Well, here I am. Another new crabber looking for advice. I've read a lot on these crabs, and it seems like the world has put everything it has against them. Taken from the wild and bath in toxic chemicals? Then forced into painted shells in order to sell them? Not only but every Hermit Crab specific item out there is toxic to them? From their food to the the very sand? This is crazy! I had no idea what I was getting into when I got them...
Anyways, I want to make sure I can fix my mistakes & make a good home for them.
1. What is the volume of your main tank?
10 Gallons. Washed it with tap water then cleaned it off with a dry towel. Later went back over it with dechlorinated clothe.
2. How many hermit crabs do you currently have? How big are they?
2. Both are small, about the size of a quarter, with one being a bit larger.
3. How long have you had the hermit crab(s) that you are concerned about?
About a week now. However, I'd rather not count the first three or four days, since they had to survive a hot dry car ride back from the beach. During which, they were feed commercial food/tap water (that's what the lady I bought them from told me...)
4. What substrate or combination of substrates are you using? How deep is it?
Sadly, I bought one bags of this, and three of it's white counterpart: http://www.petco.com/product/12634/Zoo- ... ellow.aspx
Is it bad for them? It's a large tank and the bags combined didn't reach an inch of depth. About 1/4th of an inch. I then used beach sand to make up the bulk of my 3 inch deep substrate. Used the purple play sand they came in as well.
By now, asides from the purple sand, it's impossible to tell which sand is which. I'd rather not throw it all away, since the sand held a happy memory for my mother, and it was a big deal for her to share it with me. Can I keep the sand? It's on your blacklist, (surprisingly, in the nutrition section), but it's link doesn't even direct it to the right page. Could it be some mistake?
5. What do you feed your hermit crabs?
HBH Variety Bites for the first three/four days. Stopped once I came on this site. Since then I've tried to feed them cherios, sliced tomatoes, bananas, and sunflower petals, with mixed success. The Cherios were scattered on the first day, as was the sunflower petals, but the rest were left untouched. I've since then bought TetraVeggie-Spirulina Enhanced Flakes, for the spirulina (all my pet depot had). However, upon inspecting the ingredients I saw ethoxyquin used as a preservative. Is this bad? It's only used as a preservative, so would it harm them if I use it? I plan on doing so, but will wait for this forum's advice.
http://www.petmountain.com/product/fish ... lakes.html
My folks keep pushing me to adopt a stable feeding pattern, and the fact that the crabs don't eat what I've feed them doesn't help my case (yet they munch on the HBH bites everytime. Why? It's poison to them, right?)
6. Do you use distilled, bottled or tap water? If you are using a dechlorinator, what brand is it? Does it state to remove all heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines?
I use Prime (I've searched this site for info, but none seem to know the brand). It removes chlorine & chloramines, but I'm not sure about metals. Will check that out later.
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product ... Prime.html
I did however, use tap water for the first three days. Then I switched to bottled water (Aquafina, then spring water) and finally settled on dechlorinated water.
7. What brand of sea salt are you using to supply your hermit crabs with salt water?
Sadly, I bought Zoomed's sea salt solution, part 2. However, on that same day I learned about it's effects and removed the water. However, as of right now, I have no salt water in my crabitat. Plan on buying some as soon as I can.
8. What heat source are you using and where is it positioned?
No heat source as of right now. Plan on buying under the tank heaters, and would like to know of a brand I can trust. The temperature is between 72-78, so I think I'm good there.
9. Have you calibrated your thermometer(s) and hygrometer?
Thermometer matches the room temp, and a low budget has kept me from buying a hygrometer. However, I have a sponge set and a large dechlorinated pool. To keep humidity in, I've also draped a lukewarm towel (wet, but not dripping wet) over the mesh lid (guy at the store told me that it'd work fine for the hermits). Is it better than cardboard, or am I wasting my time?
10. What is the air temperature range and humidity inside the tank? If you are using an under tank heater, what is the temperature range of the substrate (it is likely to be different to the air temperature range)?
