How Am I Doing? (New Owner) Pics Included-Crab is Hiding

[CrabbyCancerian]

Hello,
I am a proud new owner of a Caribbean purple pincher named Cora.

I am just wondering how I am doing? My little crab is acting kind of funny and I just wanted to make sure it is okay. I know that a lot of their behavior can be misleading. I also know that they are complicated animals with a lot of needs so I am doing my best.

I have been doing as much research as I can over the past 2 1/2 months. I have read many articles, internet posts, watched YouTube videos, asked questions at the pet shop. I purchased the book “Hermit Crabs For Dummies” as well but it has yet to arrive in the mail.

I will probably be updating this post as I remember different things and as random details come to me. But anyway, so far here is a little rundown of how I care for Cora:

***First, let me tell you my cause for concern: Cora was very active in her tank the first 24/48 hours but for the past five days she has been hiding. She had yet to eat a substantial meal but I do see signs that she has been interested in/picked at the pellets and carrot-bits that I have left out. She also seems to have been drinking water.

So here is a rundown:
-I have a 10 gallon tank
-I have one dish for fresh water
-I have another dish large enough for her to submerge with salt water conditioner made specifically for h crabs
-I make sure the waters in her tank are always fresh/topped off
-My water comes from a private well and has no chlorine or chemicals
-I have added a natural sponge from the pet shop in a shallow dish of water to maintain humidity
-She always has a dish out with fresh pellets which I change every couple days (though she is not eating them)
-I feed her Terra pellets (which I know some hermit crabs don’t like)
-She has a log hide
-She has an artificial suctioned plant on which to climb
-I always keep a wrung our wet towel on top of the tank to maintain humidity (which I change daily)
-I mist the entire tank (including the walls) daily 3x/day
-She has a substrate which is 6” in depth made of 10 lbs of hermit crab sand mixed with Coco Soft bark (I ordered coconut fiber from amazon but there are delays in the mail due to the Coronavirus) It should arrive Sunday.
-The substrate is all moist and has been mixed up by hand w/2 clean pots of warm chlorine-free well water
-I am very vigilant & careful to keep chemicals away from her or anything she touches
-She has a mesh lid on her tank
-She has a dome lid w/ a 40 watt day bulb which is on all day & a 40 watt night bulb (black light) which is on all night
-I have a thermometer which always reads at 80 degrees
-I have ordered a humidity hygrometer which should arrive soon enough, as well as an assortment of natural shells for changing into
-I mix 1/4 tsp salt conditioner per 1/4 cup of water as gathered from the bottle’s measurements but I don’t mix it up I just drop it in
-For now she is the only crab in my tank but I plan to get her at least one friend
-From outward appearance she seems very healthy
-The seller who shipped her did an excellent job w/ packaging her for delivery
-I do not mess with her at all as I am giving her time to adjust and I know that they do not like to be handled and should be handled sparingly.

So far that is all I can think of. What concerns me is that she is moving to different places all over her tank but just burying herself at the very top. Because she is not burying herself deep, I do not know whether or not she is molting. We have a cat which is very interested and probably stressing her out hanging around the tank. I play loud music all day. She is probably very stressed. When I took her out and placed her in a dish to fix the substrate in her tank, she seemed frantic like she was scuddling all about. Other people’s hermit crabs that I see on YouTube videos all seem very calm and move very slow but mine is the opposite.

...So how am I doing? And why is she acting so unusually?

Ps. (I don’t know the actual gender yet)

[CrabbyCancerian]

Pictures as Promised:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/800303796272155730/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/800303796272155758/

[avocadocrabbies]

Honestly, this looks great! Sounds like you did proper research and got everything necessary. As for why your crabby is acting a little stressed, it's probably just the excitement of moving in. Most crabs take days, if not weeks to become used to their surroundings. My lil' crazyheads didn't start acting normally for at least a month... they can be either very lethargic or very frantic depending on what they do when they get stressed.

