How Much Food For A Day Is Sufficient?

[yatittle1]

Hello. Completely new here. Also haven't had hermies for nearly 30 years. My daughter (she's just 6) just one day came home with a strawberry from her aquarium visit with mom, and since mom doesn't like pets, I've been nominated caretaker (while my daughter insists she's the do-nothing-but-love owner )

So did some research, got things set up...spent quite a fortune for one small hermie, and I'm still not sure it's enough. We opted for a plastic tote (which is easier to carry or push around even with 30 kg of substrate in it) with a black cover, while sides are transparent.

My two biggest remaining concerns are lighting and food. Domestic pet stores in Korea all only seem to carry protein red pellets and this thing called "crab jelly" which has a coconut base. I'm wary of both as they both don't label all their ingredients. But I was so busy last month, our first fella was stuck on crab jelly for quite awhile. It took the red pellet stuff once, then never again, so discontinued that.

Since many folk on the internet suggested that hermies need some companionship, we got two more strawberries just 2~3 days ago. Both are slightly smaller than the first one. And given the many suggestions found on the internet, we're going to try giving them more healthier food options. But my wife and girls (of whom one is the owner) are all bug-phobic! Ants, cockroaches, flies, gnats, mites, even ladybugs...they just freak out. (That's why the substrate is as is with no EE or any other "earthly" bedding.)

So I guess, the question is: How much would three small-medium sized hermies eat in one day? I intend to put food in daily and clean the food bowl daily as well...but is that really enough to stop mites from appearing one day? I'm thinking excessive food amounts might attract more bugs...is that paranoia?

Another question, which should be in a different post, but I'll just ask it here. Is lighting required? Isn't sunshine sufficient? Because it's a plastic tote crabitat, I'm worried of putting a heat lamp over it (which might melt the plastic). So, if the tank temperature holds steady, is any sort of lighting good? or is it even needed?

And what the heck, just one more question. So since the substrate is so deep, how do you folk keep your water bowls warm (or lukewarm)? The water temp (2 inches deep) refuses to get over 18 degrees Celsius.


Thanks in advance. Please be kind, I haven't had a pet in 20 years, and a hermie pet in 30 years. So I'm quite the novice here.


Won

ps1) tried to answer the questions thoroughly.
ps2) I'm Korean, but have lived in the US for about 20 years in two spells.
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What is the volume of your main tank?
--> A transparent plastic tote, roughly 14~15 gallons (55 liters to be exact).

How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
--> 3 strawberries, ranging from small to medium.

How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
--> The largest one (medium), a little over a month now.
--> 2 small to medium ones, just two days.

What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
--> sterilized play sand (said to be imported from Australia, though I doubt it), crushed coral (2 types: one is 1~3mm sized, and the other is closer to the sand size, so sort of fine grained) The 3 are mixed at about a 5 to 1 to 1 ratio. The depth is a little over 6 inches (16 cm to be exact).

What do you feed your hermit crabs?
--> MY MAIN PROBLEM: the pet stores here seem to all use this thing called "crab jelly" which is supposed to make them crazed for it. And they also sold fish food shaped red pellets which is supposedly high on protein. The fella I had for a month, basically shuns the red pellets, so discontinued that. So stuck on "crab jelly" for now.

Do you use distilled, bottled, tap or other types of water?
--> Bottled water (Evian & Nordic - a bit overkill price-wise?), with one freshwater bowl and one ocean saltwater bowl.

If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
N/A, don't use tap. (But I did rinse the crushed coral (1~3mm sized) in warm tap water, before dumping in the tank.

What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
--> It says "Hermitcrab Salt" on it from some Korean outfit. I went to a few pet stores, aquariums and online, and it's the only brand they sell (at least domestically).

What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
--> Currently on the floor with a towel underneath it. Korean homes are usually ground heated (and not air heated) so the floor is kept warm. A side, above substrate, UTH heater has been placed, but haven't really used it yet.

Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer so that you can interpret accurate readings?
--> Yes, I guess. It's not a digital one, though.

What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank?
--> 25 degrees Celsius / 80~90% humidity. When I open the tank cover to do some upkeep and maintenance, the humidity level drops to 50~60%, then climbs back up into the 80%+ range about 30 minutes after the cover is replaced.

What is the highest temperature that the substrate near the heat source reaches?
--> Uhm...I don't know. Never thought about this one.

Do you have any photos of your tank or hermit crab(s) of concern? If yes, please attach them to your post.
--> Will do so, asap.