No way to truly tell. No heater yet or hygrometer.
11. Do you have any photos of your tank or hermit crab(s) of concern? If yes, please attach them to your post.
Yes. Here:
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu70 ... 79aee2.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu70 ... 04d37e.jpg
http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu70 ... 7c215c.jpg
Sadly, the two have yet to come out of their painted shells despite all the shells I've put around them (all boiled for 5 minutes in dechlorinated water).
So, asides from the hygrometer, sea salt, & heater, is there anything else I need? Can I feed them the flakes? If not, why won't they eat? Is there anything I can give them to eat every day (with some variety included, of course)?
Also, my larger crab, Solomon (black shell next to large white shell. Located in the far left), has dug himself a nice hole and hasn't come out for two days now. Is this just PPS, or is he molting? He used to be really active and ate all his food. Then he started hiding in the coconut hut, where he dug in, albeit not as deep. When I set up the current crabitat, he left the hut and traveled towards the food shell. Then he dug in deep, with only the top of his shell visible. Now he won't come out and I'd rather not dig him out. I'm planning on letting him do as he pleases. I apologize for asking all these questions, and I'll continue searching through this forum for information, but I wanted to see if I'd done something wrong or needed something else. All advice is appreciated.
New crabber needs to know what to buy/use:
-
Marvel-Man
- Zygote
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 17 Jul 2010, 06:03
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 2
- Total gallons: 10
- Total tanks: 1
-
Jadexox
- Zoea I
- Posts: 127
- Joined: 30 May 2010, 15:41
- Gender: Female
- Hermit crabs: 16
- Total gallons: 100
- Total tanks: 1
Re: New crabber needs to know what to buy/use:
heres some info
http://hermitcrabparadise.com/crabcare/
*the substrate is bad for them it contains dye
*they need a variety of food they need some thing different every day like us humans because they would get sick of it
*the link can also tell you about food
*my heat sources are lights on top of the tank and also a heat pad
*make sure the water is deep so they can fill their shell with water
http://hermitcrabparadise.com/crabcare/
*the substrate is bad for them it contains dye
*they need a variety of food they need some thing different every day like us humans because they would get sick of it
*the link can also tell you about food
*my heat sources are lights on top of the tank and also a heat pad
*make sure the water is deep so they can fill their shell with water
-
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 needs to know what to buy/use:
Welcome to the wonderful (if stressful) world of crabbing, Marvel-Man! These little guys are fun, although they are a bit stressful at first until you get the setup right! Now, for your questions...
4. Your substrate is a bit of a challenge. On one hand, the hermit crab sand isn't usually a quick killer (I adopted two who had been on it for over a year), although the dyes can be a problem. The beach sand - did you get it from the beach where you bought the crabs? If so, did you wash and bake it? If not, chances are you'll have insects in there that might not come out for a while. One of my roommates in college (the one who introduced me to crabbing, through her awful conditions for her two guys) used sand from a beach trip for hers, and a few weeks later we had some sort of insect in their container. She baked it that weekend, but by then the bugs had disappeared to who knows where...
5. You might want to try feeding your crabs a bit more beyond the fruits and veggies. They need protein to keep down aggression, and protein and calcium are absolutely necessary every day. I'd like to break feeding down for you:
- protein: this can be from meat that you eat, just ask your mom for a piece of whatever you're eating before it's spiced and microwave it or sauté it in a bit of olive oil; don't do foods like hot dogs or pepperoni or the like, but anything else that's safe for you, like chicken, turkey, beef, fish, even shrimp or other shellfish are all safe as long as they've been cooked. If you want to do dried foods, you can get dried shrimp, krill, plankton, mealworms, bloodworms, etc. at the pet store in the fish/reptile/turtle food section. Just ensure that the ingredients list only has the item that should be in the jar - i.e. it says only shrimp or only krill or whatever.
- calcium: egg shells (either boil them or rinse and microwave for a few seconds to kill any bacteria on them), cuttlebones (in the bird section of pet stores), grind up oyster shells, etc.
