HERMIT CRAB EXPERTS UNITE!!! I have questions.

[Carrie Lynn]

I keep one at school for the kids, didn't know they were all wild-caught.

I use a mister to keep humidity up, it is necessary to provide a humid environment or they slowly suffocate. When I don't see enough condensation on the glass I know it's time to spritz (try not to let it get so dry you don't see any condensation). Also, wire tops let them dry out too quickly...not a good choice IMO. I would not have more than 2 in a ten gallon tank. Make sure they are about the same size when you purchase them, so one isn't bullied (or eaten). I've read that after a moult they are very vulnerable to other crabs as their exoskeleton takes time to harden.
Many crabs are thrown in the trash after a moult as people see the moulted exoskeleton and think they are dead. Don't be fooled, look in the seashells and you should find it well tucked up, waiting to harden. They eat their moultings as they are rich in calcium. Don't feed citrus, but they love soft fruit, especially melon. Feed small crabs the powdered food, not pellets as they are too hard for them to eat. Remove uneaten foods before they mold. I keep mine in a sand sold for keeping hermits...it isn't cheap. I didn't know about salt water for bathing, learn something new eveytime I go to this site! Give enough sand for them to bury themselves (natural behavior) and keep the sand somewhat moist.
I had a student who tried to pull his crab up when it was crawling in their carpet, claws were stuck and it ripped it in half---he was so upset.
I use an under tank heating pad sold for reptiles. If they are too cold they sulk, don't molt and slowly die off. Remember, they come from the tropics. Mine is under a table lamp for light, seems happy, and has active periods and down times. They are nocturnal but ours comes out of hiding often in search of food. I use scallop type sea shells for food & water. I've had it for about 4 years. It's the easiest pet I've ever owned. Please check out hermit crab websites for excellent information.

Good Luck

 

[VioletBlueIvy]

You can easily do it for less than $50
You already have a tank, that is the biggest expense right there.
The heater is going to be your next biggest expense, but all you need is the tiny one because you are heating just one side of the tank.
The food dishes can be as expensive or as cheap as you want, check out goodwill ect. they always have this kind of thing very very cheap.
Shells are also cheaper if you get them online in bulk.
Food is only a few dollars, and if you make some of your own or gather them some from the outdoors it is even cheaper.
Do that research!!!!!

 

[makluvsanimals]

I'm planing on getting some Hermit Crabs to put in my 10 gallon glass tank. The tank has a wire lid/roof.

Now the questions:
1.How many crabs can I put in the tank?
2.How big of a water dish should I use?
3.How many sponges should I put in the water?
4.How big of a food dish should I use?
5.What's the best food to buy?
6.What kind of material should I put on the tank floor?
7.What kind of items do the crabs need in the tank?
8.How deep should I put the material on the tank floor?
9.How many extra shells should I keep in the tank?
10. And finally, how active are the crabs?

1.at most 4 only 4
2.one for the largest crab to submerge in
3.you dont need a sponge
4.doesnt matter
5.well that depends
6.i use beach sand
7.plants,sticks,hideoutsand fun stuff...lol
8.at least 2 times the size your largest crab
9.at least 2 per crab
10.more active at night

 

[MyHaven]

Hi, desperately seeking help. I bought two hermit crabs and regret believing the nonsense the seller told me about care. Now I have two little creatures that I think are suffering.

I have had them one month. I let them settle in without touching them unless necessary. Worked a treat. It wasn't long before they walked around when we were in the room.

I was told nothing about humidity or temp. or anything else really. Except I may need a heat mat when winter comes. We're in Australia so quite warm this time of year and relatively humid in Brisbane.

I have asked questions in numerous pet shops and i am dismayed that i know more than their staff. So i called Dr Google and found a heap of information.

I immediately went and got a gauge that measures both temp and humidity. My humidity in particular is bad. Sitting around 65. I occasionally get it up to 70.

I've got two water sources salt and plain. I've added sponges. I bought a heat mat and have to take it back as its faulty. Meanwhile one crab buried itself in the substrate. I had by then bought another heat mat and bigger water containers. I have to sacrifice some hiding places to fit them in but I'm guessing the humidity is more criticle. They still have a little cover. I've been wondering what to do about the buried crab when I want to put a mat under their enclosure and now the second one has buried itself.

I'm worried they have dug down in distress not moulting. What do you experts think?

I had left food out and it grew long hair on it over night.

Help???? Do I leave them. Are they just moulting and I'll be able to put the heat source in later when they come out?

I can't stand the thought that I gave contributed to their suffering.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have not had success with hermit crabs. I found that by raising the humidity so they don't suffocate (which I read happens if you don't have the humidity high enough), we had a mold problem and one died. So I ended up getting rid of them and admitted defeat that I was not able to keep the humidity up without harming them with mold.

I kept cleaning the tank and cleaning the tank but to no avail.

I am sorry I don't know how to help.

 

[MyHaven]

Thanks, anyway. It helps to know I'm not the only one who has trouble.

Maybe someone else can chime in with some suggestions.

Cheers

 

[appps]

Hi, desperately seeking help. I bought two hermit crabs and regret believing the nonsense the seller told me about care. Now I have two little creatures that I think are suffering.

I have had them one month. I let them settle in without touching them unless necessary. Worked a treat. It wasn't long before they walked around when we were in the room.

I was told nothing about humidity or temp. or anything else really. Except I may need a heat mat when winter comes. We're in Australia so quite warm this time of year and relatively humid in Brisbane.

I have asked questions in numerous pet shops and i am dismayed that i know more than their staff. So i called Dr Google and found a heap of information.

I immediately went and got a gauge that measures both temp and humidity. My humidity in particular is bad. Sitting around 65. I occasionally get it up to 70.