[ladybug15057]

Welcome to HCP! Happy to see you are researching for the best care of your hermies! Just be careful, there is good info on the internet, but bad aso.
My suggestion would be to bypass all foods for hermies. There is a food list under the crab care section of human foods one can offer. One can also freeze them in single servings, (using a daily pill reminder or ice cube tray. They may change colors a little, but hermies don't mind. Make sure to offer a food from each food group. Meats have protein, but not all contain chitin. (very important food source)
For ocean water, only use an ocean/sea salt mix made specifically for salt water fish. VERY important, and Straws must have this to remain healthy. (all hermies do really)
I would strongly suggest to get a glass aquarium too. It does help to maintain heat and humidity better.
Hermies are cold blooded creatures, and must have a warm and cool side to their substrate/air to maintain their body temps.
It is important to calibrate your humidity gauge. Most are off.One can also look at the gauge and know what the difference is as opposed to trying to change it. There are times one will break the gauge by trying to set it.
If you use tap water to rinse the substrate,one should use a dechlorinaor in a bottle to remove the harmful chemicals. (again, one used for salt water fish tanks, not made for hermies)
I hope this helps some.

[ladybug15057]

Just noticed the pictures you added.
A little coverage should be added. This can be done with hard artificial green vines, and with a hut of some sort. Hermies seem to be more relaxed when they have a place to seek shelter in.

[yatittle1]

Well, thanks for the quick response. A lot of great suggestions and advice (yay!), but so much more work to be done (phew~). If it weren't for my daughters, not sure I'd keep this up TBH.

The food stuff...so 3 days ago, we started out with "crab jelly" and a sardine/shrimp powder & crushed mix on the side...and the hermies ONLY ate the jelly. That stuff must have something in it to force? hermies to feed on it. So yesterday, we took out the crab jelly and put in a dish of the sardine/shrimp mix with pineapples and strawberries...and they seem to take to it pretty well. So today we stayed with the same dish plus crushed sesame seeds sprinkled over. In any case, even I don't eat with this much variety or care of foods. Am very unsure whether I'll be able to keep this up, with different foods on different days.

What I have is deemed ocean/sea salt mix by pet stores...but I'll look into it again.

The glass aquarium...yeah...but given we're certain we'll be moving someplace else within the year, we're probably going to stick with plastic, until after we settle down. The plastic tote is fine in terms of maintaining heat and humidity. And yes I had the gauge calibrated (salt test). My only concern is whether a strict night/day cycle is required? So without lighting, the crabitat will still get sunshine, but nothing that's sort of direct. Is that an issue? Maybe messes with the hermies metabolism perhaps...

As for the dechlorinator...I have a bunch of saltwater fish owners who argue/recommend I stay away from such things. Basically, the dechlorinator dissolves the chlorine and other chemical contents, but the dissolving solution itself is also a chemical too..which they claim has killed some of their fish. So these folk suggested I stick with bottled water (if I can continue to afford it) or leave tap water out in the open for 48 hours, which then reduces the chlorine content by 98% with the tap water supply in Seoul, Korea. So sort of still puzzled with this one.

Okay with the shading, canopy stuff...Will probably take a few days to set up...tried ordering drywood and artificial plants on the internet and they all sent us something unlike the pictures on the website...so returned everything. Probably will have to take a physical visit to a store (no bigboxes in Korea, have to go to specialty shops that are far from where we live) this week.

Anyway thanks for the advice. It does help. These small critters are much higher maintenance than I remembered them to be (then again, I probably wasn't properly caring for hermies when I was 10 yrs old.).

Best,

[ladybug15057]

Being a hermie owner can be overwhelming. My daughter received her first ones when somebody brought them back from a vacation as a souvenir. "Just give them water and table scraps, they only live 2-3 months." Ummmm,that was 17 + years ago.
For lighting, I haven't used it for almost 16 years, but there are 4 sliding glass doors in the room where my tanks are as well as 4 skylights. No tanks receive direct sunlight.
For water dechlor, I only use it to boil their items, then rinse. I have used distilled water now for 16 years as well without any issues.
Diet can be a challenge, why we do freeze a lot of their food for feeding. veggies outside of their growing time can become quite costly.
Sorry if the info was overwhelming, I found it to be overwheming years ago too, but it does get easier.

[alexsmith123]

Wow! Thanks for this tips guys. I really want to have a hermit crab and this thread help me a lot.

[StellaCrab]

I like to try my best at covering the food pyramid as best as possible. That means providing your crabs with enough animal and plant proteins, fruits, vegetables, calcium, <—-( important!) fats, and lastly some supplements. I always have greensand and worm castings available in the tank at all times. You do not have to cover the entire pyramid a night, just offer plenty of variety. I feed mine every other night, and what is leftover goes to the isopod cultures to eat.