HCA: Hermit Crab Association

I recently bought two crabs, they're not huge, but they aren't tiny either. I'm trying to figure out what type they are. I have them in a Kritter Keeper thing and I have the colored sand stuff they sell for them, little treats, I give them fresh, purified water. stuff to climb on and other shells, all that jazz.

But I was reading stuff on the site and I'm kinda freaked out. I love them to death but apparently Kritter keepers aren't good?? I got them to have something to love while I'm in college, so I cant really get a big fish tank right now ((budget budget budget)). And you cant get the heat pads i don't think, for kritter keepers. AUGH! I have no idea what I'm doing, and I totally thought I did!

Anyways, My Name is Katie, the crabs are Phillipe and Smithers.
They kinda bury themselves in one corner and fight over who gets the corner, is this normal??? are they molting?? You bathe crabs?? oh my gosh!!

Lead me in the right direction, PLEASE!

-love!

Hi there! Welcome to the HCA. When I first got my crabs I thought just like you did, till I saw this site! The false info out there really messes people up when it comes to good crab keeping.

Could you get your crabs a 10 gallon tank? They are pretty cheap most of the time, around $10.00.

You need to buy something to read the temp. and humidity levels in your tank. Both need to be in the 75-80 range for your crabs to live happy.

I need to get going now... someone else can help you out with the rest.

Well, good show looking online for information!
I thought all I needed to know was what the gave me: it took me a year to look for more information. *shame*

If you haven't been to hermit-crab.com's Basic Care page, that is an excellent place to start!
http://www.hermit-crabs.com/care.html

welcome to the HCA! I'm in college now too, living in a dorm, so I know how space is limited, as well as money. as MacandHunter suggested, a 10 gallon glass tank is really cheap, and you can get a lid from glass or plexiglass cut at a hardware store if the pet store doesn't have any.

hermies are great college pets because once you invest the start up costs, such as tank, hideys, UTH, dechlorinator, they are cheap to maintain. plus, they don't require much care except changing food and water (and occaisional deep cleans).

I started off with two crabs in a KK too, but, as you've read, KKs are bad because its hard to keep in heat or humidity. since I've switched to a glass tank, my crabs have been much more active and healthier.

one thing you'll definatly need is saltwater for the crabs, they definatly need it. it must be made with a marine salt from a pet store, not table salt, because table salt is poisonous to crabs. marine salt isn't too expensive though.

if you have any other specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Caroline

Ok, well, Ive had them for about three weeks already, and I got a bigger kk. But I suppose I could bump it up to a 10 gallon, I still have my receipt to take the kk back..
How long will they be alright in a kk?? I can get the tank and stuff when I get on campus this weekend, to make sure I'll have space for a 10 gal.

I have http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyid=11869 in their crabitat right now, is that type okay for the big tank too?? What kinda nonsense do I need for the heating?? a pad? or a light?

I will make this work, O_O

they should be okay in the KK until this weekend, just try to keep the lid covered and stop them from getting way too cold or too hot.

the substrate you are currently using, calci sand, is bad for a couple reasons. one is that its expensive, you can get a 50 lb bag of playsand for about $5 at a hardware store. you need enough to make the substrate twice as deep as your tallest crab. also, calci sand clumps when wet (bad for digging) and also tends to hold in smell. you're better off with cheap playsand, wettened to sand castle consistancy so the crabs can dig.

when you get the 10 gallon, be sure to pick up both temperature and humidity gauges, they aren't expensive and they are two of the most important things in your tank.

I use a heating pad (UTH), and they come in different sizes for different sized tank. I don't care for lighting because it really lowers the humidity.

Caroline

Yeah, I have the lid covered partially with plastic wrap to keep the humidity in. So thats step one..
So play sand? Would that be the kind for a sand box?? Hmmk.. Sounds good. And the heating pads would be with the reptile stuffs?

Hi there, welcome to the HCA. Yup, playsand is the kind that goes into a kids sand box. It's prewashed, you can wash and bake it, or just do a sniff test and make sure it's not contaminated and just put it in. The Under Tank heater should be with the reptile stuff.

Before you start adding heaters, you really need to get guages. If your crabs don't have the proper humidity in the tank, their gills don't work properly and they slowly suffocate over the course of a few weeks. And the temperature alters their metabolism.

Humidity levels need to be in the 75-85% range, and the temp in the 70-78 range. Without a thermometer, you have no way of knowing whether or not adding this heater is going to overheat your crabs, the damage from which is permanent and catostrophic. The guages can be found in the reptile section of most large petstores. If only the people selling crabs knew or cared about all this stuff.

Good job seeking help. It's always good to see someone who's willing to learn and meet their crabs' needs.

Hokie dokie, yeah, don't worry, I wont get heaters and stuff till I get the gauges and the tank =) I'm just trying to figure out where everythings going to be and line it up budget wise If only I were still in highschool and didn't have to worry about money. Hah.

Thanks for the help =)

Now, for what I can do for them NOW.
Bathing them; that would be room temperature water for 2-3 minutes? completley submerged, then let them run around in a box on a paper towel to dry off, and that would be that?? The stress coating (I read that somewhere you should put in there) is that the stuff that you would get in the fish dept? Does the water need to be salt, or just the purified? Also, would the salt water be for their drinking water? Or do they need the salt water to just chill in?
Oh Phillipe and Smithers, my pretties.. We will make this work!

Actually, some people here don't bathe their crabs, as it can stress them, which can be very bad sometimes. Other times people can bathe their crabs without any problems! I just got mine yesterday so I'm definitely not an expert on this, just what I have read on here. Also, I have read mixed reviews on stress coat, some saying it's bad and some saying it's good for baths... hmm... I hope this helps, at least a little!

Bathing - most crab owners don't bathe their crabs much anymore. I only give new crabs a bath when I first bring them home, and offer them two pools in the tank so they can give themselves a bath when they feel that they want one.

So I don't need to bathe them?? Huh.. K.

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx? ... ilyID=8193&
eh, eh??
what I need??
Step by step!

I appreciate you guys being so helpful, and I'm sure my crabbies will appreciate it too =)

I, also, don't bathe my crabs, I'm part of the school that thinks it stresses them too much.

yep, that gauge combo set is what you need!

Caroline

Hi, when you get your humidity gauge, make sure you calabrate it so you can make sure it isn't off, it is very easy to do. Look here.