Hermit Crab Freak

Just eatin some bark, ya know. #hermitcrabs #cutepets

The sand shouldn't be dry, but it shouldn't be watery. A good consistency is "sand castle consistency" substrate.. meaning the substrate should be wet enough that you could make a sand castle out of it. This is to ensure that if the crabs burry and dig (which they def will), that their tunnels won't collapse on them and possibly kill them.

The hermit crab association website has an adoption section. Just contact the page, and they should help you out. Also sometimes Craigslist works but try to give the crab to someone who seems to know what they're doing... Other than those sites you can try googling local hermit crab rescues or adoptions. Good luck!

Hey guys!! 🐚🌴 Sorry for the post lacking! I'm still doing the hermit crab thing but just haven't been taking many photos and there's not many new updates. Most of my attention has been with my elderly rat, and also school work. The Winter is usually a pretty boring time with the crabs, they mostly only come out to eat. Even though temps are still 70+, they tend to notice the outdoor weather still and hibernate a bit. I'm excited to get this 75g set up, I've been procrastinating it so much. Hopefully I'll find time during or before Spring break. Tonight the crabs were exciting for some fresh carrot and sweet pepper dinner. Along with crushed oyster shell and green seaweed.

Well you shouldn’t have completely dry sand in the tank anyways, it should be moist sand so that the crabs can burrow and tunnel and not have the sand collapse on top of them. But your humidifier shouldn’t be leaking, unfortunately Ican’t really help you fix it... I’m not too good with technology tbh lol. I’d bring it back, or make a new one. There are DIY videos on youtube for how to make your own humidifier. I did it, it was really cheap and simple but will usually only work for smaller sized tanks, less than 20 gs.

They can basically climb anything. It’s amazing. So as long as it’s not a smooth glass surface or something, they’ll find their way up.

I have actually thought about this before lol the only thing I can think of for why not to do it is because they should drink conditioned water, not tap. And they will breath in the water through their gills  just from the humidity in the air so I’m not sure...

Hermit Crabs are very, very, VERY hardy. They can live through improper conditions for months, if not years. I’m guessing it is due to them being crustaceans which have probably existed for a very long time now and had to suffer through off conditions for long periods of time in their pasts. I’m not too sure why theyre super hardy, but they are, which is why they are advertised as easy to keep pets unfortunately.

Unfortunately, hermit crabs do not smell when molting. That is one of the easiest ways to tell if a crab is dead, by smell. They smell terribly fishy and will usually fall limp out of their shells. Sorry :/

Regular heat lamps from the pet store. There are probably cheaper lighting options out there that I just have never looked into. I’d do some research, but any light that creates heat and not just light, should be fine to use. Also, heat emitters are good for night time use, no light just heat,

I have them separated into two tanks, a 55g and a 40g. I recently aquired a 75g that I’m trying to set up before break is over :)

Guess he was chilly 😂 #kingsnake

I recently found out that those half-log wood pieces commonly sold in pet stores are toxic for hermit crabs. So I had to take out the one I just put in my 40 gallon when I cleaned it. I just figured I'd let you guys know too. I think specifically it's pinewood that's toxic to them.

Usually when just bringing home new hermit crabs, esp from a pet store, they will be lethargic or bury themselves to de-stress and molt right away because they haven't been able to molt in such a long time they're usually pretty weak until after their first moly. Just keep it humid and warm , feed them proteins like freeZe dried krill or mealworms, and other good foods like fruits and nuts and just make sure they have easy access to fresh and salt water. I'd try to leave them in peace until they get their strength back. Good luck!

A ten gallon would definitely be better if you were able to get one and they're pretty inexpensive . One or two very small hermit crabs can live in a 5 for a little while but not for long and I think it's unfair to just keep one by itself. But if they're teeny hermit crabs you can keep two in a 5 for maybe a year and then you'll need to upgrade

No definitely not. Replaces the substrate weekly will actually do more harm to the crabs then not changing it enough. They basically make their own ecosystem in their sand and even though it's dirty to us, it's fine for them. I recommend a "deep clean " once a year or so which consists of removing most of the substate and replacing it and wiping down the glass, rearranging the setup ,etc. But as for weekly maintenance you can just sift through the top layer of sand and take out the poop and leftover food they may have moved around.

Yes, one crab will be okay in a 5g for a few months as long as he still has all his essentials. Water, salt water, enough sand to bury, and a hideout.