Hello Everyone,
Yesterdat I bought my first hermit crab. My 2 year old daughter and I were at the pet store the other day and she saw the crabs and wanted one so bad. I thought it would be a great first pet of her own to have. We purchased two small crabs, which she named Elmo and Zoe. I know nothing about taking care of a hermit carb so I stated my research and found this site. Thank you so much for all the helpfull tips. This is how I have things set up. Please let me know if anyone recommends any changes.
2 small crabs
1 10 gallon tank
Half the tank is sand, half is a cocconut fiber sand mixture.
1 food dish
2 sea shells, 2 sponges. One fresh water one salt water. I am currently using bottled water for fresh source, and bottled water with salt conditioner that came with a starter kit I purchased. I also purchased but have not used yet, a bottle of salt water that states clorine free.
5 extra seashells. (one painted which I will be removing today)
1 log hiding home.
1 tempeture tape.
1 spray bottle for misting (moisture)
I never thought a $3.00 animal was going to cost me $80.00 but I was amazed to find out that they can live to be 10 years old. I want these animals to live a long and healthy life.
Please let me know if I am missing anything.
Thank you everyone
New Crabber
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KIMMY514
- Zygote
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 01 Sep 2009, 02:49
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 2
- Total gallons: 10
- Total tanks: 1
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emmac350
- Coenobita
- Posts: 1949
- Joined: 22 Sep 2008, 08:08
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 6
- Total gallons: 40
- Total tanks: 2
- Contact:
Re: New Crabber
Kimmy - welcome to HCP and the wonderful world of crabbing! After reading your description of your current setup for the crabs, there are a few things that need clarification - what kind of sand is it? Is it "hermit crab sand' or "calci-sand"? If so, it's not safe for your crabs to molt in and can kill them. Aquarium sands (like CaribSea's sand) are the best - the grains are nice and rounded and smooth and are nice for digging in.
You really should get more shells - look on ebay or at the hermitcrabpatch (google it) - they've got great shells on there (it takes a bit more sorting through things on ebay, but you can get some great deals there). Two is not enough for two crabs - I have 8 crabs and I have at least 30 shells of various shapes and sizes so they can choose what they want. Crabs judge shells on the thickness of the shell wall, opening shape, and opening size. It's best to have a variety in all three of those categories (non-painted, of course!) so they can choose the one that they really love.
Is the 'bottled water' distilled? If it says "minerals added" or something similar (or if it doesn't mention how it was purified), it isn't the best for crabs. Distilled water (you can get jugs of it at the grocery store for like...$.85 or so) is the best as it is chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metal-free. Crabs are very sensitive to all three of those substances, so ensuring their water doesn't contain them is vital.
The salt water conditioner in that kit is rubbish. Seriously, it's awful. It doesn't provide the right kind of salt, and what it does contain is poisonous to crabs. What you want is an ocean water salt water aquarium mix like Instant Ocean, Oceanic, Red Sea Salt Mix, etc. Crabs need the various minerals found in ocean water, and that salt water conditioner doesn't have any of it. I adopted two crabs in July that only had the salt water conditioner and when I offered them ocean water for the first time they ran to the water bowl, jumped in, and drank to their hearts' content. The bottled salt water marketed for hermies also is rubbish - it's made out of the salt water conditioner that you have. There is no difference between the two.
The log hiding homes are currently under debate...when I put one in my tank, my crabs all dug down, and the bark looks suspiciously like pine, or a relative of it. Pine is lethal to crabs (as are cypress and any other evergreen coniferous trees related to pines) and it irritates their abdomens until they drop their shells and, eventually, die. I recommend that you replace it with a coconut hut or other hidey (honestly, you can use anything from legos to non-treated terra cotta pots and a lot of stuff in between). Besides, if it's sitting in damp sand, it will start to rot away the bark and wood underneath. I got one with the adoptees, and the bottom half inch was slimy. Really gross, really.
What are you feeding your crabs? There's been a lot of research done over the last few years about what crabs need to eat and how bad commercial crab foods are. The commercial foods pretty much universally contain ethoxyquin or Copper sulfate (preservatives/insecticides) that are lethal to hermies. These chemicals will build up in their system until there's enough to kill them. Besides, crabs will not eat the same thing more than once a week or so (exceptions do exist, obviously...they need to eat within their food groups, but prefer to not have to eat the same thing every day, and who could blame them?) and have been known to starve themselves to death instead of eating the commercial foods. For more information on crab nutrition, check out Epicurean Hermit and Hermit Crab Cuisine as well as our own nutrition forum.
