HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Concrete mites maybe, since they're fast? Or potentially even red velvet mites, though that should take care of itself as they grow and detach. https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1588#:~:text=So%2Dcalled%20%22concrete%20mites%22,walls%20of%20homes%20and%20buildings. A series of strong salt bath would be the ...

Physical scrubbing is the only way I found. Soaking to soften first helped a little, vinegar can help too. On flat spots like on the glass, a razor blade will make quick work of it. They don't bury into the substrate, so just scraping off the first 1/2 inch to an inch should be enough to take care o...

I have wood pieces I've treated 8 years ago that I've never had to touch again by doing this. I've also salvaged items that were covered in mold by scrubbing with hydrogen peroxide to remove the heaviest growth and then boiling this way. Previous attempts that used less salt or the soaking method an...

Completely natural salt chunks will dissolve due to the high humidity. Just something to keep in mind!

Yeah, once they start making babies they are a pain to get rid of, at least the feeder type of crickets are. I had some strays get away from my geckos and scorpions and they lived in my crab tank upstairs for a couple of years, making babies in the moist substrate and moss. There are DIY live traps ...

I've had still soft crabs that had just shed (still wet and sticky) be attacked by tankmates before. I used to do a lot of rescuing and pity purchasing, and it was one of those things that can happen when there's no history to know where they're at in terms of the molting cycle. I also had a dick of...

The flies won't be in the dirt, so changing it won't affect them being attracted to the tank. They're going to be going after the food, or will be attracted just because the tank needs to be moist and warm for the hermits. Drain flies need standing water to reproduce and the larvae looks like tiny b...

Did anything else change about the enclosure other than switching from glass to plastic? It should have stayed the same exact temp if a heat source had never been used on either, it would match whatever your room temperature is at. I'm wondering, did you move where the tank was located? Or maybe the...

Yes! They're great for offering illumination without affecting the temperature or humidity in the tank, since they run pretty cool. It'll act as daylight for the crabs so shouldn't be used at night.

It is! Sakrete and Quikrete are the two major brands of playsand, with location playing the biggest part of which you'll end up with.

Mine is a lot more active than my PPs, so they'll use any additional space and climbing items you can provide. She's also super picky about shells and has refused to change for the past 6 years, even though I've offered her a 100+ options over the years, so try to tempt with a solid shell in good sh...

Usually they're well fed enough even when new that they're able and have been waiting to molt, and are just trying to find safe conditions to do so. Sounds like you gave him that chance so he took it! I find it more odd when a new addition doesn't immediately dig down, probably 95% of the crabs I've...

(Did you post this in the FB group, too? Im basing this suggestion of that photo of the case.) Throwing this out there, because this is how I used to heat my 135 display case crabitat - a ceramic heat emitter inside the case at the very top, with a small 4 inch fan to circulate heat around, will lik...

It's going to be some sort of corpse fly. If they're the size of fruit flies then they'll likely be phorid flies, which eat dead or rotting things but are harmless to the crabs. The unmoving things are probably pupae, especially if they're brown in color, which are maggots that are transforming into...

Most people who have multiple crabs will get eggs once a year. heck, my lone crab has eggs a couple times a year. It's not the production of eggs or mating that's the problem, it's the lack of an actual ocean to inspire them to drop them in an appropriate location. Eggs just end up smeared around th...