24 replies to this topic

[Gab33]

The amount of substrate you need depends on the size of your hermit crabs but you should be leaning towards closer to 8. They need enough sand to completely submerge themselves so that they can molt. 

[hawaiihamster]

he just moved into one that is more in the middle of the 2 sizes, and i think it is great for him. it is like the shape of his original shell. we are joking around, calling him spy crab, because we keep getting confused which shell he's in! :rotfl:oh and do i have to have like 8 inches of substrate, or can I have more like 3-5 inches? I use eco earth, and i am thinking of getting sand to mix.

  

The amount of substrate you need depends on the size of your hermit crabs but you should be leaning towards closer to 8. They need enough sand to completely submerge themselves so that they can molt.

Yea my hermit crabs would literally trade shells and it’s hard to tell them apart so it’s always confusing. And like Gab 33 said hermit crabs do molt and love to dig, most just say make sure your crab can at least fully submerge itself, but more is better.

[bamboo the hamster]

  
Yea my hermit crabs would literally trade shells and it’s hard to tell them apart so it’s always confusing. And like Gab 33 said hermit crabs do molt and love to dig, most just say make sure your crab can at least fully submerge itself, but more is better.

haha i went on an overnight trip and came back to different shells. took  a long time to figure out which hermie was which. haha

 

edit:

do you think i can use this for my crabs? they love to climb on the plants i gave them so i am looking for more climbing stuff.

Edited by bamboo the hamster, 15 August 2018 - 09:18 AM.

[nebit]

i am feeding him peanut butter, bananas, and oats. i sprinkled a bit of cuttle bone on top of it.

 

I'm no hermit crab expert, but this is not a balanced diet. Hermit crabs require a variety of vegetables, including leafy greens, fruits, and protein. Feeding the same 3 items daily is not going to get them the variety of nutrients necessary to thrive. I would work on a rotation of a variety of vegetables and fruits with species appropriate protein like shrimp.
 

[bamboo the hamster]

I'm no hermit crab expert, but this is not a balanced diet. Hermit crabs require a variety of vegetables, including leafy greens, fruits, and protein. Feeding the same 3 items daily is not going to get them the variety of nutrients necessary to thrive. I would work on a rotation of a variety of vegetables and fruits with species appropriate protein like shrimp.
 

Oh, that was a bad explanation. that's what I fed them that day, although usually they have a larger mix of fruits and veggies. I give them a ton of different fruits and veggies which they love. I read somewhere that I can give them eggs. is that okay? I do give them a wonderfully balanced diet

[Hamster03]

I recommend checking out the crab street journal and the hermit crab association.

 

[mysistershamster]

Late reply, sorry... but I couldn't resist since I'm a bit of a crab nerd myself. I have a ~150 gallon for my crabs. For me, one of the most important things that gets overlooked is substrate levels. You will want at minimum 6 inches or three times the size of your largest crab(whichever one is deeper). A mix of EE and play sand is recommended at a 1:5 ratio respectively, and you can actually use play sand straight from the bag as long as it isn't ripped, but if you want to bake it you can. Make sure that your substrate is sandcastle consistency by adding dechlorinated water; the tunnels the hermit crabs dig when they molt need to hold or else they will suffocate. To prevent mold growth, you can mix in dechlorinated salt water, Instant Ocean is the recommended brand. Plain EE is fine, it's just it dries out easily. It holds humidity well, but it doesn't hold moisture well. Play sand, on the other hand, holds moisture extremely well, but it doesn't hold humidity well. This is why mixing them is such a dream combination. Do NOT use mulch, gravel, or anything of the sort as their substrate. You could use tree bark and leaf litter at the surface, but the substrate itself should be a mix of EE and play sand.
 
Next, get your hermit crab a play mate. Minimum of two is recommended. There can be shell fights but DO NOT intervene, only separate crabs if one crab is ripping off limbs off the other. Shell fights are common and are nothing to worry about. If you see any missing limbs, separate any suspected/victimized crabs in the tank. Molting crabs are most susceptible to attacks, as after they molt their exoskeleton is extremely soft and they can also smell like food. It is imperative to provide a lot of calcium after molts. 
 
