New Crab Owner and Need Advice!

hmurphy · Post by **hmurphy** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:21 pm

Hi, I am new to this group and not sure if this is the best place to post. I am a new crab owner and need quite a bit of guidance.

I was visiting a friend and noticed she had one of those small transport cages on her kitchen counter w/ 3 hermit crabs in it. I asked her about it and she said they got them at the beach this past summer. I was horrified at the way they were living and asked if I could have them. I was not looking for new pets, but simply couldn't leave her house having seen these 3 crabs in a small plastic crate w/ a dry sponge and food just sprinkled on the bottom. It was awful.

So now I have a 30 gallon tank w/ about 6 inches of play sand, a hamster wheel, natural shells, places to hide and I added a salt water bath, plus regular water to rinse/drink. I did get the traditional food from Petco, but supplement w/ fruit and veg.

Here are my concerns/questions:
1) The tank has started to smell really bad, but the sand looks clean and I take the food out every morning and put in fresh water. Is this typical? Or does it indicate a problem?
2) There is NO action---the only time we'll see them is if I am cleaning the tank and pick up their little coconut hut to clean around it. When I search online, I feel like I see people's crabs being so active. I wonder if these guys were traumatized from the past 9 months in a poor habitat?
3) Should I be letting them out of their tank for "walks" around the house for exercise?

Thank you all so much for any advice!

SarahKay1216 · Post by **SarahKay1216** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:25 pm

I am new too, so I don't know much. I did see this video about PPS crabitats to help them transition from the stressful experience of being taken from their environment and sold in a shop/kept in a box. I also just got two crabs who were bought by another and kept in such a sad little box and am working to figure out how to care for them better. "How To Keep Your Hermit Crab Alive After Purchase - The P.P.S Method | By Crab Central Station" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Heriyvv2mo

This and other videos indicate they may be lethargic due to temp / humidity, and stress from their prior experience & transition.

Hopefully someone who knows more will respond with good info.

hmurphy · Post by **hmurphy** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 2:23 pm

@SarahKay1216
Thank you for the reply! I actually discovered that YouTube channel when I first brought them home bc/ I was clueless and it has been a great resource! I appreciate the advice. I'll give that video a look!

crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:23 pm

hmurphy wrote:Hi, I am new to this group and not sure if this is the best place to post. I am a new crab owner and need quite a bit of guidance.

I was visiting a friend and noticed she had one of those small transport cages on her kitchen counter w/ 3 hermit crabs in it. I asked her about it and she said they got them at the beach this past summer. I was horrified at the way they were living and asked if I could have them. I was not looking for new pets, but simply couldn't leave her house having seen these 3 crabs in a small plastic crate w/ a dry sponge and food just sprinkled on the bottom. It was awful.

So now I have a 30 gallon tank w/ about 6 inches of play sand, a hamster wheel, natural shells, places to hide and I added a salt water bath, plus regular water to rinse/drink. I did get the traditional food from Petco, but supplement w/ fruit and veg.

Here are my concerns/questions:
1) The tank has started to smell really bad, but the sand looks clean and I take the food out every morning and put in fresh water. Is this typical? Or does it indicate a problem?
2) There is NO action---the only time we'll see them is if I am cleaning the tank and pick up their little coconut hut to clean around it. When I search online, I feel like I see people's crabs being so active. I wonder if these guys were traumatized from the past 9 months in a poor habitat?
3) Should I be letting them out of their tank for "walks" around the house for exercise?

Thank you all so much for any advice!

Welcome to the HCA! Lots of info here, you should check out the Care Sheets...they provide all sorts of info. I’ll see if I can help with your questions/concerns...

1) What does it smell like? Is it a fishy smell? If yes, it could possibly mean that one of your crabs has passed. This would be the only smell I am personally familiar with, but I’m sure an expert can speak more on this!

2) Based on the crabs poor conditions before you got them, it is common that they just kinda chill at first. They like to hide and may bury themselves in order to do this. Be careful to let them have this time without disturbing them. He might not like his hut hide disappearing all of a sudden from on top of him, lol. Just let them be...oh, and never dig up a buried crab! Also, they may be moving/eating at night when you’re asleep and it’s calm. You can smooth out their sub at night and then see if there are any tracks next day. As long as you’ve provided the right conditions, the rest is up to them.

3) I wouldn’t worry about “walks” right now, but I personally never mess with my crabbies. Some do though! I’m sure you’ll get more feedback!

Good for you to save the poor little guys! Sounds like you’re off to a good start!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hmurphy · Post by **hmurphy** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:34 pm

@crabbycasey THANK YOU! I'm so grateful I found this forum. I went from never having seen a hermit crab in my life to owning 3, so I really have a lot of learning to do. I'm relieved to hear I'm doing some things right. I read somewhere that they need/like to walk, so when I noticed they weren't using the exercise saucer, I was wondering if I should be letting them out to walk around the house. Glad to hear that's not a must!

Post by **aussieJJDude** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 5:31 pm

SarahKay1216 wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:25 pm
I am new too, so I don't know much. I did see this video about PPS crabitats to help them transition from the stressful experience of being taken from their environment and sold in a shop/kept in a box. I also just got two crabs who were bought by another and kept in such a sad little box and am working to figure out how to care for them better. "How To Keep Your Hermit Crab Alive After Purchase - The P.P.S Method | By Crab Central Station" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Heriyvv2mo

This and other videos indicate they may be lethargic due to temp / humidity, and stress from their prior experience & transition.

Hopefully someone who knows more will respond with good info.

PPS method is something that really isn't recommended at HCA, as trials done by the member base around the time this forum started found there was no difference in survivial rate between using the PPS method or just getting them in ideal conditions straight away. I tend to be in team 'get them in good conditions' as they have gone through enough, and sometimes enough damage that any further time spent in less than ideal conditions could cause further, irreversible damage.

hmurphy · Post by **hmurphy** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 6:48 pm

Ok, great to know. That is what I did. I started w/ a 10 gallon tank and all of he generic things they sell at the pet store, which was an immediate upgrade from their conditions. Then I started learning about them and upgraded to a bigger tank, play sand instead of calcium sand, fruits and veggies etc. However, the smell emitting from the tank is quite strong. Maybe I should send you a picture and you can tell me if the environment is ok? I have an awful feeling I'm doing something wrong!

crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 8:28 pm

You’re very welcome! This place taught me everything I know!

Is it a fishy smell?

Hope not...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hmurphy · Post by **hmurphy** » Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:31 am

No, it's not exactly fishy, but just kind of rotten. Having zero experience w/ these critters, I'm wasn't sure if they just smelled like that naturally. They spend all day in their little hut, so I never even see them. I wonder when I should look inside to see if one has died. Poor little guys, what a tortured life they've had. It kills me.

crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:56 pm

It’s sad. While I’ve learned a lot here, I’m not one of the administrators/experts. I’d rather one of them help you figure out the smell from here bc I’m not sure what to suggest as far as seeing if you have a crab that passed...other than picking them up to look, but I know that’s stressful for them. Hopefully somebody will chime in soon and can help from here!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MurkyCrabs · Post by **MurkyCrabs** » Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:57 pm

I’m not super experienced, but if they’re above ground, check on their color and if they react to any sort of light or movement around them. For example one of mine is quite shy and constantly under a log and every so often I’ll shine a small light on him just to make sure he’s doing okay. When he’s out and even just sees me he’ll roll up into his shell a little bit. Even if they don’t move too much, if (hopefully!) they’re all alive there will likely at least be some sort of antenna movement. This way you don’t have to go around picking them up or touching them. This may not be the best method though it could stress them out a bit as well, I’ll let an expert chime in for that one!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Post by **aussieJJDude** » Thu Jan 28, 2021 6:22 am

Could it be some food that they dragged off and now is starting to rot? Its happened to a few crabbers, and they find a stashed piece of chicken or something.

hmurphy · Post by **hmurphy** » Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:20 pm

Maybe!? I will look around. They have now all dug themselves into a hole inside their hut. Is that normal? I feel like they haven't come out in days. None of the food I've left the past few nights has been touched and I usually see some sand in the pool and water dishes in the morning, but haven't noticed that, either. Sorry for the 8 million posts and questions! I just want to be sure I'm doing everything I can to make their lives pleasant, given their rough year.

mool · Post by **mool** » Mon Feb 01, 2021 4:26 pm

As much as you can, just leave them be. Have some of their "superfoods" ready when they come up--foods such as banana, peanut butter, black strap molasses, honey, etc. If possible, all organic. If they are all buried, I wouldn't bother changing the water or food daily. Make sure they have a full dish of fresh and salt water (dechlorinated, of course) and leave it without changing it until it starts to evaporate or gets spilled by the crabs. Fill their food dishes up with something that isn't going to spoil right away (nuts, seeds, dried oatmeal, etc. etc.) and leave them in there until the crabs eat it all and/or it starts to rot. If they are coming out and night and eating, offer a dish of the superfoods.

This is a waiting game. Let them de-stress in peace. Don't put your hands into the tank everyday or even every other day. Try to leave the tank untouched and undisturbed for a week. Only intervene if they are eating up all their food or if one goes naked.

If they die, its not really an emergency. You can't save it and a dead crab in the tank will provide food for the living crabs. In my experience, dead crabs sometimes stink and sometimes don't. I've had crabs "disappear" in my tanks before. I don't dig them up. If they die on the surface, I'll remove them. I don't think a dead crab is harmful to the living crabs.

YMMV

crabbycasey · Post by **crabbycasey** » Mon Feb 01, 2021 6:13 pm

hmurphy wrote:Maybe!? I will look around. They have now all dug themselves into a hole inside their hut. Is that normal? I feel like they haven't come out in days. None of the food I've left the past few nights has been touched and I usually see some sand in the pool and water dishes in the morning, but haven't noticed that, either. Sorry for the 8 million posts and questions! I just want to be sure I'm doing everything I can to make their lives pleasant, given their rough year.

Totally normal for them to dig in and chill. I look at it as a good sign bc they are taking the steps to progress...and it means they’ve moved! I started thinking about this smell you’re concerned with and I remember thinking my tank stunk too at first, but I shortly realized that it’s just the smell of the tank and I’ve now grown accustomed to it...an acquired smell if you will, lol. Think it’s the sub/moss + humidity. Hopefully that’s all it is! Wanted to share with you too that my crabs were the same way when I got them...they never moved or seemed to eat, so I bought a $25 night vision camera (Wyze Cam) and was so relieved to see them come out (still not a lot, but moving at least) at night! It took them a while, but little by little they started moving around more, then I’d catch them eating...then discovering their moss pits. Pools were one of the last things and I had been concerned about their water intake. It’s one of those things where you provide the right crabitat and then just have to leave it up to them. Can be hard, lol. Once they’ve molted with you once or twice, they should be free from the PPDS (post purchase death syndrome, stress from previous conditions that they couldn’t overcome...wouldn’t be your fault!).

Please keep us posted, hope this helped some!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

HCA: Hermit Crab Association