Congrats again on your new family members, and on finding this forum! If you have any questions, feel free to poke around the site for answers (the search bar in the upper right corner is awesome for that) and ask if you can't find what you're looking for - we'd love to help you out!
You really should get more shells - look on ebay or at the hermitcrabpatch (google it) - they've got great shells on there (it takes a bit more sorting through things on ebay, but you can get some great deals there). Two is not enough for two crabs - I have 8 crabs and I have at least 30 shells of various shapes and sizes so they can choose what they want. Crabs judge shells on the thickness of the shell wall, opening shape, and opening size. It's best to have a variety in all three of those categories (non-painted, of course!) so they can choose the one that they really love.
Is the 'bottled water' distilled? If it says "minerals added" or something similar (or if it doesn't mention how it was purified), it isn't the best for crabs. Distilled water (you can get jugs of it at the grocery store for like...$.85 or so) is the best as it is chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metal-free. Crabs are very sensitive to all three of those substances, so ensuring their water doesn't contain them is vital.
The salt water conditioner in that kit is rubbish. Seriously, it's awful. It doesn't provide the right kind of salt, and what it does contain is poisonous to crabs. What you want is an ocean water salt water aquarium mix like Instant Ocean, Oceanic, Red Sea Salt Mix, etc. Crabs need the various minerals found in ocean water, and that salt water conditioner doesn't have any of it. I adopted two crabs in July that only had the salt water conditioner and when I offered them ocean water for the first time they ran to the water bowl, jumped in, and drank to their hearts' content. The bottled salt water marketed for hermies also is rubbish - it's made out of the salt water conditioner that you have. There is no difference between the two.
The log hiding homes are currently under debate...when I put one in my tank, my crabs all dug down, and the bark looks suspiciously like pine, or a relative of it. Pine is lethal to crabs (as are cypress and any other evergreen coniferous trees related to pines) and it irritates their abdomens until they drop their shells and, eventually, die. I recommend that you replace it with a coconut hut or other hidey (honestly, you can use anything from legos to non-treated terra cotta pots and a lot of stuff in between). Besides, if it's sitting in damp sand, it will start to rot away the bark and wood underneath. I got one with the adoptees, and the bottom half inch was slimy. Really gross, really.
What are you feeding your crabs? There's been a lot of research done over the last few years about what crabs need to eat and how bad commercial crab foods are. The commercial foods pretty much universally contain ethoxyquin or Copper sulfate (preservatives/insecticides) that are lethal to hermies. These chemicals will build up in their system until there's enough to kill them. Besides, crabs will not eat the same thing more than once a week or so (exceptions do exist, obviously...they need to eat within their food groups, but prefer to not have to eat the same thing every day, and who could blame them?) and have been known to starve themselves to death instead of eating the commercial foods. For more information on crab nutrition, check out Epicurean Hermit and Hermit Crab Cuisine as well as our own nutrition forum.
Congrats again on your new family members, and on finding this forum! If you have any questions, feel free to poke around the site for answers (the search bar in the upper right corner is awesome for that) and ask if you can't find what you're looking for - we'd love to help you out!
Follow the daily lives of my crabs at thedailyhermit.tumblr.com
Mommy to:
Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09
If you are contacted privately and enticed to join another forum, please inform a moderator. This is an unethical practice.
Mommy to:
Rack, 23 Sep 08; Benny, 23 Sep 08; Slightly, 3 Jan 09; Nibs, 3 Jan 09; Curly, 3 Jan 09; Spaz, 5 Jul 09
If you are contacted privately and enticed to join another forum, please inform a moderator. This is an unethical practice.
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KIMMY514
- Zygote
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 01 Sep 2009, 02:49
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 2
- Total gallons: 10
- Total tanks: 1
Re: New Crabber
The sand I am using is Zoo Med Vita Sand
Get more shells.... Got it
I used bottled water but will purchase distilled water and salt mix tonight.
I will check the label on the log I got and look in to getting them a new home.
