I've got two crabbies down - one for 3 weeks now and the other for a week and a half. I haven't tried finding them though I have tried to see where they might be and failed. However I've been unable to narrow it down to anything less than 2/3 of the tank where the sand is deep enough to bury themselves in. I don't think I've heard any noises from below ground either and as far as I can tell.
I can't smell anything foul (experience with dead rats in walls at work) but they haven't come up either, which is worrying me since this is the first time I've had crabbies.
My real problem is that I am housesitting at my parents' place in Jan for 2 weeks and while I can come home twice a day I was going to move them in for the duration of Jan and most of Feb since my parents' place has a much more stable temperature range (I don't have effective cooling at mine) and it's going to be way hot.
So do I prepare to move them to my parents' place in a few weeks (which will require sand to be removed so I can lift the tank thus digging them up *gently*) or should I leave them be? And how do I go about changing the sand as that really needs to be changed over as well?
Moulting? or Dead?
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alg774
- Zygote
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 10 Oct 2010, 20:06
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 3
- Total tanks: 1
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Wai
- Administrator
- Posts: 2921
- Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 6
- Total gallons: 45
- Total tanks: 1
- Location: Victoria, Australia
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Re: Moulting? or Dead?
I don't think your hermit crabs will die that easily, so relax. They're in good hands. 
Do you need to move at the start of Jan? By then your hermit crabs may have finished moulting (if they indeed are), so once they surface, you can move them. Otherwise, do the drop-in visits until they do surface. Avoid disturbing them whilst they are buried.
Do you need to move at the start of Jan? By then your hermit crabs may have finished moulting (if they indeed are), so once they surface, you can move them. Otherwise, do the drop-in visits until they do surface. Avoid disturbing them whilst they are buried.
Wai
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alg774
- Zygote
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 10 Oct 2010, 20:06
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 3
- Total tanks: 1
Re: Moulting? or Dead?
I guess when I have to move them depends on our nutty weather - if it stays like this (freezing cold mixed with a few hot days) then I won't have to worry. But if the weather starts hitting high 30's for days on end then I'm going to have real issues with keeping them cool. My place gets really hot in summer since the sun beats down on the tin roof all day and there is no effective insulation and the bedroom (I have no room in the living room for them and my place is tiny) has only a fan. I am too scared of the bill to run the aircon all day (besides which the living room will be arctic if I did!)
I don't have a UHT so would it matter too much if the air is stinking hot? It would be cooler under the sand and they do bury themselves to get cooler (so I've heard anyway... not had trouble with it being excessively hot yet). It gets hotter than 28 in QLD and places where they're from after all...
My folks' place has two levels and their lower level stays pretty much at 17 - 20 degrees all year round, which makes it the place for the entire family to hide out in during summer. It would be perfect for the crabbies to go live in hot weather and that had been my plan until they decided to go under.
But bright side of making twice daily trips home while I house-sit their place for the two weeks they're away, is that at least the 2km distance will help shift stubborn weight that is refusing to go. Plenty of excercise if nothing else.
Getting round the changing of the sand, I replaced the section I know they're not in so that will have to do. I was more worried that their air tunnels might be blocked since I did smooth over the surface sand once or twice when I thought the first would only be down for a day, and the other crabs were digging in odd spots and one still is. Honestly they're sending me grey! Rearing baby possums is so much easier compared to looking after these three lol (you can see where my experience lies)
And even better, I've found a lovely organic grocer nearby so I'm getting well stocked in organic dried fruit... not that they seem to eat it anyway and the dried mango they sell is to die for! Next time I'm there I'll get the store's name and their address... didn't think last time I was there.
I don't have a UHT so would it matter too much if the air is stinking hot? It would be cooler under the sand and they do bury themselves to get cooler (so I've heard anyway... not had trouble with it being excessively hot yet). It gets hotter than 28 in QLD and places where they're from after all...
My folks' place has two levels and their lower level stays pretty much at 17 - 20 degrees all year round, which makes it the place for the entire family to hide out in during summer. It would be perfect for the crabbies to go live in hot weather and that had been my plan until they decided to go under.
But bright side of making twice daily trips home while I house-sit their place for the two weeks they're away, is that at least the 2km distance will help shift stubborn weight that is refusing to go. Plenty of excercise if nothing else.
Getting round the changing of the sand, I replaced the section I know they're not in so that will have to do. I was more worried that their air tunnels might be blocked since I did smooth over the surface sand once or twice when I thought the first would only be down for a day, and the other crabs were digging in odd spots and one still is. Honestly they're sending me grey! Rearing baby possums is so much easier compared to looking after these three lol (you can see where my experience lies)
And even better, I've found a lovely organic grocer nearby so I'm getting well stocked in organic dried fruit... not that they seem to eat it anyway and the dried mango they sell is to die for! Next time I'm there I'll get the store's name and their address... didn't think last time I was there.