HCA: Hermit Crab Association

The UTH's that have a sticky side (ie ZooMed) can not be insulated over. If you have trouble getting your heat up enough, you can add some insulation to help keep the heat from the UTH from escaping out the back side of it. You'll know if you need to insulate it, depending on what temp your tank is....

I have two crabs, in a 55 gallon tank. I thought they were only medium and large, but recently measured them and they're jumbos, LOL!

All I know about calibrating a hygrometer I learned from the HCA care sheet: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92540 There is not a way to 'zero' the digital hygrometer, so you just need to note the difference. What you said about being 3% off and knowing you need 83% i...

Crabs will get enough air flow when you open and close the lid to change food and water. Some people do leave a bit of a vent, but many seal it up completely with no problems.

What are you using for substrate (ie - type and ratios)? How deep is it? When you say the 'top layer', how far down is dry?

I made my own. It's not pretty, but it's functional LOL. I took a taller rectangular storage container, cut a door in it, and glued some shells on the sides so they could climb. I could never get my shower caddy to suction onto the corner, so I glued that on the top so they had a bit of a 'railing' ...

Just wondering why all these crabs are in iso? E's like really deep sub, like 12 inches. Why not just put them all into your main tank?

HCA doesn't recommend that method. Many crabs, as Wlfwo said, want to de-stress and/or need to molt because they have been kept in sub standard conditions. There have been no studies that prove that the method described leads to better outcomes. Some very experienced crabbers have, through years of ...

Check out the care sheets about food and nutrition: Nutrition: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554 Commercial foods: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92555 Safe food list: http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=25&t...

No, you can just put them in dry.

Hahaha, it quickly becomes an obsession! Calcium sand is not the correct type of sand, it can turn hard like cement when it gets wet. You want to get play sand, which is sold in big 50 pound bags for cheap at hardware stores. Mix it with the eco earth (coco fiber) with dechlorinated water. It should...

Hi, crabs can eat many of the same things as we can. They need protein and calcium sources daily. Here is the care sheet about nutrition. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554 Pellets and commercial foods often contain harmful additives and aren't considered a good lo...

Is the crab in the shell? Hanging out? Fall out all the way?

Just keep offering a variety of nutritious foods. Be sure to read the 'nutrition' care sheet, as well as the 'commercial food' one. Many commercial foods are not safe, depending on additives (the care sheet explains it). They also need protein and calcium daily. When crabs are small, you may not not...

Yes, I would take fresh fruits out of the tank, and crack a little corner open if you can do so and keep your humidity up.

I'm not sure whether that salt is a marine salt or not? Unfortunately, most products marketed for crabs aren't actually appropriate for them.