Research changed my molting designs

[babesbarn]

After a while I found The Hermit Crab Patch online and saw the set up for the tank they had. I decided that maybe my hermies will be more comfortable with the information I got from that. It seemed reasonable to me after reading up on the website authors experience, that hermies might be ok as long as they have enough substrate to molt in and not the usual two inches of coconut substrate that has been successful in survival for my three hermies so far. I believe there may have been one successful molt which was inside the same tank. Now that I have increased the size of the substrate I am hopeful that there will be no canablism from the others. I do give them shrimp every couple days. I got a big package of frozen shrimp at BJ's for five dollars. I give my hermies and defrosted one or microwaved (cooled) chopped up with the "tail". Each hermie likes different things. One might like the shrimp which the other is eating the popcorn or the oak tree leaf (dried from the fall) . I am hopeful that the author of the Hermit Crab Patch will have helped me (as has this forum) in making my hermies a more comfortable life in captivity.

[Wai]

Don't they recommend mixing sharp pieces of crushed oyster shells into the substrate too?

[ladybug15057]

They do Wai, but it also known that they have their main crabitat OUTDOORS do to living in the southern part of Florida. I am not aware of many crabbers who can maintain an outdoor crabitat due to their weather.

http://www.hermitcrabpatch.com/Hermit-C ... -a/152.htm

Since I kept my pet hermit crabs in a large 8x8x6 outdoor cage in South Florida with the ability to bury underground into sandy soil when they needed to molt, I was lucky enough to have several "pregnant" female crabs during that time.

and when moved inside:

Since my crabs were now in an indoor cage in Central Florida and all of the experts agree that hermit crabs won't breed in captivity I wasn't expecting to have the opportunity again. Once again, I set up my tank using live rock and live sand this time as well.

Now Tammy is good when it comes to hermies, but one needs to consider the 'whole' crabbing community.

[babesbarn]

Well, Spiderman has returned from beneath the substrate after a little over three weeks and has molted. It was really quite humbling to see him up and the other ones buzzing around him welcoming him back. I watched very carefully as the other two talked with him. They were not agitated, or fighting. Just having an enjoyable "hey...whatz-up?" One would stay in front of him to sort of guard him while the other one did his own thing and then take turns guarding him. I think that is what they were doing. They have been very nice to him and he went under a little coconut opening and I put a piece of dried oak leaf there and another day gave him the tail of a shrimp. You should have seen him pull it INSIDE!. His legs are getting a nice color now and he seems to be moving around more. I think it takes a lot out of them to molt. I know it does for birds. Plenty of minerals, surf and turf, veggies and calcium shavings nearby. It is nice to see the "family" happy and enjoying the success of the molt. Say I am crazy but this is exciting for me. He stayed inside his own shell that he had before. And the others are enjoying the nice weather and thunderstorms.