Another thing- hermit crabs are extremely friendly with each other. They enjoy each other's company and in the wild, they live in colonies of around a dozen. It is customary to get at least two crabbies- they often hide and sleep together in captivity. It is of course your decision, but your crabby will ultimately be happier if you get her a friend. You may also want to consider upsizing the tank to a 20gal in the future to accommodate two (or more) growing crabs. You can keep the 10 gal as a backup tank if you need to do a substrate change (some people never do, only when mold outbreaks occur) or as an isolation tank if a crab is having a problem and you need to isolate him/her

Terra pellets are great! I feed them to my crazies along with other stuff, but I'd suggest to supplement the diet with some more stuff. I would recommend mixes of dry food high in protein and calcium- some crabbers like to make it themselves, but there are many people who sell it in little packets in big varieties (really good prices). if you'd like me to recommend some, I'd be happy!

play sand is awesome too- you can get a fifty-pound bag (it would fill your 10gal six inches two times) for $5.00 at Lowe's, pretty insane!

It might look like Cora isn't eating, but she probably is. I have four crabbies and it basically looks like they don't eat anything. They are so small and eat so little (especially in the beginning, when they might be stressed) that it looks like they aren't eating at all. As they get bigger the amount of food disappearing starts to show; but for now, you can even leave the dry food in there for a couple days unless sand gets in it.

P.S. I have heard that telling your crabs apart by gender is extremely hard....? I gave up trying to check mine a long time ago

[JoeHermits]

I haven't looked over everything but partial burying is normal behavior. Molting isn't the only reason for digging; they will also do it for fun.

[curlysister]

So here is a rundown:
-I have a 10 gallon tank
Curly - This size of tank will be fine for a while with one or two crabs. See the care sheet re- number of crabs in what size of tank.

-I have one dish for fresh water
-I have another dish large enough for her to submerge with salt water conditioner made specifically for h crabs
Curly - Both dishes should be deep enough to submerge but also have a way to climb out. Most products that are marketed for hermit crabs are, unfortunately, not appropriate or safe. Water should be treated with a dechlorinator such as Prime, and a marine salt such as Instant Ocean should be used.

-I make sure the waters in her tank are always fresh/topped off
-My water comes from a private well and has no chlorine or chemicals
-I have added a natural sponge from the pet shop in a shallow dish of water to maintain humidity
Curly - There are varying opinions on well water. I also have a private well, but choose to use RO water instead. Sponges are not needed, and only serve to harbor bacteria. They should be removed from your dish. You can give it to them dry to munch on.

-She always has a dish out with fresh pellets which I change every couple days (though she is not eating them)
-I feed her Terra pellets (which I know some hermit crabs don’t like)
Curly - Be sure to read the care sheets about food, and specifically commercial food like pellets. Many commercial foods have additives that can be harmful. Crabs need a varied diet, including protein and calcium daily. They can eat many of the same foods as we do.

-She has a log hide
-She has an artificial suctioned plant on which to climb
-I always keep a wrung our wet towel on top of the tank to maintain humidity (which I change daily)
-I mist the entire tank (including the walls) daily 3x/day
-She has a substrate which is 6” in depth made of 10 lbs of hermit crab sand mixed with Coco Soft bark (I ordered coconut fiber from amazon but there are delays in the mail due to the Coronavirus) It should arrive Sunday.
-The substrate is all moist and has been mixed up by hand w/2 clean pots of warm chlorine-free well water
Curly - What brand was the hermit crab sand? Some are not safe. Play sand is cheap and safe, and when mixed with coco fiber, holds it's shape well. The sub should be moist enough to hold shape but not so wet that water pools. Misting can cause problems sometimes, with too much water being introduced. A towel will not hold in humidity, you can seal the top with Saran Wrap for that.

-I am very vigilant & careful to keep chemicals away from her or anything she touches
-She has a mesh lid on her tank
-She has a dome lid w/ a 40 watt day bulb which is on all day & a 40 watt night bulb (black light) which is on all night
-I have a thermometer which always reads at 80 degrees
-I have ordered a humidity hygrometer which should arrive soon enough, as well as an assortment of natural shells for changing into
Curly - A hygrometer is essential, so it's good you have it ordered. Crabs have modified gills and need high humidity to breathe.

-I mix 1/4 tsp salt conditioner per 1/4 cup of water as gathered from the bottle’s measurements but I don’t mix it up I just drop it in
Curly - This does not sound like appropriate salt water.

