love, love, love your spin on Boswell and Johnson -- super clever .

As you've noted, hermit crabs are social animals and can enjoy a close friendship with another crab. Many members have posted about a special closeness between two crabs, even in a much larger colony, so Crabwell and Crabson are behaving perfectly normally .

Re handling the crabs: they really don't like it. Some actually do but most regard us as large frightening beasts that might eat them and tend to run, hide or slam into their shells when a shadow passes over them or a hand ("The Pink Monster") enters the crabitat. Many crabs will get to the point of learning that the opening of the crabitat lid and the presence of the scary hand means food and some will remain in the open when you're swapping food bowls, changing water or neatening up. That said, it's always best to leave them alone until they've molted once and/or spent time underground de-stressing.

Re shells: check out the Shopping Sources in the menu on the left side of the Portal and Forum pages. Naples and Deltona offer a wide selection of shells in different sizes (Naples lists the size of the shell and the opening widths) and are highly recommended by HCA members. Also check eBay or Etsy.

Re moonlight bulbs and special fixtures: I've just looked into this myself as I didn't want to have to buy a special dome fixture and stand or clamp for a low wattage moonlight bulb. The answer is you can use a simple desk lamp or a "gooseneck" floor lamp (that's what I have) to hold the bulb, minding, of course, the maximum wattage the lamp is intended for. My other option is to buy a clamp-style dome and clamp it to the bookcase abutting the crabitat.

Re air and humidity: I have a hinged glass canopy atop my 29g tank. The canopy has a thick plastic strip across the back out of which I cut two holes, one on each end. Even closed, the lid allows air flow as it is not "sealed" to the edges of the tank. Opening the lid a few times a day for a few minutes when changing food or cleaning condensation offers additional circulation. With a plexiglass top, you could always drill a few small holes, perhaps where the light fixture sits. As long as you monitor the temperature and humidity (I assume you have a combo unit that measures both?) and keep them in the desired ranges (75-85 temp, 80%+ humidity), the crabs will be fine.

Hope this helps and, by the way, what are you feeding them?

[crabswell]

Thank you so much for this detailed info - it helps a great deal - being a new Crab caregiver can be a bit stressful at first. I'm also incredibly pleased that you got the Johnson and Boswell spin!

by the way, what are you feeding them?

I actually added a sixth question to deal with this. So far, they've been getting a mix of: apples, banana, mango, grapes, raisins, cheerios, chicken (unsalted, unspiced). I've ordered some cuttlebone and will try some eggshell shortly. Anything I'm missing or should add. We have some avocado - thoughts?

[CallaLily]

Welcome! I see Crabinski helped you with most of your questions so I'll try to answer the one on food. I try to offer small amounts of several kinds of food each time. I change this out when the leftover food starts to get yucky, about every 1-3 days depending on the food. They don't eat a lot and tend to also graze on things in the crabitat like moss, wood, or cocofiber. Keeping it to small amounts of a few different kinds of foods per feeding should help cut back on wasted foods. I don't think I've ever had a completely cleared food dish, even with a lot more crabbies to a tank. In case you haven't seen it yet, you can find a good guide on nutrition here and the safe food list here. I hope this helps.

[Crabinski]

Frankly, they can eat almost everything we do, like avocados. As CallaLily said, there are lists of "safe" and "unsafe/unpopular" foods in the Food and Water section -- these will help you avoid foods you might think are OK. As carnivores, crabs will most definitely eat other fish/shellfish so think of them when you open a can of tuna, salmon or sardines or are preparing fresh fish...the fish does not have to be cooked! Another great source of protein for them is egg white: next time you crack open an egg to cook, keep the half shell with the bit of albumin (clear goop) in it and place the shell in the crabitat -- they'll go crazy for it and will pinch off bits of the shell as well. To ensure they get enough protein, you can offer dried shrimp, dried mealworms, dried grasshoppers, dried krill, all available in the reptile/fish sections in the pet store. A good mix of shrimp, grasshoppers and mealworms is Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend; I use a small mortar and pestle to grind them into a coarse powder to which I add ground eggshells, powdered cuttlebone and ground Wardley's Hermit Crab Dried Shrimp. I use this as their dry mix and prepare a batch only every few months as it keeps very well in a sealed jar. Some Walmarts carry the Fluker's blend and the Wardely's shrimp.

[crabswell]

Thanks Crabinski and CallaLily for the quick, kind, and informative responses!

you can use a simple desk lamp or a "gooseneck" floor lamp (that's what I have) to hold the bulb

I was thinking of this, since we have a spare desk lamp. Do you think this would be a problem with a heated moonlight bulb?

I use a small mortar and pestle to grind them into a coarse powder to which I add ground eggshells, powdered cuttlebone and ground Wardley's Hermit Crab Dried Shrimp. I use this as their dry mix

How do you administer the dry mix? Do you just pour some into the food dish? Or do you coat other food, like fruit, with it?

I don't think I've ever had a completely cleared food dish, even with a lot more crabbies to a tank

This makes me feel immensely better! I knew they were eating, but I was getting worried about the leftover food. Now that I've watched a few videos of crabs eating, I can see that they like to take their time.


Again, this is such a great community - so happy to be a part of it.

[Crabinski]

Thanks Crabinski and CallaLily for the quick, kind, and informative responses!
I was thinking of this, since we have a spare desk lamp. Do you think this would be a problem with a heated moonlight bulb?
How do you administer the dry mix? Do you just pour some into the food dish? Or do you coat other food, like fruit, with it?
This makes me feel immensely better! I knew they were eating, but I was getting worried about the leftover food. Now that I've watched a few videos of crabs eating, I can see that they like to take their time.


Again, this is such a great community - so happy to be a part of it.

Re Moonlight bulb: the ones we would be using are found in the reptile section at pet stores and range in wattage from 25 to 100. All will give off a slight bit of heat, as opposed to the "red" night lamps which will give emit much more heat. As I want the light just to give the guys more of a natural nighttime feel for a few hours (my lights are on timers), I'll be opting for the 25 or 40 watt bulb.

Re dry mix: I use one food bowl for dry mix and always leave it in the tank 24/7, changing it out when there's as much poop in the bowl as food . Small amounts of veggies or fruit I serve either in an eggshell half or in the plastic top from a milk half-gallon. Larger amounts of fresh foods such as bits of chicken, shrimp, a grape, kale, apple, etc., are offered together in a second food bowl in the evening and removed in the morning. Although the crabs prefer foods as they gently rot, so do food mites so removing the fresh food after 12 hours is usually good practice.

You'll probably find that you've been offering far more food than your crabs can possibly consume -- just a little bit goes a long way with the guys. I have five PPs, ranging from small to almost-large, and the dry food mix often looks untouched even after I've watched them eating!