We have only had them for one day now, so far we have given them hermit crab food and a dried fruit mix that we also bought at the pet store. Tonight I'm going to let my daughter help out picking a snack for them. I heard banana peels are good. Is that true?
Thank you so much for your help and suggestions. I am so happy I found this site.
Get more shells.... Got it
I used bottled water but will purchase distilled water and salt mix tonight.
I will check the label on the log I got and look in to getting them a new home.
We have only had them for one day now, so far we have given them hermit crab food and a dried fruit mix that we also bought at the pet store. Tonight I'm going to let my daughter help out picking a snack for them. I heard banana peels are good. Is that true?
Thank you so much for your help and suggestions. I am so happy I found this site.
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CrabbyJo
- Coenobita
- Posts: 1849
- Joined: 21 Jan 2009, 13:31
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 7
- Total gallons: 85
- Total tanks: 4
- Location: Alaska
Re: New Crabber
Hi Kimmy514, welcome to the addictive world of crabbing. 
Yes, just when you think they are a cheap, interesting pet, you discover they cost out the wazoo! At least to start. once you get the setup, you're home free pretty much, until you get the itch for a bigger tank. Then it's Craigslist, freecycle... garage sales... but we can talk about that later.
It sounds like you're getting a good start.
As for the banana peels, not too sure on that one, probably best to go with organic though, and give them some actual banana too. They do love the white part on the inside of orange peels though! There is a huge list of foods that hermit crabs can eat, and they need a widely varied diet.
It's been found that most commercial hermit crab foods contain preservatives that are toxic to hermit crabs, so many in the crabbing community have worked hard to determine a healthy diet for hermit crabs without resorting to commercial foods. There are a lot of cheap ways to supplement their diets with the vital nutrients they need, and it can be lots of fun to feed them.
here is a good list to get you started:
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... s=Beginner
Just make sure they get plenty of protein, calcium, chitin, and keratin. You may want to do more reading to find out more.
Another good site with food group info: http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/index.php/ ... age?blog=3
As for the log, just look at the bark on it (I have found that they do not label the logs with the type of wood that they are). if it resembles pine or spruce, best to just take it and get your money back. Some good woods for hermit crabs are cholla wood (you can find it at Michael's a lot cheaper than at pet stores, it looks like this: http://www.busybeaks.com/20037_cholla_log.htm
Cork bark is also excellent, and a great source of nutrients for them as well ( I cannot seem to remember the darn word for what the woods provide them!).
The hermits love to munch on the woods. They also like bamboo, but steer away from Lucky Bamboo, which is poisonous to them.
I'm sorry to tell you but the vita sand is a calcium carbonite sand that can be dangerous for hermies. It tends to clump up when wet, drying hard, and risking getting into hermit crab shells and trapping them inside. I have also heard stories of crabs digging into moist calcium carbonite sand to molt, the sand drying on them, and the owners having to pick the dry sand away to free the trapped crabs. It also tends to mold and get very smelly when wet.
The best substrate is aragonite sand, which Carib Sea produces. The oolitic grains are best, they are rounded and will not scratch a crab's tender abdomen. The sugar grain and select grain are oolitic. http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/ ... onite.html
In the case where the aragonite sand may be hard to obtain, Eco Earth (coconut fiber) is a very good, inexpensive substrate. It comes in compressed bricks which must be expanded. It is best to use ocean salt water (from your mix) to expand it, to help reduce the chance of mold.
Some have also used playsand successfully, but do keep in mind that it is not a recommended substrate. There is no way of knowing where the sand was milled or what impurities it may contain that could be harmful to the crabs. I would suggest if you must go that route that you research as much as you can.
I know it all may seem overwhelming at first, but keep at it, it will all begin to gel!
Yes, just when you think they are a cheap, interesting pet, you discover they cost out the wazoo! At least to start. once you get the setup, you're home free pretty much, until you get the itch for a bigger tank. Then it's Craigslist, freecycle... garage sales... but we can talk about that later.
It sounds like you're getting a good start.
As for the banana peels, not too sure on that one, probably best to go with organic though, and give them some actual banana too. They do love the white part on the inside of orange peels though! There is a huge list of foods that hermit crabs can eat, and they need a widely varied diet.
