What should I put in my crab's cage?

[Salt and Pepper]

Yeah, that "Freshwater Hermit Crab Glub" was a rip. It was $4.99 for a 9 Ounce Bottle at Petco. The heater was too small, so my dad said it wouldn't work. I still have that tin that I had their food in. I'll try to look for another lid though. The food I have stinks horribly, stinking up their entire cage, and it is a fine light-brown powder. It is made of: Fish Meal, Copra Meal, Wheat Germ Meal, Dried Yeast, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Potato Protein, Corn Flour,L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Calcium Propionatem and Ethoxyquin both as Preservatives. I'm not sure what kind of tree that branch was from, but it's not a pine tree. It might be an oak, but I'm only 50%50 percent sure.
Salt and Christine (Ooopsie! I meant Pepper!)

-Salt and PepperXx

[emmac350]

Ethoxyquin is an insecticide in the food. Crabs are closely related enough to insects that it can make them sick or kill them. I recommend you throw it away and just give them fresh foods. If you need ideas, you can look at Hermie's Rule's post a few up in this thread or just ask (in the nutrition thread) if certain foods are okay for your crabs to eat. Most anything fresh should be fine - fruits, veggies, and meats (minus seasonings). I just save a little bit of everything I put into a meal (usually the ends of veggies we wouldn't use anyways, or a little tiny bit of the meat before I cook it and then I microwave it until it's cooked) and, if I don't give it all to them at once, I freeze it in ziploc bags for later. That way when we eat out or at a friend's house or something, I still can give them some fresh food. You said you live with your aunt - ask her if she can save little bits of whatever she makes for you and that will give you a good start for feeding your crabs.

True, you do need a certain sized heater for your crabs, but straws (your one crab) need to be at 80 degrees F constantly (from what I hear - I haven't had any personally) and these crabs are generally considered the hardest ones to take care of. It is better to keep them close to but still under their preferred temperature than to just leave them at a lower temperature. In a pinch, you can even use a desk lamp near the tank during the day to keep them warm. I've done that before and it worked okay. It wasn't the best and they weren't as active as with my setup now but they didn't freeze to death.

I'm glad the branch isn't pine-related. Pine has natural insecticide compounds in it (it's a very close relative of cedar, which is used as a bug repellant for clothes) and will irritate your crab. Ask your aunt if you can bake the branch for them - tell her that it will keep outside bugs from getting into your crab tank and, therefore, into her home. That may convince her to let you do it if she thinks it's unnecessary.

[Salt and Pepper]

Ethoxyquin is an insecticide in the food. Crabs are closely related enough to insects that it can make them sick or kill them. I recommend you throw it away and just give them fresh foods. If you need ideas, you can look at Hermie's Rule's post a few up in this thread or just ask (in the nutrition thread) if certain foods are okay for your crabs to eat. Most anything fresh should be fine - fruits, veggies, and meats (minus seasonings). I just save a little bit of everything I put into a meal (usually the ends of veggies we wouldn't use anyways, or a little tiny bit of the meat before I cook it and then I microwave it until it's cooked) and, if I don't give it all to them at once, I freeze it in ziploc bags for later. That way when we eat out or at a friend's house or something, I still can give them some fresh food. You said you live with your aunt - ask her if she can save little bits of whatever she makes for you and that will give you a good start for feeding your crabs.

True, you do need a certain sized heater for your crabs, but straws (your one crab) need to be at 80 degrees F constantly (from what I hear - I haven't had any personally) and these crabs are generally considered the hardest ones to take care of. It is better to keep them close to but still under their preferred temperature than to just leave them at a lower temperature. In a pinch, you can even use a desk lamp near the tank during the day to keep them warm. I've done that before and it worked okay. It wasn't the best and they weren't as active as with my setup now but they didn't freeze to death.

I'm glad the branch isn't pine-related. Pine has natural insecticide compounds in it (it's a very close relative of cedar, which is used as a bug repellant for clothes) and will irritate your crab. Ask your aunt if you can bake the branch for them - tell her that it will keep outside bugs from getting into your crab tank and, therefore, into her home. That may convince her to let you do it if she thinks it's unnecessary.

I go to my house on weekends, so I can ask my dad or mom.Wow, thank you. I don't want it to sound like I didn't take you, Emmac350 or Hermie's Rule's advice but I am going to post a topic in the Nutrition Forum on what fresh foods that are safe for them and what they like in particular.

[ladybug15057]

Hermie's rule, It appears the food list is copied and pasted from somewhere? Will you please provide a link as to where this information came from for credit reasons? Thanks!

[spidtat]

I buy the salt water that is pre-made at petco. It is also in the same aisle as the boxes of salt like Instant Ocean in the fish section. It comes in 5 gallon containers and is normally between 10 and 12 bucks and it lasts quite a while. I have large dishes and it still lasts quite a while.

[Hermie's rule]

Hermie's rule, It appears the food list is copied and pasted from somewhere? Will you please provide a link as to where this information came from for credit reasons? Thanks!

http://www.hermitcrabsrus.com/forum/foo ... -list.html

[ladybug15057]

Thank you HR!! Always a great idea to provide a link when information is taken from another site for plagiarism reasons. Plus, many times to do such research is very time consuming and credit should be given. Good list to have too!

[Dezzi]

Hello S&P I agree with the *GREAT* advice the other members have given, and I understand that things may seem over-whelming right now, but as mentioned before - once you get your full set up, then the cost will go down. Like Emmac, I also freeze small amounts of cooked un-seasoned meats, it really can make things easier at dinner time! And the Hermitcrabaddiction online store IS Wonderful, the prices are quite low for the High quality foods you get. Plus you get a Lot, and since they eat such small portions, the food Lasts. I would ditch the commerical completely. Some Comp. don't even list All the ingredients on the bottled food. As for the tank set up, personally I would get rid of All the gravel/stones being used as the substrate. As said- they Can't burrow in it, and the smaller stones could get stuck inside of a crabs shell. I use big shells and stones around my large dishes, it makes it easier for them to perch at the edge while drinking. but as their substrate they need soft/moist playsand, or Eco. Or you can mix them. Playsand is very cheap too, when buying just make sure the bag doesn't have a hole in it, and the sand is Not wet. The best place to go is Toy's R Us for playsand. And if you want to try the Eco. then they sell small disk's of it at petsmart. The Brand Not to buy for Eco is- BedABeast. I soak mine first in Boiling -NC sea salt water, this will help prevent mold, and kill any thing that "may" be in it. My crabs Love the Eco. When I first got it, they dug for Days~! Plus it will also help keep humidity up in the tank, if that is an issue? Also, I think all crabs like the coco-huts They are great for hiding spots, and they Def. Need lots of hiding spots in the tank. I have a cool bridge that I got at Petsmart, and it's perfect b/c they can hide underneath, and climb over it too. Just be sure to boil items like that before putting them in. Sorry if I've repeated what you already know. Just want to be helpful to you Good Luck and Please let me know if there is Anything I can do to help you out!

[Salt and Pepper]

Thank you everyone . I've taken your advice.

-Salt and PepperXx

AKA-Dr.Pepper

[CrabbyJo]

Dezzi! I hadn't thought of using boiling water to expand the EE!
The last couple of bricks of EE that I've expanded (using ocean salt water) ended up having a vinegar-type smell for a week or so after expanding. I had left some in the bucket with the water for a couple of days, and saw bubbles on top of the water, so suspect some sort of bacteria may have been present. Not great for my crabs! But the boiling, excellent idea!
Just means I have to wait longer to put the EE in the tank, but well worth it.
Thank you!