How-To bathe a crab essay

[bennynlewie]

The very first thing you have to do to give your hermit crab a bath is collect everything you will need. You need to get a pie plate or a candy container lid (anything with a slight depth). You will need a bottle of tap water, but to make sure you don’t kill your hermit crab, you need to get dechlorinating drops that people buy for fish tanks. The drops get the chlorine out of the water so the water becomes safe. The water bottle should have a screw-on top and the water should be at room temperature (72*F). While you are getting everything you can leave your crab in the tank or keep an eye on it while it walks around. If you have cats, leave the crab in the tank until you need it so it stays safe. After you have all your needed materials, you can start setting everything up.

The next major step you need to do, even before your hermit gets wet at all, is to get the “tub” ready. You have to make sure your water bottle’s water is room temperature or close to it. Under no circumstances, forget to put the proper amount of dechlorinating drops (that the bottle specifies) into the bottle. If you forget this step, the hermit crab could die from the chlorine in the tap water. Then to make sure the drops are mixed in, you must shake the bottle for 30 seconds. After it’s all mixed in, pour the dechlorinated water into the pie pan until it’s filled with two centimeters deep of water. Now you are ready to get your hermit squeaky clean.

The actual cleaning process comes next. To start you need to put your hermit crab into the pie plate and let him walk around for a few (3) minutes. He/she might try to climb out, but you can just pick him up by putting your thumb and pointer finger on the ends of its shell. Then put him back into the middle of the pie plate. Then take your bottle of water and unscrew the top. With the water, fill the bottle top up close to full. After you have that, then pick up your hermit crab and tip it upside down so you can see the inside of the shell. The crab tries to crawl out, but just pour the water from the bottle top into the shell. Gently and slowly slosh the water around by moving your hand back and forth very slowly. After that just pour the water out into the pie plate. Now the inside of the shell and the back of your crab is clean. Now all that is left is to dry your crab.

You wouldn’t want to just put your crab back into the tank so his wet body can get covered in sticky dirt and get dirty again, so you need to dry him, but not with a towel. The only way to get them dried is to let them air dry. This is the time when you get a chance to really play with them. You can let them walk around on the carpet, blanket, or even your bed. You can let it climb onto your hand, too. It only takes 3-10 minutes for them to get dry, depending on their size. After they walk around for a little bit you can put them into their tank again or you can continue to play with them. Now you know exactly how to bathe your friendly hermit crab pet!


(Sorry its so long but hey its an essay)

[ayianna]

I would like to point out some flaws in this essay. Please don't take it in offense, but the more people know, the better, in my opinion.

A pie dish or candy jar lid, while shallow, will not keep a crab in it for long. Having bathed crabs as long as I have, I have moved from using shallow dishes to using dishes 3 inches deep. My crabs still escape and I need to get a deeper dish!!! Crabs will find a way out of the container, so please either watch them carefully and knock them lovingly back into the container or make sure they are inable to get out.

Tap water is not necessary, nor do you have to put dechlorinator drops in it, if you follow certain steps.

For instance, spring, purified, or distilled water works fine. In fact, if you get a water purifier (like brita) it should filter chlorine for you and be harmless for your crabs.

Similarly, if you leave the water out, uncapped for about 24 hours, the chlorine (chlorine is a gas, mind you) will evaporate from the water and also be safe for use.

Small amounts of chlorine will not harm most creatures. In fact, here in the Dallas area, the Ph balance of our water is 9.3. This is particularly base and will not harm hermit crabs, even fish if they were to be put in our tap water. Other places where water needs to be treated more may be a different case. Check your own tap water with Ph strips.

Carpets.

What can I say? When you install carpets, you are supposed to wear a dust mask so you don't inhale any of the fumes from this noxious stuff. It's poisonous, seriously. Don't let your crabs walk on the carpet. Rugs are generally made out of natural or harmless fibers, but please spare them carpets. It is not known how bad the effect of carpeting is on crabs.

Okay, I'm done. ^_^ Wasn't so bad, huh?

[lilhermitgirl17]

I use a salad bowl or something like that, and just as much water as I need. then they can't climb out till I take them out.

[ayianna]

fabulous!! Mine are clever and stack up on top of each other to get out. Big Red doesn't even need the help to get out on his own and my dish is 3 inches deep.

[happibunni42]

Just to add my opinion. Bathing causes stress. I let myn bathe themselves when they want inside a deep reptile pool that goes over their tops. I have different size crabs. Stone is big, Cleo is dime sized. Its easy for Cleo to get out and deep enoegh for Stone at the same time. I think the pouing water into the shell will be the most stressful, though. Compare the crab with you. Picking up your shirt or pants to pour water into it and swish it around won't be very pleasant. And needing to sit under water when you don't want to until the person who put you in desides to take you out isn't very pleasant eather.

[cnstarz]

I think the best way to bath hermit crabs is to fully submerge them. No shallow dishes and pouring water into their shells. I have never heard of doing this. It must be a stressful experience for them and the whole point of a stress-coat bath is to help calm them and give them a good coating of the stress-coat. I know this is just my 2 cents but I have been crabbing for over 25 years. Please don't be offended by my dissagreement. We all love our crabs and want what is best for them. Happy crabbing.

[iluvhermies]

I give my hermies a bathe in my bath tub. It is deeper at one end and shallower at the other so they can get out of the water if they want to and they sure are not gonna escape from there.