Luna

[CrabbyJo]

Salt and pepper,
I'm sure you must have a ruler around the house that you have to use for homework.
Or an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper, so you could easily use that to help you measure. Just be creative.

We have given a LOT of answers hon, truly, and we can't all remember what you have because we've read so many posts by other people needing help (some of us not only here but on other forums as well) and it really is up to you to go back and read through all the responses to your questions.

get a piece of paper and read through and make notes of the things you need to change. It's up to you hon, all we can do is what we have done so far.

As for your crabs not eating the meat, don't give up on them because they didn't seem to eat any of it.
I put food in and it seems to be untouched, but sometimes I look very carefully and find evidence of tiny pinches here and there in the food, which are very hard to see. Keep offering what you know they need, and they will eat it, whether you can tell or not, and whether they only do it once in a while.

[ladybug15057]

Very sorry to hear of another one of your hermies passing. Please do not buy any other hermies at the present time. But please do read through these postings that many have written in attempts to help your hermies and you:

Luna

Instant Ocean

Heat lights

Petco Saltwater

Emergency

[Salt and Pepper]

I heard that I should get a PlexiGlass lid to keep in humidity. My dad has been promising me one-he is the assistant store manager of our local Lowe's home improvement store and sells plexiglass-but he said he has to measure the top part of my tank. Well, he did and he bought one last friday. I don't know why, but he measured my old mesh lid that was on the tank and put a plexiglass the size of the mesh lid on it to let the air come thru the mesh. So I put the plexiglass lid on halfway and let the air come thru the holes. I don't know if that is good or not, is it? I was thinking of just putting a lid the size of the top of the tank and drilling holes in it. Daddy said that it would be better like that so it would have the black frame that the mesh lid has. The lid seems fine, but even halfway or just on the top it gets really humid. It feels like hot fog or steam. I was concerned because before I started to moisten the soil, just with the water dishes it felt cloudy and turned the brown coconut hut black. Jake has a strange way of saying "I'm too hot, the humidity is too high." and goes in and out of his shell usually against a wall of the tank. Well he was doing that on top of the coconut. Hermie has been a lot more active, which he hasn't been since he molted a couple of months ago, since we got the lid. I caught Jake on the coconut and Hermie on the log hideout coming out and hanging out of his shell. I took off the lid worried that the humidity was too high and Hermie froze in one place and flicked his antenna wildy in a wave-like motion. I figured "he was angry". I thought maybe he liked it?.. So I put it on and it looks like he's going to the log hideout or going by the heater. Is the plexiglass lid making my tank too humid? Should I put the lid on the mesh or not?

[emmac350]

Do you have a humidity gauge that's been calibrated recently? If not, your humidity may not be too high at all. It may just finally be in the right range for the crabs. You'll have to figure out the subtleties of your tank setup and lid, but make sure it stays within the 70-83% range.

[Salt and Pepper]

Do you have a humidity gauge that's been calibrated recently? If not, your humidity may not be too high at all. It may just finally be in the right range for the crabs. You'll have to figure out the subtleties of your tank setup and lid, but make sure it stays within the 70-83% range.

No, sorry.. I don't have another hygrometer. I am getting one. I think it is too high be cause my crabs are going insane. They're hanging out of their shells and trying to come out.. Oh and Helena..wasn't.. dead.. She was molting... oops.....

[Salt and Pepper]

I had forgotten to post about it, but a couple months back Jake and Kawaii had a shell fight. I didn't know at all what they were doing- Jake was on top of Kawaii who was closed-in his shell. Jake's leg's were locked around the rim of Kawaii's shell and Jake's claw was holding the top of Kawaii's shell. Poor Kawaii was on his back trying to come out but Jake had him pinned. Jake was gripping the shell extremely tight. Kawaii had on a painted shell that he would not change out of, even though there were plenty of other shells some in his size. Jake's tight grip ripped off a huge piece of paint off of Kawaii's shell. Kawaii was chirping so loud that his shell was vibrating. And Jake was just sitting flicking his antennaes on top of Kawaii rocking him gently. Jake moved forwards ,still gripping with his legs, and had one claw on the top of the shell and the other holding Kawaii's claw. I was trying to seperate them this whole time- just trying to lift Jake slightly at the beginning because I thought he was just on top of him. But he was locked tightly so I left him. The battle was finally over. Jake had ripped off a small part of Kawaii's claw, but had not taken the shell.

A couple days later, I see Jake in Kawaii's old shell and Kawaii in Jake's old shell...

My concern is: Kawaii's shell fits but he kind of hangs out.. It's slightly bigger than his old one but not by much. Jake's new shell has paint on it and is way too small. He seems happier in a a way, because before he would never bury. I think the substrate was too shallow. Now we have deeper substrate and Jake buries.

How can I get Jake to come out of Kawaii's painted shell? It's way too small!

[CrabbyJo]

Make sure you have plenty of other shells for them to choose from with the appropriate shaped opening for their species. PP's like round openings, while E's prefer the D shaped holes, generally. There should be a good variety with some a little smaller, and some a little larger.

Boil the extra shells about once a week in dechlorinated water for about 5 minutes. Tip out the extra water, and spray a little ocean water in the openings, and set them on the substrate shell up.
That way they think they are getting new shells.

it is a good idea to buy new shells on a regular basis if you can, especially for species that like to change a lot, like the PPs.