It's been found that most commercial hermit crab foods contain preservatives that are toxic to hermit crabs, so many in the crabbing community have worked hard to determine a healthy diet for hermit crabs without resorting to commercial foods. There are a lot of cheap ways to supplement their diets with the vital nutrients they need, and it can be lots of fun to feed them.
here is a good list to get you started:
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... s=Beginner
Just make sure they get plenty of protein, calcium, chitin, and keratin. You may want to do more reading to find out more.
Another good site with food group info: http://hermitcrabcuisine.com/index.php/ ... age?blog=3
As for the log, just look at the bark on it (I have found that they do not label the logs with the type of wood that they are). if it resembles pine or spruce, best to just take it and get your money back. Some good woods for hermit crabs are cholla wood (you can find it at Michael's a lot cheaper than at pet stores, it looks like this: http://www.busybeaks.com/20037_cholla_log.htm
Cork bark is also excellent, and a great source of nutrients for them as well ( I cannot seem to remember the darn word for what the woods provide them!).
The hermits love to munch on the woods. They also like bamboo, but steer away from Lucky Bamboo, which is poisonous to them.
I'm sorry to tell you but the vita sand is a calcium carbonite sand that can be dangerous for hermies. It tends to clump up when wet, drying hard, and risking getting into hermit crab shells and trapping them inside. I have also heard stories of crabs digging into moist calcium carbonite sand to molt, the sand drying on them, and the owners having to pick the dry sand away to free the trapped crabs. It also tends to mold and get very smelly when wet.
The best substrate is aragonite sand, which Carib Sea produces. The oolitic grains are best, they are rounded and will not scratch a crab's tender abdomen. The sugar grain and select grain are oolitic. http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/ ... onite.html
In the case where the aragonite sand may be hard to obtain, Eco Earth (coconut fiber) is a very good, inexpensive substrate. It comes in compressed bricks which must be expanded. It is best to use ocean salt water (from your mix) to expand it, to help reduce the chance of mold.
Some have also used playsand successfully, but do keep in mind that it is not a recommended substrate. There is no way of knowing where the sand was milled or what impurities it may contain that could be harmful to the crabs. I would suggest if you must go that route that you research as much as you can.
I know it all may seem overwhelming at first, but keep at it, it will all begin to gel!
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.
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ladybug15057
- Coenobita
- Posts: 3098
- Joined: 03 Mar 2008, 04:12
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 82
- Total gallons: 305
- Total tanks: 7
- Location: Southwestern Pa., U.S.
Re: New Crabber
Welcome to HCP, and happy to see you researching! I agree with everything that has been said. As for the Zoo Med Vita-Sand it is not a good substrate and is fine which means there is also the chance it could clog the hermies gills. Plus there was a comment made on Petco's site about it too:
http://reviews.petco.com/3554/11013/reviews.htm
"
Moisture Date: May 28, 2009
"Just a helpful hint if you do not want your lizard to turn orange reduce the moisture of the sand. If the sand becomes wet for example when a water bowl gets bumped it will release the dye from the sand particles and allow it to find another surface to be aborbed by in this case you or your lizard. Hope that helps!" "
Here is a link to substrates that maybe of some help. And an archived post about food and meat
http://reviews.petco.com/3554/11013/reviews.htm
"
Moisture Date: May 28, 2009
"Just a helpful hint if you do not want your lizard to turn orange reduce the moisture of the sand. If the sand becomes wet for example when a water bowl gets bumped it will release the dye from the sand particles and allow it to find another surface to be aborbed by in this case you or your lizard. Hope that helps!
" "Here is a link to substrates that maybe of some help. And an archived post about food and meat
Marie (aka ladybug15057)
If you are contacted privately (via pm or e-mail) and enticed to join another forum, please contact a Crab Crew member. This is an unethical practice.
If you are contacted privately (via pm or e-mail) and enticed to join another forum, please contact a Crab Crew member. This is an unethical practice.
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Hermies4Ever
- Zoea II
- Posts: 178
- Joined: 03 May 2006, 06:26
- Gender: Female
Re: New Crabber
Everything else sounds great. But I do reccomend a few more sea shells. But no painted ones. Also, hermit crabs like coconut and cheese as treats. 