-For now she is the only crab in my tank but I plan to get her at least one friend
-From outward appearance she seems very healthy
-The seller who shipped her did an excellent job w/ packaging her for delivery
-I do not mess with her at all as I am giving her time to adjust and I know that they do not like to be handled and should be handled sparingly.

So far that is all I can think of. What concerns me is that she is moving to different places all over her tank but just burying herself at the very top. Because she is not burying herself deep, I do not know whether or not she is molting. We have a cat which is very interested and probably stressing her out hanging around the tank. I play loud music all day. She is probably very stressed. When I took her out and placed her in a dish to fix the substrate in her tank, she seemed frantic like she was scuddling all about. Other people’s hermit crabs that I see on YouTube videos all seem very calm and move very slow but mine is the opposite.

...So how am I doing? And why is she acting so unusually?
Curly - This sounds like regular crab behavior. Sometimes they dig for fun. I would not be too worried at this point.

[Crabby7Crabber]

Curly and avamin2005 gave great advice, and I agree with them as well as JoeHermits! Awesome job overall though so far!
P.S-- It can be difficult to determine a crab's sex, especially if you just got them or haven't had them a long time (they have to come out of their shell at least partically and you have to look on the first segment on the back pair of walking legs. Females will have two holes called gonopores, but males won't)! I would suggest letting your crabby be until they've been with you a while.

[omarlopez]

buen post!

[Hermielover121]

That was kind of like my hermit crabs when I first got them they would never come out when I’m around them and they just move around and half bury them selves but don’t worry because my hermit crabs are doing great right now and I’m pretty sure yours will too!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CrabbyCancerian]

That’s reassuring to know. Yeah it’s been well over 10 days now and he/she still doesn’t come out (during the day at least).

[CrabbyCancerian]

Curly and avamin2005 gave great advice, and I agree with them as well as JoeHermits! Awesome job overall though so far!
P.S-- It can be difficult to determine a crab's sex, especially if you just got them or haven't had them a long time (they have to come out of their shell at least partically and you have to look on the first segment on the back pair of walking legs. Females will have two holes called gonopores, but males won't)! I would suggest letting your crabby be until they've been with you a while.

I will probably try and sex him/her when he/she gets more used to handling. And decides to stop hiding! Lol. For now I am just giving the crab time to adjust.

[CrabbyCancerian]

So here is a rundown:
-I have a 10 gallon tank
Curly - This size of tank will be fine for a while with one or two crabs. See the care sheet re- number of crabs in what size of tank.

-I have one dish for fresh water
-I have another dish large enough for her to submerge with salt water conditioner made specifically for h crabs
Curly - Both dishes should be deep enough to submerge but also have a way to climb out. Most products that are marketed for hermit crabs are, unfortunately, not appropriate or safe. Water should be treated with a dechlorinator such as Prime, and a marine salt such as Instant Ocean should be used.

-I make sure the waters in her tank are always fresh/topped off
-My water comes from a private well and has no chlorine or chemicals
-I have added a natural sponge from the pet shop in a shallow dish of water to maintain humidity
Curly - There are varying opinions on well water. I also have a private well, but choose to use RO water instead. Sponges are not needed, and only serve to harbor bacteria. They should be removed from your dish. You can give it to them dry to munch on.

-She always has a dish out with fresh pellets which I change every couple days (though she is not eating them)
-I feed her Terra pellets (which I know some hermit crabs don’t like)
Curly - Be sure to read the care sheets about food, and specifically commercial food like pellets. Many commercial foods have additives that can be harmful. Crabs need a varied diet, including protein and calcium daily. They can eat many of the same foods as we do.

-She has a log hide
-She has an artificial suctioned plant on which to climb
-I always keep a wrung our wet towel on top of the tank to maintain humidity (which I change daily)
-I mist the entire tank (including the walls) daily 3x/day
-She has a substrate which is 6” in depth made of 10 lbs of hermit crab sand mixed with Coco Soft bark (I ordered coconut fiber from amazon but there are delays in the mail due to the Coronavirus) It should arrive Sunday.
-The substrate is all moist and has been mixed up by hand w/2 clean pots of warm chlorine-free well water
Curly - What brand was the hermit crab sand? Some are not safe. Play sand is cheap and safe, and when mixed with coco fiber, holds it's shape well. The sub should be moist enough to hold shape but not so wet that water pools. Misting can cause problems sometimes, with too much water being introduced. A towel will not hold in humidity, you can seal the top with Saran Wrap for that.

-I am very vigilant & careful to keep chemicals away from her or anything she touches
-She has a mesh lid on her tank
-She has a dome lid w/ a 40 watt day bulb which is on all day & a 40 watt night bulb (black light) which is on all night
-I have a thermometer which always reads at 80 degrees
-I have ordered a humidity hygrometer which should arrive soon enough, as well as an assortment of natural shells for changing into
Curly - A hygrometer is essential, so it's good you have it ordered. Crabs have modified gills and need high humidity to breathe.

-I mix 1/4 tsp salt conditioner per 1/4 cup of water as gathered from the bottle’s measurements but I don’t mix it up I just drop it in
Curly - This does not sound like appropriate salt water.

-For now she is the only crab in my tank but I plan to get her at least one friend
-From outward appearance she seems very healthy
-The seller who shipped her did an excellent job w/ packaging her for delivery
-I do not mess with her at all as I am giving her time to adjust and I know that they do not like to be handled and should be handled sparingly.

So far that is all I can think of. What concerns me is that she is moving to different places all over her tank but just burying herself at the very top. Because she is not burying herself deep, I do not know whether or not she is molting. We have a cat which is very interested and probably stressing her out hanging around the tank. I play loud music all day. She is probably very stressed. When I took her out and placed her in a dish to fix the substrate in her tank, she seemed frantic like she was scuddling all about. Other people’s hermit crabs that I see on YouTube videos all seem very calm and move very slow but mine is the opposite.

...So how am I doing? And why is she acting so unusually?
Curly - This sounds like regular crab behavior. Sometimes they dig for fun. I would not be too worried at this point.

Thank you much for the detailed feedback. To answer your questions/tips:

-I use salt water conditioner specifically for hermit crabs in one of the water dishes.
-The sand is from “Hermit Habitat”
-I have some confusion about how much to wet the bedding because I have read that if it is too wet/heavy it can crush them.
-I purchased a quality hermit crab food today (free of corn and other additives) because my crab won’t eat Terra (like many other crabs) but I forget the brand.
-The wet towel idea I got from doing my research on the internet. I tried the saran wrap thing and the hygrometer read too low. The towel does a great job keeping the humidity up.
-As for the salt water measurements...the directions on the bottle read “1 teaspoon per cup of water”...and since my water dish measures exactly 1/4 cup I figured 1/4 teaspoon (dividing it) would be correct.
-Ps. The sponge was just to keep the humidity up until the proper substrate came in the mail. I will remove it.

[curlysister]

-I use salt water conditioner specifically for hermit crabs in one of the water dishes.
Curly - Many products marketed for hermit crabs are not appropriate. Be sure to read the 'water' care sheet for info about which dechlorinators are needed to remove everything that needs to be removed:
viewtopic.php?f=127&t=92553


-The sand is from “Hermit Habitat”
Curly - Hermit Habitat sand is calcium sand and it is not safe for crabs. It can turn to cement when wet, which is very bad for crabs. The 'substrate' care sheet explains what is needed for substrate:
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92542


-I have some confusion about how much to wet the bedding because I have read that if it is too wet/heavy it can crush them.
Curly - See the above care sheet for explanation. Proper substrate won't crush them.

-I purchased a quality hermit crab food today (free of corn and other additives) because my crab won’t eat Terra (like many other crabs) but I forget the brand.
Curly - Be sure to read the care sheets on 'food' and 'commercial food' for info about what additive to avoid, as well as what crabs need to eat for their nutritional needs. They need a source of calcium and protein daily.
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92554

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92555


-The wet towel idea I got from doing my research on the internet. I tried the saran wrap thing and the hygrometer read too low. The towel does a great job keeping the humidity up.
Curly - Have you calibrated your hygrometer to ensure it is accurate?
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=92540


-As for the salt water measurements...the directions on the bottle read “1 teaspoon per cup of water”...and since my water dish measures exactly 1/4 cup I figured 1/4 teaspoon (dividing it) would be correct.
Curly - See the above 'water' care sheet for proper marine salt information.

-Ps. The sponge was just to keep the humidity up until the proper substrate came in the mail. I will remove it.