Exercise and Longevity

Questions about designing a terrarium.
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Wai
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Exercise and Longevity

Post by Wai »

For anyone who doesn't know who the famous Carol of CrabWorks is, below is a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwXBs7Ax1g

Carol's Jon and Kate will be celebrating their 33rd anniversary this coming August. Letting hermit crabs run free outside of the tank for a few hours is something that few crabbers have attempted, yet I have not heard of anyone who has had hermit crabs survive for any where near as long as Carol's.

Of course, Jon and Kate are huge, given how old they are. So I guess Carol doesn't have too much difficulty finding where they are around the house?

However, for the rest of us, who have much smaller hermit crabs, how can we let them run free around the house if they can slip into tiny gaps around the house? What if we had other people running about in the house who may crush our hermit crabs? What if it was winter and too chilly for the hermit crabs to run free outside their tank? These are questions that I ask myself every now and then.

I have let no more than two hermit crabs at a time roam outside the tank for a few minutes under my supervision, but I doubt that that is enough exercise. Some crabbers suggest setting up a giant tub with toys inside it as a play pen, but how much better would letting the hermit crabs run free without restraint in the house be?

This is a topic worth discussing. From the stories posted by other members on this forum, exercise plays a very important role in keeping your hermit crabs alive for over five years, as opposed to the common "six months to two years" range.
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misscrabby2you
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by misscrabby2you »

I like to put my hermit crabs in a small hamster ball. They can actually move it across a hard flat surface. I find it to be great exercise for them!
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ladybug15057
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by ladybug15057 »

"Of course, Jon and Kate are huge, given how old they are. So I guess Carol doesn't have too much difficulty finding where they are around the house?"

I do still converse with CrabWorks (and have through the years) and believe it or not even with Jon & Kate's size nowadays there are still occasions she really needs to do a deep search for them. On rare occasions, needs to wait until they come out of their hiding spots. ;) Guess with age they're getting pretty good with the hiding. XD
Depending on how one cleans their carpets and floors should also determine whether one permits even their large hermies to roam their home. Carpet fresheners, cleaners, etc. are not hermie friendly. We use a hard plastic baby pool and have toys within it for the hermies to climb on. Due to having so many hermies this permits for them all to be out at the same time as well as for a longer period of time. http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x276/ladybug15057/
This permits for safe exercise and helps to keep them from being stepped on, etc. Been doing this now for 9+ years and still have 4 of our original 6 hermies.
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emmac350
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by emmac350 »

I just recently started using a large, shallow Rubbermaid container with some climbing stuff in it, and I can truly say that even after only doing it for five days (Sunday through Thursday this past week; didn't want to risk it with the dog we're dogsitting this weekend) I have seen a difference in my crabs. I took them out around 5 in the afternoon and have only managed to do it with 3 of my Es, but they have since all been out around that time - one even came up out of his hole at 1715 to go into the exerciser! Also, it's made the crabs more comfortable with handling - they realize that there are good consequences to being handled; one, when I get him on my hand when he climbs to the lid of the tank, doesn't want to get off anymore! He used to be terrified and run off the edge of my hand if I wasn't careful, but not anymore!

I hope it helps my crabs live as long as Jon and Kate.

Oh, and with crabs my size, I'd never even consider trying to let them loose in the house. I've occasionally put them on a fully made bed under close supervision (one at a time) or lay down and let them run up and down my body (usually only if I'm wearing jeans; their legs tickle!) one at a time. I like the exerciser better, though, because they decide what they want to do, whether it's try to run up the walls and continually fail or climb all over the stuff in there for them.
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by Hermie's rule »

My three, I'd just let them tumble all over my bed, made or not, all at the same time. Of course I'm right there watching them all the time and there's just three biggish hermies, so.... but they really do enjoy going out for a run.
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by ladybug15057 »

"Also, it's made the crabs more comfortable with handling - they realize that there are good consequences to being handled; one, when I get him on my hand when he climbs to the lid of the tank, doesn't want to get off anymore!"

This has been my thoughts as well. Hermies can and do learn to trust and on occasions this cannot be a bad thing. IMO, possibly why if and when we find a surprise molter in our main tank we are able to move them to iso for their own protection. Our hermies here have learned there is nothing to fear and they will not be harmed if they are picked up.
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by crabcrazygal »

ive just set up an exersize container for my crabs, and they seem to like it.
every now and then, i sit on my bed, and watch them run around like little maniacs (only two at a time). my crabs are very small, so i dont let them walk around on the floor.
crabs:bino, junior,kim, and vixen
dogs: ella, shannon
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and two budgies: romeo and big bird
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by CrabbyJo »

I have the pool, but find I have not taken the crabs out for a while. I like to only take those who are easy to get to, and have pulled them out from under cocohuts to go exercise, but I don't go digging around or poking through plants. Only if they are easily accessible have I pulled them out for exercise. Problem is, all week long I've seen not one sign of any crab, and the food dish looks veritably untouched, so I've not tried to pull out the exerciser (I've had a long rough work week too, and was pretty tired in the evenings, even for exercising crabs).

Today, when I changed water dishes and added a few things to the tank, it disturbed two crabs enough that they came out and started climbing all over. I'm thinking maybe I'll go messing with stuff more often! lol.

But what do you guys think when no crabs are out, what do you do about exercise then?
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by crabcrazygal »

i would just leave them untill they are out and about, because i wouldnt want to stress my crabs out it is probably more likly for them to have a shorter life expectancy, because of stress, then because of them not exersising. (thats what i recon anyway, there is no proof)
crabs:bino, junior,kim, and vixen
dogs: ella, shannon
cats:milo, poppy
and two budgies: romeo and big bird
Rip: HOMER(who was actually a girl so i re named him marge)RIP kath hyper and hazel.
only boring people get bored :)
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emmac350
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Re: Exercise and Longevity

Post by emmac350 »

If no one's visible I don't exercise them. If only one or two is visible, I will sometimes exercise them - not if it's one, but two I usually will.
Follow the daily lives of my crabs at thedailyhermit.tumblr.com

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Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09

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