Hermies in the dorms??

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arosenbaum
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Hermies in the dorms??

Post by arosenbaum » Sat Nov 16, 2019 11:27 pm

So I recently had my 2 hermies pass away, and I was thinking about getting some more. My problem is that I'll be transferring to University in a couple months. I have the tank and everything for crabs, but I don't know if I should get new crabs or not. Are they hard to keep in a dorm? I did check with my school and they are allowed. I'm just wondering how hard it will be too take care of them and any advice.
RIP Holmes and Watson: in hermie heaven since 10/2019.

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Hermiesguardian
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Re: Hermies in the dorms??

Post by Hermiesguardian » Sat Nov 16, 2019 11:59 pm

arosenbaum wrote:
Sat Nov 16, 2019 11:27 pm
So I recently had my 2 hermies pass away, and I was thinking about getting some more. My problem is that I'll be transferring to University in a couple months. I have the tank and everything for crabs, but I don't know if I should get new crabs or not. Are they hard to keep in a dorm? I did check with my school and they are allowed. I'm just wondering how hard it will be too take care of them and any advice.
Are you allowed to plug in a heater for them? Do you know why your 2 hermies died recently? How big is your tank? How deep is your substrate? And do you plan on taking them home on school breaks? If you have any molting or even just buried, moving the tank can cause their tunnels and caves to collapse.
raising son's dog, Dante. Husky/hound.
Raising daughter's hermit crabs, Shelder, Paras and Derek. Added 2 more of my own (of course) Pete and Stryper. Former mommy to 2 guinea pigs and beloved cat, Nissi

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aussieJJDude
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Re: Hermies in the dorms??

Post by aussieJJDude » Sun Nov 17, 2019 2:37 am

Many previous members have made suitsble crabitats in dorms... and many also had success of during summer break, dismantling much of the tank, and driving home to set up the tank once at home.


If properly set up, they dont require much care besides replacing the food and water and ensuring the temp/humidity are at the appropriate levels. They pretty self sufficient and dont require much handling.

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arosenbaum
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Re: Hermies in the dorms??

Post by arosenbaum » Sun Nov 17, 2019 10:55 pm

The conditions in my tank are perfect at this point. They died because I didn't have the conditions right and caught on to it and fixed it too late. See my previous posts if you have questions. But my tank is essentially hermie paradise now, I just don't have any hermies to live in it. Part of me wants to get some because I spent so much money on the setup (don't get me wrong, I love the hermies too, that's not the only reason). But I also don't want to be miserable or cause them to suffer if I have a hard time taking care of them. I do plan on taking them home during breaks; I had never thought of that. I also had never thought about whether or not they would allow the UTH. I will have to investigate into this. If I decide not to get any more, what are the chances of me being able to sell all my supplies so I'm not out ~$200??
RIP Holmes and Watson: in hermie heaven since 10/2019.

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Re: Hermies in the dorms??

Post by aussieJJDude » Mon Nov 18, 2019 3:34 am

Oh. Sorry. Didn't actually see/read that you've already had hermies - so ignore most of my not so helpful advice.

Honestly, between crabs and fish, they probably the two best candidates for dorm pets as they dont smell, aren't labour intensive and IMO, rather cheap after the initial investment.


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Re: Hermies in the dorms??

Post by wodesorel » Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:55 am

Resale value on supplies isn't the best. If you piece it out and list where reptile keepers are shopping, you may be able to get a fair bit back, but not the whole amount.

There are other land creatures that have similar requirements to hermits and could use the tank and supplies, minus the salt. Not sure how well dorm residents would take to them, but things like big millipedes, spiders, scorpions, exotic cockroaches. Even some of the smaller land dwelling crabs like Vampires could do well. There may even be some smaller amphibian species (frogs, newts) that might work, but they do have pretty stringent care and temperature requirements.

A shrimp tank could also work, those can be pretty easy and look great.
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