Working on the crabitat - right direction?

[Reptilian Feline]

I've started on the crabitat, building it in a plastic container (tote) that holds 70 litre and has weels for easy moving it in and out of position. It's actually slightly larger than the aquarium I had left over. The plastic is almost completely transparent and comes with a well-fitting lid.

I wasn't sure I would have enough substrate so I put in a divider for the SW and FW bowls (see, I'm learning the lingo here ). I hope the slope isn't a problem. The oak piece has some old moss on it so it isn't slippery. One of the crabs got spooked and fell into the SW bowl, upside down, so I picked it up and put it on the sand. Would it have been able to right itself on its own?

I will make some fake plants out of plastic and hemp string and so on... I like this kind of creativity, and that's one of the reasons I decided to keep the hermies insted of selling them to some enthusiast (I'm becomming one myself instead). The blue tunnel is made out of a plastic jug I have removed the handle and bottom from and it's being suspended by fishing line.

I will have to add some more substrate. Should I have patted it down to begin with? I just left it loose from mixing it. I think some of the crabs might be considering to molt, so if they are buried I'll just add some loosely on top.

I was in a hurry, so I didn't dunk the hemp nets that I made in salt water before adding them to the crabitat. Now there seem to be some long whitish stuff growing in places. Is that mold and if so, is it dangerous for the crabs?

So... pictures:
How do I insert images in the posts? I tried to find it in the FAQ, but no dice.

[StarWarsHermitCrab]

This should help you post pictures. http://hermitcrabassociation.com/phpBB/ ... =8&t=87783

[soilentgringa]

Hey! It's good that you are working so hard to give your crabs an optimum setup. 70 liters sounds like a good start for now.
I just finished commenting on your other post, but wanted to ask you if you've had more time to read the care guides?

If you are going to be adding oak bark or anything else from outside it is best to bake it first in order to kill any unwanted insects or mites that could be on it. It also needs to be from a pesticide free area or tree, as any pesticide that will kill insects or other invertebrates will harm hermit crabs as well.

I believe the suggested way to do that is to bake at around 250F for about an hour; (if I'm off base on that please correct me, I just tried to look through several threads and couldn't find the exact info...maybe I missed it or skimmed too fast.).

Don't pack the substrate down, the crabs will tunnel through it and make caves.

I would personally suggest dunking the nets in salt water (mixed from Instant Ocean or other marine grade aquarium salt), because the salt water can help prevent mold forming. I have a pot that I use pretty much for boiling new crab items. Some things aren't able to be boiled and I will wash them in dechlorinated water if they are non-porous.

If you can find time to read through all the care guides, all the necessary info for setting up your crabitat are there, but of course please don't hesitate to ask for clarification or help if your question isn't answered!

As YYWW says: "Crabbers Unite!"

[Reptilian Feline]

OK. Pictures I added them to my website so they can be viewed here.

First a picture from one end. At the bottom or FW and SW in a lower portion with the oak bark as a ramp (the oak was used by my turtle in her old tank)


Another angle and a bit closer.


Another closeup.... shells to the left, and a semi buried hermie to the right.


A closeup of one of the caves I've made. The top portion is stitched to the bottom using fishing line. The small hermie is just about peaking out... got scared by the phone "camera".


I'll boil the nets in saltwater when I continue the work on the crabitat and adds more subs. I was in a hurry, and just didn't think it would really matter... and I was wrong. Oh well, no harm done - yet.

I've read the caresheet about PPs here and last night I gave them some spring green oak leaves, and I'll see if they liked it once I get home tonight.

BTW... I found the forum through a really great hermit crab guide website that had a lot of info on it on how to keep hermies.

[moonbeam]

What's the reason for the divider? Maybe I'm missing something (which could very well be the case) but in my (rusty, been gone too long) mind it would only serve to limit the amount of digging space the crabs have.


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[StarWarsHermitCrab]

Hey, when's the last time you changed the water in there? It looks dirty.

[CallaLily]

I like what you've done with the climbing things and the planters. What is the length and width of this bin? The slope will take away from useful molting space, so I would suggest making the substrate nice and deep all the way across. Some greenery in there would look nice too. Be sure to also offer them plenty of extra shells.

Hey, when's the last time you changed the water in there? It looks dirty.

It doesn't take long for the crabs to track substrate into my water dishes. If I changed the water every single time they got sand or cocofiber in them, I'd be changing them out several times a day.

[StarWarsHermitCrab]

I just think the water looks a little too dirty.

[CallaLily]

I just think the water looks a little too dirty.