- Fruits and veggies: you sound like you're already on the right track with those. They like variety, so don't just give them the same things every day. If you give them tomato one day, don't give them tomato for at least a week or so. They have been shown to not want to eat the same food for at least a week after the last time they ate it. You can dry fruits and veggies in a dehydrator if you want to have them ready to offer later in the year when they are more expensive, or you can freeze them in individual bags in the freezer for later.
- Algae and seaweed are important too; but I'd recommend against using the TetraVeggie flakes as they do contain ethoxyquin. It has caused mangled molts in crabs and is actually an insecticide, which our crabs are susceptible to. You can get sheets of seaweed at pet stores, and seaweed/algae that doesn't have EQ in it.
Beyond those, my guys absolutely love nuts that are used for baking (so they aren't salted or treated at all). Walnuts, pecans, almonds, macademia nuts...you name it, my guys stole it from the food bowl regularly! Keep heart; crabs eat very small amounts of food, and only having two in your tank you may not think they're eating. Look closely for where it looks like small slivers of food are missing - those are claw marks. Stressed crabs don't usually seem to eat compared to ones that have been owned for longer. My guys eat tons more now compared to what they ate when I first got them. Oh, and stop using the HBH - it's bad for them, and they don't need it if they're offered a proper diet anyways!
6. I'm far from the expert on the dechlorinator you're using, but I'm a bit leery of how it says "Prime® also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat." I'd like someone else to weigh in on that product.
8. Your tank is a little on the cool end. We usually recommend that the cool end of a tank be no lower than 75, and the warm end can go up to 80 safely.
9. You can get a good quality digital temp/humidity gauge at WalMart for about $8-10. It'll let you measure the temperature in two places and the humidity in one, which helps for getting your warm and cool ends set up.
Do you have any of the tank lid open for air flow? If not, you may want to at least fold back the towel for it. Otherwise, your humidity will be much closer to 100% than they need, and your tank will be much more likely to have a problem with mold and fungi growing that you can see, and bacteria blooming that you can't see. You don't need to have a wet lid for the tank (this can cause rusting on the screen mesh), just something to actually cover most of the lid.
Also, if you use a sponge, it needs to be sterilized ever two or three days. Otherwise, it will become a bacteria colony.
One other thing - having upper levels will help to hold in your humidity. The microclimates that upper levels can create will hold in humidity very well. If you still have problems with humidity, you can use either moss (sphagnum or hiawatha both work well) or switch to a coconut fiber substrate. Coconut fiber can keep your humidity high enough without misting or any other humidity boosting measures.
Okay, that's all for your numbered points...on to the shell changing. You may need to get a larger variety of shapes and sizes of shells to encourage changing. You'll want to have a few shells of the same shape and size as the crabs' current shells along with a variety of other shell shapes and sizes. Each crab has its own preferences for shells - two crabs of the same species may prefer two different opening shapes and one may prefer a shell that seems too big for it but another wants a shell too small, one wants a thick shell wall, while another wants a thin shell wall. PP, or purple pincher, crabs generally prefer O shaped openings, but many of mine have also worn D shaped openings. One of my crabs recently changed into a shell so big that you can't see him when he pulls all the way back - he went from a .25" shell opening that he fit well to a .75" shell opening that seems WAY too big.
That's a lot of information...wow. If you don't understand any of this, try searching on the site (upper right corner) or asking for clarification. Welcome, and good luck!
4. Your substrate is a bit of a challenge. On one hand, the hermit crab sand isn't usually a quick killer (I adopted two who had been on it for over a year), although the dyes can be a problem. The beach sand - did you get it from the beach where you bought the crabs? If so, did you wash and bake it? If not, chances are you'll have insects in there that might not come out for a while. One of my roommates in college (the one who introduced me to crabbing, through her awful conditions for her two guys) used sand from a beach trip for hers, and a few weeks later we had some sort of insect in their container. She baked it that weekend, but by then the bugs had disappeared to who knows where...
