HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I just adopted 5 crabs, currently all buried in the substrate. The adoptee was great and gave me them in their 10g, so I could wait for them to come up. There's rolly isopods, that I don't particularly want to transfer into my main tank. Just makes me squeamish even though they're also crustaceans. Is there a best method to do the transfer?

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Take the crab out and just pop it into the new tank once its above the surface...

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My temperature isn't up at 80F; I don't have a big enough spare pad. Currently sitting at 72-73. Is there a certain length of time before I should bring them up?

Just keep your new tank set up as if it’s got crabs in it. Then as they come up, transfer them. Don’t dig them up. My tank is never at 80 degrees and my crabs do just fine.


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Mama of 4 PP’s: Crabby, Hermie, Mr. Crabs, & Squidward

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Can you insulate to bring the temp up a little?
I agree, don't dig them up - just transfer them over when they come up, after a quick rinse so they all smell the same.

Now that I am thinking about this more.....did you move the whole tank? I am wondering if the movement, especially if they were driven anywhere in a car, would have had the possibility of collapsing their molting caves? Hopefully someone with more expertise can chime in on that!

curlysister wrote:Can you insulate to bring the temp up a little?
I agree, don't dig them up - just transfer them over when they come up, after a quick rinse so they all smell the same.

Now that I am thinking about this more.....did you move the whole tank? I am wondering if the movement, especially if they were driven anywhere in a car, would have had the possibility of collapsing their molting caves? Hopefully someone with more expertise can chime in on that!

Their whole tank was moved. I took off a side heat tape from the main tank, and put it on this one with insulation I had (didn't think of this sooner). It's currently sitting at 26C now.

I didn't think of caves collapsing mid travel.... This is making me nervous now. After the first crab was transferred, no other has come up yet (via wyze review and food dish)... Their substrate is good consistency though.

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Just wanted to comment (it's been a week since they came into my care) , they should be OK, but 4 are still buried. Isopods are enjoying food.

I just think I'm crazy becayse I look at the wyze feed hourly, and nothing has changed. If there was a motion trigger for a recording, it was an isopod, or lights turning off/off, but I get so excited hoping it is a crab

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Of the 5 crabs I adoptrd on Jul 26, there's 1 that still hasn't surfaced yet. Food hasn't been touched at all, and nothing on wyze is triggered. The 4th crab came up 3 weeks ago.

At what point should I start to take down this tank? According to the previous owner, this last crab would've been a small.

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