Emergency - Hermit Crab not moving but not dead?

[smeegal]

That sand from bunnings is probably a safer option. Can I bake that sand too?

OK then, if they can easily get the water into their shells they should be fine.
However that sand... Personally I wouldn't trust it, most things catered to hermit crabs are more of a negative factor than a positive. I believe that play sand - like what can be found in bunnings - should be used as it closely mimics nature and has low chances of artificial dyes and chemicals being used. Plus play sand from bunnings is pretty cheap - off memory, it is $10 per bag that can cover a 2 foot tank to a depth of 3 inches or so. I have used sand from a beach, when looking for beach sand look for an unpolluted - eg, a beach that many wouldn't come across daily. Then when getting the sand, use the sand from the high tide mark. Many people advocate cleaning the sand - washing and drying it - but personally I think my guys enjoy the sand straight from the beach - just sealed in an airtight container to kill most bugs.

Oh, in some places in aus it is illegal to take anything from the beach, so check before taking to be sure that your staying on the good side of the law.

[Rebecca C]

That sand from bunnings is probably a safer option. Can I bake that sand too?

You can, any sand that is safe for living things can be baked without issues.

Quick questions:
- what is the best material to use to stick the heating mat to the side? Or would placing it on top of the tank work?
- what are some good organic/natural foods I can get for the crabs to make my own food for them. One of the new foods that has come out with Krabooz looks sort of like bird seed, which I thought was a bit weird. I don't want to get it, but I wondered if crabs do like seeds?
- if the crab tank is getting too hot, what is a way I can possibly cool it down? Can I put an ice pack on top or something?

It is best to place the mat on one of the sides or back of the tank; I would not recommend putting it on the top because it may only heat the upper most part of the tank and not where the crabs will mostly be. As far as a material to stick the mat to the side, I would recommend some sort of tape along the edges. Mine had an adhesive backing on it, but I use tape to hold the foil and cardboard backing, that I use for insulation, in place, and I believe others use tape to hold their heaters in place safely.

You should feed them a little bit from each food group; there is a food guide in the Food and Water sub-forum, as well as a list of safe foods and foods that may be unsafe or unpopular. I hear they like quinoa, but I believe it is cooked, so not very seed-like at that point. I haven't tried feeding seeds.

If the tank is getting too hot from the temperature in your house (I believe you said that you do not have a mat on the tank right now because of the temperatures it is currently reaching, is that correct?) If you have Aussie crabs, I hear that they can handle the higher temperatures and they may even like them. The tank's conditions couldn't get any closer to their natural habitat, if that is the case. I think in the wild they dig down in the sand to cool off if they need to. That is another reason that you do not want to have a heat mat on the bottom of the tank. If you need to though, you can try putting a towel over the tank and turning a fan on it the room that they stay in. You would have to experiment and see how something like that effects the tank's temperature.

How are the two doing?

[smeegal]

Excellent advice, thank you!

I did come across the safe and jostle food lists on Friday and had a shopping spree for them on Saturday as a result. Fed them my first home-made meal of pumpkin seed, linseed, cuttlefish bone, and krill that night. Krill was nearly gone by the morning and morbo was sitting in the Food dish that night. I have other ingredients too. Can't wait to try out more things for them!

As for the two, I can see Morbo easily with his bright blue shell (I really need him out of this painted shell...but unfortunately he seems to prefer it because of it's lightness I think :S ), Hermiz has gone MIA on me. I think she's hiding behind a staircase of a hut I can't see into because that used to be Hedos' spot and she's been trying to replicate his moves since his absence, weirdly enough. She even changed her shells for a couple of days! Before returning back to her tiny one. She's too confusing.

I think I may have read something somewhere once about leaving them for a shell shop? I have a lot of shells I can let Hermiz pick from, and a few for Morbo too. Is there anyway I can leave just them and the shells together safely for a few hours out of the tank or something?

You can, any sand that is safe for living things can be baked without issues.
It is best to place the mat on one of the sides or back of the tank; I would not recommend putting it on the top because it may only heat the upper most part of the tank and not where the crabs will mostly be. As far as a material to stick the mat to the side, I would recommend some sort of tape along the edges. Mine had an adhesive backing on it, but I use tape to hold the foil and cardboard backing, that I use for insulation, in place, and I believe others use tape to hold their heaters in place safely.

You should feed them a little bit from each food group; there is a food guide in the Food and Water sub-forum, as well as a list of safe foods and foods that may be unsafe or unpopular. I hear they like quinoa, but I believe it is cooked, so not very seed-like at that point. I haven't tried feeding seeds.

If the tank is getting too hot from the temperature in your house (I believe you said that you do not have a mat on the tank right now because of the temperatures it is currently reaching, is that correct?) If you have Aussie crabs, I hear that they can handle the higher temperatures and they may even like them. The tank's conditions couldn't get any closer to their natural habitat, if that is the case. I think in the wild they dig down in the sand to cool off if they need to. That is another reason that you do not want to have a heat mat on the bottom of the tank. If you need to though, you can try putting a towel over the tank and turning a fan on it the room that they stay in. You would have to experiment and see how something like that effects the tank's temperature.

How are the two doing?

[Rebecca C]

I'm glad that you found the food lists.

It is frustrating when they don't seem to want to leave their painted shell for a natural one, but Morbo will probably change shells when he comes across the right one for him, maybe it is a really good fit for him right now, and he won't be likely to leave it. I'm sure he will be okay until he does change though.

You can have a shell shop/area in your tank, or if you really want to isolate each one with some shells you can maybe do so in the old tank. A few hours may be a bit long though, I wouldn't keep them out of the main tank for very long if you choose to do it that way.

Hermiz might just be exploring the new tank, but they are social creatures, anything is possible.