New tank!

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 9:47 am

If a hermit crab does not like a substrate, will they just not dig down to molt? Ive had one of my crabs for 5 months now and the most either of them has done was dig down a few inches and sit in the hole for a while.

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 10:22 am

@Kirrie, if the substrate is not to the crabs satisfaction be it because the substrate isn't the right consistency ie: to damp or dry or just simply the wrong kind they wont dig down in it to molt.

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 12:26 pm

I hope my crabs aren't that picky! Im going to try to get some pictures of them tonight when they come out to eat. They hide in their log or driftwood almost all day. I only get to see them late at night

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 1:15 pm

@Kirrie, pictures would be helpful in determining why the crabs aren't digging as normal.It could also be a dietary issue as poorly or improperly fed hermitcrabs will be too weak to dig down so if you could shed some light on the diet you have them on that would also be helpful.

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 3:11 pm

Ok! Ill get the pictures as soon as I can. The crabs still haven't come out yet...If I pull them out to get pictures, one flails all over so I cant get a good picture, and the other hides in her shell.I alternate foods as much as possible,Ive got dried fruit, dried shrimp/meal worms, coconut, hermit crab pellets (I really don't use these except maybe once in a while when Im rushing to get other things done). I also give them thawed brine shrimp or bloodworms. Ive made scrambled eggs for them and chicken once, but they didn't touch it. Ive also given them frozen veggies like peas, carrots, corn, green beans, and lima beans. I think that's everything... Is there anything super important that Im missing? Or any other foods that might be found in the average home? I haven't had a lot of money to spend on them so far, so Ive just been slowly collecting and adding different things to their diet, but I will have the money to buy them more things after Christmas.

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:21 am

@Kirrie, you want to cover proteins, healthy fatty acids, cellulose(fiber),calcium, chitin, nitrogen and beta carotenes(color boosting pigments)on a daily basis though some of us just can't do this so we try to provide these things as regularly as we can.Proteins are easily enough covered as you can offer things like whole raw shrimp, freeze dried shrimp, freeze dried blood worms, meal worms, boiled/raw unseasoned chicken and organic peanut butter.Healthy fatty acids are also easy to provide as you can give them in things like organic peanut butter, coconut oil, fish oil and krill oil.The oils can be drizzled on the foods you are giving which will fulfill the fatty acid portion of the diet while also doubling as an appetite stimulant.Cellulose can be easily provided by just simply placing a dry sea sponge on the substrate and the crabs will nibble on it at their leisure.Things like air popped pop corn, dried maple leaves from an untreated yard and tree and even whole dried oats can be given to provide cellulose and also double as a source of nitrogen a key nutrient that is vital for successful molt completion.Chitin which is a hardening agent found in the exo of all crustaceans can be given through shrimp, lobster, other types of crab and krill.Calcium should be present at all times in the form of white calci sand and a cuttle bone(this can be found in the bird isle of most pet stores) these two things should be placed in a separate dish from the food and water and should be available at all times.Beta carotenes can be offered through vegetables like carrots, green, red and yellow bell peppers and through sprinkling Spirulnia powder on the foods you are offering.Spirulnia can be found at most health food stores and is relatively cheap.If your consistently providing these key nutrients/elements in your crabs diet then they will flourish.I've got a few crabs that were micro size(around the size of a dime) when I got them a year ago and now they are near golf ball size because they molt so frequently and have done so so many times this year I have lost count.If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 6:03 am

Ok thanks! I will start working on gathering more of these things so I have them around to feed the crabs. I will start with the cuddle bone because we always have at least one with our conure. She doesn't use them though so they just hang on the side of her cage like a decoration. Ill just break a piece off like I did for my snails last time.Thank you so much for the suggestions and also explaining them to me!

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:34 am

@Kirrie, your welcome.

Tetra4CClyPtus · Post by **Tetra4CClyPtus** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:42 am

quote:Originally posted by Kirrie:I currently have a 10 gallon tank with two crabs, but I will have a new 20 gallon for them by the end of the month! Im very excited to give them more room to run around, and also some new tank mates down the line. I was thinking about adding 2 or 3 more crabs, would 5 be too many for a 20 gallon? I will have UTH stuck on the back of the tank, large enough for a 60 gallon tank. The one I have on my 10 gallon is only big enough for a 20 gallon tank, thanks to my ignorance, but it keeps the tank around 80 degrees usually. I am going to start with 6 inches of eco earth substrate, but add more if needed. Before I buy everything though, would it be better to use sand rather than eco earth?Ive had my first crab since August, and the second one since September or October, but I haven't seen either one go down to molt, they just dig holes everywhere and sit in them, is this normal? In my opiinion, I would notI like to extrapolate and even is more comfortable for the crabs too

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:04 am

@tetra Do you mean that you wouldn't add more crabs? I will be able to upgrade their tank again when they outgrow it, so wouldn't 4 small crabs work for now?

Crabber85 · Post by **Crabber85** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 1:06 pm

@Kirrie, yes four smalls would work fine in a twenty gallon.

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 2:45 pm

Great! I think I have a plan now! Im getting the tank for Christmas. I wont be able to put them in right away because I will have to go out and buy a heater and the substrate. I think I am going to try a mix of sand and eco earth. Then Ill move everything over to the new tank including my two PP's. Ill work on buying more foods and adding more things for them to climb on and eventually two new crabs I think that covers everything...Now Im excited

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:41 pm

Ok, bit of an update. It seems that one of my crabs (the older of the two, Hera) has gone down to molt. I haven't seen her in two days and there are two mounds of dirt toward the back of the tank. This means I wont be able to move them to the new tank right away because I have to wait for her to come back up. Im starting to think hermit crabs have bad timing, I wish she could have waited another few weeks! Any idea how long it may take her to molt? She is medium sized, the opening of her shell is between 1 and 1.5 inches since she changed shells.One thing I am worried about is that the substrate seems to be a little cold. Not freezing, but cooler than the rest of the tank. The thermometer stays between 79-81 degrees now, but I don't think it is the same for the substrate. Will the cooler substrate affect her molting?Aphrodite seems to be a little more active. She still hates me and will hide with any sign of movement outside of the tank. The other night however, I was able to sneak up on her and get a few pictures. I will post sometime this weekend

Geranium · Post by **Geranium** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:57 pm

4-6 weeks for a molt is the average in my house, some longer, some shorter.I noticed my sub is colder than the air seems too but they seem to do fine.It takes time for them to get used to you and your movement. Some of mine ignore me, some still run away, some will come running to see what I am doing because I only open the tank to do stuff for them like refresh their waters or feed them.

Kirrie · Post by **Kirrie** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:06 pm

That's what I thought, since they are taken from the wild. I only ever open the tank when I am feeding/giving them water, but they both still run for me. I think Ive had Hera for around 6 months and she runs from me, but isn't afraid to come out of her shell and try to scramble to get away. Ive had Aphrodite for 3 months or so and she will either run or duck into her shell. She also pinched me when I first bought her of course. I don't really ever pick them up though, I try to leave them alone and let them do their own thing in the tank