Crabitat Round 2!

[kmaurine]

I'm attaching some pics of the new set up so I can get some feedback and suggestions. Ok. So, 10 gal tank w approx 5:1 playsand to EE. UTH on one end. Right now it is sitting at 85% humidity and 75 degrees (hoping I can bump that a bit) The pic was taken as I was still putting things in so the reading are low in it. There is hiding space under the large log as well as the obvious locations. Does everything look ok? I have rocks and shells in their pools to make the depth right are both of those ok? (They were boiled in treated water)






Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[hermitcrabdc]

The only thing I would suggest is getting some more shells. The shells you have aren't usually very popular with hermit crabs. Other than that it looks good

[kmaurine]

Thank you. We have 2 pet store in our area and neither had anything appropriate for shells. I got the best I could out of a walmart craft bag for now in hopes they would be better than the painted shells they are in. I read through the suggest shell type list but honestly it's all Greek to me at this point. I tried looking online today but got overwhelmed (and a but turned off by $10+ shipping) Any suggestion for where to get a few basic shells if I'm not particular about the beauty until we get up and running?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[fantasybookworm]

Do you have any craft stores near you? Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Joann Fabrics all carry bags of shells in their home decoration stuff. You can usually get a few turbos (the green ones with round openings, a favorite of PPs) out of these, and some Babylonia shells (the white ones with brown spots) too. My little guys tried out some Babylonias at first before they went for the turbos. If you have a Joann Fabrics, go there first - they have this specific bag of green shells that had a TON of green turbos in it! I bought two or three when I found them and got a bunch that were big enough for my two small crabs. http://www.joann.com/panacea-products-g ... ls&start=8

Edit: When you bring the shells home, it'd be a good idea to boil them for 5-10 minutes before you put them in the tank, just to make sure they're clean. That can help make them more attractive to crabbies too. Upon reading the suggestion of someone else, I heated a pot of water to boiling, then put the shells in & turned the heat off so that the shells wouldn't get rolled around too much & risk breaking against the pot. Seemed to work well!

[hermitcrabdc]

Pet stores usually don't have a great selection that hermit crabs will actually wear Did the pack from walmart not have any turbos (green shells)? I thought I saw some in the packs I've seen.
Do you have a dollar store near you? I got handful of turbos (great for purple pinchers) and whale's eye (good for Ecuadorians) in a package of shells from my local Dollar General. Found them in the home décor area for $1. Look around and see what you can find

[kmaurine]

Pet stores usually don't have a great selection that hermit crabs will actually wear Did the pack from walmart not have any turbos (green shells)? I thought I saw some in the packs I've seen.
Do you have a dollar store near you? I got handful of turbos (great for purple pinchers) and whale's eye (good for Ecuadorians) in a package of shells from my local Dollar General. Found them in the home décor area for $1. Look around and see what you can find

We do have a dollar general, and I will check there. A few of my shells were hidden in that pic (is it better to have them all together?) So, it's possible one is a turbo. I will compare them to the pics tomorrow. Otherwise I guess I will eat the shipping cost and order some online.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[meg_and_the_zoo]

Thank you. We have 2 pet store in our area and neither had anything appropriate for shells. I got the best I could out of a walmart craft bag for now in hopes they would be better than the painted shells they are in. I read through the suggest shell type list but honestly it's all Greek to me at this point. I tried looking online today but got overwhelmed (and a but turned off by $10+ shipping) Any suggestion for where to get a few basic shells if I'm not particular about the beauty until we get up and running?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I 100% feel ya on the shell terminology when I first started reading around on here I had so many "huh??" Moments when it came to shells. They have a great shell guide with pics but I don't know how to link so here goes...

Turbos


Magpies


Apple Murex


I've gotten quite a few good shells from variety packs at Hobby Lobby & Michael's + there are a few sellers on eBay that have free shipping


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 3 (for now) crabs

[hermitcrabdc]

A few of my shells were hidden in that pic (is it better to have them all together?) So, it's possible one is a turbo.

Sorry, I missed this one. Looks like you've got a nice sized turbo in the front there. A few more would probably help your crabbies out
It doesn't matter if the shells are all together or spread out. The crabs will find them wherever they are, no worries!
Meg, thanks for sharing those pics. That's less confusing than my saying "the green shells"

[meg_and_the_zoo]

Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 3 (for now) crabs

[kmaurine]

Do you have any craft stores near you? Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Joann Fabrics all carry bags of shells in their home decoration stuff.

We have a Hobby Lobby and I have checked there. Didn't have any good looking (as in appropriate size or shape) shells, unfortunately. I went ahead and ordered some turbos from etsy today. So, they should have some more options soon! Hopefully then they will change out of their painted ones.

[kmaurine]

Thank you Meg for the pictures!

[meg_and_the_zoo]

No problem Also, that bag of shells referenced from Jo-Ann fabrics looks kind of awesome for $3.99.


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 3 (for now) crabs

[fantasybookworm]

Glad you got some ordered! One of my small crabs came to me still in a painted shell. He ignored the new shells until I took someone's suggestion, made sure they were clean inside, put a little salt water in them, and placed them on the substrate with the opening facing up. He changed into a new one that night!

And it's fantastic, Meg. I think I got something like 30 turbo shells from two or three bags. None that were quite big enough for my medium crab, but plenty for the two smalls! They're both in green turbos from those bags right now.

[Cumba]

Glad you got some ordered! One of my small crabs came to me still in a painted shell. He ignored the new shells until I took someone's suggestion, made sure they were clean inside, put a little salt water in them, and placed them on the substrate with the opening facing up. He changed into a new one that night!

And it's fantastic, Meg. I think I got something like 30 turbo shells from two or three bags. None that were quite big enough for my medium crab, but plenty for the two smalls! They're both in green turbos from those bags right now.

One of my small crabs instantly changed into a new shell. He came in a painted one, and after a quick bath to check for mites, I put him right next to a Babylonia shell. Within 10 mins., he was walking around in his new shell. My PPs love them Babylonias, even though I have 20 green turbos. Lol