5. You might want to try feeding your crabs a bit more beyond the fruits and veggies. They need protein to keep down aggression, and protein and calcium are absolutely necessary every day. I'd like to break feeding down for you:
- protein: this can be from meat that you eat, just ask your mom for a piece of whatever you're eating before it's spiced and microwave it or sauté it in a bit of olive oil; don't do foods like hot dogs or pepperoni or the like, but anything else that's safe for you, like chicken, turkey, beef, fish, even shrimp or other shellfish are all safe as long as they've been cooked. If you want to do dried foods, you can get dried shrimp, krill, plankton, mealworms, bloodworms, etc. at the pet store in the fish/reptile/turtle food section. Just ensure that the ingredients list only has the item that should be in the jar - i.e. it says only shrimp or only krill or whatever.
- calcium: egg shells (either boil them or rinse and microwave for a few seconds to kill any bacteria on them), cuttlebones (in the bird section of pet stores), grind up oyster shells, etc.
- Fruits and veggies: you sound like you're already on the right track with those. They like variety, so don't just give them the same things every day. If you give them tomato one day, don't give them tomato for at least a week or so. They have been shown to not want to eat the same food for at least a week after the last time they ate it. You can dry fruits and veggies in a dehydrator if you want to have them ready to offer later in the year when they are more expensive, or you can freeze them in individual bags in the freezer for later.
- Algae and seaweed are important too; but I'd recommend against using the TetraVeggie flakes as they do contain ethoxyquin. It has caused mangled molts in crabs and is actually an insecticide, which our crabs are susceptible to. You can get sheets of seaweed at pet stores, and seaweed/algae that doesn't have EQ in it.
Beyond those, my guys absolutely love nuts that are used for baking (so they aren't salted or treated at all). Walnuts, pecans, almonds, macademia nuts...you name it, my guys stole it from the food bowl regularly! Keep heart; crabs eat very small amounts of food, and only having two in your tank you may not think they're eating. Look closely for where it looks like small slivers of food are missing - those are claw marks. Stressed crabs don't usually seem to eat compared to ones that have been owned for longer. My guys eat tons more now compared to what they ate when I first got them. Oh, and stop using the HBH - it's bad for them, and they don't need it if they're offered a proper diet anyways!
6. I'm far from the expert on the dechlorinator you're using, but I'm a bit leery of how it says "Prime® also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat." I'd like someone else to weigh in on that product.
8. Your tank is a little on the cool end. We usually recommend that the cool end of a tank be no lower than 75, and the warm end can go up to 80 safely.
9. You can get a good quality digital temp/humidity gauge at WalMart for about $8-10. It'll let you measure the temperature in two places and the humidity in one, which helps for getting your warm and cool ends set up.
Do you have any of the tank lid open for air flow? If not, you may want to at least fold back the towel for it. Otherwise, your humidity will be much closer to 100% than they need, and your tank will be much more likely to have a problem with mold and fungi growing that you can see, and bacteria blooming that you can't see. You don't need to have a wet lid for the tank (this can cause rusting on the screen mesh), just something to actually cover most of the lid.
Also, if you use a sponge, it needs to be sterilized ever two or three days. Otherwise, it will become a bacteria colony.
One other thing - having upper levels will help to hold in your humidity. The microclimates that upper levels can create will hold in humidity very well. If you still have problems with humidity, you can use either moss (sphagnum or hiawatha both work well) or switch to a coconut fiber substrate. Coconut fiber can keep your humidity high enough without misting or any other humidity boosting measures.
Okay, that's all for your numbered points...on to the shell changing. You may need to get a larger variety of shapes and sizes of shells to encourage changing. You'll want to have a few shells of the same shape and size as the crabs' current shells along with a variety of other shell shapes and sizes. Each crab has its own preferences for shells - two crabs of the same species may prefer two different opening shapes and one may prefer a shell that seems too big for it but another wants a shell too small, one wants a thick shell wall, while another wants a thin shell wall. PP, or purple pincher, crabs generally prefer O shaped openings, but many of mine have also worn D shaped openings. One of my crabs recently changed into a shell so big that you can't see him when he pulls all the way back - he went from a .25" shell opening that he fit well to a .75" shell opening that seems WAY too big.
