HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hi everyone! I'm Ashley I just bought 2 hermit crabs in the last 2 weeks. They're the first I've had since I was a kid, so I did a bunch of research and WOW! I wish I knew then what I do now because, sadly, I was not taking good care of my crabs when I was young Granted, it was the 90s before you could learn everything online, but I still feel terrible about the way I treated them. I basically kept too many crabs in a tank with a thin layer of gravel, some toys and extra shells, tap water, and food from the pet store.

This time, I'm doing it RIGHT! Proper crabitat, diet, and care.

A little bit about my crabs: Snooki was an impulse buy at the Jersey Shore (hence the name), and I bought her a friend named Sandy a few days later from the pet store. Don't worry, I know better now and will only be adopting any new crabs I get! I'm quickly learning the ropes, especially from lurking on this forum

Snooki is quickly and happily adjusting, and she's already changed into a beautiful polished turbo shell. I've been good about not handling her too much, but last night I successfully hand fed her! It was adorable and awesome

Sandy has been MIA for about a week and a half, and I'm not sure if she's molting. A few days after she disappeared, I found what looks like her shell in the shell station of the tank (She had a plain, unpolished turbo and I didn't get enough face time with her to remember 100% what the shell looks like). The number of shells in the tank is the same, and all the others I bought are polished, so I'm thinking she came up and changed shells at some point. It's so hard to be patient, but I know I have to

I also have 2 pet birds that are both around 15 years old, and I live with my boyfriend who has a dog. So we've got quite a zoo going! Oh, and I just bought a 1997 Tamagotchi on eBay, if that counts for anything

Anyway, I'm excited to get to know you all and learn how to be an A+ crab mommy! This site seems like one of the absolute best resources out there for crab owners

Welcome to the HCA! Yes, this site is full of useful information about keeping hermit crabs (and a few other things besides).

Feel free to ask any questions if you can’t find anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome!!! If you can, post some pics of your tank!
I completely understand the zoo! My boyfriend and I have 2 dogs, 4 hermit crabs, 1 snake, and two aquariums. One had cherry red shrimp (it's empty currently) and one has various fish and such. Haha.
This site has an incredible amount of information. If you can't find it, just ask. Plenty of folks are willing to give advice! I've only been crabbing for about a year, correctly from this site for about 6 months, and there's always something to learn!
Welcome to HCA!!!

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

ciaraalston wrote:Welcome!!! If you can, post some pics of your tank!
I completely understand the zoo! My boyfriend and I have 2 dogs, 4 hermit crabs, 1 snake, and two aquariums. One had cherry red shrimp (it's empty currently) and one has various fish and such. Haha.
This site has an incredible amount of information. If you can't find it, just ask. Plenty of folks are willing to give advice! I've only been crabbing for about a year, correctly from this site for about 6 months, and there's always something to learn!
Welcome to HCA!!!

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

That's awesome! Here's a picture of my tank, before Snooki changed shells. It's a 20 gallon. The humidity is low in this photo because I'd just finished adding new stuff to the tank, so a lot of the humidity escaped. I read that analog hygrometers are typically inaccurate, so I ordered an AcuRite digital hygrometer + thermometer. I've been using a mister to keep humidity up around 80%, but I think I'm going to try one of the DIY humidifier tutorials I've seen online.

Also, it's tough to tell in the photo because I don't think I got all the substrate (sand + coconut fiber mix) in the picture, but it's about 4 1/2 - 5" deep, I think. I've read that 6" is ideal, but I've also read it should be 3x higher than the height of your tallest crab. My two crabs are pretty small, so maybe it's okay as-is? Any tips are welcome!

You’ll want either six inches or three times the height of the tallest crab, whichever’s deeper.

Molting hermit crabs produce a strong molting odor that can make it smell appetizing to its tank mates. Six inches is considered minimum because that’s how deep it needs to be so the smell can’t be detected. It also gives them more room to dig in case multiple crabs are down at once.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ashleylovesyou wrote:

ciaraalston wrote:Welcome!!! If you can, post some pics of your tank!
I completely understand the zoo! My boyfriend and I have 2 dogs, 4 hermit crabs, 1 snake, and two aquariums. One had cherry red shrimp (it's empty currently) and one has various fish and such. Haha.
This site has an incredible amount of information. If you can't find it, just ask. Plenty of folks are willing to give advice! I've only been crabbing for about a year, correctly from this site for about 6 months, and there's always something to learn!
Welcome to HCA!!!

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

That's awesome! Here's a picture of my tank, before Snooki changed shells. It's a 20 gallon. The humidity is low in this photo because I'd just finished adding new stuff to the tank, so a lot of the humidity escaped. I read that analog hygrometers are typically inaccurate, so I ordered an AcuRite digital hygrometer + thermometer. I've been using a mister to keep humidity up around 80%, but I think I'm going to try one of the DIY humidifier tutorials I've seen online.

Also, it's tough to tell in the photo because I don't think I got all the substrate (sand + coconut fiber mix) in the picture, but it's about 4 1/2 - 5" deep, I think. I've read that 6" is ideal, but I've also read it should be 3x higher than the height of your tallest crab. My two crabs are pretty small, so maybe it's okay as-is? Any tips are welcome!

That's a great set up!

A super simple way to boost humidity is to add a bubbler to your pool. The air stone is about $2, tubing is about $2 and a small pump is about $6. Just add that to your pool and it helps SO much!

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

Hi! Welcome to the HCA!

Here is a link on the bubblers for your pools: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=113691&p=1030806&h ... r#p1030806

Also, you don't need a sponge in your pools - that is old school stuff. You can keep it in the tank for munching on, but don't wet it.

Both the fw and msw pools should be deep enough for hermits to get into and fully submerge in by themselves and safely get out of by themselves.

Great looking tank!

GotButterflies wrote:Hi! Welcome to the HCA!

Here is a link on the bubblers for your pools: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=113691&p=1030806&h ... r#p1030806

Also, you don't need a sponge in your pools - that is old school stuff. You can keep it in the tank for munching on, but don't wet it.

Both the fw and msw pools should be deep enough for hermits to get into and fully submerge in by themselves and safely get out of by themselves.

Great looking tank!

Thanks for the tips! Definitely gonna buy a bubbler and revamp the water situations. I had the sponge to keep humidity up, but it's been such a pain to keep clean that I think I'll just leave it in there dry like you suggested, rather than in the water dish.

Making a deeper pool might take some creativity because I don't want to push anything down into the substrate with a crab down there. I think I'll try upgrading them to something larger that sits on top of the substrate, then use a ladder or something so they can climb up into it. I'll also make sure they have a way to get out, too!

Yw! I set my Tupperware on top of the substrate and then zip tied craft mesh to them so they can climb in and out. This increases their molting space


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everyone has touched on what I'd like to say, but just wishing a welcome to the board!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk