Just Inherited Two Hermit Crabs - Question About Humidity?

[bandaidstealer]

Yesterday, we inherited two hermit crabs. A guy my husband works with brought them with him because his daughter grew bored of them and he was sick of taking care of them. Another coworker was going to take them but changed his mind at the last minute. To avoid having the poor things tossed in the dumpster behind the building my husband took them home.

Our 4 year old is super excited.

We, on the other hand, decided to do some research.

They were in a critter carrier with a sand substrate, a food dish, two water dishes, a sponge that falls somewhere between gray and black in color, and a coco hut. One of the crabs is in a shell that is way too small and the other is in a shell that is way too big. Both are painted with bright flower like designs.

We stopped at petco and bought a crabitat, a few fake plants, some kind of climbing background, a hidey hut, a heated mat, and a bag of shells from the craft store that my son helped me sort through, wash, and put in the tank for them.

Now, as we continue to learn more we find that the crabitat is a poor design as the mesh top allows all the humidity to escape. I found a 10g aquarium lid (20") for about $42.00. My Question: Will the crabs be okay for a week with a plastic tote lid on top of the tank until payday?

[AwesomeHermit]

Yes. You would need to spray the tank daily

[curlysister]

You don't need to pay all that money just for a lid! Many of us have just used saran wrap! Wrap the mesh with saran wrap, leaving a bit open for ventilation - and then you can open more or less, depending on the humidity levels, to keep it where you want it.

You will need a hygrometer/ thermometer to monitor both humidity and temperature. The heat mat goes on the back or side of the tank, not underneath.

What do you have for substrate, water dechlorinator, and marine salt?