That's a lot of information...wow. If you don't understand any of this, try searching on the site (upper right corner) or asking for clarification. Welcome, and good luck!
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.
-
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 needs to know what to buy/use:
I would say to switch the prime when it's possible for you. Promotion of slime coat is for fish, and I would steer away from anything that does added things for the health of fish, not crabs. For instance, some additives promote the reduction of ammonia, which is not a problem for hermit crabs. Any extra chemicals, imo, are not needed and you never know if they can be causing harm.
The more simple, the better.
Definitely find something that neutralizes heavy metals, as most houses have copper pipes (unless they are extremely new, I understand, but I have seen new houses being built with copper pipes in the walls just recently) and the copper can leech into the water. hermit crabs are quite sensitive to copper, as I've been told. This is why we also avoid the preservative Copper Sulfate.
Your crabs will likely eat the crab cakes as (so I've been told) there are ingredients added that attract them. Hermit crabs generally will not eat a food they've smelled/eaten for 14hrs to 2 weeks, so it is necessary to change their food frequently. They need a large variety of foods because they require a huge variety of nutrients. They will eat the foods that contain the nutrients they are most needing at the moment, so may ignore some foods now, but will probably eat them in a week or two.
Keep in mind also that you have a calcium substrate that your crabs are likely munching on, as well as that piece of cholla wood in there that they will also munch on. They will also munch on the cocohut if it has coconut fibers sticking off of it. They also take very small bites, sometimes you can't even tell. So don't lose heart, just serve small portions, change often, and don't worry, they will eat what they need, as long as you are providing them with the nutrients they need.
You can pick up some freeze dried shrimp (make sure the label says shrimp only, no preservatives) to add to their food regularly so they are getting some chitin and calcium and protein.
Seaweed is an important ingredient in their diet as well, as it contains many nutrients in high amounts that are needed by the crabs.
i buy my spirulina and kelp at the grocery store in the natural foods bulk food section, where I can get a table spoon or two for under $1 each.
Do resist giving the cheerios. The ingredients in cheerios are highly processed and contain chemicals your crabs really don't need. It would be better to get a multigrain cereal from the natural food section (organic is always best, no pesticides) and put a little in their dish once in a while. I buy the hot cereal mix, not the cold cereal. they don't mind
I will open a fish oil capsule (human supplement) and dribble it on the grains too, to make it extra enticing. My crabs love it. Usually. Sometimes they don't touch it lol. Like I said, they will eat what they need.
I have also noticed that when I change the foods out every day, replacing with new fresh foods, my crabs are much more active. When I was using a lot of dry foods and only changing it every couple of days, I rarely saw my crabs. It makes a huge difference, believe it or not.
Emma is also spot on with her suggestions, I do hope we helped!
The more simple, the better.
Definitely find something that neutralizes heavy metals, as most houses have copper pipes (unless they are extremely new, I understand, but I have seen new houses being built with copper pipes in the walls just recently) and the copper can leech into the water. hermit crabs are quite sensitive to copper, as I've been told. This is why we also avoid the preservative Copper Sulfate.
Your crabs will likely eat the crab cakes as (so I've been told) there are ingredients added that attract them. Hermit crabs generally will not eat a food they've smelled/eaten for 14hrs to 2 weeks, so it is necessary to change their food frequently. They need a large variety of foods because they require a huge variety of nutrients. They will eat the foods that contain the nutrients they are most needing at the moment, so may ignore some foods now, but will probably eat them in a week or two.
Keep in mind also that you have a calcium substrate that your crabs are likely munching on, as well as that piece of cholla wood in there that they will also munch on. They will also munch on the cocohut if it has coconut fibers sticking off of it. They also take very small bites, sometimes you can't even tell. So don't lose heart, just serve small portions, change often, and don't worry, they will eat what they need, as long as you are providing them with the nutrients they need.
