Would This Plan Work? (help please)

[anniehorsekrab]

Hey guys,

I'm on vacation in New Jersey right now. To make a long story short, my mom and I went to the boardwalk. And obviously, there were hermit crabs being sold in little wire cages with gravel. But guess what else??? There were ECUADORIANS there!! I really wanted one but here were the problems:

1. I didn't have my tank with me
2. If I bought one, it would have to live in horrible conditions for ten days till we got home.
3. It's a seven-hour drive home.
4. I already have 6 hermit crabs in a 10 gallon tank.

So, as much as I want to rescue an E, there ARE complications. Anyway, here's plan A:

1. Wait until very last day in NJ so the hermit crab won't have to wait as long before getting to suitable conditions
2. Ask Caylie if she'll take one of my crabs (preferably Your Shyness -- I've never gotten to bond with him, he will never come out for me). Caylie has a 20 gallon and only 4 crabs.
3. Transfer the E to the Iso for better living conditions, and later to the main tank.

Plan B:

1. (see above)
2. Use my iso tank as another habitat, and get a differnt iso.
3. (see above)

Plan C:

1. Empty everything from my tank
2. Clean thoroughly
3. Trade tanks with Caylie (10-gallon for 20-gallon -- Caylie told me she'd be willing to do this.)
4. Put E in the iso, then later in the bigger main tank, so I don't have to get rid of any of my crabs.

Do any of these plans sound like they would work? I just know that the crabs there are going to have horrible fates if I don't rescue one. Help me, please.

[CrabbyJo]

Your third plan sounds best to me. your tank sounds a bit crowded as it is. Better consult with parents before you go trading, though. Make sure it's okay with them.
But if you are going to get an E, and don't have any to start with, you will need to get him a friend. You should have at least two of a species, because while they are social creatures, they need some of their own species with them.

the 7 hour drive could be a little rough - if you can provide him/them with some ocean salt water and plenty of fresh water before you leave, that would help. Chances are they are starving for some decent salt water. Equadorians require the ocean salt water daily, unlike PP's who can live without it for long periods (although they are much healthier when it is readily available).

Very good idea to iso them for a couple weeks, always a good idea. As well as giving time to make sure there are no bugs/diseases he could spread to your others, it will give them/him a chance to de-stress without feeling he's competing with the other crabs for food or territory while he recovers from his long trip.

[anniehorsekrab]

Thanks so much, CrabbyJo! I'll tell my mom about your plan and hopefully she'll agree.