Changing the sand

galletagirl · Post by **galletagirl** » 25 Sep 2010, 09:04

i've had my hermit crabs for three months, and the sand is starting to smell old...it doesn't stink, but it smells old. i was wondering when is the proper time to change the sand. but i cant now, i have two hermit crabs molting :] but basically the question is, how often should i change the sand.

abegie · Post by **abegie** » 25 Sep 2010, 23:39

i'm planning to put new sand in at around the six month mark personally. But if you wanna do it earlier that should be fine but definitely wait until your hermit crabs are back up.

Emeraldroots · Post by **Emeraldroots** » 27 Sep 2010, 12:21

I had a question about sand also as I havent decided wether I will go all EE or half EE half sand etc.

How often do you have to replace the sand altogether vs doing what I read which is putting it in the oven at 300 degrees and basically baking it for a period of time?

abegie · Post by **abegie** » 27 Sep 2010, 12:46

I am using a mixture of 5 parts coarse sand to 1 part EE. So far it seems to work really well. My boys are loving digging in it, their little caves seem to hold up quite nicely. I have had a successful molt already, and the 1 part EE seems to do really well with helping keep the humidity up. Because I'm using all purpose sand which is quite reasonably priced I am currently planning to do a complete replacement of my substrate every 6 months or so depending on if any of my boys are currently buried of course. Using only 1 part EE to 5 parts sand hopefully will reduce the risk of running into mites that some crabbers here have run into, just my opinion though. Some crabbers here use an expensive sand called Aragonite I believe, and you can reuse it by baking it in an oven I think. I don't have any experience with that so I will let somebody else chime in with info in regards to that.

Emeraldroots · Post by **Emeraldroots** » 27 Sep 2010, 13:09

Ah yes thats the sand I was planning on purchasing...yes rather expensive though. I found a 30 pound bag for $20....shipping not included. Anyone know of a place with good prices to purchase from?

ladybug15057 · Post by **ladybug15057** » 27 Sep 2010, 13:17

Yep, either PetSmart or Pet Supplies plus. At PetSmart it is towards the bottom shelf in the isle where they keep the ocean/sea mixes, not by the aquariums. To ship sand can be quite expensive! I have been using CaribSea for years now and it does wash nicely and I bake it afterward. So far I have been lucky and doing deep cleans about every 6 months... sometimes a tad longer now... Less expensive to wash the sand then dry it in a roaster on the wood burning stove, then baking it. I do not dampen the sand, if the hermies want it damp they can do so themselves.

Emeraldroots · Post by **Emeraldroots** » 27 Sep 2010, 13:20

O Marie...you generated another question!

How do you wash sand?.....without losing it all? I just cant picture how the process would work lol.

ladybug15057 · Post by **ladybug15057** » 27 Sep 2010, 13:23

Definitely outside with a bucket and hose. (where dechlorinator does come in handy) If done indoors there is a HIGH risk of clogging the drain, then comes the high plumber bill.

http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Washing+Sand

Emeraldroots · Post by **Emeraldroots** » 27 Sep 2010, 13:34

Well that takes care of that question. Thanks for the clarity and the link ladybug!

Changing the sand

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