KIMMY514 wrote:Hello Everyone,
Yesterdat I bought my first hermit crab. My 2 year old daughter and I were at the pet store the other day and she saw the crabs and wanted one so bad. I thought it would be a great first pet of her own to have. We purchased two small crabs, which she named Elmo and Zoe. I know nothing about taking care of a hermit carb so I stated my research and found this site. Thank you so much for all the helpfull tips. This is how I have things set up. Please let me know if anyone recommends any changes.
2 small crabs
1 10 gallon tank
Half the tank is sand, half is a cocconut fiber sand mixture.
1 food dish
2 sea shells, 2 sponges. One fresh water one salt water. I am currently using bottled water for fresh source, and bottled water with salt conditioner that came with a starter kit I purchased. I also purchased but have not used yet, a bottle of salt water that states clorine free.
5 extra seashells. (one painted which I will be removing today)
1 log hiding home.
1 tempeture tape.
1 spray bottle for misting (moisture)
I never thought a $3.00 animal was going to cost me $80.00 but I was amazed to find out that they can live to be 10 years old. I want these animals to live a long and healthy life.
Please let me know if I am missing anything.
Thank you everyone
-
KIMMY514
- Zygote
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 01 Sep 2009, 02:49
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 2
- Total gallons: 10
- Total tanks: 1
Re: New Crabber
Well, I am sad to say that we lost Elmo and Zoe. They only survived for a week. I believe it was due to humidity level. I have replaced both of them with Elmo 2 and Zoe 2. Also picked up a humidity reader. Increased their coconut bedding. Added more shells. I think I also made the mistake of purchasing 2 very sluggish and shy crabs the first time around. Since the day I got them they did not move much at all, I don't think they were eating or drinking. I would smooth out the sand and there would be no tracks.
Elmo 2 and Zoe 2 already seem to be doing much better. They are exsploring their new home, digging in their bedding and eating and drinking. Elmo actually changed out his shell. Not sure why, maybe we wanted to impress Zoe with a prettier one.
I want to thank everyone again for all their help.
Kimmy514
Elmo 2 and Zoe 2 already seem to be doing much better. They are exsploring their new home, digging in their bedding and eating and drinking. Elmo actually changed out his shell. Not sure why, maybe we wanted to impress Zoe with a prettier one.
I want to thank everyone again for all their help.
Kimmy514
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Wai
- Administrator
- Posts: 2907
- Joined: 01 Nov 2004, 14:12
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 6
- Total gallons: 45
- Total tanks: 1
- Location: Victoria, Australia
- Contact:
Re: New Crabber
Sorry to hear about Elmo and Zoe.
However, I am so happy to hear from people like you who research before or straight after getting their first hermit crabs. If only everyone would do that. *sigh*
However, I am so happy to hear from people like you who research before or straight after getting their first hermit crabs. If only everyone would do that. *sigh*
Wai
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KIMMY514
- Zygote
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 01 Sep 2009, 02:49
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 2
- Total gallons: 10
- Total tanks: 1
Re: New Crabber
Thank you Wai, I really am trying. I am also not get over excited this time and I am leaving them be for a bit before I start to handle them. So far they are both staying buried in their coconut fiber. I have only seem them come out once. I'm keeping their conditions good. SO HAPPY I FOUND THIS SITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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CrabbyJo
- Coenobita
- Posts: 1849
- Joined: 21 Jan 2009, 13:31
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 7
- Total gallons: 85
- Total tanks: 4
- Location: Alaska
Re: New Crabber
Kimmy,
so sorry to hear you lost your first crabs. It does sound to me like they may have been on their way out when you got them, since they never moved much.
I'm so glad your new crabs are active and digging, and that you are resisting the urge to hold them! It's hard, isn't it? lol.
I think you are on your way to having a great crab home, don't stop researching! It took me a couple of months to actually get everything to work right, now my crabs seem pretty content.
We're glad you found us too.
so sorry to hear you lost your first crabs. It does sound to me like they may have been on their way out when you got them, since they never moved much.
I'm so glad your new crabs are active and digging, and that you are resisting the urge to hold them! It's hard, isn't it? lol.
I think you are on your way to having a great crab home, don't stop researching! It took me a couple of months to actually get everything to work right, now my crabs seem pretty content.
We're glad you found us too.
6 hermit crabs - 3 PPs and 3 Equadorians
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please feel free to share information from this website, but please be sure to give credit and a link back to the information. Failure to give credit is plagiarism. Don't take credit for someone else's information.