HCA: Hermit Crab Association

My hermit crabs currently live in my finished basment until I am off to college. Now that I have upgraded to a 20 gal. my heat lamp is just not cutting it. Can anyone give me some suggestions to keep the heat up in my tank?

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How cold is the room usually? An Ultratherm UTH that covers the back of your tank should do it. Most people recommend to get one that is above the substrate line, but if it's a really cold space you might need to go with one that covers the whole thing. It'll dry the substrate out faster, which is the only downside.

The room is only a little below what it should be right now. It will mostly be a problem in the winter.

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They can be used with plug-in lamp dimmers, or with a thermostat if that's in the budget, so you can adjust it up or down according to the season!

If I'm going to insulate my UTH with the craft store foam board do I put the board directly next to the UTH or is that a fire hazard?


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 3 crabs

Check the instructions on your UTH to make sure it can be insulated safely. For sure Ultratherms and Flukers can and you just put it directly on them, but the other brands that already seem padded usually can't be.

Well the instructions went out the window a while ago lol my current UTHs are both from Petsmart...one is All Living Things and the other is Grreat Choice. Neither is padded though. To be on the safe side should I put something between the UTH and the foam? Aluminum foil maybe? My temp is holding pretty steady at 75 but I'd like to bump it a bit to see if they become more active.

2 of my 3 originals are up and exploring freely, one is down (molting I hope), and the new guys all disappeared one of the teeny new ones has sequestered himself behind the coconut fiber wall and the others...no idea


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 3 crabs

Is craft foam safe to use, assuming the uth is one that can be insulated?