new Aussie crab owner

[Wai]

Where did you buy cholla for $5? I'm curious too!

[ladybug15057]

also i have read somewhere that the hermies like colorful things.

Please do be careful as to what you use from reading on the internet. Whereas there can be a wealth of info on the internet there is also bad information that can be harmful/lethal to your hermies. Hermies will munch on wood for tannins and other properties they contain, and paint is not one of them, or safe for eating.

[aussieJJDude]

i have read the care section.
would it be better to get water from my fish tank (as it has got some nice floaties in it )
and about the wood (not cholla though, it has molded; what should i do )
thanks for all your help

[Purple pinchers]

What kind of wood is it?? And i would not give them fish tank water. Who knows what types of bacteria that could be in there.

[Wai]

Cholla will indeed mould, so move it to less humid places in the tank. I wouldn't recommend fish tank water either.

[ladybug15057]

I agree with no fish tank water....
Some have found to keep their wood, (ANY wood) from molding they had to put it on a dry surface such as plastic lids, within glass jar, on a rainbow rock, slate, etc.

[aussieJJDude]

sorry it is not cholla wood (did i write is was)(soz i was in a rush) it is just normal wood (bogwood)
And thanks about the water i might just stick with tank with add that bad stuff remover (what ever it is called )
so far all my cabbies has gone down for a molt. do you continue to give the food or do you give it to them once the have come up. i am still continuing giving them food though. i am soon going to get another crab (yay ) and is it OK for he/she to be with them 3 (i don't have another tank, bummer).
cheerio (so happy, going to have 4 crab (and i am joking at the next bit) i have got way more than you, na na nana na)

[Purple pinchers]

Be carefull with what kind of wood you use in the tank, because some/alot of woods are toxic to crabs. And yes you should still give them food and water while there molting because they do come up sometimes to refuel. You can't just put a new crab in, he needs to be in a ISO tank with very little substrait. If you dont iso him then he could die of PP or bully the other crabs, or pass on desieses to your other crabs. So its just always better for your other crabs and for the new one to be ISO for awhile.

[aussieJJDude]

well purple pinchers i have only one tank bummer... hopefully i'll get my family addicted (all well i can only hope)

one of my molted crabs came up last night (yay) and he/she changed shells. (i still need to think of a name, got a few but hey, i like to see some suggestions). i will get a pic of him/her soon.

the wood is not toxic (tested by my neighbors crabs (and my fish) for about one month, all 2 of them are still alive (so are the fish) i also though of giving to my birds but thought no as a) they are destructive and b) they probably p** all over it ).

about the refuel bit, does it mean that they come up though out molting (i thought that they stayed down the whole entire time) or does it mean if one resurface?

[Purple pinchers]

about the refuel bit, does it mean that they come up though out molting (i thought that they stayed down the whole entire time) or does it mean if one resurface?

When crabs go underground it doesn't always mean there molting it could be that there to hot, to cold, stressed, or they just like being underground. They would still come up every night or some part of the day to eat/drink then they head back down in there tunnels. Crabs that are molting sometime go under grown for a few days before even molting, so they might come back up to refuel on food/water before they head back down to molt. ALSO you never know when a hermit crab is going to finish molting, so once they do come up from a molt they need food/water right away because of how much energy it took to molt. So its always good to have some kind of food and fresh and salt water out just incase they want it.