Humidity is the issue now (ironic, in Central Florida where we run dehumidifiers year-round). Before the ultratherm it was pretty constant at 85-90%; now it's difficult to get it over 75%, where it's currently holding. Misting helps, though it takes a while to come back up because opening the lid instantly drops it to 60%. And then after a short spike it comes back down to 75%. Before I put plastic wrap on the lid, I would lay a warm damp towel over the mesh and that did the trick, but now I have the plastic wrap in place. Other than misting several times per day (which we can't do on long days away from home), suggestions?
Re: ultratherm and temp readings, my combo gauge is on the back wall where the ultratherm is, on the glass adjacent to but not directly over the ultratherm. Will having it on the back wall give me a "false" reading? It is also located high on the glass. The other gauge is temp only and is in the opposite front corner, about mid-height on the glass.
Had a little excitement last night... after Herminy went after Hermie for his shell, I finally agreed to let Dad move her to the shell shop. It was the right thing to do; within minutes she had switched twice. Then Hermie was dumb enough to climb into the shop and it was like Black Friday in there, complete with fighting over the same outfit! If we hadn't earlier seen a National Geo video on shell-swapping, I would have completely freaked out! I posted a detailed account over in Crab Behavior.
I guess I can graduate myself from the New Owner section after this! Thank you all so much for your help, everyone has been so patient and responsive. I'm also learning a lot from reading other "new owner", "crab behavior" and "emergency" posts. This site really is a great resource. We've already started thinking about sizing up our tank and adopting more hermies... and to think three weeks ago I was heartily annoyed with the science teacher for sending one home... slippery slope!
I'll leave with photos of the kids in new digs, Herminy in a magpie, and Hermie in Herminy's old babylonia (however do you keep track when they do this??):
