HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Mine didn't seem to eat much until I started giving them mostly dry food also. They LOVE crushed up Honey Nut Cheerios cereal, and the rest I buy from Hermit Crab Patch and Antique Hermits on Etsy.

I too love the E's personality! I have 4 and they were great. Well, until the big one kills a molter. But that seems to have calmed down. They love being hand fed too.

What do you mean by the sub being wet? Like flooded? It should be moist so they can tunnel through it and build their cave, but if it is too wet, the cave/tunnel could collapse. Normally we don't dig up a molter unless we are reasonably sure he is in grave danger. A collapsed or flooded tank, in my ...

Omg, that is too funny! I was shocked at how fast they move when they are out of the tank!

They are like what we in the car business call "sleepers": you look at an old 4 door "grocery-getter" and laugh.....until the driver punches the throttle and you realize there is a Hemi under the hood!

In my first 2 tanks, I had the same problem. It was from misting, and I didn't think I was misting THAT much. But in an effort to keep the humidity up, I flooded the tank. Now both of my current tanks have false bottoms, and I will never build a tank without one. I also learned to keep several conta...

If you are just now building your tank, you might want to think about adding corner guard strips, for ease of attaching everything, including coco fiber sheets. I have a sheet above my pools on the end of my 55. The crabs love it. Since it is so porous, I don't think it would interfere too much with...

The depth of the sub sounds way too low to me, which may be one reason they surface molted. Sub needs to be at least 6" and of sand castle consistency so that they can tunnel and make molting caves.

I have a standard plastic aquarium lid on my 29 gallon, and custom made wood frame with glass inserts on my 55. I really love the wood/glass because it lets in so much more light, and keep humidity in nicely. I have a notch cut out for my pool air line tubing splitter, which also lets in some air.

On a more somber note, I came home from work early and found a shelless one at the bottom of the steps. Obviously that one didn't make it past the kitten. I got him in a shell and back in the tank.

They are amazing!

What a shock I got this morning! I fix breakfast for my elderly mother before I leave for work. My rooms are at the far west end of the house, and her room is at the other end and at the back side. I was taking her tray out of her room, saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and ahead of me...

Don't get your hopes up too high. The dropped claw is usually another sign of impending death, and for them to survive beyond that point is slim. You may be one of the lucky ones. These little guys are so sensitive, and yet at times, so hardy. That is part of their attraction. Sending my best wishes...

Yeah, she looks like she is dead. So sorry you had to go through this, but it is a common part of hermit crab ownership. There really isn't anything you could have dinner to save her. I have tried both hands off and nursing, and neither made a difference. One thing I do differently now is buy smalle...

Just curious why you have so many in iso.

Put her in a shell asap. She won't make it without a shell.

That is #1 on my bucket list! The beach, not the smelt.