Who knows, maybe their dishes were due for a change. I can only speak for how quickly my crabs drag substrate into the dishes sometimes. I just changed mine out a few hours ago and already they've tracked in a lot of substrate. (in the big tank. The smaller one still looks pretty good)

[soilentgringa]

Crabs are notorious for dragging sand and pooping in the water dishes Mine are so large I change them every 3 days but the smaller ones are changed every day. The worst is when you've just cleaned everything up and straightened and arranged and not an hour later your tank looks like a house party happened.

The fishing line idea for the plastic totes is really creative. I may have to mimic that. I didn't even think about the fact that you could use a line rated for like 5-10 lbs to hang or attach things with tiny holes poked into the sides of the tote. Will have to do this when we re-do the tote 'tat. (Had to dump it due to other reasons.)

[soilentgringa]

Crabs are notorious for dragging sand and pooping in the water dishes Mine are so large I change them every 3 days but the smaller ones are changed every day. The worst is when you've just cleaned everything up and straightened and arranged and not an hour later your tank looks like a house party happened.

The fishing line idea for the plastic totes is really creative. I may have to mimic that. I didn't even think about the fact that you could use a line rated for like 5-10 lbs to hang or attach things with tiny holes poked into the sides of the tote. Will have to do this when we re-do the tote 'tat. (Had to dump it due to other reasons.)

[CallaLily]

The worst is when you've just cleaned everything up and straightened and arranged and not an hour later your tank looks like a house party happened.

Ain't that the truth.

[Reptilian Feline]

I put the devider in for two reasons; I didn't know if I had enough subs to fill the whole thing, and I wanted a safe place for the water bowls so they can be changed easily.

What looks dirty is actually the subs seen through the bottom of the water bowls, they are transparent. And the stairs used to be in my turtle's tank, so they look a bit worn. They are made from transparent water hose (the kind used in aquariums) that turns milky white when suberged for long. I stitched pieces together using fishing line, and I cut out sections from the side for extra steps. The top section is cut through so it can hang on the edge of the bowl.

If I fill up the whole bottom with subs, what happens if a hermie digs under the water bowls? I've seen some crabitats where the bowls are in level with the top of the subs. This was just my way of doing it. The divider is just wedged, so it can easily be removed.
BTW... what grain size of sand is best to use... I might as well get a second bag of sand, but I don't want it to be either too fine or too rough?

As for greenery... I've bought supplies and have cut out a number of leaves, but haven't had time to stitch it together yet... I work full time and I have only had the hermies for two weeks. This is a work in progress. It isn't easy when you suddenly get handed a whole new type of animals to care for that you know nothing about... you have no idea how much googling I've been doing these past two weeks! And that's why I signed up for a forum, so I could ask questions from people who's been doing this for a lot longer than me. I fell in love with these guys when they came out of their shells and started walking about when I got them home.

Now for cleaner water bowls... I've been toying with the idea to install tiny air driven filters (the kind used for shrimps). Is that an option?

I'm thinking of making a vine using hemp string, plastic leaves and polyester thread (the kind used for sewing). I'm worried about the hemp, since that is supposed to decompose after a while when it has been humid for a while (or is it that the hermies might nibble on it that breaks it down?). Maybe I should go full on polyester and plastic? I'm pretty good at crosheting... it could be fun to do some "plants" if I can find the right material. I really don't want to put anything metal in the crabitat, and I love unusual sollutions to problems

[CallaLily]

The divider is fine if the remaining space for substrate is enough for the crabs you have. I personally just try to make use of all molting space available. My water dishes sit on top of the substrate for that reason and there's no problems if they dig under them.

I thought that may have been some of what had been seen as "dirty" in the water. Like I said, we all understand how quickly the crabs can muck up the water with substrate anyway. I wondered what the stairs were made from, neat idea!

I totally understand how overwhelming it all can be and that things can't always come together quickly. You're doing great job! As long as they have proper conditions, the rest can come slowly.

There are crabbers who have set up larger filtered pools. If that's something you want and have room for, go for it. If not, no biggie. For uncycled pools, daily water changes are best. I shoot for at least every 2-3 days myself but sooner if they need it.

I'll leave the idea with making your own vines/plants to someone craftier than me. Sounds cool and I hope you'll share pics when you're finished with them.

[soilentgringa]

They dig under water dishes all the time, it's not uncommon to lift a water bowl and find a crab resting under it. If you are using little tupperware bowls you can double them up one inside another to make water changes really easy. Most of us in the U.S. just use playsand, no specific grain size. Quikrete or whatever brand of silica sand sold at Lowe's or Home Depot is less than $5 for a 50lb bag usually. We all understand works in progress! I don't know if you're ever truly finished with crabitats, there is always something to change or add. Welcome to the crazy addiction that is crab life!

Here is a pic of my water dishes; maybe you can tell what I meant about stacking the bowls. Not everyone has to have the same exact bowls or anything, this is just what works for me right now.


I don't know if anyone has filters in their small bowls but if they do maybe they can offer some input!