You can pick up some freeze dried shrimp (make sure the label says shrimp only, no preservatives) to add to their food regularly so they are getting some chitin and calcium and protein.
Seaweed is an important ingredient in their diet as well, as it contains many nutrients in high amounts that are needed by the crabs.
i buy my spirulina and kelp at the grocery store in the natural foods bulk food section, where I can get a table spoon or two for under $1 each.
Do resist giving the cheerios. The ingredients in cheerios are highly processed and contain chemicals your crabs really don't need. It would be better to get a multigrain cereal from the natural food section (organic is always best, no pesticides) and put a little in their dish once in a while. I buy the hot cereal mix, not the cold cereal. they don't mind
I will open a fish oil capsule (human supplement) and dribble it on the grains too, to make it extra enticing. My crabs love it. Usually. Sometimes they don't touch it lol. Like I said, they will eat what they need. I have also noticed that when I change the foods out every day, replacing with new fresh foods, my crabs are much more active. When I was using a lot of dry foods and only changing it every couple of days, I rarely saw my crabs. It makes a huge difference, believe it or not.
Emma is also spot on with her suggestions, I do hope we helped!
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.
-
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 needs to know what to buy/use:
Welcome to HCP and sounds like you are hustling like many of us when we first got our hermies. At first it can be overwhelming, but it does get easier.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2754897
But cardboard wrapped in plastic wrap will also help to hold humidity within the tank and warmth as well.
For ground cover dollar stores or Micheals have plastic vines that can be used, and this would also give the hermies something to climb for exercise.
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... ab+meat%3F
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... tion+Table+
(below is a link to a Sister site who is having technical difficulties currently)
http://www.hermitcrabcuisine.com/
It does detoxify heavy metals, but does promotes the production and regeneration so when you’re able please do invest in another dechlorinator. (but please do beware that no dechlorinator will remove fluoride from tap water)I use Prime (I've searched this site for info, but none seem to know the brand). It removes chlorine & chloramines, but I'm not sure about metals. Will check that out later.
It is good that you have removed it. And unfortunately as you have already learned it is important to offer the ocean/sea mix that is sold specifically for salt water fish tanks. One of the lesser expensive ocean mixes is Oceanic Natural Sea salt and is sold at PetSmart/Petco. (and other pet stores)Sadly, I bought Zoomed's sea salt solution, part 2. However, on that same day I learned about it's effects and removed the water.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2754897
As well as monitoring the air temp of the tank, it is just as important to monitor the substrate temp too. It is recommended to have a cooler end of 71-73* F and a warmer side of 78-80*F. This way hermies can regulate their body temps. For expense reasons one can buy a black strip thermometer for now to put in the substrate to test it and read the colored blocks for an idea as to what the temp is.No heat source as of right now. Plan on buying under the tank heaters, and would like to know of a brand I can trust. The temperature is between 72-78, so I think I'm good there.
The sponge should be rinsed daily and exchanged/sterilized every 2 days due to the way they harbor molds and bacteria. The damp towel should help with humidity, but it is important to know what the humidity reading is. Emma has already suggested WalMart for an inexpensive digital gauge.Thermometer matches the room temp, and a low budget has kept me from buying a hygrometer. However, I have a sponge set and a large dechlorinated pool. To keep humidity in, I've also draped a lukewarm towel (wet, but not dripping wet) over the mesh lid (guy at the store told me that it'd work fine for the hermits). Is it better than cardboard, or am I wasting my time?
But cardboard wrapped in plastic wrap will also help to hold humidity within the tank and warmth as well.
For ground cover dollar stores or Micheals have plastic vines that can be used, and this would also give the hermies something to climb for exercise.
Unfortunately due to the trauma the hermies have experienced giving up their natural shells from home to be forced into their painted shells it maybe awhile for them to feel secure enough to change shells. When you get the ocean/sea salt, try misting a little within the shells. Sometimes hermies seem to move into moistened shells a little sooner than dry one.Sadly, the two have yet to come out of their painted shells despite all the shells I've put around them (all boiled for 5 minutes in dechlorinated water).
