HCA: Hermit Crab Association

If the substrate was not moist enough for him to tunnel and make a cave, that could be why he chose to molt on the surface. Fresh water should be tap water treated with a dechlorinator (Prime is a commonly used brand). Then the salt water should be made by adding marine salt (Instant Ocean is a popu...

Just to clarify - the other crabs were eating his exoskeleton? If so, he needs to have calcium right now. You are right to isolate him from the other crabs if he has just molted, as they can harm or kill him until he hardens up. You should not bury him with substrate, he won't be strong enough to ma...

It sounds like you are doing exactly the right thing for him, keeping him isolated while he eats his exo. Like CL77 said, you will want to wait until he is moving around normally. And when you do re-introduce him, consider a quick dip in the fresh water dish, so he doesn't smell 'freshly molted' (wh...

It's quite common for the top bit to be drier than what's underneath. Your crabs will be strong enough to get through it, no problem. If it was like half or even a third that was dry, then there could be the risk of a tunnel collapsing, not holding it's shape. But I would think this is fine. You cou...

A crab without a shell will not survive. Follow the 'naked crab' care sheet - if he won't take a shell when left in a small dish with nothing except a couple of shells, you need to manually re-shell him.

I live on the Canadian prairies. Temps outside can be -40 in the winter and +30 in the summer. I live in an old farm house, with a baseboard heater in the room upstairs that my tank is in, and the air conditioning doesn't reach up there in the summer. I don't have anything fancy. I have a 55 gallon ...

If you know they are up at night - ie you have seen them on a camera, then you could dig them up the next day pretty safely. However, if you don't have a camera, you won't know if it's one or both coming up. So one could be molting and you don't know. That said, many people have dug up crabs in orde...

Great news. Don't be in a rush to put him back in with the rest of the crowd. Be sure he eats the exo and is moving around normally.
Also consider a quick dip in the fresh water before putting him back - a crab who doesn't dig up through the substrate won't have scrubbed off the 'molt' smell.

Bleach would likely be overkill. Vinegar and water would be enough and totally safe, don't even need to rinse it after. Anything plastic, I usually also swish around in vinegar and water. As for the wood, you would likely be best off to soak it or boil it in some salt water (can use plain food grade...

Not really a right or wrong answer....dig when you are ready and comfortable. Immediately before the move might not give enough time to empty the tank, etc. But more than a few days and you might not be able to keep him isolated (if need be) and in good conditions. Moving the tank as is would not be...

Check out the 'care sheets'. Start with the 'Basics', it tells you everything you need to set up a good tank. Some people make quite elaborate set ups, but a basic tank is all you need to have healthy and happy crabs!

Just to clarify the terms, you are treating the tap water with a dechlorinator. Seachem Prime is a commonly used brand, but there are others that will work too. And the salt the crabs need is marine salt. Instant Ocean is a commonly used brand, but again there are others out there. Here's the 'water...

Aw, the things we do for our furry friends. I had a cat who wasn't sick, just a jerk. He would pee on the floor if he didn't get what he wanted. So I added litter boxes to all his 'favorite' spots.....that's how I ended up with 5 of them. But then I ended up with four cats - and the recommendation i...

Substrate - What is the mulch-like material made of? Your substrate may not be deep enough for the size of your crabs. Heater - Under the tank is a fire hazard. You need to mount it on the back or side of the tank (on the outside). Some kinds can be insulated over, others can not. When you get your ...

Yay for adopting a kitteh!!

I have 5 litter boxes!