What should I put in my crab's cage?

[emmac350]

Christine - here's a link that has information as to why you probably shouldn't use gravel more than in a few small, isolated patches. http://www.hermitcrabparadise.com/crabc ... eslist.php

[Salt and Pepper]

It is only half of the cage and just a little bit of aquarium gravel on top of their sand (on one side).

[xXxEmilixXx]

I have a rockpool in my crabitat! It has a bubbler in it too

[Hermie's rule]

Oh cool! Where my hermies were adopted, they had some bubbling pools as well as a waterfall in it. Turns out that my hermies just LOVE their new tank. (and the bubblers and waterfalls as I didn't have such things for them in my crabitat)

[Salt and Pepper]

I now know, this thread is old! I've spent some more time searching. My new crabs have Eco Earth Coconut Fiber mixed with White [..Hermit Crab..] Sand, 2 Plastic Water Dishes (One with Fresh De-Chlorinated Water and the other with Saltwater),extra shells, a undertank heater and a food dish. Our crabitat does look kind of bare. We're getting a Coconut Cave hideout soon and some more stuff to climb on. We mist the tank a few times daily. They seem to love their Crabitat and they are very healthy!

[Hermie's rule]

Dr. Pepper, I really love your siggy. It's so cute.

[emmac350]

Dr. Pepper,

I applaud the changes you're starting to make in your crabs' tank. I am glad that you are trying to give them the best life possible. I recommend that you get a hidey place in there for your crabs as soon as you can - they need somewhere to hide! Even if, for now, you put an old, small coffee mug/teacup on its side. Secondly, I think you should get a humidity gauge - with misting as often as you do, I'm fairly certain that your humidity is probably too high. While EcoEarth/any other coconut fiber needs to be moist to avoid drying out your crabs, too much humidity can be as bad as not enough.

Not to bring you down, however - I think that you are doing an excellent job trying to give your crabs the best possible life with you and avoid future deaths and I think that is very good on your part.

[Salt and Pepper]

Well, we picked this up at PETCO to give the crabs some salt water. It's yellow, and comes in a small dropper bottle. The instructions are to put 2 drops of the stuff in a separate water dish, which we did.
Has any one else had any experiences with it, and is it safe?

http://www.petco.com/product/13638/Zoo- ... ioner.aspx

[emmac350]

I'm fairly certain it isn't, but I haven't tested it out myself. I know that the "Hermit Crab Salt Water Conditioner" that came with my two adoptees (I don't think it was Zoo Med, but I threw it away so I can't say for sure) matched the description of that to a T (yellow color, a few drops in the bowl, etc.) and wasn't safe.

Looking at the description of the product, it mentions removing chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia, but what about heavy metals? There are all sorts of heavy metals in tap water that can kill your crabs.

Why is it yellow? No need for added colorants for our crabs - the added chemicals again can kill them.

It doesn't mention anything about the salinity level of the water it will create - it doesn't mention anything about the ocean except for the "sea salt" but that is even considered not as important as the "calcium" that apparently needs to be added to water? Crabs need calcium as a FOOD source, not in their water. They love eating calcium sources - cuttlebones are a big hit, as are shrimp, krill, and other animals with a high calcium content. They don't need calcium in their water.

What your crabs need is this or this.

The difference between the products I linked to and what you bought is that the mixes I linked to actually create (for the most part) ocean water. Those products make water that even finicky saltwater fish can live in, thereby creating a man-made equivalent to the oceanwater that your crabs at one point could go find on their own. The product you bought is an attempt by a company to get as much money out of consumers as possible by selling them a useless product that can cause crabs to die and, thus, get them more money as consumers buy more products and crabs in an attempt to keep them alive and furthering the belief that crabs are a short-lived pet.

Sorry about that...I'm really frustrated with these products on the market that are harmful to our pets and can kill them, yet are marketed as being helpful. The "sea salt" you bought will not allow them to get the nutrients they need from the salt water. When I gave my two adoptees I mentioned above some salt water mixed with my Instant Ocean salt mix, one of them immediately RAN to the tank, shoved both claws in it, and drank as fast as he could (he did it again a few minutes later after leaving the water - ran back over to it, and stuck half his body in it). Obviously the Hermit Crab Salt Water Conditioner wasn't good enough.

[CrabbyJo]

Salt and Pepper, it would be a good idea to research a bit to find out exactly what brand you need to pick up of what items BEFORE you head to the store. I'm sure your parents are not going to be happy that what you got is useless for the crabs. I suggest you DEFINITELY take it back to the store, even if the store people are not happy with you, and insist on getting your money back or at least exchange it for an actual ocean sea salt mix made for saltwater aquariums.

Also, get a water conditioner that will remove chorine, chloramines, and will neutralize heavy metals. I found mine at Walmart in a yellow bottle, called Aqua Safe.