Another thing that is commonly overlooked is water. You should have dechlorinated fresh water(fish conditioner is safe; Prime by Seachem is used by a lot of us) and dechlorinated salt water(as mentioned before, Instant Ocean is recommended and Prime by Seachem is needed to dechlorinate the water before adding the salt). Measurements can be hard, but are required. You do not need to have separate dishes for bathing and drinking. The water dishes you choose should be pretty deep, at least deep enough to completely submerge for all your crabs. Although they are called land hermit crabs, they can breathe underwater for an hour before they drown. As long as you have a way out, the water dishes are completely safe. Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT bathe your hermit crabs. Hermit crabs actually have sacs at the end of their abdomen that has a balance between freshwater and saltwater, and bathing them can throw off their balance. A lot of hermit crab owners use plastic mesh to get in and out, just attach this to the tub with zipties and you should be set to go. https://www.amazon.com/Darice-10-Piece-Square-Plastic-Canvas/dp/B0018N29Z2/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Plastic+Mesh&qid=1592613666&sr=8-3 is one example of material that can be used and is probably the most common material used. You can also buy plastic mesh from other websites.
If you would like to use a bubbler, you will not have to do regular water changes. You can just do a water change once or twice a week. A bubbler is easy to set up and also greatly increases humidity when the bubbles pop. If you don't have a bubbler, then you should do water changes every other day.
 
Now for nutrition. Most commercial foods are not safe, as they contain a lot of preservatives such as ethoxyquin and other things. I would recommend giving them organic fruits and vegetables. Provide calcium such as cuttlebone, eggshell is also safe. You will also have to provide protein like shrimp and beef, and also plant proteins such as quinoa and flax seeds. Contrary to popular belief, meat can be served raw; after all nobody cooks for them in the wild. If you are going to cook anything for them, use water or olive oil, as vegetable oil is unsafe. Do NOT season, as table salt, pepper, and other things like garlic(undetermined actually, garlic may be safe for them) could be harmful to the crabs themselves. For treats, you could give them unsalted and unbuttered popcorn, and peanut butter. Honey is also good, but only serve this to them every once in a while. If you would like to see more on nutrition, look here:
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92557
https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554
 
Now on to humidity and temperature. First, you will need a temperature/humidity gauge. Do not buy one from zoo med that is made for reptiles, as those break easily. Instead, you could just buy a digital thermometer/humidity gauge from somewhere like Walmart or Lowes as those are much more reliable. Only downside is that you will need a battery, but I haven't had any problems otherwise. To increase temperature, it's just as simple as a heat mat for reptiles. These can be expensive, but will be needed unless you live in an extremely warm area. I recommend these ones: https://beanfarm.com/collections/heating/products/ultratherm-heat-pads-11-x-23-in?variant=24905301513. The only thing about these is that the ones that I received did not have adhesive, so you may need to attack it using tape(preferably heat tape, but I didn't have any) There are three sizes of these, so you can pick whatever is appropriate. Heat tape is also safe, but do not use a heat lamp. Heat lamps can such the humidity out of your tank, and hermit crabs can get too close and possibly bake themselves(this has happened to someone before), as you will need climbing space(I will get on to this later). When you use a heating pad, do NOT attach it to the bottom of your tank. This could possibly burn molting hermit crabs. Humidity should be pretty simple; heat and water will make humidity. So your heating pad combined with your moist substrate should make good humidity. Moss(I will talk about this in a little bit) is also good for humidity. As mentioned earlier, bubblers in your water pools will increase humidity, and if needed you should mist. Do not mist every day, and if you do mist lightly. Recommended temperature is between 75-85 F, but don't make it too hot in there, as you don't want the hermit crabs to get cooked. Humidity should be above 75%, and although it is not recommended because of easier mold growth, 99% humidity is completely safe for hermit crabs.
 
Next is shells. You will want 3-5 shells per crab to help prevent as many fights as possible. You will want the shells for that crab to be the next size up. The recommended shells for purple pinchers have round openings, and the most common ones are turbo shells and murex shells. You can provide Haitian tree snail shells, but these are not as commonly seen being worn by hermit crabs. If you have ecuadorian hermit crabs, you will want more D-shaped openings. This would be black nerites, babylonians, moon snail shells, whale's eyes and shark's eyes(of course, shells). These are the two most common crabs in the hobby, but if you have different species or would like to learn more, look here: https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=92552. You can find shells on various shops on Etsy, and also websites such as http://naplesseashellcompany.com/hermit_crab_shells.html, (currently down, and when it comes back up make sure to only order the right shells like turbos and murex)https://deltonaseashells.com/. For shells, it really comes down to personal preference for each crab.
 
