Shell less Crab!

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

I read this about sponges, which is part of why I thought I would get some:

Sponge Care
A large (baseball-sized or larger) natural sponge in a dish with water in it, close to or over the substrate covering the undertank heater is VERY effective as a means of dispersing humidity into the air. The sponge helps to 'pump' the humidity into the air better by providing a larger surface from which the water evaporates. You might compare it to how quickly a kitchen sponge dries out, as opposed to the time it takes a dish of water to evaporate. The key to using the sponges is to have a couple of them, so they may be switched out on a regular basis to prevent any mold or bacterial growth. A thorough rinse in hot water only and a short soak in a sea salt solution, followed by a rinse in with some dechlorinated water helps to clean the sponges. Squeeze out the extra water and allow them to air dry. If additional disinfecting is needed, place the COMPLETELY DRY sponge in the microwave for two minutes. Don't put it in the microwave when they are moist (or even damp), or it will quickly shrink up to nearly nothing! Large natural sponges can be expensive, and the upkeep of them is mandatory. Since they sit in water and the crabs crawl on them, they are a prime breeding site for bacteria which could kill your crabs. Anyone 'electing' to try this method needs to be aware that neglecting the cleaning of the sponge on a regular basis is asking for problems.

[HermitGuy3]

Where did you read this? "close to or over the substrate covering the undertank heater" implies that the heater is on the bottom of the tank, which is a fire hazard. It needs to be placed on the side.

[curlysister]

I read this about sponges, which is part of why I thought I would get some:

This is NOT Hermit Crab Association information.

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

I went to look in the cage this morning, and Crystal was out of her shell again!
I think I'll leave her, to see if she goes back in her shell, because none of the other crabs come out during the day, so they wouldn't hurt her.

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

I read about sponges here:
https://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html

Sorry I didn't mention that!

[HermitGuy3]

I went to look in the cage this morning, and Crystal was out of her shell again!
I think I'll leave her, to see if she goes back in her shell, because none of the other crabs come out during the day, so they wouldn't hurt her.

If a crab is out of its shell, you need to employ the naked crab protocol immediately.
viewtopic.php?t=122302
Please do this immediately.

[HermitGuy3]

I read about sponges here:
https://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html

Sorry I didn't mention that!

Now that I have read that, I don't think that source is very reliable. A UTH on the bottom of the tank is a fire hazard. And if the UTH works then you definitely need more substrate.

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

If a crab is out of its shell, you need to employ the naked crab protocol immediately.
viewtopic.php?t=122302
Please do this immediately.

Crystal moved into a new shell before I could do that. Why can't I just leave her, because she always goes into a new shell???

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

Now that I have read that, I don't think that source is very reliable. A UTH on the bottom of the tank is a fire hazard. And if the UTH works then you definitely need more substrate.

How is it a fire hazard?
And I don't plan on ever putting a UTH under the cage, anyways!

[HermitGuy3]

How is it a fire hazard?
And I don't plan on ever putting a UTH under the cage, anyways!

The heat gets trapped under the cage and it can get really hot, which could set the surface the tank is on or the uth it's self on fire, from my understanding.

[HermitGuy3]

Crystal moved into a new shell before I could do that. Why can't I just leave her, because she always goes into a new shell???

I thought usually crabs don't go back onto their shells without help. Plus even if the others are not out during the day they might at one point come out. Do you mean that she is changing into new shells, as in not the old one? How long is she taking to do that?

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

Ah! Definetly not going to put a heater under the tank!

Well, yesterday morning Crystal was out of her shell when I woke up. She was back in her shell after a couple hours.
Same thing today, but today it was a new shell.

Also, my guess is a healthy crab would go back into its shell when the "sun" rose (it got light), because it knows there might be pretetors around during the day?
Maybe crabbers freak out when they see a crab out of its shell, so they feel like they have to help it, and that's when people started coming up with "isolate the crab and try to manually put it back in a shell."
I didn't read that anywhere, just a guess. I could be wrong

[HermitGuy3]

Crabs never come out of their shells unless something is wrong. Not during night, not ever. They won't just die out of their shell because of predators. They will dry up and die. A healthy crab will never leave their shells. They would rather be ripped in two than come out of their shells. When a crab is out of its shell, it will die unless it goes back into the shell. I am not trying to be rude. Please understand and employ the naked crab protocol if this happens again.

[C: ClareCrabOwner :)]

I don't think you understand--the crab goes back into its shell by itself. I don't want to stress it out by handling it.

[HermitGuy3]

I don't think you understand--the crab goes back into its shell by itself. I don't want to stress it out by handling it.

I know Crystal goes back on her own, but what if at some point somebody doesn't? Just picking them up to put them into a mug with shells is not going to stress them that much. We put them into a small place with only shells so that the only thing they are thinking about is which shell to pick. When they are in the tank, they could be hungry, thirsty, want to climb, or other things. When we put them into a small space, the only thing they have to think is "shells".