I've got two water sources salt and plain. I've added sponges. I bought a heat mat and have to take it back as its faulty. Meanwhile one crab buried itself in the substrate. I had by then bought another heat mat and bigger water containers. I have to sacrifice some hiding places to fit them in but I'm guessing the humidity is more criticle. They still have a little cover. I've been wondering what to do about the buried crab when I want to put a mat under their enclosure and now the second one has buried itself.

I'm worried they have dug down in distress not moulting. What do you experts think?

I had left food out and it grew long hair on it over night.

Help???? Do I leave them. Are they just moulting and I'll be able to put the heat source in later when they come out?

I can't stand the thought that I gave contributed to their suffering.

Don't panic too much. My humidity isn't always what the experts say either but you know neither is the humidity where they collect them near broome. I suspect, and this is just my own theory, that ours don't need exactly the same things as you will read online because they don't come from the same place as the US ones. If you go into weather zone and watch the humidity up round broome its not a constant high humidity.

Also they will dig under for a few days just for the heck if it sometimes. But I remember how worried I was the first time they did

Don't stress about the heat mat. I'd imagine up there you will get warm enough to go without it soon anyway unless you have the tank in with an air conditioner. At some point they will both be up so you can add it then.

Yes food goes mouldy quick, just replace often. I also give mine a dry mix of cockatiel seed and pellets and fish food. They really have never eaten the hermit crab food, they just don't touch it. I then supplement that with fresh stuff. Favourite fruit seems to be apple.

My best advice would be give them the biggest salt water dish you can. Take the sponge out so they can get in and soak (make sure they can get out though). I have a swimming pool for them in mine and they can spend an hour or more in there totally submerged. I think its important for them to be able to soak when they need to to clean their shells out.

I put our trials and tribulations on a blog.
http://crabbycreatures.wordpress.com/
Shows our tank setup. A bit different to what the pet store will tell you
Good luck!!

 

[MyHaven]

Thanks very much. My biggest worry was that they had burrowed to die of stress. It's almost midnight and I'm not through reading your blog. I'll finish tomorrow and may have more questions.I just wanted to thank you. I feel a much better.
Cheers

 

[appps]

No worries. I was so stressed about mine the first year and especially the first time they burrowed under. I thought it just meant they were moulting but these guys seem to just alternate between up and down time and I'm sure they couldn't molt that often
It does get eerily quiet in there over winter though so that's when I think they are really burrowed down to molt.

Oh and just checked my tank, my humidity lives at around 70% so isn't far off your 65.

 

[MyHaven]

Don't panic too much. My humidity isn't always what the experts say either but you know neither is the humidity where they collect them near broome. I suspect, and this is just my own theory, that ours don't need exactly the same things as you will read online because they don't come from the same place as the US ones. If you go into weather zone and watch the humidity up round broome its not a constant high humidity.

Also they will dig under for a few days just for the heck if it sometimes. But I remember how worried I was the first time they did

Don't stress about the heat mat. I'd imagine up there you will get warm enough to go without it soon anyway unless you have the tank in with an air conditioner. At some point they will both be up so you can add it then.

Yes food goes mouldy quick, just replace often. I also give mine a dry mix of cockatiel seed and pellets and fish food. They really have never eaten the hermit crab food, they just don't touch it. I then supplement that with fresh stuff. Favourite fruit seems to be apple.

My best advice would be give them the biggest salt water dish you can. Take the sponge out so they can get in and soak (make sure they can get out though). I have a swimming pool for them in mine and they can spend an hour or more in there totally submerged. I think its important for them to be able to soak when they need to to clean their shells out.

I put our trials and tribulations on a blog.
http://crabbycreatures.wordpress.com/
Shows our tank setup. A bit different to what the pet store will tell you
Good luck!!

It has taken me a little while to get back here because I've been chasing a bigger tank.

Just being given those words "Don't panic too much" made me feel better. Oscar the second crab to go down has resurfaced and changed his shell so he must be feeling ok. I still haven't seen Felix. If he is moulting how long may that take. When do I go into panic mode again. I really don't want to buy another crab at any time to support the trade. If I knew they were wild caught when I got them I wouldn't have. Also pets shops who sell them despite where they come from should know how to care for them. I don't like supporting them either.

Good point about Australian crabs having different requirements to those elsewhere. Of course they must.

No I don't have air con on in their room. The temperature has been reasonable. I was thinking a heat mat would increase evaporation and therefore humidity.
Have you tried a reptile heat rock for temperature?

I replace their food and water daily. I must have gotten the humidity up a bit to get the mould happening. I hadn't heard about feeding them cockatiel seed. Mine seem to be mainly eating fish flakes. They steer clear of hermit crab food. I gave them fresh fruit when I first brought them home but they didn't go near it. I figured they needed time to settle in.

I need a bigger tank for bigger dishes. I only have a sponge in the fresh water and they climb on it so I think they like it.

Interesting yours go completely under water. Mine can't do that with my current set up.

Funny how you can warm to a crustation. It didn't take me very long to fall for them. Immediately I thought I'd upgrade them to a terrarium in a main living area when practical so we could all enjoy them. Your set up seems great and very interesting. Thanks for sharing your blog. It was very helpful. Please correct me where I am wrong. From what I could tell you seem to have put a divider in a large tank about a third way along. You must have a filter in that. You mentioned a water fall. Very cool. Is that part of the filter? Then is it another third you have filled with sand and habitat and a final third with coconut fibre. Where do you get the fibre from? One of the pet shops told me they couldn't get it. Is it the same as the compressed fibre you can get in gardening sections? Is sphagnum moss ok? I have living plants to put in as well.

Any tips on a set up would be appreciated.

Thanks for everything.
Cheers