Now on to the fun DIY part of your tank. Hermit crabs like dark hiding spots. This is why you should provide cover, which you can do using wood pieces, rock caves, and coconut huts. There are many safe kinds of wood, and many unsafe kinds of wood. The most common types of wood you will find that are safe are cork pieces and cholla wood. You can use this for them to hide in and for them to climb on. You can also use fake decorations from stores to put in their tank. You will find that hermit crabs like to climb a LOT; after all, they are called tree crabs. So to accommodate this, you can add a climbing background. You could use the Panacea coco fiber background, but it's hard to make this adhere without silicone. I had to convert it into a mini ramp to a hammock because my biggest crab always toppled it over. So I changed my climbing background into an egg crate background. Plastic egg crate is really good, but you may be wondering how to keep it up. You could use a lot of different ways, but my favorite is using tension rods used for curtains wrapped in jute rope to press it up, forcing it to stay put. Jute/hemp rope is safe for hermit crabs, which is why a lot of people use it. You will also want to add some sort of "second floor" using a reptile hammock or a platform, as this adds a lot of climbing space. I mentioned moss when I was talking about humidity, and this is also something really great for hermit crabs. If you want to incorporate moss, you could use live moss and put it on a platform or create something known as a "moss pit". Although not required, they are pretty much the equivalent of a sand bath for hamsters. Hermit crabs LOVE these things. One of my hermit crabs I thought was dead because I hadn't seen him in two weeks. Guess where he was? Buried in the moss pit. Hermit crabs can actually eat moss, and they love to burrow in it. The only downside I can think of to moss is that when it touches the substrate and isn't cleaned out, it can mold pretty easily. Most of us use a shower caddy with suction cups to hold the moss in. My shower caddy had holes on the bottom, so moss always fell through. So I had to install some covers on the bottom and on the sides of the shower caddy so the moss wouldn't fall through. I recommend raising the moss pit to be a part of the second level, so the moss doesn't get to the substrate so easily. Safe moss to use would include sheet moss, pillow moss, spanish moss, reindeer moss, SPHAGNUM MOSS which is a favorite, and beaked moss. Another thing I would recommend is fake plants. Hermit crabs LOVE foliage, so you will want to add some ground plants as well as some hanging plants. Although the hanging plants may seem like they can't do much, hermit crabs can, in fact, climb up these hanging plants. Pretty incredible to me. Another last thing to add is that hermit crabs actually enjoy hamster wheels! Just make sure that you secure plastic mesh or some kind of material for the hermit crabs to grab on to so they can actually grab on to the wheel. Also, do not include any metal in your habitat, as this can cause rust and potentially be dangerous for the hermit crabs themselves. To sanitize all your materials, you would boil them unless it's plastic or glass or anything that you shouldn't boil. Stuff like wood and shells have to be boiled in dechlorinated fresh water, salt water if you want to minimize mold growth. Stuff like seagrass hammocks and jungle vines should also be boiled. Stuff that you can't boil such as plastic shower caddies or fake plastic plants should be left to soak in warm dechlorinated fresh water or salt water for 30 minutes or so, and then let it dry before adding it.
 
Quick note: If you're going to get hermit crabs, do your best to adopt. We wouldn't want to support the chain pet stores in their hermit crab trade. If you can't adopt, you could buy from store but it's not something that people like to do. Also, do NOT buy online. Shipping is very dangerous and stressful for the hermit crabs, and a lot of online sites are known to scam buyers.
 
That pretty much concludes my TedX Talk on hermit crabs. I might edit it if I have anything else to add, but for now this is all I have to say. Like the person above said, I would recommend joining hermitcrabassociation.com and checking out RELIABLE websites such as crabstreetjournal and others. Etsy is a great place to look for hermit crab shops, just make sure that the people who are selling are reliable. If you would like to meet me on hermitcrabassociation.com, my username is asiankanye. Make sure to also do your own research, so that you also know what's safe and what's not. Good luck on your crabbing journey! Unfortunately, I don't know how to attach images so I can't provide pictures of my own crabitat. You can find some images here though: https://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=122567&start=15. To find my most recent upgrade, go to the last post on the second page.

[Poppythehammy]

I have owned crabs so I will tell you what I know

 

do i need to condition the water? can i use fish tank conditioner?

Yes that should work but you need salt and fresh water.

is it okay to have 2?

You MUST have 2 they are social like guinea pigs.

can i use any fish gravel in the tank?  (just for a section, still using plenty of coconut soil and sand)

I would just stick to sand and coconut soil

what should i ive hi to climb on?

Any basic pet store rocks

[Bearthehammy~]

I have owned crabs so I will tell you what I know

do i need to condition the water? can i use fish tank conditioner?
Yes that should work but you need salt and fresh water.
is it okay to have 2?
You MUST have 2 they are social like guinea pigs.
can i use any fish gravel in the tank? (just for a section, still using plenty of coconut soil and sand)
I would just stick to sand and coconut soil
what should i ive hi to climb on?
Any basic pet store rocks

This forum is from 2018, no need to respond to it

[Poppythehammy]

This forum is from 2018, no need to respond to it

It could help someone who just saw this post though. Also I didn't know it was from 2018. Whats wrong with commenting on this post If I'm in violation of forum rules or something I'm very sorry but, my info could help someone who happens to just see this.