Fussy new crabber

[Ayume]

Do they often cover themselves entirely? Kyuubi is just a lump in the sand. Is this an indication of molting? Also Ocarina has started digging right next to him, piling dirt onto him but not covering herself.

[CrabbyJo]

Since you've only had them for a few days, it is extremely likely they are only destressing.
Generally if a crab is going to dig to molt, yes, he will cover himself completely. This has been my experience, at least. He would not feel safe if his shell were exposed. They are much more sensitive to disturbance when they are molting.

My first PP also spent much of his first two weeks half buried in the substrate with his shell showing.

Don't worry about not noticing molting symptoms. They will do what they need to do, and only when you know a crab has dug down and is staying in that spot for many days without coming up, should you suspect he truly is molting, and to perhaps section it off if you can to prevent other crabs from digging down to him.

[ladybug15057]

If one looks at the upper and right corner of the thread one will see a number. Sometimes there are more than one page of replies. Please do re-read page 1. Your little ones are doing what they feel they need to do for now. It is a totally strange environment to them, as well as totally different vibrations they are feeling. Please do read the Post Purchase Stress article.
Throughout all this though (and your other postings) I have not seen any mention of your tank conditions other than "Vines and hide behind something dark"
What is your temp on the cool end of the substrate and the warm end?
Are you still using the red heat light for warmth?
What is the humidity percentage, and where do you have the gauge mounted at?
Anyway to take a picture and let us see your tank?
What, if any, type of huts do you have in your tank for them to seek shelter in?

[Ayume]

The warm side of my tank is at 74F right now, and the cool at 70, the humidty is at 73. They have about a zillion places to hide due to a thick mesh loft style second story, this surrounded by dark folliage, and under a little crab hut, and large chunk of coral witha place for them to hide in, this area is also covered in foliage. They have vines and a small branch of nonconiferous rainforest wood in there (over the water dishes) to get the second level. Under this banch and partof the loft there are two stone dishes embedded in the sand (so they can't tip them) with dechlorised water, one fresh and one salt. The salt I use has no iodine. There is also a solid pure coconut fiber mat that I stuck to the interior of the water dish side of the tank, they often climb up this and warm up in the light at the top of it. Don't worry, it's not high enough for them to get out. Plus scattered across the whole thing is a large variety of salt water washed and boiled shells.
At the moment my substrate is too shallow, as I was planning to buy smaller crabs than I got.After a month I'll put in about five more inches, as right now I have two.

[emmac350]

What kind of salt are you using? Is it a saltwater aquarium salt? If not, your crabs don't get what their bodies need from it. Crabs need as close to real ocean water as we can provide them, as that is how they get a lot of the minerals they need to support their metabolism. Any non aquarium salt mix will provide sodium and chloride ions, but not any of the other trace elements that ocean water does - magnesium, calcium, bromide, and so on. If your salt isn't an aquarium salt, your crabs will be very grateful if you get one! You can find them in the fish section of most any pet store. Look for a brand like Instant Ocean, Oceanic, Tropic Marine, Red Sea Salt, etc. Those are all great brands!

[CrabbyJo]

Your tank sounds lovely! I bet those crabs are so happy.
I do have to concur with Emma, it is highly important that you are NOT using human grade salt. It isn't the iodine that is the problem (iodine is found in nature, esp. in sea creatures and plants, so they get it in the wild, and it is necessary), it is the chemicals used to process the salt and the anti-caking agents that are added that can cause harm to your crabs.
Also, as Emma pointed out, table salt (even if it's called "sea salt") does not have the nutrients your crabs need and over a long period they will begin to suffer from deficiencies.
So run out and get some good ocean salt mix, in the aquarium section of the pet store. Many crabbers use Instant Ocean, it seems to be the most common and readily available brand. Just mix according to package directions and you will be close to the correct salinity level.

I would LOVE to see a picture of your tank, it really does sound heavenly.

[Ayume]

Oh I'm glad you like the sound of it! My camera i i the shop right now but when I get it back I'llbe sure to snap a few good shots.I'm actually using HBH crab salt right now, with calcium. Is this alright to use? The crabs seem to like it (they sit in it enough). I wouldn't even dream of using human grade salt, don't worry =D

[CrabbyJo]

Good question, Ayume! Here is some info I found in an article on Crab Street Journal (Source: What Salt should I give my Hermit Crabs?:

I also believe there was experimentation done on the salinity levels after 24 hrs (can't find the article right at the moment) and the hermit crab salts were generally found to have 0 salinity after this brief period. Zero! Also, the Hermit Crab salts do not add the necessary nutrients that our hermit crabs really do need.

Re-read Emma's post, there is some good advice on salt mix brands there.

[ladybug15057]

If one goes to the embedded link regarding the ocean mixes scroll 1/2 way down that page. You will see where I added the information to the article regarding when ZooMed and HBH mixes were mixed per the instructions. It was not the next day after mixing, the level did not register once mixed or even hours after the mixing. (or the next day)
Please do read through the whole article, good info within it and why the mixes at top should be used.

[Ayume]

Today I feel like it's january first all over again.I feel this way because I had my tank for my little crabs about month before the shipment finally came into the store. They've all one underground for about three to four days now. It looks empty.
Should I still be putting out the same amount of food for them? Or less? It's just going to waste, as no one is eating it.