Commercial food is usually one expense that isn’t necessary. (unless one can find freeze dried krill, freeze dried shrimp exo, etc.) But here are a couple links with some food ideas:Can I feed them the flakes? If not, why won't they eat? Is there anything I can give them to eat every day (with some variety included, of course)?
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... ab+meat%3F
http://crabbywiki.com/tiki-index.php?pa ... tion+Table+
(below is a link to a Sister site who is having technical difficulties currently)
http://www.hermitcrabcuisine.com/
One should also consider the main water line pipe that the public water company has that actually take the water to ones home. Majority of these are made of some form of metal, not plastic.Also, my larger crab, Solomon has dug himself a nice hole and hasn't come out for two days now. Is this just PPS, or is he molting?
Being a newbie it would be hard to say, it could be either. But please do read the PPS article, it does help relieve some of the stress on the newbies while they are adjusting. (that does recommend shallow substrate at first)
http://crabstreetjournal.com/xoops/modu ... ase+stress
Definitely find something that neutralizes heavy metals, as most houses have copper pipes (unless they are extremely new, I understand, but I have seen new houses being built with copper pipes in the walls just recently) and the copper can leech into the water.
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.
-
Marvel-Man
- Zygote
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 17 Jul 2010, 06:03
- Gender: Male
- Hermit crabs: 2
- Total gallons: 10
- Total tanks: 1
Re: New crabber needs to know what to buy/use:
Wow, that was a lot of information. Thanks. I didn't expect it to come so quickly too.
Anyways, I'll try to respond:
1. I will look for a replacement dechlorinator. Will also buy a hygrometer/thermometer combo, some moss (should this be on a plate, or just on the sand) and sea salt.
2. Huh, I didn't know about the meat. But yes, I've been trying to switch out their food constantly. Recently bought dried fruits from my local organic store, but will look for some of these items you've recommended me. As for the cherios, I based that off this website (which is no longer up, which is a bit weird and just goes to show that I'm terrible at judging actually helpful websites. However, do a google search & use their archived copy to see what I'm talking about. They had an A-Z list of safe foods for hermit crabs...)
www.hermitcrabcuisine.com
3. I'll bake the sand as soon as I can.
4. I have begun to sterilize my sponge (and plan on buying a few more) via boiling in dechlorinated water.
5. And yes, I did folded the edges of the towel for air flow.
Well, I appreciate the great advice. Great site you guys have here, will definitely continue visiting in the future. Might even post updates/take more pictures, as you guys seem to do.
Anyways, I'll try to respond:
1. I will look for a replacement dechlorinator. Will also buy a hygrometer/thermometer combo, some moss (should this be on a plate, or just on the sand) and sea salt.
2. Huh, I didn't know about the meat. But yes, I've been trying to switch out their food constantly. Recently bought dried fruits from my local organic store, but will look for some of these items you've recommended me. As for the cherios, I based that off this website (which is no longer up, which is a bit weird and just goes to show that I'm terrible at judging actually helpful websites. However, do a google search & use their archived copy to see what I'm talking about. They had an A-Z list of safe foods for hermit crabs...)
www.hermitcrabcuisine.com
3. I'll bake the sand as soon as I can.
4. I have begun to sterilize my sponge (and plan on buying a few more) via boiling in dechlorinated water.
5. And yes, I did folded the edges of the towel for air flow.
Well, I appreciate the great advice. Great site you guys have here, will definitely continue visiting in the future. Might even post updates/take more pictures, as you guys seem to do.
-
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 needs to know what to buy/use:
If you would happen to get an UTH you could bypass the sponges and use other means to help the humidity level. (even if you decide on lights for a warming source there are other means to add humidity there too)4. I have begun to sterilize my sponge (and plan on buying a few more) via boiling in dechlorinated water.
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.